Foundation is not what it used to be. It’s better. Whether you go full-coverage or light-as-air tint, here are the bases that rock …
There’s a shaking of the foundations in 2025. Our beauty focus is firmly on skincare (to a somewhat fanatical extent), and make-up is having to keep up. Our base make-up used to be primarily about covering up, but increasingly it has to care for and treat the skin too, while making it look as glowingly healthy as possible. It’s on our skin all day, so it needs to do more than just sit there. And a new wave of foundations are better than ever.
We’re seeing the return of “full face” foundations – new launches from Clarins and bareMinerals are long-wearing and promise coverage. But these are different. Old originals are being revamped to pack in skincare benefits, and jazzy ingredients are now a given. Make-up artist Christine Lucignano says: “We are seeing foundations coming back in that offer more coverage, but the technology is night and day compared to what full coverage meant years ago. They are multi-purpose with built-in skincare; for years you couldn’t get full coverage that was friendly to your skin.”
Colour make-up (for lips and eyes) is big again for spring, so a unified, bare-looking complexion is what looks modern now.
On the lighter side, there are plenty of skin tints to help capture an easy glow. Even the original hero is back: we all wore Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturiser in the 1990s. At a time when foundation was pretty heavy on the skin, this was the way to make your skin look radiant without a hint of powdery heaviness. Poco Beauty’s Universal Glow Treatment SPF30 (€30) is similarly light and illuminating.
Whatever you usually wear – and many make-up artists swerve foundation in favour of cleverly placed concealer and highlighters – spring is a good time to take a fresh approach. “Many of us get stuck in a rut and just stick to what we know, year after year,” says celebrity make-up artist Amanda Grossman, whose glowing clients include Rosamund Pike and Gillian Anderson. “If you’ve always used a powder-based foundation, try a liquid form instead, applying with fingers over a well-moisturised face. Any heavy make-up will enhance fine lines and wrinkles; when it comes to make-up in your 50s, less is more.”
Christine Luciagnano at The Wedding Salon 2025. Photograph; Conor Healy
ASK THE ARTIST Christine recommends brands led by make-up artists – they know what you need. Gucci Westman, Lisa Eldridge, Jamie Genevieve (Vieve), François Nars and Isamaya Ffrench are leading lights for a reason. “It’s about being your own ‘complexion mixologist’; new formulations mean you can go lighter on coverage and weight while still getting your base to last for many hours,” she says. “Have more than one at hand so you can vary according to how your skin is on the day.” As for skin? “Good skin prep prior to foundation application is absolutely key. Gentle exfoliation and a really well-moisturised face is the secret to a good-looking base,” says Eldridge.
CONCEALER IS KEY Do what the experts do: judicious concealer placement, using a tiny brush, means you need less foundation, and keeps skin looking fresher and more natural. Lisa Eldridge’s new Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting Pencil is genius ((8), €33, at Space NK) while bareMinerals’ 16hr Wear All Over Skin Perfecting Matte Concealer SPF25 (€25; www.dublinandcorkdutyfree.ie) works (and stays) for dark circles. Chanel Sublimage Le Correcteur Yeux (€100, at Arnotts) is the most expensive out there, but with an unparalleled silky texture and blurring abilities.
SUN PROTECTION Inbuilt SPF can be handy when you’re in a hurry (choose the highest possible factor), but it’s best not to rely on your make-up for proper sun protection – you’d need to wear a lot to achieve a full screen. Also, SPF causes flashback in photography, notes Eldridge. The experts keep it separate. EltaMD UV Clear SPF46 can even skintone a bit while giving robust protection.
FULL COVERAGE
Clarins Skin Illusion Full Coverage comes in 30-plus shades. Lucignano mixes it with Clarins’ SOS Primers to “temper it down”, and rates it for the rosacea-prone. €44; www.clarins.ie.
Make-up artist Julio Sartori favours Dior foundation for brides (and their mothers): “It gives good coverage that lasts, and looks glowy and dewy rather than heavy.” Try Dior Forever Skin Perfect stick for hydration and a natural, blurred finish; €60.
Haus Labs Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation lasts, with full coverage that leaves skin glowing. £42stg; www.sephora.co.uk.
LIGHT TOUCH
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Natural Dewy SPF30 is designed to tint, treat and protect, with buildable coverage, in 20 shades. From €25 (travel size), at Space NK.
Vieve Skin Nova Complexion Balm is versatile: “it stretches to whatever you need it to do, from a little something for the gym to a full make-up look,” says founder Jamie Genevieve. €42.
Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick is not a foundation, but a quick and easy way to make your skin glow. €47.
GLOW
Rimmel London Multi-Tasker Better Than Filters is good value at under €17. Wear alone or mix with your usual foundation for enhanced glow.
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