For someone who spends her life scouring the internet and social media, I would say I’m quite restrained when it comes to hauling things that I have seen celebrities endorse or wear. I mean, you have to be discerning when you work for a fashion-and-beauty site.
But if there is one thing that I want to know about and will be influenced to buy almost every time, it’s anything that contributes to flawless-looking celebrity-level skin. I want that red carpet–ready, glowing, filter-without-a-filter look. Whether they’re having their makeup done for the Met Gala or just sharing their everyday beauty regimes, I devour this kind of content and have ultimately ended up with a lot of bases in my makeup collection after reading about or watching a celebrity rave about them. They make good ambassadors for a reason, right?
While creating the below list of celebrities’ favourite foundations, I did notice something—a lot of celebrities love a sheerer base than you might imagine. With their A+ skincare routines and the fact that they have top facialists on call, it makes sense. Why hide naturally glowing skin under full-coverage foundation? Next time you stumble upon a celebrity beauty routine, you’ll notice they go into great detail about their serums, eye creams and actives but brush past their chosen foundation, usually only using it to “even out” their complexion. So if you want to ace the celebrity face, it’s important to have your skincare routine nailed first. Then, your makeup will act as an enhancer rather than a cover-up.
Supermodel skin, here we come. Now we know the secret to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s stunning glow—she created a tinted serum base for her own effortlessly chic brand, and rightly so believes it is the best of the best. “I use Skin Enhance for sheer coverage and then my concealer all over, a little bit like a foundation,” she told Into the Gloss. On Rose Inc’s website, you’ll find that this product has hundreds of five-star reviews, with many users appreciating the fact that this feels like you’re barely wearing a layer of makeup at all and that it’s particularly suited to quite fussy, sensitive skin. There is also a great range of shades, and the online shade matcher has a good rep.
“I like to use this Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation,” Kendall Jenner told Vogue India. “I’ve been using it for a really long time now since I was pretty young. One of my sisters put me on. It doesn’t feel like you have makeup on at all.” If you’re looking for a base that applies like a lightweight, sheer foundation but gives fuller coverage finish, this is a perfect pick. It has a no-makeup feel but keeps skin blurred for hours on end.
Ziwe is a Fenty fan, telling Into the Gloss, “I put the Fenty Match Stix in Suede, and then I use Fenty foundation in 445. After that, I look like Naomi Campbell.” We love it. As a matte-makeup lover myself, I’m a huge fan of this foundation. It comes in 50 shades, and it’s so pigmented you only need one pump for a full face. If you have oily skin, you need this in your makeup stash
Gemma only uses a base where she feels she needs it, and her go-to is from Bobbi Brown—a top-tier choice for evening skin tone. “[I use it] just where I need to balance out my complexion a bit,” she told Vogue. This weightless foundation is the closest thing to a natural matte that you’ll find in a base, so it’s ideal if your skin leans towards the oily side but you don’t want that “done” look that some matte finishes create.
In a Beauty Secrets video with Vogue, Phoebe Dynevor applies the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation using her fingers. Having experimented with heavy formulas in the past, she prefers this dewy base to let her skin shine through. . For drier skin types, this is pure magic thanks to the moisture-retaining hyaluronic acid in the formula. But I would be wary if you have oily skin, as it gives the skin a real glow, which can err on the shiny side.
Miranda told E! Online that she mixes her Kora Noni Glow Face Oil with the RMS UnCoverup Concealer. “One tip or trick that I do is to put a drop of it in my RMS concealer. Then, I brush it with a makeup brush. It gives me this beautiful, glowy look that feels lightweight.” UnCoverup is also great for pinpoint concealing too if you don’t want to do an allover finish. You can use your fingers or a slim makeup brush to dab it on and blend it out over blemishes or redness.
On the Today show in America, Garner shared her beauty secrets, including using the Westman Atelier Foundation Stick to conceal. Who doesn’t love a foundation/concealer hybrid? This one gives a natural but buildable finish and contains so many skin-loving ingredients like camellia seed oil and vegetable-derived squalane for moisture retention.
I’m a huge fan of this foundation, so it’s nice to know it has such a big celebrity fan in Sydney Sweeney. She uses a Beautyblender when she applies it to gradually build up the coverage, which is smart, as it’s a pretty full-coverage, matte foundation. If you want to build this into a fuller look, I would apply layer by layer rather than a lot in one go to avoid cakiness, and use a buffing brush to really work it into the skin.
Impeccable genes can’t be bottled, unfortunately. However, to enhance her complexion, Iris Law reaches for the YSL Touche Éclat All-in-One Glow Tinted Moisturizer, so we can purchase that. Looking for an all-over glowy, dewy look more than actual coverage? This is the pick for you. It sorts out uneven skin tone, but spots and blemishes will need extra coverage.
I’m sure it’ll be no time before Victoria Beckham Beauty moves into base makeup products, but until then, she’s sticking to another designer makeup brand. Victoria told Into the Gloss, “I use Burberry Fresh Glow Foundation and Cashmere Concealer.” You get coverage and luminosity in one with this foundation thanks to the mirror-flat reflective pearls in the formula. The finish is satin/matte, so it’s better for balanced to oily skin, but the look is far from two-dimensional.
Alexa Chung is known for her no-makeup, model-off-duty vibe, so it’s no surprise she picked a super-lightweight formula as her favourite. She told British Vogue, “I’m not good on proper foundation because it’s a bit thick, but there’s a BB cream that Code8 does [Radiate Beauty Balm] that’s really nice.” This is one of my favourite everyday bases because it’s on the satin side of dewy, so it works for both combination and dry skin and contains argan-seed oil for nourishment.
Winnie Harlow shared her 10-minute beauty routine with Allure, stating that she uses the MAC Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick in NC45. This is excellent for evening your complexion where you need to, as it applies smoothly but doesn’t migrate. Plus, there are so many shades to choose from.
Margot Robbie told Marie Claire, “For my day-to-day look I’ll use Ellis Faas foundation, it’s really light-weight and has a dewy finish. If I’m going on a night out the Suqqu foundation.” She didn’t state which one, but we can bet it’s The Cream thanks to its dewy but buildable finish. The shade range in the Ellis Faas foundation is a little disappointing, but if you can get yours, you’ll benefit from an ultra-lightweight feel and a blurred-but-natural finish.
Ashley Graham is a fan of a sheer finish. She uses Revlon’s Candid foundation and told Into the Gloss, “It’s light enough for me to still see my freckles.” This foundation is so affordable it gives other medium-coverage foundations a run for their money. It’s weightless and hydrating, and you can build it up or sheer it out. What’s not to love?
Hailey Bieber is known for her glazed-doughnut skin, so the trick she uses to apply her foundation is noteworthy. “I love glowy foundation. I love something that is just enhancing the skin,” Bieber said in her chat on Vogue’s YouTube channel. She actually mixes this with a pump of the Peptide Glazing Fluid from her skincare line, Rhode, for a super-sheer finish, but the formula is already really lightweight, so applying it with your fingers or a wet beauty sponge will still create a sheer finish.
