If you’re on the lookout for a good drugstore foundation, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll make things easier for you by reviewing five different kinds of drugstore foundation. Let’s take a look at the best drugstore foundation for those on a budget. These, without a doubt, offer fantastic coverage and (best of all) will not break the bank!
If you’re the type who spends hours on YouTube watching makeup tutorials, you’re well aware of the best and most popular foundations out there. Unlike a couple of years ago when there was a lack of options for makeup, times have certainly changed, haven’t they?
So many foundation options are now available. They are creamier, more pigmented, and have more versatile formulas. You could be looking for foundation that disguises dry patches, glides over imperfections, or does not just come in one shade, and there’s sure to be a foundation waiting for you. They’re also available across many price points, so you can find the perfect drugstore foundation for your budget.
Table of Contents
- Best Drugstore Foundation on a Budget Reviews
- Best Powder Foundation: Glo Skin Beauty Pressed Base
- Best Stick Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free + Balance
- Features
- Formula and Consistency
- Application
- Available Shades
- Best Full Coverage Drugstore Foundation: L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics True Match Super-Blendable Foundation Makeup
- Features
- Application
- Formula
- Available Shades
- Best Drugstore Liquid Foundation: BaeBlu LUX Liquid Foundation + Primer
- Features
- Formula
- Application and covergae
- Shades
- Best Drugstore Foundation with SPF: Dermablend Professional Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation
- Features
- Coverage
- Formulation and Available Shades
- Let’s face it
Best Drugstore Foundation on a Budget Reviews
As beauty experts, we like to think we have high standards for foundation. Foundation lays the groundwork for all the other makeup, after all. One must never underestimate the power of a great base.
But as much as we’d like to spend hundreds of dollars on high-end foundation, our purses may not be able to keep up.
That doesn’t mean drugstore foundation options are bad. In fact, many drug store foundations deliver over and beyond what you would expect. There are several brands of budget-friendly drugstore foundation out there.
We’ve carefully reviewed several of them and narrowed it down to what we found to be the best.
Best Powder Foundation: Glo Skin Beauty Pressed Base
Glo Skin Beauty’s aim is to provide people with beautiful and healthy skin. Their nourishing mineral makeup collections, along with innovative skincare, work together to help in revealing your best self.
All of their makeup products come with a powerful antioxidant blend which is free from talc and parabens. They have a rich color palette. Best of all, they have been approved by PETA.
Features
If you’re looking for a foundation that not only corrects your skin tone but also protects your skin, we recommend you try out the Glo Skin Beauty Pressed Base Powder Foundation.
Consistency and Coverage
This powder foundation offers a semi-matte look. It’s mineral-based, so it can offer you full to sheer coverage.
What’s great about this foundation is that it sort of has a silky quality and almost has a similar consistency to a cream.
RELATED: Cream to Powder foundation
Formula
The Glo Skin Beauty Pressed Base Powder Foundation uses a feather-light powder formula which will blur away any imperfections. At the same time, it will reduce the shine by absorbing any oils.
Some impressive key ingredients in this foundation can do wonders for your skin. It comes with green tea extracts which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, it can help soothe the skin and prevent redness.
It also comes with multiple vitamins such as A, C, and E, which can help stimulate fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are cells responsible for the development of tissues which keep the skin healthy and firm. It also has anti-aging qualities that could help boost the production of collagen.
Available Shades
The Glo Skin Beauty Pressed Base Powder Foundation is an excellent choice of foundation for those in need of talc and paraben-free makeup that helps make the skin look healthy.
Best of all, there are 24 different shades you can choose from.
Pros:
- A wide selection of colors
- Offers sheer to full coverage
- Cream-like consistency
- Feather-light formula
Con:
- Kind of hard to blend
If you’re interested in exploring more drugstore powder foundations, check this out!
Best Stick Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free + Balance
Maybelline, more commonly branded as Maybelline New York, is one of America’s largest makeup brand, with products sold worldwide. This brand is a subsidiary of the famous French cosmetics company L’Oréal.
This brand was founded in 1915 by Thomas Lyle Williams and is headquartered in New York City, USA.
Features
One of the best things about the Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free + Balance Stick Foundation is its packaging. This product comes in a roll-on black tube with a transparent cover.
It’s simple to use and is quite sturdy, as well as small enough to fit easily in your purse.
Formula and Consistency
Texture-wise, it is very similar to a mousse foundation. It is a lightweight gel foundation which applies easily on the skin and is extremely soft.
There is an exclusive anti-shine powder core that helps in dissolving the excess oil on your face instantly. The foundation will make your skin feel great once you have applied it.
Application
Blending is an absolute breeze. It requires minimal effort whether you use a sponge, a brush, or even your fingertips.
This foundation offers only light to medium coverage. That said, we found it works great with a concealer.
The manufacturer claims that this product is great for people with oily, dry, combination, and even sensitive skin. It is also said that it helps in minimizing the appearance of pores and will leave your skin looking natural and with a matte finish.
Available Shades
The Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free + Balance Stick Foundation is available in eight different shades, including cocoa, classic ivory, and buff beige. You will most likely find a shade that looks almost identical to your skin tone.
Pros:
- Easy to use and carry around
- Ideal for all skin types
- One stick lasts for a long time
- Light on skin
Cons:
- Offers only light to medium coverage
- Coverage will not last as long in comparison to a liquid foundation
Best Full Coverage Drugstore Foundation: L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics True Match Super-Blendable Foundation Makeup
L’Oréal is a personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, with its registered office in Paris. This is the world’s largest cosmetics company. They have a wide range, from sun protection, skin care, hair care, hair color, to makeup.
The company was founded in 1909. It has several famous subsidiaries such as Maybelline, Garnier, Lancome, and NYX Cosmetics.
Features
The L’Oréal True Match Super-Blendable Foundation Makeup is the perfect solution for anyone in need of full coverage with a natural finish.
The company claims that this can be blended so easily to a point you cannot even differentiate where your foundation ends and skin begins. This foundation will match your skin’s undertone perfectly so that the end result is as good as true to skin.
Application
In terms of its application, this foundation can be applied with a makeup sponge, a foundation brush, and even your fingers. All you need to do is start from the center of your face and then blend towards the hairline and jaw.
Formula
This is an oil-free and fragrance-free foundation which will not clog your pores. It also comes with SPF for protection against the sun.
Available Shades
One thing that we must talk about is the phenomenal range of colors. The L’Oréal True Match Foundation is available in not 10, not even 20, and not even 30 colors. They offer a whopping 46 different shades!
These colors cover almost every different skin tone in the world. You can refer to the chart on their website to find a perfect match for your skin tone. All you need to do is first determine your skin tone and then your undertone, and you’re good to go.
Each of these comes in a one-ounce bottle that will last you for a very long time.
Pros:
- Only little quantity needed for coverage
- Blends very easily
- Great for full coverage and natural look
- Perfect consistency
- Lasts for a long time
- A shade for every skin tone
Con:
- Difficult to apply and blend with fingers
Best Drugstore Liquid Foundation: BaeBlu LUX Liquid Foundation + Primer
BaeBlu is a company founded by Moriah Rader and Mariah Perry. Their aim is to create natural makeup products that can be an alternative to those high-end and ultra-expensive makeup brands. All their products are a perfect blend of nature and science.
This brand has partnered with FDA-approved laboratories that specialize in researching and developing hundreds of herbs, plants, botanicals, and natural based oils.
Features
If you’re looking for an organic makeup brand with the perfect liquid foundation that won’t irritate your skin, then we suggest you try out the BaeBlu Lux Liquid Foundation + Primer.
Formula
This product is truly organic, which is extremely hard to find on the market today. In addition, it is also all natural, vegan, and cruelty-free.
To top it off, it comes with absolutely no preservatives, parabens, harsh chemicals, and pore clogging ingredients. It also comes with an advanced anti-aging formula that the company claims will leave you with a healthier, more youthful, and flawless looking skin.
Application and covergae
Since it is liquid-based, the foundation applies very evenly on the skin. Furthermore, you require very little quantity to cover the entire face. You can use this foundation along with a brush, sponge, and even your fingertips.
This foundation is particularly great for people with heavy blemishes, rosacea, acne, and so on, as it can perfectly cover all, while making the skin appear natural. You can also be assured that you will not be left with a greasy face after applying this foundation.
Shades
The BaeBlu Lux Liquid Foundation + Primer is available in 11 different shades, such as latte, cinnamon, and cappuccino. The shades cover most skin types and are designed for full coverage.
Pros:
- Made using natural ingredients
- Free from harmful ingredients
- 100% organic
- Ideal for covering heavy blemishes
- Spreads evenly
Con:
- Has an overwhelmingly strong smell
Best Drugstore Foundation with SPF: Dermablend Professional Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation
American dermatologist Dr. Craig Roberts had a breakthrough in 1981 after getting frustrated with the skincare limitations to treat his patients. He decided to turn to makeup to solve issues that skincare could not.
Along with his wife and makeup artist Flori Roberts, they created Dermablend Professional. This brand is known amongst professional makeup artists for high-performance and unmatched formulas.
Features
The Dermablend Professional Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation is a fantastic hydrating product for all skin types.
Coverage
This foundation provides a seamless and even coverage for up to 16 hours. It is smudge and transfer-resistant and works phenomenally well when used with the Dermablend Professional Setting Powder. The foundation is weightless and hydrating and will provide you with seamless coverage along with a natural finish.
This has a texture that can be blended with ease and has almost twice the coverage of a regular foundation. Its texture will not make your skin appear cakey.
This is a perfect choice of foundation for those suffering from hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, redness, and even those who are looking to cover up their tattoos.
Formulation and Available Shades
The Dermablend Professional Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation is great for those looking for all-day hydration. It comes with an SPF 25 rating, which does a decent job at protecting your skin from harmful sun exposure.
What’s particularly great about this dermatologically-tested foundation is that it comes with high-performance pigments. It is also absolutely fragrance-free, and is non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic.
This foundation is a smooth liquid-based foundation. It applies to the skin with absolute ease. It’s formulated for even the most sensitive skin types across a variety of skin tones. This foundation is available in 15 different shades for different skin tones and undertones.
Pros:
- Offers 24-hour hydration
- Full coverage
- Ideal for people with hyperpigmentation
- Never gets cakey
- Excellent UV protection
Cons:
- Quite a thick foundation
- Not an ideal foundation for wrinkled skin
Let’s face it
It’s essential to find the best foundation for you. But you don’t always need to be spending hundreds of dollars on high-end brands such as MAC, Huda Beauty, Bobbi Brown, and KKW Beauty. You can take your pick of the best drugstore foundation on a budget.
All recommendations we gave for best drugstore foundation when you’re on a budget are not just pocket-friendly but are also safe for your skin. Each of them has been dermatologically tested, so you can rest assured they will not harm your skin particularities.
Overall, we recommend you select a foundation on the basis of your need and skin type as well. You’ll need to assess what your skin needs, and select your ideal products from there.
That said, go ahead and try our recommended best drugstore foundations on a budget!
Read more about foundation from our blog:
- Powder and liquid foundation together
- Powder or liquid foundation for mature skin
- Is liquid or powder foundation better for large pores?
- How to apply powder foundation on oily skin
- How to Apply Cream Foundations
Need foundation tools? Check these posts out:
What would you add to our list of best drugstore foundation on a budget?
