Without a Doubt, These Are the Best Foundations for an Effortless Glow

Beauty editors are obsessed with this glowing foundation. Just a couple of drops of this foundation offers impressive coverage that is pretty much undetectable on the skin—you just look incredibly dewy and radiant. It's also packed with glow-boosting niacinamide and hydrating squalene, so it leaves your skin looking plump and dewy day-long. While it's on the pricier side, you don't need very much, so it will last for a long time.

"I'm always a bit dubious about skin tints as while I love a lightweight base, I also have some things on my skin (like scarring and blemishes) that I'd prefer to dial down a little. This tint from Ilia offers the best of both worlds—bringing an undeniably fresh-faced glow while diffusing the texture and unevenness that I'd prefer not to shine through." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

This foundation is so beautifully silky that is really melts into the skin with buildable coverage, making your complexion still look like your skin, but better. And fear not, it doesn't slip and slide like some glowy foundations, in fact, it somehow manages to look better as the day goes on.

Without a doubt one of favourite foundations ever made, this foundation is healthy skin in a bottle. It’s juicy, hydrating and jam-packed with natural-looking radiance. It packs some impressive coverage, too. On top of all that, it also helps to improve your complexion as you wear it—genius.

Some say this is the best foundation ever made, and I’m not going to disagree. Luminous Silk is basically the gold standard of glow-giving bases. It’s full-coverage and radiance-boosting without leaving behind even a hint of oily residue. It's often the foundation of choice for many brides on their wedding day, as it photographs beautifully too.

"Like so many people, this was one of the foundations that I used on my wedding day as if provides a unique combination of coverage, longevity and glow. I rarely reach for a full-coverage foundation these days, but still keep a bottle of this in my stash for special occasions or days where I really need my makeup to look incredible. It's a little pricey, but worth it." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

This is potentially one of the very best foundations ever created. With a medium-coverage, natural-looking finish, it's a go-to for industry insiders and beauty editors far and wide. It has a long-lasting luminosity to it that doesn't appear glittery or artificial—more like you're glowing from the inside out. 

"I truly don't think that this foundation gets the hype that it deserves. Whenever I wear it I'm always amazed at how good it leaves my skin looking—and not in a way that makes it obvious you're wearing a foundation, either. It's velvety in texture, instantly illuminating, and has just the right level of coverage to make it a great everyday option." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

Another cult classic, this foundation is one of my longest-standing makeup-bag essentials. Unlike so many other luminous foundations, this stuff sticks around, and it requires hardly any powdering. Its slightly fuller coverage makes it my evening go-to.

For your-skin-but-better coverage, look no further than this super-easy-to-use, easily blendable base. "This might be my favourite lightweight foundation base this year—it makes my skin look naturally flawless while still letting my skin shine through" says Who What Wear UK beauty editor, Eleanor Vousden. "In fact, I had a total stranger tell me how good my skin looked the first time I wore it, so I know it's a keeper," she says. To achieve a super-dewy finish, apply with a damp blending sponge, but if you find yourself in a bit of a rush, it applies like a dream with fingers, too.

Another Shiseido favourite of the Who What Wear UK team. This stuff is like liquid silk. It merges with skin in seconds and delivers a blurring but convincing veil. Infused with 70% skincare ingredients, it’s lightweight, refreshing and won't cause skin upset. It also contains SPF 20, which helps give my morning SPF a bit of a top-up. Oh, and unlike so many other skin tints, this stuff lasts. In fact, it has a 12-hour wear time. 

Nars has been known for its elite base products for many years, and its latest foundation cranks things up a notch. Formulated with an impressive amount of skincare ingredients (70%), it leaves skin looking dewy and natural but expertly blurred. Most impressively, it contains a special light-reflecting complex containing powders to ensure skin stays glowing without risking glare in photos.

"I'm often asked which foundations make great options for people as they grow older and this one is always one of my most recommended thanks to its skincare-first approach to coverage. The formula is packed with peptides, barrier-boosting ingredients and soothing oats so that skin is left nourished and protected as well as looking bright, smooth and fresh. Having said that, I have oily skin and its blurring capabilities mean that I love it too so it's a great all-rounder." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

Many of the Who What Wear UK team count this skin tint as their holy grail for delivering an unrivalled glow that makes your complexion look like you just stepped out from a facial. Made of 90% skincare (including hydrating hyaluronic acid) it keeps skin looking and feeling fresh all day long.

For those with oily skin, like mine, you might need some powder for this one because the glow is basically out of this world. The coverage is full, but the formula itself is hydrating and dewy, making it ideal for those with drier skin who are desperate to up the luminosity.

Any beauty product that comes jam-packed with vitamin C is going to up that glow, and this super-hydrating foundation is no exception. It comes in at a very reasonable £14 and rivals some of the more expensive skin tints we have tried.

If I had to tally up every single time I’ve applied a different foundation, this one would probably come out on top as my most-used. Branded a CC Cream, this is a foundation in disguise. Sure, it does a stellar job at evening out skin tone and discolouration, but it also does so much more. It’s perfecting, blurring, radiance-boosting and brightening all at once. For such a great (and best-selling) product, it’s seriously disappointing that the shade range is so limited. If you ask me, It Cosmetics could (and should) do a lot better with this one.

When I first tested this product, I really didn’t get it. The coverage is seriously lightweight and at first appears almost invisible on the skin. However, the more I used it, the more my love for it grew. Sitting somewhere between a skin tint and a foundation, it’s non-oily, semi-matte and subtly perfecting. It’s my secret weapon for no-makeup days.

"This is one of the first 'proper' foundations that I remember saving up my money to buy as a student and I can also remember being so disappointed that it did nothing to cover up any of my hormonal breakouts. 15 years later and now that I'm in my mid-30s I count this as one of my favourite foundations for a natural, glowy makeup look. It's true that if you want any level of coverage then you won't like this, but if you just want to add some sheer luminosity to your bare skin then it's a winner." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

Another affordable option. When this stuff launched originally, I wasn’t sold. I like my makeup to feel luxe, and as shallow as it sounds, I didn't love the packaging. But from the minute I swatched it, I was totally head over heels. For days when your complexion is looking a little drab and tired, one layer of this stuff leaves you looking more alive than ever before.

"In texture, this feels way more like a moisturiser than it does a foundation and it really does bridge the two quite beautifully. On days where I'm just heading out on the school run then coming back to work at my desk, this makes me feel a little more polished, pulled-together and awake without feeling like I have a ton of makeup on my face. I love the infusion of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C too, which leaves skin plump and juicy without relying on loads of coverage." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

Lisa Eldridge's Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint is beloved by beauty editors thanks to its intensely hydrating formula and dewy coverage. The result is genuinely plump, naturally glowy skin that looks good from the minute you apply it to the moment you take it off. If you're after a natural-looking base, this paired with a bit of micro-concealing via the Lisa Eldridge Pinpoint Concealer is *chefs kiss*.

"Without a doubt this is the product that's on my face almost every single day, and I know many fellow editors that are the same. It is just so good at transforming dull, tired, sleep-deprived skin into something that actually looks healthy and fresh—and it takes mere seconds to apply. From the range of shades to the skincare-first formula (it's 78% skincare ingredients to be precise) I can't rate it enough for making it so easy to achieve glowy skin." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

The queen of glow herself, Charlotte Tilbury, really delivers when it comes to healthy, glowy skin—and this foundations been making waves in the beauty community since it launched. The thing I love most about it is the way it walks the line between decent coverage and still letting your natural skin shine through.

Initially, the name of this foundation made me think that this glow-boosting formula would be more of a skin tint or tinted moisturiser than a full-on foundation. However, while it feels as hydrating and lightweight as the aforementioned formulations, this is a medium-coverage foundation that delivers glow aplenty. I find it works best when applied with fingers for a natural finish.

Merging skincare benefits with a beautifully luminous finish, this luxurious foundation not only leaves skin looking velvety-soft and fresh, but it actually improves your skin's hydration levels over time.

I was first introduced to this foundation when researching a celebrity makeup story. I read somewhere that Margot Robbie and Miranda Kerr are big fans of Suqqu's foundation offering, so I thought I'd give it a go. Every foundation product that this Japanese brand creates is exquisite, but this one is by far my favourite. It is luxurious, buildable and full of moisture, delivering one of the best finishes I have ever come across.

I really didn't think I was going to like this foundation, but I couldn't have been more wrong. First of all, it smells lovely and fresh, which makes it a treat to apply first thing. It also feels cooling and plumping from first swipe, only adding to the freshness. In terms of the finish, it's medium-coverage and blends into skin seamlessly for a true second-skin finish. I genuinely can't get over the glow. 

This is quite literally a filter in a bottle. It doesn't give a tonne of coverage, so if you prefer sheer finishes, this one is for you. It's a foundation/highlighter hybrid that leaves a veil of luminosity to your skin that makes you look healthy and radiant. It's become a modern icon, and you'll always find this in beauty editors' makeup bags.

"The ultimate makeup multi-tasker, I had used this for years as highlighter and glowy primer but it was only last year that I discovered it works pretty well as a radiance-boosting skin tint too. I love that you can apply it entirely haphazardly—just scribble it onto your skin and blend it out with your fingertips—and you'll somehow emerge looking like you've just had an hour long facial. For glow, it doesn't get much better than this." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor

Infused with refreshing botanicals like white water lily, lotus and gardenia, this lightweight foundation feels beautiful on the skin and offers impressive coverage despite its weightless texture. It feels much more like a serum, than a classic liquid foundation, and can be worn sheer or layered up. The best thing about it though? That dewy finish that makes skin look plump and juicy. 

Glossier's foundation is a gel-cream formula that feels lightweight on the skin and offers light to medium coverage. It gives the most gorgeous, glowy finish without being too dewy, which makes it an ideal choice for both dry and oily skin types.

"I wear Glossier's Stretch concealer every single day so when I discovered that they were launching a foundation to match I had incredibly high hopes. Thankfully, it lived up to my expectations—providing the same juicy glow and sheeny coverage that I love in the concealer form. It's definitely lightweight, but you can layer it up and set with powder if you want to boost its longevity." - Mica Ricketts, Freelance Beauty Editor