A Review of My Favourite Foundations

My skin is pretty sensitive, so I have to be careful when buying a new foundation. I do all my reading, and after a few days or weeks—I can possibly buy my next foundation and test it out. Most people know that the two places to best test foundation is on your chest and on the back of your hand. My skin is also pretty grey because I have anaemia and so, I need a foundation that doesn't make my skin look grey, and can make me more radiant, lightened and possibly, with more of my own colour in my skin. (I'm a very light-skinned Indian if you want to imagine that. Or, likewise, check out my profile picture at the end of this article.)

My skin colour is normally a light beige, if you really want to know it's "True Beige" in Rimmel London's concealer. It's pretty difficult to find foundations that not only suit my skin as it is sensitive, but it's also difficult to find something to suit my actual skin colour.

I love my foundation, but there are five that I love in particular because of their ability to adapt to my skin and not inflame, swell, redden or clog up anything. I would highly recommend these to people who are trying out foundations and don't really know about others that are apart from the regular brands.

This list will work from five to one and so, naturally—the one at number one is probably going to be the best one for sensitive skin.

5. Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

Buy it here.

My day-to-day foundation is Rimmel London's Match Perfection. One bottle probably lasts me one or two months and it doesn't smear or dry. It never clogs up my pores, and it works well with my blushers, contours and highlight, in order to make my skin look brighter and less grey.

Pros: Makes the skin look radiant and is very light to wear. The day-to-day aspect of this foundation is very important—it gives a good amount of coverage, without making you look like you caked it on.

Cons: Probably not the best idea for evening foundation or going-out foundation because it has the tendency to dry up and create a few problems when it comes to dry skin.

How does it work with my skin? Very well, actually. It covers up my grey-ness well and, because of the good colour range available it can also blend really nicely with my skin. It isn't difficult to remove and doesn't leave any residue—though I would still recommend a thorough wash afterwards. Finally, it goes well with both lighter and slightly darker make up for changing looks.

4. Elizabeth Arden's Flawless Finish Foundation

Buy it here.

Though it is expensive, if you want the ideal evening-wear foundation, this one is more likely the way you want to go. I have pretty sensitive skin, and this one really does suit. It doesn't have all the chemicals that regular designer foundations have. Elizabeth Arden has some pretty good make-up if you're willing to spend a bit of cash—I own blushers, eyeshadows, eyeliners, brushes, and lipsticks from this brand and they are all pretty brilliant.

Pros: An evening foundation, it really does make the skin look shinier and more "red carpet" like—it's perfect for party wear. It doesn't remain sticky or greasy, instead it's lightweight and airy to wear, depending on what you put on top of it. The colour range is average, I would say that there are limited darker colours in this foundation—but there is an okay range if you're willing to go one shade lighter/darker.

Cons: Not an everyday thing, this foundation is small and expensive to buy. Apart from that, it does have a tendency to offer the coverage more required to older women than younger ones. I still need quite a bit of concealer with this one, so I would have some ready.

How does it work with my skin? It's fair. I like it if I'm only going to wear it when I go out to a party—a party lasts a few hours and I can stand it for that long. The point is, it doesn't ruin my skin and it looks pretty good in the evening. What I would say though, is watch the colour your buy—they are a bit different to normal, regular foundation.

3. TLM Colour Changing Foundation

Buy it here.

Now, I know many people don't like this foundation and it's been reviewed pretty harshly on social media. But, if you would like to wear a light make-up to the supermarket—then this one is pretty much the go-to for me. This foundation takes some time to get used to because initially, you may find it is somewhat a bit greasy or oily. After a while, you'll get used to it because this foundation isn't made for your party wear. It's everyday foundation, not evening wear.

Pros: A brilliant foundation, you don't need to worry about your shade or buying the correct one. It makes your skin ever so slightly lighter, which means there's an element of radiance in there, because of the way it tints your skin to shine. It is lightweight and offers a tiny coverage, some people use it as a primer for their regular foundation—which I would not recommend.

Cons: It takes a lot to cover your skin and you may want a brush instead of a blender because it streaks a bit.

How does it work with my skin? Pretty brilliant. It doesn't leave me with clogging and it's not heavy at all. It may offer minimal coverage, but that's the way that everyday make-up works. It's good to wear when you want to put on some dark lipstick because the shine and lightness of the foundation offers a slight shine and a tint lighter. It's basically a win for me, since I love my dark red lipstick with my everyday make-up. Finally, it covers up my grey areas pretty well, but with minimal coverage, you may still want to reach for that concealer.

2. Urban Decay All-Nighter Foundation

Buy it here.

Another evening-wear foundation, this offers pretty good max-coverage. I like this foundation because of its brilliant ways with my blender, it doesn't streak, though it is a liquid foundation, and it doesn't really clog up very much. Watch out though! Some shops bump up the price of this foundation, so make sure you shop around. No, they don't offer too many shades (and pictured isn't all of them, don't worry) but they still offer a good, streak-free, dry-up-free, evening-wear foundation in order to party or wear to a dinner. Another good thing is it doesn't crack and it's perfectly suited to harsher skin.

Pros: It has a brilliant shine and doesn't leave me with puffy red skin afterwards. It stays on pretty much for twelve hours and doesn't dry up. I like the way it covers up my greys and yet, it doesn't feel heavy or look like I've caked it on. Finally, I like the way it blends well with my concealer and doesn't make me look orange either.

Cons: It is evening-wear foundation and not really an everyday thing. The foundation has slightly more coverage than the one at number three and they are so different that we couldn't really compare. The only thing I would say about this is that you should A. be careful about the price, since some places bump it up and B. be careful about the shade, make sure you try it out in the shop before you buy it. There is a limited range of shades and sometimes, the foundation can feel sticky, but apart from that there's nothing really wrong with it.

How does it work with my skin? Pretty good actually, I really do like it. This foundation isn't difficult to remove either, it comes off with a simple sweep or by a good wash of the face. I would recommend putting on some coconut oil to your face after taking this foundation off, because it has a tendency to stick. Applying coconut oil to the face can stop it from doing so —and all you do is wash your face around twenty minutes later. It slips straight off; every last bit.

1. Phoera Foundation

Buy it here.

Yes, that's my shade in the picture. Phoera is a new "Instagram" foundation that has an incredible look. It is, by far, my favourite foundation. It has max-coverage, without giving a heavy feel and without ruining your skin (especially if you have grey areas like myself). The best thing about this is that you only need apply minimal concealer and this foundation just lasts forever. It isn't greasy and yet, if you like the shined-matte style then you'll love this foundation. It has amazing coverage and I mean AMAZING coverage and can make your Instagram pictures look just right!

Pros: For me, the biggest "pro" is that this foundation offers all the coverage without any of the heavy weighted, overly shiny, kind of greasy feel to it. It's lightweight, not messy, pretty great with sensitive skin types and just makes all my greys go away! You don't finish your concealer putting this foundation on and you needn't wear much highlight as it properly covers, giving a gentle matte-shine. It's not clumpy or powdery, and it doesn't redden the skin at all.

Cons: Well, if you don't like matte-styled foundation then this probably isn't for you—but apart from that I can't really fault it.

How does it work with my skin? With sensitive or anaemia-striken skin, it is very, very good. It manages to cover the grey areas, and make the skin look more radiant as the foundation is applied. You don't need too much of it and it looks pretty brilliant when your make-up is all done. I personally love it, it's my favourite foundation ever.