The Palest Foundations - Drugstore & High-End
My first ever blog post was my Best & Worst Pale Skin Foundations for Oily / Combination Skin, however, since I wrote that blog post, I've tried quite a few new foundations that I have loved and have been pale enough for my skin, so I thought I would do an updated blog post, only including foundations that are the palest of the pale!
I have very pale, acne prone, oily / combination skin which gets oily on my t-zone throughout the day, so I like full coverage foundations. I always set my foundation with a powder and I prefer matte foundations. These are in no particular order but they are all foundations that I would recommend for anyone with a similar skin type to me or who are looking for super pale foundations! I've included a mixture of drugstore and high end foundations.
I have very pale, acne prone, oily / combination skin which gets oily on my t-zone throughout the day, so I like full coverage foundations. I always set my foundation with a powder and I prefer matte foundations. These are in no particular order but they are all foundations that I would recommend for anyone with a similar skin type to me or who are looking for super pale foundations! I've included a mixture of drugstore and high end foundations.
(Foundations are listed from left to right of the swatches)
Kat Von D Lock It Liquid Foundation (Light Neutral 42) - £27.00
This is one of the palest foundations on the market just now, and the shade L42 is not even the lightest shade! This is a must have foundation for pale people in my opinion. I love the design of the bottle and I love the foundation. It is quite a thick consistency, which dries down to a very matte finish. In my opinion, this is a full coverage foundation, although it is not as full coverage as some of the other foundations I am going to be talking about. This foundation lasts on my skin all day. You can find Kat Von D stands in large Debenhams stores and online.
Make Up Forever Ultra HD Foundation Stick (Y205) - £30.00
I've never been a massive fan of stick foundations as a lot of them are very thick and can look cakey, however, I saw one of my favourite pale YouTubers (ThaTaylaa) raving about this foundation so I thought I would give it a go. The foundation is very thick (obviously, because it's in stick form) and can feel quite heavy on the skin when first applied, however, it blends out relatively easily with a dense brush or beauty sponge and it gives a full coverage finish. It is quite a dewy finish when applied and once set with a powder, it lasts around 6-8 hours on my skin. The shade Y205 is the lightest shade in the range and it's a great pale shade! You get 45g of product in this foundation which comes in a twist-up stick.
Make Up Forever Mat Velvet+ Liquid Foundation (15 Alabaster) - £30.00
This foundation is a good alternative to the stick foundation if you’re not a fan of that kind of product. As you can see from the swatch, it’s another great pale shade. The formula is relatively thick but not as thick at the Kat Von D foundation. The bottle is a plastic squeeze tube which makes it very easy to squeeze out a small amount and you get 30ml of product in the bottle. I would say that with one layer of foundation, this gives a medium coverage but it is very buildable so with a second layer you’re at full coverage. This foundation dries matte, as the name would suggest, but again, it’s not quite as matte as the Kat Von D foundation and it doesn’t feel like it’s drying out your skin. I’ve found that this foundation works well over most primers but I wouldn’t suggest using a mattifying primer unless you get really oily throughout the day. You can find Make Up Forever stands in larger Debenhams stores and online.
Marc Jacobs Remarcable Foundation Concentrate (10 Ivory Light) - £37.00
I've raved about this foundation many times before because it is one of the palest foundations I've found on the market and it is also one of the most full coverage. It is very expensive, as you only get 22ml of product in the glass bottle (usual foundation size is 30ml of product), and it comes with a strange dropper (that doesn't suck up product, it just picks up a small amount on a plastic stick). You need the smallest amount of product to cover your whole face and it gives a matte finish which can sometimes fall into creases on your face after a few hours - which is a lot of people's complaint about the product. If you don't have many fine lines or are only going to be wearing the foundation for a few hours for a dinner or something, it's great. I find this foundation can be applied with a dense brush or sponge to give a similar finish. To me, this is a unique foundation and there are currently no dupes or similar foundations, so it is worth the money in my opinion. You can buy this foundation from John Lewis and Harrods currently.
The Ordinary Coverage Foundation (1.0N) - £5.90
I have written a full review on this foundation when it first came out and I really liked the formula but I found it didn’t last more than 4 hours on my skin without becoming an oily mess or rubbing off. I would say that this foundation is not the longest wearing, however I became obsessed with this foundation after I wrote that blog post. The shade is perfect, although I do thinking it is slightly yellow toned considering it’s meant to be the neutral pale shade, but that doesn’t bother me. This foundation is more on the dewy side when you first apply it but the coverage is lovely and I found as long as I apply some translucent powder over the top of normal face powder, it lasted a lot longer. This bottle comes with 30ml of product and it is plastic with a pump. The only problem with this foundation is that it is so popular it’s always out of stock! However, if it’s in stock, you can find it on Beauty Bay’s website and Cult Beauty as well as the Deciem website. These foundations are also cruelty free, vegan, oil free, silicone free etc etc!
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (1C0 Shell) - £32.50
This is a cult favourite foundation for good reason. The shade 1C0 Shell is the lightest shade and it is beige toned. The bottle is glass and doesn't come with a dropper or pump, however, you can buy a pump from Mac which fits these bottles if you prefer using a pump. The product is quite liquidy so if you don't use a pump, be very careful when tipping product out as a lot can come out quickly! This foundation is a high medium coverage which is buildable and on my skin it's dries down to a slightly dewy finish and sets nicely with a powder. It is very easy to blend out and looks lovely on my skin. This foundation also doesn't oxidise on my skin and it is pretty long lasting.
Dermacol Make Up Cover (208) - £8.99
If you haven't already heard of Dermacol, you must have been living under a rock because people have been raving about it for months now. This is one of the most full coverage foundations on the market and for a very low price. It covers EVERYTHING! This foundation comes in a tube and you get 30g of product in the tube. The finish of this foundation is very dewy and is not very long lasting on combination / oily skin, however, I love this foundation for mixing in with more matte or lower coverage foundations. One of my favourite mixes is the Marc Jacobs Remarcable Foundation with this, as the Marc Jacobs foundation is quite matte - this mixture is VERY full coverage but I love the effect it gives. The formula of Dermacol is quite thick and mousse like and you need the tiniest amount to cover your face. This foundation is designed for tattoo coverage and stage make up so I would say it's definitely not for everyday use - I only use it for nights out or events as it does break my skin out. The shade 208 is actually the lightest shade (not 207) and it's a lovely beige tone which doesn't look orange, yellow or pink.
This is one of the palest foundations on the market just now, and the shade L42 is not even the lightest shade! This is a must have foundation for pale people in my opinion. I love the design of the bottle and I love the foundation. It is quite a thick consistency, which dries down to a very matte finish. In my opinion, this is a full coverage foundation, although it is not as full coverage as some of the other foundations I am going to be talking about. This foundation lasts on my skin all day. You can find Kat Von D stands in large Debenhams stores and online.
Make Up Forever Ultra HD Foundation Stick (Y205) - £30.00
I've never been a massive fan of stick foundations as a lot of them are very thick and can look cakey, however, I saw one of my favourite pale YouTubers (ThaTaylaa) raving about this foundation so I thought I would give it a go. The foundation is very thick (obviously, because it's in stick form) and can feel quite heavy on the skin when first applied, however, it blends out relatively easily with a dense brush or beauty sponge and it gives a full coverage finish. It is quite a dewy finish when applied and once set with a powder, it lasts around 6-8 hours on my skin. The shade Y205 is the lightest shade in the range and it's a great pale shade! You get 45g of product in this foundation which comes in a twist-up stick.
Make Up Forever Mat Velvet+ Liquid Foundation (15 Alabaster) - £30.00
This foundation is a good alternative to the stick foundation if you’re not a fan of that kind of product. As you can see from the swatch, it’s another great pale shade. The formula is relatively thick but not as thick at the Kat Von D foundation. The bottle is a plastic squeeze tube which makes it very easy to squeeze out a small amount and you get 30ml of product in the bottle. I would say that with one layer of foundation, this gives a medium coverage but it is very buildable so with a second layer you’re at full coverage. This foundation dries matte, as the name would suggest, but again, it’s not quite as matte as the Kat Von D foundation and it doesn’t feel like it’s drying out your skin. I’ve found that this foundation works well over most primers but I wouldn’t suggest using a mattifying primer unless you get really oily throughout the day. You can find Make Up Forever stands in larger Debenhams stores and online.
Marc Jacobs Remarcable Foundation Concentrate (10 Ivory Light) - £37.00
I've raved about this foundation many times before because it is one of the palest foundations I've found on the market and it is also one of the most full coverage. It is very expensive, as you only get 22ml of product in the glass bottle (usual foundation size is 30ml of product), and it comes with a strange dropper (that doesn't suck up product, it just picks up a small amount on a plastic stick). You need the smallest amount of product to cover your whole face and it gives a matte finish which can sometimes fall into creases on your face after a few hours - which is a lot of people's complaint about the product. If you don't have many fine lines or are only going to be wearing the foundation for a few hours for a dinner or something, it's great. I find this foundation can be applied with a dense brush or sponge to give a similar finish. To me, this is a unique foundation and there are currently no dupes or similar foundations, so it is worth the money in my opinion. You can buy this foundation from John Lewis and Harrods currently.
The Ordinary Coverage Foundation (1.0N) - £5.90
I have written a full review on this foundation when it first came out and I really liked the formula but I found it didn’t last more than 4 hours on my skin without becoming an oily mess or rubbing off. I would say that this foundation is not the longest wearing, however I became obsessed with this foundation after I wrote that blog post. The shade is perfect, although I do thinking it is slightly yellow toned considering it’s meant to be the neutral pale shade, but that doesn’t bother me. This foundation is more on the dewy side when you first apply it but the coverage is lovely and I found as long as I apply some translucent powder over the top of normal face powder, it lasted a lot longer. This bottle comes with 30ml of product and it is plastic with a pump. The only problem with this foundation is that it is so popular it’s always out of stock! However, if it’s in stock, you can find it on Beauty Bay’s website and Cult Beauty as well as the Deciem website. These foundations are also cruelty free, vegan, oil free, silicone free etc etc!
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (1C0 Shell) - £32.50
This is a cult favourite foundation for good reason. The shade 1C0 Shell is the lightest shade and it is beige toned. The bottle is glass and doesn't come with a dropper or pump, however, you can buy a pump from Mac which fits these bottles if you prefer using a pump. The product is quite liquidy so if you don't use a pump, be very careful when tipping product out as a lot can come out quickly! This foundation is a high medium coverage which is buildable and on my skin it's dries down to a slightly dewy finish and sets nicely with a powder. It is very easy to blend out and looks lovely on my skin. This foundation also doesn't oxidise on my skin and it is pretty long lasting.
Dermacol Make Up Cover (208) - £8.99
CYO Long Lasting Foundation (101) - £7.50
For those of you who are wondering who CYO are, they are a new brand owned by Boots - well, I say they are a new company... they are actually the brand Seventeen but renamed and repackaged. I believe they released in America first, however, they are now available on Boots.com and they will be put in stores between now and August to replace Seventeen - lots of the products are the same but there are many new ones too, including this foundation. This foundation is a nice beige toned pale foundation - as you can see from the swatch, it is not the palest foundation but with a little bit of white mixer, it is a good shade for me. It doesn't pull too orange, yellow or pink which is a nice change for a drugstore foundation. The formula is liquid but a good consistency - not too thick or too runny. It gives a high / medium coverage which is buildable and gives a dewy finish. Once set with powder, this foundation lasts all day on my skin. You get 30ml of product and the plastic bottle comes with a pump.
Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless (100 Warm Ivory) - £6.99
This is a foundation that I only recently purchased as I tried one of the original shades (115) which was an okay shade when I first swatched it in Boots, however, it oxidised a lot while I was walking around the shop so I decided against it. This foundation in the UK comes in a squeezy tube, but I believe that in the US it comes in a glass bottle with a pump. The shade 100 was released after the initial product came out and is a much better shade. It does oxidise a bit, but nowhere near as much as the 115 shade did. This shade is quite yellow toned which I don't mind and the formula is very liquidy and thin. It offers medium coverage which is buildable and it doesn't dry down super matte (like the Kat Von D foundation). This foundation lasts most of the day on my skin but it doesn't last as long as some foundations I've tried. This is a great foundation if you're looking for a cheaper option that is pale and easily picked up in Boots and Superdrug stores.
This is a foundation that I only recently purchased as I tried one of the original shades (115) which was an okay shade when I first swatched it in Boots, however, it oxidised a lot while I was walking around the shop so I decided against it. This foundation in the UK comes in a squeezy tube, but I believe that in the US it comes in a glass bottle with a pump. The shade 100 was released after the initial product came out and is a much better shade. It does oxidise a bit, but nowhere near as much as the 115 shade did. This shade is quite yellow toned which I don't mind and the formula is very liquidy and thin. It offers medium coverage which is buildable and it doesn't dry down super matte (like the Kat Von D foundation). This foundation lasts most of the day on my skin but it doesn't last as long as some foundations I've tried. This is a great foundation if you're looking for a cheaper option that is pale and easily picked up in Boots and Superdrug stores.
L'Oreal Infalliable 24h Original Foundation (015 Porcelain) - £10.99
I've used this foundation for years - it used to be my go to everyday foundation before I started getting into make up and trying other foundations. The shade is a great pale shade for the drugstore, however, it does oxidise on my skin. The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a pump and you get 30ml of product. The reason I started trying other foundations was because I found that everytime I hugged my dogs, they ended up covered in foundation - it does transfer badly. It also goes oily quite quickly on my skin so is not overly long wearing, however, I feel like it would work beautifully on dry skin. The formula is relatively thick and blends out beautifully, giving a dewy finish which is medium coverage. This foundation does have a bit of a scent to it - it smells a bit like sun tan lotion, so it doesn't bother me and the scent goes once it's blended in. I still like using this foundation every now and again and it is still one of the palest foundations I've found so I'm glad it hasn't been discontinued yet.
Let me know if you've found any other pale foundations that I haven't listed and let me know your thoughts on them in the comments below!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
I've used this foundation for years - it used to be my go to everyday foundation before I started getting into make up and trying other foundations. The shade is a great pale shade for the drugstore, however, it does oxidise on my skin. The foundation comes in a glass bottle with a pump and you get 30ml of product. The reason I started trying other foundations was because I found that everytime I hugged my dogs, they ended up covered in foundation - it does transfer badly. It also goes oily quite quickly on my skin so is not overly long wearing, however, I feel like it would work beautifully on dry skin. The formula is relatively thick and blends out beautifully, giving a dewy finish which is medium coverage. This foundation does have a bit of a scent to it - it smells a bit like sun tan lotion, so it doesn't bother me and the scent goes once it's blended in. I still like using this foundation every now and again and it is still one of the palest foundations I've found so I'm glad it hasn't been discontinued yet.
Let me know if you've found any other pale foundations that I haven't listed and let me know your thoughts on them in the comments below!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
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