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I've found the best drugstore foundation you'll want to buy on repeat
I've been busy testing a range of different drugstore foundations to find the ones that are affordable yet make your skin look great. Whether you're going for a minimalist look or full glam, I've found a formula that will work for you.
I generally applied just one layer, but most of them would be easy to layer up if you wanted more coverage. Don't be afraid to experiment when it comes to different applicators — I prefer to use my fingers, but you might try a brush or sponge — and different amounts of product. Everyone's skin and style preferences are different, but there's sure to be a foundation here that works for you.
How I tested
I've been testing beauty products for nearly a decade, but using them for far longer, making me the ideal candidate for this review.
For context, before applying each foundation, I washed my face with a CeraVe cleanser, then applied my go-to moisturizer: Neutrogena's hydro boost hyaluronic acid water gel. I applied the foundations using my fingers (except in the case of the powder foundation, which I applied with both a brush and a sponge).
In the interest of seeing how each foundation performed on its own, I didn't use a primer or setting spray. I also didn't use any blush, bronzer, or concealer, so that I could see how each one genuinely looked on my skin. The photos I've included are not filtered or edited, so you can see my skin's texture. My skin is generally dry, and I have some mild rosacea and hormonal acne. But I've also made sure to highlight products that would be good for oily skin or combination skin.
When testing, I considered the ingredients in each formula and whether the shade range was inclusive. I also assessed how easy each one was to apply and how it blended — I always started wth a light layer and added more to judge whether the coverage was buildable. I wore each foundation for multiple days in a row to assess initial finish, performance, and longevity, as well as to see if any oxidizing (changes in the color due to air and moisture exposure) occurred. In addition to my own experience with these foundations, I've done thorough research into each of these products to see what other testers think. These are the best drugstore foundations that met and exceeded expectations.
The best drugstore foundation for 2025 are:
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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
I've found the best drugstore foundation you'll want to buy on repeat
A good foundation is, well, the foundation of your makeup look. The good news is you don't have to drop a ton of cash to find a formula that works for your skin. The best drugstore foundations contain many of the same skin-nourishing ingredients high-end makeup brands use, such as hyaluronic acid, which increases moisture in your skin, and niacinamide, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and skin barrier-strengthening properties. I've been busy testing a range of different drugstore foundations to find the ones that are affordable yet make your skin look great. Whether you're going for a minimalist look or full glam, I've found a formula that will work for you. I generally applied just one layer, but most of them would be easy to layer up if you wanted more coverage. Don't be afraid to experiment when it comes to different applicators — I prefer to use my fingers, but you might try a brush or sponge — and different amounts of product. Everyone's skin and style preferences are different, but there's sure to be a foundation here that works for you. How I tested I've been testing beauty products for nearly a decade, but using them for far longer, making me the ideal candidate for this review. For context, before applying each foundation, I washed my face with a CeraVe cleanser, then applied my go-to moisturizer: Neutrogena's hydro boost hyaluronic acid water gel. I applied the foundations using my fingers (except in the case of the powder foundation, which I applied with both a brush and a sponge). In the interest of seeing how each foundation performed on its own, I didn't use a primer or setting spray. I also didn't use any blush, bronzer, or concealer, so that I could see how each one genuinely looked on my skin. The photos I've included are not filtered or edited, so you can see my skin's texture. My skin is generally dry, and I have some mild rosacea and hormonal acne. But I've also made sure to highlight products that would be good for oily skin or combination skin. When testing, I considered the ingredients in each formula and whether the shade range was inclusive. I also assessed how easy each one was to apply and how it blended — I always started wth a light layer and added more to judge whether the coverage was buildable. I wore each foundation for multiple days in a row to assess initial finish, performance, and longevity, as well as to see if any oxidizing (changes in the color due to air and moisture exposure) occurred. In addition to my own experience with these foundations, I've done thorough research into each of these products to see what other testers think. These are the best drugstore foundations that met and exceeded expectations. The best drugstore foundation for 2025 are:
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Summer Fridays extends its lip butter balm range to blush, so we tested the range on four women
The Summer Fridays lip butter balm has been a beauty staple since its launch in 2020. The brand has now extended the beloved butter balm range, launching six shades of an all-new blush butter balm (£27, Championing the same hero ingredient as the lip balms (shea butter), the new cream blushes add hydrating mango seed butter and nourishing illipe butter to help prevent product build-up on dry patches and promote a moisturising effect upon contact. While blush in its powder format reigned supreme in the noughties (along with powder foundations, and the now-maligned powder lips), the past five years have seen lots of new cream blushes, from Rare Beauty's soft pinch blush (£22, to Rhode's pocket blush (£24, Where powder make-up can sink into fine lines and wrinkles, creams are more hydrating. Cream formulas are often easier to blend and, for those on a budget, can be applied with your fingers, bypassing the need for expensive make-up brushes. That all sounds great, but we wanted to see if the butter balm blushes could match the hype around the lip butter balm. Scroll on to browse how the formulas fared across our four testers. How we tested Splitting the six shades across four testers (two each, with a couple of crossovers), we applied the Summer Fridays blush butter balms to our cheeks, foreheads and chins for a sweep of all-over warmth. With fair and darker skin tones among us, we were able to establish how the formulas performed on a variety of complexions and note differences across skin type, too. We each wore the blushes for a full day, making note of the following criteria: Wear: A hydrating blush is all well and good, but if it slides off your face come midday, you're not likely to reach for it again. With this in mind, we paid attention to how often (if at all) the formula needed tending to with setting powder, setting spray or a quick buff. Texture and feel: While some cream blush formulas turn powdery upon application, others have more of a serum-like consistency. We established how the butter balm felt on our faces – be it hydrating, dragging or sticky – and recorded any differences in response between us. Ease of application: Does the product blend effortlessly or, rather, do you really have to work it into the foundation? Does it remove the make-up beneath? These were all factors we considered while swiping on the blush. Cost vs. ingredients: We stacked the cost of the Summer Friday's blush butter balm against its skin benefits and decided whether these two components lined up. We also took packaging and product quantity into consideration while weighing this up. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Lucy Smith is The Independent 's beauty writer and has more than five years of experience product reviewing, including covering dupes for the Rare Beauty stay vulnerable melting blush and make-up brush sets for all things blush, bronzer and eyeshadow application. Sabrina Sahota is IndyBest's consumer editor and has been testing products since 2018. She's well-versed in new beauty and effective formulas, having reviewed the latest Clinique nude honey formula and compared the Charlotte Tilbury and Urban Decay setting sprays. Emilie Lavinia is our fitness and wellbeing editor and has written for numerous established publications across skincare, make-up and more. She's frequently speaking with experts about the best ingredients for good skin and has covered a lot of the overlap between wellness and beauty, such as the recent buzz around neurocosmetics. Lastly, Vanese Maddix has been testing for the team since 2020, reviewing everything from the Made By Mitchell range (including the curve case blush) to TikTok's favourite Youthforia and Espressoh blushes.
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- BBC News
'My mentor at uni is amazing - others may not get the same help'
Wider eligibility for free school meals could lead to stretched support for children who need help after leaving school, a leading charity has said. The Social Mobility Foundation said the expanded support for children in school was welcome, but warned that availability for their mentoring scheme was already "limited" due to comes after the government announced 500,000 more children would be eligible for free school meals from September next government said it did not fund the charity's mentoring scheme directly, but was committed to supporting more people from disadvantaged backgrounds in work and higher education. Ministers have also said the changes to free school meal eligibility will "help families who need it most".The Social Mobility Foundation provides a university and careers mentoring scheme to help young people who have been on free school meals or are the first in their families to go into higher charity said more government funding should be directed towards work experience and careers advice for those from lower-income households, to support people going to university who may not have the personal connections others might have which could help them find work in their chosen field Atkinson, the charity's chief executive, said more students becoming eligible for the scheme after receiving free school meals would mean "these places would be in even greater demand"."The most incredible gift we can give people is our time and attention, and this scheme allows you to do that," she said."Mentoring is really precious because mentors don't want anything from these young people, except to help them achieve their ambitions." Nimra Ahmeed, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, said she would have been "lost" without the mentor who has helped guide her through her time at university so in her penultimate year studying law at the University of Manchester, 20-year-old Nimra said she hoped more awareness of schemes like the one she has benefited from would help take away the stigma around it."Some people might not want to reach out as they may feel it's something to be embarrassed about, but for me it's been so helpful," she said her mentor, 54-year-old solicitor Natalie Maloney, "took away how daunting it is going into [university] without knowing anything about it". 'We don't employ people like you' Natalie, who qualified as a solicitor in the 1990s and volunteers her time as a mentor, said the scheme was an important tool in maintaining a "level playing field" between students. She said it was crucial to give "real talent" a chance within competitive working involvement in the scheme was borne out of her own experience of trying to break into the industry, as she was also the first in her family to go to claimed she was told by one firm that "we don't employ people like you", after a string of failed applications."That's why I am so passionate to help others - I know what it's like," she said. The most recent government data suggests there has been a wider gap than ever before between the number of students who were eligible for free school meals at school, and the number of those who weren't, going on to study at university in recent of longer-term data by the Office for National Statistics in 2022 also suggests those on free school meals traditionally go on to earn significantly less than their peers from higher-income households. Social Mobility Foundation boss Sarah said that data was why she believes schemes like mentoring, which the charity has been running for two decades, were so said the scheme started when those in various corporate sectors realised they were missing out on "talented people" who simply didn't have connections to the industry. And with more people receiving free school meals in the coming years, more are going to be eligible for the scheme's support as they leave school and enter the world of work, she said."The charity is doing a great job, but we need more help," she said."Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn't."
