If you follow me on my social channels, you know that I have a love-hate relationship with makeup, especially foundation! I mean, I love it, but at the same time, I want my face to breathe. With the whole mask-wearing, I am on the hunt for the best foundation, preferably one that stays put. With the new year starting, I just thought it would be nice to do a roundup of the best foundations in my beauty drawer. Do know it is my opinion of the best, I have tested them; I bought them myself, and I will specify for what occasion I wear them.

So what is a foundation? A foundation is a liquid, cream, or powder makeup applied to the face (sometimes the body) to create a uniform complexion. You have sheer, light, medium, or full coverage foundations. Not sure yet what the best foundation form coverage is for me; it depends on where I am going. My preference is a buildable foundation. Let’s dive into it and have a read about the best foundations in my beauty drawer.

Dior Airflash Spray Foundation

I am literally in love with this foundation. One day, I walked into the Pharmaprix looking for a foundation and bumped into this one. 

It is an ultra-fluid, water-resistant foundation that blends full coverage with a lightweight formula, providing airbrushed perfection for up to 12 hours. This foundation is perfect for taking photos or filming my YouTube or IG videos. It stayed well on my face even in the heat of summer, and if you know Montreal, we get hot, humid summers. They say you can spray it straight up to your face, but I prefer the Bobbi brown full coverage brush or the Dior brush for application. This Dior foundation is one of the best foundations in my beauty drawer, hands down. The only con I can add is the price, but in my opinion, it is so worth it. I wear the radiant finish in color 6 Neutral.

Estee Lauder Double wear Stay in Place Makeup Foundation.

Estee Lauder products are always good, and they remind me of my first beauty counter experiences as a child with my mom. This classic brand never disappoints. I have always been a skincare and mascara fan but never really dived into their foundation. The double wear stay in place makeup foundation caught my attention, and I wanted to try it out. It feels lightweight and is buildable to medium to full coverage. I hardly see any foundation in my mask when I have this foundation on, so it stays in place. The only con about this foundation is that you must purchase the pump separately.

I consider this one of the best foundations in my beauty drawer because it stays put, and I love to wear it when I have meetings outside or dinner dates. We are still pretty masked up here, so this one is ideal.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick

My forever foundation! You have heard me raving about this foundation before. Fun fact I have only started to wear makeup non professionally in my mid-twenties. My Bobbi Brown stick was my go-to, and I love it because I only use it to cover up bags under my eyes or dark spots on my face. 

I had always had it in my bag when I still had a corporate job because, as I said, I only put a face on when I had important meetings and wanted to look a bit more representable.

The Bobbi Brown stick is the ideal foundation for someone that is not the biggest foundation lover but still wants some coverage but on their terms. I wear this stick in the color warm almond.

Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation

I came across this foundation when shooting for the Diva Cup campaign. The MUA on the set used this foundation to create a natural look, and she said this was perfect for my skin tone. It is an oil-free foundation that delivers buildable, medium coverage and a luminous, glowy-skin finish for a natural makeup look. And why I find it one of the best foundations in my beauty drawer, it doesn’t feel like I am wearing a foundation. In the summer, I was a solid 13, but now with the colder weather, that color is a bit too dark.

Nars Radiant tinted moisturizer

I love Nars eyeshadows, lip pencils, and their mascara!

I was not entirely convinced yet on the foundation front because, well, I just took my time. My friend Natacha convinced me to try their concealer, which convinced me to look out for a foundation. After explaining what I was looking for at the beauty counter, I am particular if you know me. Let’s say I am super specific with what I don’t want; the lady told me I should try the tinted moisturizer. So technically, it is not a foundation, but I am happy with the results. It has very light coverage with a radiant finish, but it gives me that perfect no-makeup makeup look. It has a hydrating formula and contains Vitamin C (we know how I feel about Vitamin C, so what’s not to like). I wear this moisturizer when I don’t want to go heavy on the makeup but still want to look good. I have this one in the color guernsey.

These 5 are my favorite foundations, but I also love the Fenty beauty Eaze drop and the Guerlain L’Essentiel (it smells so good and the bottle is gorgeous)

I have already mentioned my favorite tool for applying, the Bobbi Brown full coverage foundation brush, but I also love my artist brush set from time to time and a good old beauty blender.

As for a setting powder, Laura Mercier is forever my favorite, and I swear by Charlotte Tilbury’s bronzer to finish some of my makeup looks.

What are your best foundations? Comment and let me know if we have the same ones or another one I need to try!

Thank you so much for reading xoxo Sharifa