So why did I embark on the ridiculous task to map out 24 skin tints and foundations and almost destroy my skin the process? Today, almost everything is described as skin-like, natural, radiant, or buildable, and it’s difficult to know how those words compare or what they actually mean. As I was trying to come up with the base products I was planning to recommend for the Sephora sale, I realized that having a chart like my Tubing Mascara chart would be way more helpful than reviewing each one alone – a foundation can look dewy next to one product but relatively natural or even matte next to another. Something can seem sheer until you put it next to something that’s REALLY SHEER.
So, like a normal totally sane person, I put all 24 skin tints and foundations on my face at the same time so I could compare them on the same skin day on top of the same skincare. I compared the patches as they settled over the course of a few hours, essentially doing 24 head to head wear tests. This helped me confirm placements for the map but rest assured this is informed by many, many wear tests (some over the last couple of years depending on how long I’ve had a particular formula).
After trying many ways of organizing these, I decided to place them all on the map on these dimensions:
- X-axis: visible coverage from one normal application, sheer to full. I have more info on the level of buildability for each in the individual reviews.
- Y-axis: how visibly matte, glowy, or wet/dewy the foundation looks, even after it’s set down (if it sets down at all). I’ll talk about whether it feels drying, hydrating, or sticky in each of the reviews.
For reference, I have super dry skin with texture and fine lines. Keep in mind everyone’s skin and the climate can affect finish, wear, comfort, etc. but I hope that this will give you the info you’re looking for if you’re looking for a new base product!
My arm is also a different color than my face so I will do my best to describe shade matches in addition to the swatches – the thing I learned doing this is that arm swatches can be super misleading because of this which is why sometimes a swatch looks perfect but then it looks bonkers on you. I shall be doing more in store testing in 2027!
In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own. Swatches are under a ring light to show true to color (photo #1) and then standard lighting to show the formula a little better (#2) for all the products.
Before I get into 24 foundation reviews, a couple of “that’s too long, I’m not reading that” shout outs: I know I said I wasn’t going to pick a favorite, but I do absolutely have a favorite neighborhood of the map. The area with Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, MAC Skin Tint Stick, m.ph Le Skin, Armani Skin Tint, Lisa Eldridge Skin Tint, and Ciele Tint & Protect really showed me how much I personally gravitate towards a light to medium coverage product that has a “my skin but better” kind of finish. If you also have dry skin and just want your skin to look good without looking overdone, I highly recommend one of these.
I fully expected both the REFY Skin Base Hydrating Gel Skin Tint and the L’Oreal Tinted Serum to be luminous and glowy and amazing. The REFY ended up being super flat looking on me, even though it feels like it never dries down. The L’Oreal Tinted Serum is actually matte on me, like…completely dries down to the least reflective base product I’ve tried in a long time. I know other people love both of these, but I have tested them so many times, and just need to be honest about where they fall on the map.
Less Coverage + Radiant
Shiseido RevitalEssence Skin Glow Foundation SPF 30 in 130 Opal – Starting off with the dewiest and the sheerest, this is the one I’d pick if you’re looking for something that keeps looking radiant all day. It doesn’t really set down and stays moveable, so if that would bother you, I’d move down in the chart. But if you want a visible wet glow, I really love this one – it’s beautiful on the skin even though it doesn’t provide that much coverage. 130 Opal works well with my undertones, and this is so sheer it’s not a huge deal that it’s not a perfect match.
Givenchy Prisme Libre Glow Serum Foundation in 0.5N – The Givenchy Foundation has almost as much glow as the Shiseido, but with much more coverage (relatively speaking). This was super promising when I first started testing it, but it really seems to settle in lines and emphasize texture as I wear it throughout the day. It also stays pretty sticky, and it doesn’t seem to do well with powder. I would love to know if you’ve had better experience with this one but I’d rather sacrifice a little bit of dewiness and move down the chart to get some of the “still-dewy with similar coverage without being…wet” options. 0.5N is a bit too light but based on the swatches it seems like the best option (maybe 1.5W would be better?).
IT Cosmetics Do It All Hydrating Sheer Tinted Moisturizer Balm in Fair Warm 120 – This is my go to for when I want something that looks like my skin but nicer. It’s pretty sheer and a little radiant without being too dewy or shiny. It settles down more than the Shiseido and really blends in with my skin. I find this formula so easy to work with (it’s been a staple for my five minute full face routine especially when I’m low on sleep and need something that looks good fast). Fair Warm 120 is honestly a really good shade match for me, although I think part of that is because it’s sheer enough that getting a perfect shade match isn’t crucial.
ciele tint & PROTECT SPF 50+ in 03 Light (Sephora, Ciele) – When I had all 24 of these on my face at the same time, this is the one my husband said looked the best. And I do think that if you want glowy skin with some actual coverage (even if it’s only light and buildable to medium), this is a fantastic option. It does wear really well, and it settles down to a skin-like finish that’s radiant without being wet. 03 Light is a little too warm for my undertones, but it’s light enough coverage that I can make it work or I can always add a little bit of blue.
Armani Skin Tint Longwear & Care in F3 – I know I’m going to say this about a lot of these, but I also really love this one. I’ve actually almost finished this, which is saying a lot (I mean look how many foundations and skin tints I have). This has light coverage but it can definitely be built up, and it stays radiant and glowy without being sticky. Like the Ciele, it also actually sets down and doesn’t transfer everywhere (looking at you Givenchy). F3 is a little warm and not especially olive, but it’s super wearable with its coverage level, and I think it’s still probably the best match in this formula. I still like to add a little blue, but other than a couple of these, that’s pretty par for the course. As you’d expect, the skin tint is more luminous than the Armani Luminous Silk foundation, which has more coverage and less dewy finish.
Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint in T1.5, T5, and T9 – Is the Lisa Eldridge Skin Tint also one that I love very much and is one I’ve repurchased and wear all the time? Yes, yes it is. It has about the same amount of coverage as the Armani Skin tint but dries down a bit more, so it really just looks like my skin but hydrated and perfect. It doesn’t stay wet or pick back up and works so well with any other makeup I’m using. As I talked about in my dedicated Lisa Eldridge brand review, none of these shades are really my shade but I can make any of them work if I mix them together. It’s worth it to me for the texture and the finish. I also love using 1.5 as a mixer with basically anything else even though 1.5 on its own is a bit too light.
mixsoon PDRN Collagen Tinted Moisturizer in No. 21 Soft – The description of this sounded so promising, and I’ve loved having it around when I’m having a bad skin day. It’s a little heavy and thick, but unlike some of these other “dewy but with not super sheer coverage” products, it’s actually very nourishing and hydrating instead of just staying sticky and wet. It’s more radiant when I first put it on, but it settles into a glowy finish that looks really nice. I definitely prefer the way the Lisa Eldridge Skin Tint looks on my skin in general, and it’s one I reach for more even though I like how the mixsoon tint makes my skin feel. Shade 21 is a little too light and bright for me even though shade 21 is usually a pretty good bet. I’m hoping this will be a better match in the winter, especially when I’ll want this for my extra dry skin.
MAC Studio Radiance Skin Tint Stick in Light Medium 1 (Sephora, Ulta, MAC) – I was so pleasantly surprised when I got this because this shade is absolutely perfect. Like I’ve never had something that matched me like this before, and if you want a reference for the actual shade of my face right now, that’s it. I really hope the green is showing up in the swatches but my undertones but actually make it harder to see because it’s actually at home with my undertones and doesn’t do anything weird when it hits my skin. I also do really like the formula. It has sheer coverage when you first apply it but I can get it to build to medium coverage (I think this is really meant to be a skin tint in stick and not go full coverage). It starts out fairly radiant and then settles into a slightly glowy but not too glowy finish as it dries. It looks really smooth even on my textured dry skin, and even though it has lighter coverage than some of these other ones, it looks so nice and it’s so easy to apply and blend. *It’s entirely possible it looks great on my skin because it’s actually the color of my skin but a lot of you that I’ve chatted with seem to love this too.
m.ph by Mary Phillips Le Skin Weightless Serum Foundation in Medium 130 O – This is one of my new favorites. The coverage of the m.ph foundation is light to medium, and the formula has a slight sheen that’s pretty close to the MAC stick’s radiance. It’s more radiant than the Armani Luminous Silk foundation (which I’ll get to next), and it’s far less wet looking than the Shiseido or Givenchy. It also actually dries down. It sits so well on my skin when it settles in, and it just looks so natural and skin-like. Medium 130 O is definitely olive and would have been my absolute perfect match until the MAC stick showed up (it’s just ever so slightly a better match). I think both are going to be a bit too dark for the depths of winter, but for my Spring/summer/fall skin, I’m so thrilled to have ones that match so well.
Armani Luminous Silk Natural Glow Blurring Foundation in 4 (Sephora, Armani) – I have to be honest that I did like the original Luminous Silk foundation better than this reformulated version, even though I do like and wear this version often. It sets down beautifully and looks like my skin with foundation but not in a bad way. In a “I refined my skin and made it look better on purpose” kind of way. This has light-medium coverage; more coverage than the MAC stick but still in the same general family of coverage and finish. Honestly, shade 4 looks pretty good when I’m wearing it by itself. I noticed it was slightly too peachy pink only because the MAC and m.ph are such good matches for my undertones. I still have a feeling there’s a better shade match for me, but this one works really well (especially with a little bit of blue).
More Coverage + Radiant
Versed Skin Solution Multi-Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 in 4W (Ulta, Versed) – I still have pretty mixed feelings about this one. It has surprisingly substantial coverage for a skin tint – it can build to almost full coverage even though you can also apply a fairly sheer layer if you really spread it out. That said, it really does stay really wet looking and doesn’t set all the way so if you build it up, it somehow ends up both looking really shiny and cakey. But it is very radiant in a thin layer and can look really beautiful if you don’t use too much (really, don’t use that much!). 4W is a pretty good match for me in the summer even though it’s a little bit too yellow and deep right now. I can make it work in a sheer layer though.
Hung Vanngo Red Carpet Skin Luminous Longwear Serum Foundation in 5 – I reviewed this pretty recently so I won’t go too in-depth but the summary is that this is a ton of coverage from a very small amount of product, and it stays very dewy on me. Which sounds like a really great thing to have on hand, but it bunches up and emphasizes every little thing on my face. I promise I tried this with the smallest amount possible with many different application techniques but it just doesn’t work well with my skin. If you’re into this formula though, shade 5 does actually have some green in it.
VIEVE Skin Nova Complexion Balm in 140 Light Warm – If you’re looking for something that has more coverage and is radiant without being too glowy, the VIEVE Complexion Balm is a great choice. It’s radiant without being wet, and it sets down to a really nice satin finish with a little bit of radiance. It also has quite a bit of coverage for this type of finish. It’s medium and buildable, although you can sheer it out if you want to. I just don’t wear it that often because 140 is just straight up peachy pink on me, and I’ve found so many other things that are a better match that it doesn’t make sense for me to wear it that often. But I really wish I could find a shade that worked!
MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream and B.B Cream Pro SPF 42 PA+++ in No. 13, 21, 23, and 25 (Ulta, Yesstyle) – Speaking of finding a shade that works, somehow, the foundation I own the most shades of out of all these is the MISSHA BB Cream. I love its hydrating, balmy texture. It’s a little thick, similar to the VIEVE, and looks more obviously like makeup than the truly skin-like tints, especially with its medium coverage. But it settles into a glowy finish without staying wet, and I’ve been wearing it a ton since finding a shade that works. Shade 25 is shockingly orange on me, 23 is closer but a little too peach, and 13 is too light and bright. Shade 21, as I should have known, is a great match. I’ll probably be giving away the other three, but I’m so happy to have something like the VIEVE in a shade that actually works. This and the VIEVE both have a pretty strong fragrance so be aware if you don’t like that, don’t get either of these.
about-face The Performer Skin-Focused Foundation in F2 Olive and L2 Olive – I’ve loved the about-face foundation since it first came out, mostly because it was one of the first foundations to offer olive shades that were actually olive. F2 is still a really fantastic shade even though it’s a little light for me. Now that I have a lot of actually olive, actually green shades, L2 looks actively orange, which sometimes happens with olive shades that are a little bit too deep. It could also be because I’m getting more into my winter shades. That said, this is a beautiful medium-coverage foundation that has a little bit of radiance without being too glowy. It’s more reflective than some of the others, like the Luminous Silk Foundation, but it’s still in the general natural-finish area. It has a really thin, serum-like formula that my dry skin really likes, and this is one of the foundations I still reach for when I’m not quite sure what I want to do and just want something that I know is going to look good and be easy.
L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Skincare Infused Foundation in W2.5 -If you’re looking for something closer to medium/medium-full coverage that’s buildable and on the slightly glowy but not quite dewy side, this is such a great option. It helps that it’s also affordable, but I just find it really hard to find something that has this much coverage and still has a slightly radiant finish. Especially compared to everything else in this quadrant, it’s one of the least makeup-y looking products. It’s similar to the about-face in that it settles to a really nice satin but slightly radiant finish, and it looks great on my skin. It doesn’t look as heavy as the VIEVE, MISSHA, Hung Vanngo, or Versed. W2.5 is a pretty good match, and if I’d never tried the MAC or m.ph, I would still think it’s a really great match. Those are just so perfectly green that now W2.5 looks a little peachy in comparison. But it works great, and I can also add a little blue if I need to. This is also way more skin-like and less matte-looking than the Nude Tinted Serum and about half the price.
MAKEUP BY MARIO SurrealSkin Natural Finish Foundation in 3W – On me, the Makeup by Mario foundation is solidly in that not quite matte, not quite glowy natural skin finish. I would say that of all the foundations in the chart, REFY and this are the only ones I’d actually describe as having a natural finish, whereas all the others are either more glowy or more matte. It’s smoothing, it’s flattering, it looks like my skin, but it still has solidly medium coverage that noticeably covers my freckles without looking like it’s high coverage. I think other people find it more glowy, but with my dry skin, it just settles into this really lovely natural (again, actually natural, not marketing natural) finish. 3W was a really good shade match in a vacuum, especially when I first tried it because I didn’t know how close of a match I could actually get. I still really like this shade, but I always add a bit of blue color corrector now, and that makes it work really well on my skin tone. Anything I’ve said before about this not needing any color corrector? I was wrong. I just hadn’t been introduced to the likes of MAC and m.ph yet.
Less Coverage + Matte
REFY Skin Base Hydrating Gel Skin Tint in 140 N (Sephora, REFY) – I’ll be honest that I haven’t worn this much since I initially tested it. There’s just no contest between this and most of the other skin tints on the chart. The others (except for the one I’m going to talk about next) give such a beautiful skin like finish and generally have around the same amount of coverage. I expected the REFY to be dewy and luminous, but instead it just looks really flat like it’s sitting on top of my skin. It’s not matte matte, but it’s just on the dryer side of a natural finish. Shade 140 N is also pretty orange on me, but I think even if it were the right shade, there’s something about the way this dries down that just doesn’t work with my skin.
L’Oréal Paris True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum Foundation in Light 2–3 – I honestly do not understand this product. It starts out a little glowy, like you’d expect, but then it dries down so matte. It’s one of the most matte products in this entire group. The formula feels so nice and weightless but it looks so dry and bunchy and weird on my skin. I love the regular True Match Foundation which has more coverage, is a much better shade match (Light 2-3 is too dark and orange on me), and has a much nicer finish. I know some people think this is radiant (and I’m sure it is on their skin!), but every time I try this, it’s incredibly matte in such an unflatting way.
More Coverage + Matte
Prada Reveal Skin Optimizing Soft Matte Foundation in LW5 – This is one of the most smoothing and blurring formulas out of the 24. It starts off a little glowy but dries to the most beautiful soft matte finish. It has medium buildable coverage (although it has less coverage than some of the others in this quadrant like the Rare Beauty, Westman Atelier, and Basma). I reach for this one the most of all my matte foundations because it just looks so nice and feels super comfortable all day. LW5 is slightly too light for me, but it’s totally workable and I think is likely my best shade in this range.
Westman Atelier Suprême Bio-Complex Liquid Foundation in Atelier F5 (Sephora, Westman Atelier) – I don’t want to bury the lede here – I did a head to head wear test of this vs the Prada, and Prada won. This also has medium buildable coverage but has a bit more coverage than the Prada. It’s also soft matte after setting down, it’s smoothing, and it looks great on my skin. F5 is my best shade because it’s actually really yellow green, but I find the shades in this range are so saturated that none of them is quite right for me.
Rare Beauty True to Myself Natural Matte Longwear Foundation in No. 7 and No. 10 (Sephora, Ulta, Rare Beauty) – Even though I reach for the Prada foundation more often than this one, I really do love this foundation and think it’s such a great matte option if you have dry skin and want coverage and blur. It’s medium to full coverage and more matte than the Prada and the Westman but has a really beautiful skin-like finish for how matte it also is. I’m always surprised when I wear it just how nice it looks. Shade 7 has a great undertone but it’s way too light for me, and 10 is a bit too warm and deep right now (It looks great in the summer), so I’ve been mixing them together.
BASMA The Foundation Stick in 035 – The important thing to know about the BASMA foundation stick is that how you apply it really matters. I’ve done so many tests with this over the time that I’ve had it, and even today I noticed how different it looks when you draw the stick directly on your face versus using a brush. I think it looks so much less heavy and less makeup-y if you pick it up from the stick with a brush and then blend onto your face. It still looks pretty if you draw it on directly, but I’d really recommend applying it with a brush instead. 035 is genuinely olive, although it’s a bit too dark and warm for me in the colder months. It’s not quite as green as the MAC or m.ph, but it still looks good, and I know a lot of people have been able to find their shade in the BASMA range. This has medium coverage that builds toward full, and it’s a little more matte looking than Rare Beauty, but still in that same general soft matte zone. Plus if you’re looking for something in a stick that isn’t radiant, this is a fantastic choice.
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Natural Matte Longwear Foundation in 186N and 206W (Sephora, Ulta, Fenty) – I really wanted to love this because it is one of the few matte foundations that’s actually matte but looked great when first applied. It has a medium to full coverage that is easy to build. I think my skin’s just too dry for this one – it felt painfully drying and started breaking up on my face in all my wear tests. 186N is a pretty good shade made but it’s not quite right. 206W is a bit too peachy orange on me. I can tell it wants to be green, I think it’s just too deep for me. Either way, I get much prefer the Prada and the Rare Beauty foundations for a low-shine blurred matte look, but I’d love to hear what folks with less dry skin think of this one!
Where would your favorite foundation land on the map, and what would you like me to test next? As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog and some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.
