Foundations have come a long way in recent years. Traditionally offering more coverage and longevity than other bases (tinted moisturiser, for example, or colour-correcting CC creams), foundations once tended to be thicker and often more matte, making them ideal for formal, longer-lasting and high-coverage looks.
Now, a growing family of lightweight foundations deliver similar skin-perfecting properties but with a lighter feel and a more natural look. They come in a wide range of finishes, so whether your preference is for matte or gleaming skin, you’ll find something to suit. We dabbed, patted and blended our way through 19 lightweight foundations to help you find the best of the bunch. Our top-rated products are:
Best on test: Maybelline New York Dream Urban Cover Lightweight Foundation (Score: 86/100)
Best for light to medium coverage: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation (Score: 86/100)
Best for nourishing texture: Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation (Score: 85/100)
Best for a natural finish: No 7 Lift & Luminate Serum Foundation (Score: 85/100)
Best for travel and easy application: By Terry Light-Expert Click Brush Teint Expert Foundation (Score: 84/100)
Best for light coverage: Benefit Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation (Score: 84/100)
Best for brightening and hydrating: Lancôme Teint Miracle Hydrating Foundation (Score: 82/100)
Best for dry or mature skin: The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation (Score: 80/100)
Best for an illuminating finish: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation (Score: 79/100)
Best lightweight vegan foundation: Tropic Beauty Booster Sheer Foundation (Score: 79/100)
What is a lightweight foundation?
Lightweight foundations are perfect for those who want coverage, but don’t want to feel like they’re wearing much makeup. They typically provide light-to-medium coverage, suit most skin types and offer a range of finishes, including sheer, matte, dewy and radiant. They’re ideal for lighter summer looks, and for those who may find traditional foundations too "cakey", drying or uncomfortable.
Some lightweight foundations have additional long-term benefits for the skin, using skincare ingredients such as vitamin C or hyaluronic acid to enhance radiance, improve hydration and even reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
How to find the right shade
When choosing your foundation shade from home, it helps to understand your skin’s undertones. While skin colour (from pale, light and fair through to medium, deep or dark) can fluctuate slightly throughout the year, depending on factors such as how much sun you’ve had, your undertones are consistently the same and relate to the amount of warmth in your skin.
Skin which appears pink, ruddy or bluish-white is said to have cool undertones; skin which appears peachy, golden or has sallow yellow tones is known as warm, and skin which doesn’t appear to be obviously either is referred to as neutral. If you’re not sure which category you fall into, look at the veins on the inside of your wrist; if they appear blue/purple, your skin is cool, if they appear green/olive, you’re warm toned. A mixture of both means your undertone is neutral.
You can also ask yourself (honestly!) how well your skin tans. If you tan easily and don’t often burn, you’re likely to have a warmer skin tone; if you burn quickly and don’t hold a tan, you’re more likely to be cool.
Beauty brands that take foundations seriously will often categorise by shade and by undertone – for example, “very deep skin with neutral undertones”, or “fair skin with warm undertones”, helping you to get a more customised match. Many have online consultants or shade finders that can help you fine-tune your choice.
What should I use to apply foundation?
Foundations can be applied with a variety of tools, from sponges and brushes to simply using your fingers. As a general rule, tools give a more refined finish: try a flat brush to apply and a blending sponge or buffing brush to take away any hard edges. Applying with fingers helps to warm up the product and really work it into the contours of your face, for a fresh and natural look.
GHI top picks:
Elizabeth Arden Prevage Foundation Brush B. BlendingMakeup SpongeClinique Buff Brush
Tips for applying foundation:
•Prep skin with your normal skincare routine, ending with your regular moisturiser
•Use a primer to create a smooth base (this can help your foundation stay flawless for longer)
•Dot a small amount of foundation onto your cheeks, forehead and chin
•Blend into skin using your preferred method; brush, sponge, blender or fingers
•Set with a setting spray or powder
How we test lightweight foundations
We tested 19 lightweight foundations on 328 women, asking them to help us find the most lightweight and comfortable. Over a two-week period, they assessed everything from ease of application to texture to finish. We also asked a makeup artist to assess the foundations for coverage, texture, finish and packaging. Based on these properties, each foundation was given a score out of five.
This foundation promises full coverage while protecting the skin from UV rays with SPF50. Described as light and easy to apply, it claims to deliver a natural, healthier-looking complexion. Our makeup artist gave it top marks for its lightweight formula, finding that it blended effortlessly into the skin for a natural, glowing finish. Our panel of testers also praised the breathable formulation, with enough coverage to conceal blemishes as well as hydrating the skin. The dewy, radiant finish lasted well throughout the day, too.
Key specifications:
Size:30ml
Coverage:Full
Finish:Natural, dewy
Paraben free:Yes
Type:LiquidNumber of shades: 20
Suitable for:Normal/dry/sensitive skin
Read fullMaybelline Dream Urban Cover Lightweight Foundation review (86/100)
This light-coverage serum foundation claims to provide a natural, radiant finish that lasts up to 16 hours. It’s enriched with fruit extracts to brighten tired-looking skin, conceal imperfections and signs of fatigue. Our makeup artist scored it an impressive four out of five for its creamy, light texture, which gave sheer to medium coverage. Our testers also loved wearing this, with 100% agreeing that it blended effortlessly and felt comfortable. They were happy with the radiant yet slightly matte finish, with 91% agreeing it improved their skin condition and gave a healthy glow.
Key specifications:
Size:30ml
Coverage:Sheer to moderate
Finish:Semi-matte, natural
Paraben free:Yes
Type:Liquid
Number of shades:6
Suitable for:All skin types
Read fullBourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation review (86/100)
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Combining the silky feel of a serum with the colour correction of a foundation, this product claims to leave skin looking natural and more evenly toned. It contains SPF40, too. Botanical skincare ingredients such as lychee and bamboo grass help to energise the skin, while super-fine pigments deliver instant radiance. An impressive 94% of our panel were satisfied overall and said they would continue using it in their daily routine. All of our testers appreciated its lightweight texture, which blended easily and didn’t dry too quickly, allowing plenty of time to work the product into the skin. It provided good coverage, with a finish our testers described as “dewy”, and with a “healthy glow”. Our makeup artist appreciated the light-reflecting formula, giving it a score of three out of five.
Key specifications:
Size:30ml
Coverage:Moderate
Finish:Natural, radiant
Paraben free:Yes
Type:Liquid
Number of shades:23
Suitable for:Normal/dry skin
Read fullBobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation review (85/100)
Enriched with anti-ageing skincare ingredients plus a blend of optically blurring and light-reflecting particles, this foundation claims to improve the appearance of lines and wrinkles, while remedying uneven tones to leave your complexion looking radiant. It also contains SPF15. Our makeup artist scored it full marks for its light formula, saying that a little went a long way. Both our panel and our makeup artist agreed that the smooth texture blended well and gave a natural-looking, dewy finish. All of our testing panel thought it sat well with other makeup products too, and 91% were happy with how long it stayed in place. Some testers felt it transferred onto their fingers when touching their face but were still pleased with the soft and comfortable finish.
Key specifications:
Size: 30ml
Coverage: Sheer to moderate
Finish: Dewy
Paraben free: No
Type: Liquid
Number of shades: 14
Suitable for: All skin types
Read full (Score: 85/100)
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Described as a “2-in-1 liquid foundation with a brush”, this foundation promises a comfortable, long-lasting and lightweight feel with light to medium coverage. Containing micro-pigments and mineral powders, it's designed to reduce redness, erase blemishes and target dull complexions. Out of our testing panel, 91% were impressed with the packaging design, finding that the brush made for easy travel and direct application. Giving a score of four out of five, our makeup artist described the light formula as having a “cashmere feel” that “blended beautifully”. The testing panel also liked the comfortable-feeling formula, noting there was enough time to blend before it dried. Despite some concerns about cleaning the brush, they were content with overall performance.
Key specifications:
Size:19.5ml
Coverage:Sheer to moderate
Finish:Radiant
Paraben free:No
Type:Liquid
Number of shades:10
Suitable for:All skin types
Read fullBy Terry Light-Expert Click Brush Teint Expert Collection review (84/100)
This is a light to medium coverage foundation with SPF15, which evens out skin tones and blurs imperfections. The natural-matte finish was created to look like skin and feel weightless. Our makeup artist scored it full marks for the consistency of the formulation, which spread easily onto the skin to give light yet buildable coverage and a natural-matte finish. Not only did it blend well, but 100% of our testers said that it felt weightless and breathable. Although the coverage was a little light for some, 91% found it comfortable to wear all day and reported that it didn't settle into skin creases or imperfections.
Key specifications:
Size:30ml
Coverage:Sheer to moderate
Finish:Natural, matte
Paraben free:Yes
Type:Liquid
Number of shades:12
Suitable for:All skin types
Read fullBenefit Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation review (84/100)
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This foundation contains pearlescent pigments, soothing rose extract and a high concentration of pure water to give a radiant and dewy finish. Designed to deliver up to 12 hours of wear and 18 hours of hydration, it promises a lit-from-within look and a bare-skin feel. There’s SPF15 included, too. Our testers were impressed with its consistency - all agreed that it blended seamlessly onto the skin and felt light and comfortable – and 90% were happy with its level of coverage, which evened out skin tone to give a natural, brighter complexion. Both our makeup artist and panel agreed that it sat well on the skin and stayed put. Their only complaint was the lid of the bottle, which occasionally leaked and created a small amount of mess.
Key specifications:
Size:30ml
Coverage:Moderate
Finish:Natural, radiant
Paraben free:Yes
Type: Liquid
Number of shades:18
Suitable for:All skin types
Read fullLancôme Teint Miracle Hydrating Foundation review (82/100)
Enriched with English rose water and aloe vera, this SPF15 foundation claims to provide up to 24-hours of moisturisation, leaving skin feeling fresh and comfortable all day. The finish is semi-matte and the coverage is light to medium. From our testing panel, 81% were happy with the overall performance and would continue using it. They appreciated its light, moisturising formula, which they found blended effortlessly without flaking. Our makeup artist agreed that this was easy to work with, suggesting it would be a great choice for dry or mature skin types. All of our testers were happy with the natural finish and buildable texture, though some noted they needed to use a lot of product for a thicker coverage.
Key specifications:
Size: 30ml
Coverage: Moderate
Finish: Semi-matte, natural
Paraben free: Yes
Type: Liquid
Number of shades: 16
Suitable for: All skin types
Read full The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundationreview (Score: 80/100)
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9
Best for an illuminating finish
Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Youth Boosting Perfect Skin Foundation
The lightweight SPF15 formula of this foundation contains active ingredients and pseudo-ceramides. Together, these smooth, hydrate and illuminate the skin while minimising pores and wrinkles. From our testing panel, 96% agreed its liquid formula was weightless and blended easily, leaving skin smooth and flawless. The entire panel agreed that they had plenty of time to work with the product before it set and 87% were happy with its dewy and radiant finish. Although it didn’t cover all blemishes, both the makeup artist and testers agreed that the sheer coverage looked natural and felt comfortable.
Key specifications:
Size:40ml
Coverage:Sheer
Finish:Natural, dewy
Paraben free:Yes
Type:Liquid
Number of shades:12
Suitable for:Dry, normal, combination skin
Read fullCharlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Youth Boosting Perfect Skin Foundation review (79/100)
This silky light-coverage foundation promises to leave uneven, dull and dry complexions looking dewy and flawless, and claims to have a weightless finish that lasts all day. Our makeup artist awarded it four out of five for its formula, likening it to a BB cream due to its light coverage and healthy, natural-looking finish. All of the testing panel agreed that it had a pleasant consistency that was close to a tinted moisturiser. While it glided onto skin, was easy to blend and felt comfortable, many would have liked stronger, longer-lasting coverage that concealed all blemishes. It’s 100% cruelty free and vegan, too.
Key specifications:
Size:30ml
Coverage:Sheer
Finish:Natural, dewy
Paraben free:Yes
Type:Liquid
Number of shades:8
Suitable for:All skin types
Read fullTropic Beauty Booster Sheer Foundation review (79/100)