I tested 5 viral foundations in the gym to see which were ‘sweaty summer proof' – an £11 buy was a winner
YOU GLOW GIRL I tested 5 viral foundations in the gym to see which were 'sweaty summer proof' – an £11 buy was a winner
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
WHILE there is no better feeling than enjoying glorious sunshine on your skin - with SPF, of course - beauty buffs absolutely despise the hotter days when the foundation slides and melts off in an instant.
While some prefer to go bare-faced or rock a tinted moisturiser, if you're a fake tan fanatic like me, you'll know that's not really an option - as the lighter tints won't match the rest of your Oompa Loompa complexion.
12
From the cult favourite True Match to an e.l.f. foundation, I put five viral beauty buys to the test to see which one would survive a sweaty gym session
Credit: Boots
12
While one left me looking patchy, other stayed intact
Credit: Superdrug
So, to find out which budget-friendly foundations are summer sweat-proof, I tried out five viral make-up buys, all £15 or under.
To see which foundations would perform the best in sweltering temperatures, I put them under the ultimate test - my two-hour long gym sessions, which included both weightlifting and cardio.
In order to give them a fair chance, I followed the exact same beauty routine with each - beginning with hyaluronic acid, a serum, moisturiser, sunscreen, and topping the foundation off with a bit of powder.
Here are the ones that stayed intact - and the ones that left random patches on my face.
L'Oreal Infaillible 32h Fresh Wear, £13.99
12
The lightweight foundation left my face glowing - but will it last at the gym? Scroll down to see
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
This red-lidded foundation has been around for a years now, and pulls in rave 4.3-star ratings.
Formulated with Vitamin C, L'Oreal Infaillable Fresh Wear foundation offers full coverage yet feels lightweight on your skin - it's really a win-win.
The best part? I also found that you don't need to apply heaps to achieve the results you're after - so a little goes a long way.
I wore this SPF 25 foundation on a Monday - which are my heavy leg days in a gym where air conditioning doesn't seem to be a thing, and decided to torture myself even more by hopping onto the stair master for a further 20 minutes.
As I was contemplating this poor decision (amongst many others), I felt the sweat dripping on my forehead and feared I was looking like a hot, patchy mess.
But to my surprise, once I took a quick look at the reflection on the mirror, the foundation was still there - although there were some slight patches around my nose and just underneath my hairline.
I'm a fake tan pro and have tested all of them - a £22.99 option left me GREEN, but a £3.49 bargain is always a 10/10
Sweatproof rating: 4/5
12
My face after two long hours at the gym and 20 minutes on the stair master
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
L'Oreal True Match, £11.99
12
Although this may not be the perfect shade match, I loved how even and glowy my face looked
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
L'Oreal True Match - available at Boots for just £11.99 - has been around for as long as I can remember.
Now available in a whopping 48 shades, this high street number provides perfect, natural and true-to-skin coverage.
Not only is it enriched with hyaluronic acid that provides up to 24-hour hydration, the foundation also has bold claims to ''improve skin quality in two weeks''.
While I wasn't able to test out the latter, I sure can tell you that the wallet-friendly foundation is gym girl-approved.
I put it to test on one of the hottest days the UK has seen this year and was shocked to see that not even 40 minutes of intense cardio could smudge it, even a little.
After I got home following the treadmill torture, the sweat had dried up - and the overall complexion looked almost as good as it had before the gym session, apart from the slight patch under my eyes.
Sweatproof rating: 5/5
12
Despite sweating like a pig, the £11.99 foundation barely smudged
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter, £15
12
e.l.f's Liquid Filter was shiny - but surprisingly sweat proof
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
One of the more affordable brands on the high-street, e.l.f. has truly surprised me as of late, whether it's their brow pencil or liquid contour.
So when I spotted e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter on the shelves I snapped it up without much hesitation - especially after reading the thousands of rave reviews.
Although this is theoretically not a foundation, it can be worn as make-up and I found that with a few layers you can achieve the desired level of coverage.
However, do be warned - you will be left looking like a glazed doughnut and it's best to have your go-to powder at the ready.
Fabulous' £10 Fake Tan Test
FINDING the perfect fake tan isn't easy. That's why Fabulous tested a number of fake tans which cost less than £10..
*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue
Superdrug Solait Self Tan Mousse Medium - £4.79 (was £5.99) - Buy Now Tester: Abby Wilson, Senior Fabulous Digital Writer
Review: "This product give a very natural looking tan and if you wanted something a bit bolder, I'd suggest leaving it on longer or choosing a darker shade. I'm impressed with the results, but now my entire room stinks of the stuff. If you're on a budget and want a tan for last-minute plans, I would say this is one to try. "
bBold Dream Mousse Tan in Dark - £9.50 - Buy Now Tester: Josie O'Brien, Senior Fabulous Digital Writer
Review: "The first thing that hit me about this tan was the 'juicy watermelon' scent - it's delicious. I was left with a natural bronze hue rather than orange glow. My only qualm is that the tan seemed to stick to my dry patches and accentuated 'strawberry skin' on my legs. I'm still adding this tan to my arsenal though - the smell, colour and texture are dreamy."
St Moriz Professional Medium Tanning Mousse - £4.99 - Buy Now Tester: Kate Kulniece, Fabulous Writer
Review: "Not only does St. Moriz mousse leave you with a gorgeous bronzed glow, but it also smells fabulous - think Piña Colada on a sunny beach. At first, I was a little bit sceptical cause I'm a gradual fake tan girlie, but this quick developing St. Moriz number may change it all."
While I may have looked more shiny than I like to, this foundation hybrid didn't feel too cakey - and best of all, got me heaps of compliments at the gym.
I wore the £15 beauty bag must-have in sweltering 29C heat - and not only did it survive the muggy weather but also an intense lower body session, followed by 30 minutes on the stairmaster and some skipping.
While I quite enjoyed this product - which can even be used a highlighter - it's currently available in just 12 shades, only four or which are suited for darker complexions.
Sweatproof rating: 4/5
12
It was a 29C day and the product lasted surprisingly well
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
Maybelline Super Stay 24H Foundation + Vitamin C, £13.99
12
I ran on the treadmill in the Maybelline foundation - so was it up to the test?
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
Whether it's their Sky High mascara or cheap lippies, Maybelline has been a firm staple in my make-up bag ever since I got into beauty as a teenager.
As someone who has an oily skin, I was a little hesitant trying Maybelline Super Stay 24H Foundation as Vitamin C products usually offer more glowy results - but much to my surprise, it gave me a natural radiance.
This make-up buy, priced at £13.99 at Superdrug, is great if you're a vegan like me, as it contains no animal-derived ingredients or by-products.
Right after applying it on my face, I was amazed at the healthy glow and how smooth my mega pores looked.
However, the biggest winner is that the foundation lived up to its promises - and resisted the intense workout and the mini treadmill run I did at the gym.
While there was a teeny bit of creasing under my eyes, the purse-friendly foundation stayed intact and almost glued to my face - a real winner if you've got a sunny holiday coming up or if you're a cardio bunny.
Sweatproof rating: 5/5
12
There was a teeny bit of creasing - but otherwise I was impressed
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
Rimmel Lasting Finish 35 Hour Foundation, £10.99
12
Rimmel's foundation promises to last 35 hours - but is it sweat proof?
Credit: supplied/kate kulniece
Available in more than 30 shades, Rimmel Lasting Finish 35 Hour Foundation is one of the cheapest on the high street, setting you back just £10.99 at Boots.
This full-coverage beauty bag buy has a natural-looking finish with SPF20 - which is always an added bonus if you've run out of sunscreen.
The cruelty-free and vegan formula also boasts hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and 2% niacinamide, so not only will your skin be red carpet-ready - you'll also treat it with a whole lot of goodness.
Although I found the make-up buy on the thicker side, the end finish was pretty natural - but you can always go heavier to achieve a fuller coverage.
More than an hour of weight-lifting and 30 minutes of cardio later, the foundation had survived and my skin looked just as flawless as it did at the start of the session - despite the excessive sweating.
Sweatproof rating: 5/5
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Olivia Attwood's go-to SPF 50 face sunscreen that's 'so good under make-up' now on sale
Love Island's Olivia Attwood recently shared an Instagram video in which she professed her love for this new sunscreen, and fans have been quick to agree Not every celebrity endorsement is worth your money, but this particular recommendation is genuinely brilliant, particularly for the summer months. Ex-Love Island star Olivia Attwood recently shared a sponsored Instagram clip expressing her adoration for La Roche-Posay's newest facial sunscreen, Anthelios UVAir Daily Invisible Fluid SPF50+, and followers have been swift to confirm it's amongst the finest face SPFs available. This ultra-light, oil-controlling variant of La Roche-Posay's bestselling Anthelios UVMUNE 400 Ultra-Light Invisible Fluid SPF50+ makes UVAir essential for summer – and throughout the year – if you despise the sensation of heavy, greasy sun lotions on your skin. Anthelios UVAir typically retails for £25 at major stockists like Boots and Cult Beauty, though it's currently available for £20 at Lookfantastic and Sephora. " It's the best," several users commented beneath Olivia's initial post, with the star recently highlighting this follow-up message from an admirer: "I cannot thank you enough for your recommendation of the La Roche-Posay Factor 50+. Just spent a week in Portugal and it's the first time in 47 years that I haven't burnt my face at all! And only after one application a day!" Naturally, if you're planning to spend a significant amount of time in the sun, it's crucial to reapply your SPF regularly throughout the day – one application isn't enough. If you're wearing make-up, an over-the-top mist like Garnier Ambre Solaire Over Makeup Super UV Face Mist SPF50+, currently reduced from £13 to £8.67 at Boots, or Naked Sundays SPF50+ Hydrating Glow Mist, presently priced at £16.20, could be ideal, reports OK!. Lookfantastic customers have also been praising UVAir's benefits, with one stating, "I could not wait to try this and I haven't been disappointed, the texture is amazing and is so good for under make-up." "This SPF50 is magic!" another concurred. "SPFs generally tend to make skin oily even when they promise not to - not this one however! Super lightweight, non-greasy formula." "So pleased I tried this," reads a third five-star review. "It's everything they say. Such a unique texture, totally non greasy. Sits well under make-up. No pilling or white cast. Velvety and perfect." Indeed, the only gripe some shoppers had was that it contains fragrance – something not everyone appreciates in a skincare product. "It's really nice and absorbs into the skin well. It is also lightweight. But the fragrance is a little strong," one person noted on the Boots website. If you're after a completely fragrance-free face SPF, you might prefer CeraVe AM Facial Moisturising Lotion SPF50, currently £12.37, or Dr Sam's Flawless Daily Sunscreen SPF 50, priced at £31.
Daily Record
16 hours ago
- Daily Record
Boots' sell-out Love Island beauty box returns with a saving of over £235
The highly coveted box has just dropped for 2025 and it is jam packed with 17 Love Island villa essentials. It's the beauty box many Boots shoppers eagerly wait for. That's right, the health and beauty chain's Love Island edit is officially back for 2025. The Boots x Summer Love Island Beauty Box is a bestseller every year. Jam packed with villa favourites, this year's offering looks better than ever, with everything from skincare and haircare to fragrances. Retailing at just £55, it contains an impressive 17 products in total, with 13 of them being full-sizes, adding up to a total worth of £290.92 - meaning beauty fans are getting a staggering £235.92 off the RRP. That means that shoppers can save a rather impressive 81 per cent overall on some of the biggest names in the industry such as ICONIC London, Milk, No7, Sol de Janeiro, Huda Beauty and much, much more. Before we delve into this year's contents, it's worth noting that summer-style beauty edits are everywhere right now, with Next's The Glow Up Beauty Box priced at £22, but is actually worth over £115 in total. Another popular edit that is often snapped up every year is the Glossybox limited-edition Summer Bag. Packed with 10 cult-favourite beauty goodies, it is in fact said to come to a total of over £142. Back to Boots Love Island Box, there are many standout items worth a mention such as the viral Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 48 perfume mist (30ml), Milk Makeup Kush Lip Oil (5.5ml) and the BYOMA Hydrating Milky Toner (150ml). However, one that is worth singling out is the NUXE Huile Prodigieuse® Or Shimmering Multi-Purpose Dry Oil for Face, Body and Hair that is a cult favourite among many beauty enthusiasts. Worth £22 for the full-size bottle included, this dry oil is loved for its unique formula that nourishes, repairs, strengthens and conditions, while its scent of Orange Blossom, Magnolia and Vanilla has been hailed as "out of this world." There's also a few new additions added to this year's beauty box, such as the No7 Good Intent Water Cream (100ml), Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo (232ml) and the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Setting Spray (30ml). One important factor to remember is that the beauty box is exclusively available to buy online while stocks last, so shopper won't find it in any Boots store. Don't miss out on the bestselling 2025 Boots x Summer Love Island Beauty Box that costs £55, but is worth £290.92, by nabbing it online now. Beauty deal of the week YSL Black Opium remains an iconic perfume - and we know where to bag the newest edition for its cheapest price. The YSL BLack Opium Le Parfum offers a more vanilla-heavy fragrance that has been hailed as "intoxicating" in reviews, with a 50ml now half-price at Boots after being dropped from £115 to £57.50. Massive saving aside, it's the cheapest it can be bought for at the moment, as rival retailers Superdrug, Lookfantastic and The Perfume Shop still stock it at full-price. This interpretation of the iconic perfume was only launched in 2022, with its original floral gourmand fragrance still offering its famed notes that include pear accord, green mandarin, orange flower petals, jasmine sambac and cinnamon. However, the iconic coffee accord has been twisted with four different, yet still complimentary, notes of vanilla, which is said to be its most important ingredient, to create an "unexpected smoothness, with uncompromising intensity." Meanwhile, the unique glossy bottle that has been crafted from a precious black stone, with its dazzling glitter emblem at the heart, eludes to the luxuriousness of the fragrance contained within. As for the YSL Black Opium Le Parfum, Boots shoppers wanting to take advantage of the half-price discount will be glad to hear it has amassed a 4.7 rating from thousands of customers who say it "lasts all day" and "literally turns heads" when it is worn. One five-star review read: "I love the fragrance. I used a lot the first time, not realising how intense it was. It lasts all day and continues to smell great. I literally turn heads when I wear it." Don't miss Boots' half-price discount on the YSL Black Opium Le Parfum (50ml) that is now £57.50, down from £115. What's inside the Boots x Summer Love Island Beauty Box? ICONIC London Lit & Luminous Baked Highlighting Powder 16g – FULL SIZE Amika Perk Up Plus Extended Clean Dry Shampoo 5.3 oz – FULL SIZE MILK Kush Lip Oil in the shade Green Dragon 5.5ml – FULL SIZE No7 Good Intent Dew Bank Water Cream 100ml – FULL SIZE BYOMA Hydrating Milky Toner 150ml – FULL SIZE Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse® Shimmering Multi-Purpose Dry Oil for Face, Body and Hair 50ml – FULL SIZE Skin+Me Light Moisturiser Oily to Combination Skin 50ml – FULL SIZE Philip Kingsley Swimcap 100ml – FULL SIZE FUL Styling Spray 100ml – FULL SIZE Mylee Gel Nail Wraps in the shade Seashell x 20 wraps – FULL SIZE Patchology Serve Chilled On Ice Eye Gels (1 Pair) – FULL SIZE Inkey List Polyglutamic Acid Dewy Sunscreen SPF30 50ml – FULL SIZE Kayali Vanilla 28 Eau de Parfum 10ml Huda Beauty Easy Bake Setting Spray 30ml First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub in Fresh Strawberry 56.7g Sol De Janeiro Cheirosa 48 perfume mist 30ml You will also receive one of the following:
Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'Summery' Estee Lauder perfume that 'lasts a long time' reduced to less than £50
Shoppers on the hunt for a new signature scent on a budget are in luck, thanks to an incredible sale offer. Estee Lauder's popular Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent, praised by shoppers for being long-lasting and having a 'summery' smell, is currently available for under £50 in a limited-time sale on LookFantastic. Ideal for those who love a tropical fragrance, this deal gets perfume fans 25% off. Originally priced at £58, the Bronze Goddess scent is now down to £43.50. LookFantastic's offer is the cheapest price we have seen for the item. Elsewhere, Boots is selling the same Estee Lauder perfume for £58, while the brand itself also has it at full price. The main notes of this floral scent are creamy coconut, amber, vanilla and Sicilian bergamot. This isn't the only perfume deal worth checking out. Debenhams has also slashed the price of Yves Saint Laurent's Black Opium 90ml Set to £89.60, down from £140. The Michael Kors Wonderlust Eau de Parfum (50ml) is currently available for £32 at Superdrug. That's 51% off the original £66 price tag, saving customers an impressive £34. Shoppers have been praising the Estee Lauder fragrance for its long-lasting wear and 'perfect' smell. One wrote: 'Gosh, I just love this. It's the best scent, so clean, fresh and summery. I love spraying it generously after a shower… heaven.' While a second added: 'Always receive compliments when I wear it. Perfect scent for summer/holidays.' Another person wrote: "Lasts a long time, isn't too powerful. Smells lovely!" Yet, not everyone was happy with the longevity of this scent, with one reviewer saying: "I really like this light scent for spring or summer, however, it does not have a lot of staying power, and the bottle does not last long." Someone else agreed: "Such a lovely scent for the summer, just wish the longevity was better." The Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent is available to buy on Our very own fragrance expert and beauty writer, Jada Jones, claims that Next's Summer Sun Perfume smells similar to the Estee Lauder scent, with a 30ml bottle coming in at just £10. It delivers a blend of coconut and exotic floral notes.
