15 Drugstore Foundations Makeup Artists and Beauty Editors Obsess Over

We believe in being 100% transparent here at WWW Beauty, and we'd be lying if we said we don't have exceedingly high expectations when it comes to a face-perfecting foundation formula. As makeup artists can attest, foundation is one makeup category worth splurging on because you often get what you pay for regarding finish, naturalness, and longevity in the best foundations. Since we greet the world with the skin on our face, we always want our complexion to live up to its full potential, and, simply put, we have no time for unflattering shades or difficult application.

That said, there is a select—let us emphasize—a very select group of drugstore foundations both celebrity makeup artists and product-jaded beauty editors stand by—formulas so good we actually apply them on the regular and keep stocked next to our bottles that are three, sometimes five, times the price. Curious to know which affordable drugstore foundations actually stand up to our super-high standards? Keep scrolling. Ahead, we're naming 15 of the best drugstore formulas you should most definitely swipe next time you're at CVS, Rite Aid, or wherever you make your tampon, deodorant, and Trident Layers runs.

The Makeup Artist Favorites

1. Revlon PhotoReady Candid Natural Finish Foundation

2. L'Oréal Pro-Matte Liquid Longwear Foundation

3. Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation

4. Nyx Cosmetics Can't Stop Won't Stop Foundation

5. L'Oréal True Match Luminous Makeup

6. Maybelline Dream Cushion Fresh Face Liquid Foundation

7. E.l.f. Cosmetics Flawless Finish Foundation

The Beauty Editor Favorites

1. L'Oréal True Match Foundation Makeup

2. Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation

3. Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer

4. Flower Beauty Light Illusion Liquid Foundation

5. Revlon ColorStay Makeup for Normal/Dry Skin

6. Honest Beauty Everything Cream Foundation

7. Burt's Bees Mattifying Powder Foundation

8. Wet n Wild Photo Focus Foundation

This article was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.