the 10 BEST foundations for over 40 skin - beauty expert chimes in

Finding the perfect foundation is like finding a unicorn in a field of flowers. Like, it just doesn't exist. I have tested so many foundations over the years, you guys, because I've been a cosmetic brand owner and product developer for over 14 years. So when I tell you I've tested foundations, I've tested a lot. Today, I have narrowed it down to my top 10 foundations that I think work perfectly for over 40 skin. Before we get into the 10 foundations, let me tell you the criteria that we are looking for for every foundation I go through. It's detailed, you guys, but I told you when I test foundations, I'm thorough. The first one's going to be the price. We're going to go over the shade range. How many foundations does this line have? Does it work for all type of skin from fair to deep? The top five ingredients, I'm going to list it here on the screen for each foundation. Why does that matter? Because that is going to tell you the type of foundation that is, which goes into our base formula. That's our fourth criteria. Is it silicone-based? Is it oil-based? Is it water-based? That matters because that's going to tell you if it's going to separate or shift on your skin based on the primer that you use. So you really want to know what base formula your foundation is. Most of them fall in one category. We'll talk about it in a second. Then I'm going to go over the finish. Is it satin? Is it dewy? Is it matte? That matters because it depends on what skin type you have. If you're oily, you're dry, you are combination skin, you're sensitive skin, you need to know what finish this foundation has because it's going to work better for certain skin types over the others. Then we're going to go over the preferred skin type. So I'm going to tell you, does this work for dry, combination, or oily skin? I lay it out all for you guys. And then we're going to go over the coverage. Is it light coverage? Is it full coverage? Is it medium coverage? That's going to help you decide what type of finish that you want. Are you a full coverage, full glam girl? Are you like something very light for every day? That'll help you narrow it down to what works for you. And then we're going to go over viscosity. What is viscosity? So viscosity is the thin or thickness of a formula. And that really matters because that's going to tell you what type of brush or sponge that you're going to apply the foundation with. So if it's a thinner viscosity formula, I like using a brush because if I use a sponge with a foundation that's very thin, it's going to soak up in that sponge. You're going to waste product. You're going to be mad because you're going through that foundation really fast. And then it's probably going to be patchy because it's not applying evenly because a lot of it's in the sponge. So viscosity matters. No one on YouTube talks about it, but I will because we're talking about formulas. So viscosity is the next one. And then the last one I will tell you is the best way to apply. So that's all of our criteria. I'm going to go through them super fast for each foundation so that way you guys know out of these top 10 that I'm providing, you can hopefully find one out of those 10 that will be perfect for you. All right, our first foundation we have is NARS Sheer Glow. You guys knew I was going to put this one here. It's my favorite. I've been using it for a long time. If they discontinue it, I'm going to pick it outside of NARS headquarters. It's a great foundation. I love this because it is dewy finish. So that's our finish for it. It's a radiant. It's dewy. It works great for over 40 skin because as we get older, our skin gets dry. So we want to add some dewiness, some life back into the skin. So wearing dewy or satin finish foundations work really well because they add that youthfulness that we need. The price of this is $47 and it comes in 40 different colors. So everyone pretty much can find a color that works for them. They have a great wide range of formulas. They have a wide range of shades. The top five ingredients, I'm going to list them right here. This matters because it's going to tell you what the base formula is. So it has water, cyclopentasiloxane, that is a silicone, butylene, glycol, and glycerin. The second ingredient, that cyclopentasiloxane, that is a silicone. So that tells me, in the first five ingredients, if you see anything that ends in an O-X-A-N-E or ONE, O-N-E, that is a silicone. That tells me that the base formula of this is a silicone-based foundation. That matters because, if I have a silicone-based foundation, which 90% of foundations out there are silicone-based, that if I use a primer that are usually silicone-based, it's going to pair up really well. If I have an oil-based or a water-based foundation and I try putting it on top of a primer or skincare that has a lot of silicones in it, like dimethicone, trimethicone, they don't mix. It's like oil and water, they don't mix. They're going to separate. And you see those images like this, where your foundation is separating, it's looking patchy. That could be one of the reasons why, is that your foundation and your primer or your skincare are clashing and it's starting to separate and break down throughout the day. The finish of this is dewy, like I said. And the preferred skin type that I think this works for is dry to combo skin. If you have oily skin, this is going to be too oily for you. But if you have dry skin, like myself, it works amazing because it has that luminosity that adds some oil back into your skin. It's medium coverage. So it is great for looks like today. I'm wearing it today because I have full glam on. So if you are going out or wearing a full face of makeup, this works because it's pretty medium to full coverage. The viscosity of this is medium thin. Let me show you guys what viscosity looks like. So to test viscosity, you are going to put a pump on your hand and you're going to tilt your hand up. You're going to wait and see if that drips down. Do you see how that's dripping down pretty easily? So I would say that's a thin or medium thin viscosity. So that tells me that when I'm applying it, it's better for me to use a brush like this, like a stippling one where you stipple it on like this, or even a buffing brush like this where you're going to buff it in. If it's a thin viscosity, like really, really thin, something like this may not work, a sponge, because it's going to soak it up and it's going to leave it patchy. So anytime a foundation is thin like that, that viscosity, I prefer using a brush. Let me show you an example of a thicker viscosity just so you guys can know. This is the Milani Conceal and Perfect. I don't think I have that one in this video because it's not the best for over 40 skin, but let me show you. That's one pump. Do you see how it's just sitting there? So that tells me that's a thick viscosity. Like when I'm formulating product foundations, I have to worry about viscosity because I need to know what packaging to pair it up with. So once it's thicker viscosity like that, it works good in pumps. I have to make sure the hole is big enough for it to get through. So that's why me as a product developer, viscosity is really important, but you as a consumer or someone applying it, it still matters because this is going to apply better with a sponge patting it on because it's going to blend it out. And especially if that sponge is a little bit wet, do you see how it's smoothing it out? It's giving me a really beautiful even finish because it's not soaking up into that sponge like a thinner viscosity would. And if you try to apply a thicker viscosity foundation with a brush when you go to buff it in, it's going to get kind of stuck because it's thick, you know, and so that's going to look patchy and cakey because it's sticking to that brush. So viscosity is so important. Next foundation I have is the Estee Lauder Double Wear. This is a classic OG of foundation. It has stood the test of time because it's that good of foundation. The price of this is $48 and it comes in 56 colors. So there's a huge range of colors to pick from. The top five ingredients is water, cyclopentasiloxane. Remember that ingredient we talked about? It's in this too. Trimethosiloxalate, butylene glycol. Basically, this is a silicone-based formula. So like I said, a lot of foundations are silicone-based, so this will work great with any silicone-based primer. The finish of this is matte finish, which means that it's going to be best for combo to oily skin. If you have dry skin, this may not work for you. It may be too matte. It may come across cakey. But if you are over 40, some people over 40 still have oily skin, this is a great option. I like it because it's not too thick or cakey. The coverage for this is pretty full coverage. So if you want full glam, you're wearing a full face of makeup, you want something that's gonna give you a lot of coverage, but still not look cakey, this is a great one. The viscosity of this is medium, so it's not thin. So let me show you guys, it doesn't have a pump on that. That's the only thing I don't like about this packaging. So I put quite a bit on there. So it's dripping down a little bit, but do you see how it's moving kind of slow? So that's telling me it's not really, really thin. So this could be applied with a sponge or a brush, depending on your preference. I've tried it both ways and it's worked really well. It doesn't get patchy with a sponge. So that's kind of my preferred way to apply this one because it's not so thin that it's gonna soak up in that sponge. But here's the finish of that, just so you all can see. So you see how that's medium to full coverage, but it's a satin to matte finish foundation. It looks like skin and I love it because it just looks very natural. And again, it's not cakey, it's not thick, it's not gonna oxidize. It's just a beautiful foundation for anyone who has oily skin. Next foundation we have is the Armani Luminous Silk. This has been around for a long time too. A lot of people love this one. It's a little pricey. It's $69 for this one. It comes in 40 different colors though, so you have a lot of options to choose from. Top five ingredients of this, again, water is almost always the first ingredient in foundations. That's cyclopentasiloxane. Really hard to say you guys, it's a long word. Basically, this is a silicone foundation again. So this is gonna work with any primer that is silicone based. The finish of this is satin. So it works really, really good for combination to oily skin. It could work for dry as well, but satin foundations are not too matte. They're not very flat. They're not gonna be super dewy. So if you want something that looks natural, looks like skin, a satin finish would be the way to go. So pretty much anyone can wear it, but definitely combination to oily. The coverage of this is medium and the viscosity is medium thick. So here's one pump on the skin again. Actually, I would say medium thin. I've applied this with a sponge and a brush as well because it's not super, super thin right there. So try it and see you guys what works best for you. When you apply it with a sponge, it doesn't really soak up in there too, too much, but I do like it with a brush as well. I've used it with a buffing brush and I've kind of buffed it in and it hasn't stuck to it. It's given me a beautiful coverage either way. So it's a really versatile foundation, but try one or the other. If you try it with a brush, you don't like it, switch to a sponge or vice versa to see which works better for you because it will change the difference of how it looks based on how you apply it, what you use. And then the best way to apply, I said, was a beauty blender, but brush or beauty blender will work. Next foundation I have is the Dior Forever Skin Glow. This is a beautiful foundation if you like that dewy look to your skin. It kind of reminds me of the Nars Sheer Glow. The price of this is $55. So it is a little pricey. It comes in 42 colors. You have a lot of ranges to pick from. The top five ingredients is water, of course. Then it's alcohol. Then it's trimethicone, isododecane. Isododecane, it's what helps things get smooth. It like smooths out the formula. You'll see it a lot in liquid lips. That's what helps it glide a little bit better. So this is a very smooth silicone-based foundation. The finish of this is radiant and dewy. So that's going to work best for dry to combination skin. Again, if you have oily skin, I don't recommend wearing dewy foundations. It's gonna be too oily for you. You probably aren't going to like it. But if you have dry to combo, I think this is a great fit. The coverage of this is medium. I'll show you in a second. And the viscosity of this one is medium. So this is like NARS Sheer Glow, but it's just a little bit thicker. So I prefer applying this with a sponge. So do you see how it's dripping down really, really slowly? So this is just a little bit thicker than that NARS one. So I like applying it with a sponge. So when I apply it like this, it gives me medium coverage. I would say it's dewy to satin finish. It's not too, too shiny. So this looks natural for everyday wear. That's what it looks like on the skin. So I just think it's just a great everyday foundation. I think it could work for a lot of occasions. It can work for every day. It can work for full glam, depending on what all you put on top, how much powder and blush and all that, but I love that one. Now let's talk about a cream foundation. The next one I have is the Huda Beauty Faux Filter Skin Finish. This has five-star reviews on Sephora because I always like to research how does everyone else review it because even though I may personally like a foundation, I don't want to recommend something to you all that a lot of people complain about, but this has almost five-star reviews on that. So I was like, okay, this is well-loved. It's a cream foundation. It's $39. It comes in 40 colors. So the color range is pretty good. Top five ingredients is water, alcohol, methyl trimethicone, isododecane. That ingredient that helps formula glide against the skin has another trimethicone. So this is silicone-based. Even though it's a cream formula, it is still silicone-based. The finish of this is satin. And I would say the preferred skin type is all skin types. So even though this is satin finish, I read the marketing and this is a transfer-proof and humidity-proof. So supposedly this is supposed to work really great for oily skin. I don't have oily skin, so I can't speak on that. But for me, I have dry to combo skin. This looks really beautiful on the skin. The coverage of this is medium to full coverage. So I would say this works great for someone who wants that full coverage, full glam type of makeup. I like to apply it on the skin like this. And because it is, the viscosity is very thick. I like to apply it with a sponge or a buffing brush. The reason I say a buffing brush, even though it's a thick formula, is because it's so creamy. It's not a liquid. So it's meant to be buffed into the skin. So I would say a brush shaped like this or a sponge would work really well. And then you literally just buff it into the skin and spread that cream around. And then once it sets, it's gonna be humidity and transfer proof because it just stays on there like that. And that's pretty good coverage. The next one I have is the It Cosmetics CC Cream. I love this one a lot because it sits beautifully on the skin. I've used this for many years as well. The price is $44. It comes in 22 colors. So it's not this massive range of colors. I wish they had more to choose from, but 22 is not bad. The top five ingredients is water, glycerin, homosalate, which is a sunscreen ingredient. And then it has an octocrylene, which I wasn't familiar with that. It's a UV filter. And then it has a methicone. So the silicone is the fifth ingredient. So even though it's not in the top three, I would still say this is a silicone based foundation. But try it and see if it sits well on top of your primer. I haven't had problems with it. So I still say I think this is a silicone based foundation. But if you're looking for something that has a lot of sun protection, a high amount of UV protection in there, this is great because I have never seen a foundation have the UV filter and the sunscreen ingredients that far up the ingredient deck. So they're not playing when it comes to the sun protection. Have something as an option instead of putting on SPF and this, I think this could work. The base formula, like I said, is silicone based. The finish of this, I would say, is a satin finish. And the preferred skin, I would say, would be combo to oily skin because it is satin finish. It can work on dry skin as well. Like I have dry skin and it works just fine. The viscosity of this is really thick. So this is one pump on my hand, you guys. It's just sitting there. Do you see how it's not moving at all? So I prefer to apply this with a sponge. Some people use their fingers. I'm not a fingers person with my foundation. Just because I'm paranoid about getting bacteria on my face. I don't know why. That's my own thing. But a sponge works great. So let me show you. So do you see how I'm pressing it on with that sponge and look at that coverage? I would honestly, actually, I would say this is like medium to full coverage. Don't be fooled because it's a CC cream thinking this is going to be like light coverage every day. Just, you know, a little bit of touch up on the skin. No, this is like full glam type of CC cream, but it still looks beautiful. So that's what it looks like. Do you see how it has a natural sheen to it, but still gives you that full coverage? Next one we have is a newer one. This is the House Labs Triclone Skin Tech Foundation. This is new to me. It's probably the newest one in my collection. I love this one so much. This is becoming one of my new favorites. The price of this is $45. So I think it's very fair for the amount that you get. And this bottle is hefty, you guys. Like when I hold it, I'm like, whoo, this is heavy. The shade range is 65 colors. So huge shade range in this. You definitely can find a color that will match you. The top five ingredients is water. There's a trimethicone in there. Actually a couple different trimethicones, amethycone. So this again is a silicone based foundation. So again, if you have a silicone primer, it will go well on top. The finish of this is satin. So I think it will work for a lot of skin types. For me personally, it works best for dry to combination skin. If you have oily skin and you don't mind not having a matte finish, I think this would look beautiful. It's very versatile, beautiful finish. The coverage of this is medium, which I'll show you in a second. And the viscosity of this one is medium thin. So do you see how that's dripping down? So me personally, I like applying this with a stippling brush. You can use it with a sponge, but I find that it's going to soak it up because it is a little bit thinner like that. So I prefer using a brush like this and stippling it on. You can use a buffing brush too, but I found that it worked best with something like this that was stippling. So it almost gives you an airbrush type look when you apply it on. So let me show you the finish of that. Do you see how it has a little bit of a sheen to it? It's not like overly shiny. Once it dries down, it mattifies just a little bit more, but it has definitely a beautiful coverage to the skin. It's not sitting in any of my dry ass wrinkles in my hand because my hands are dry right now, you guys. So you can tell really quick if it's going to accentuate any fine lines. It's not. It's sitting on top really nice. So whatever magic they put in here, it's actually a really nice foundation. I like that one. That's probably my top three right now. Next foundation I have is the Chanel Le Beige. I feel fancy every time I say this, Le Beige foundation. This is my go-to for every day when I want light coverage. If you want full glam like I'm wearing today, I don't wear it for that. This is just great for every day on the go light coverage. The price of this is $45 and it comes in 44 colors. You have a lot of options to choose for you. The color I have is B20 what I'm wearing. The five ingredients of this, I had to write it down because one of them I didn't recognize. It's water and then it's dicaprylyl carbonate. I'm new to that ingredient. I looked it up. It is a skin conditioning agent and solvent dimethicone glycerin. So this is a silicone based foundation because it has dimethicone as the third ingredient. The finish of this is radiant and dewy. It definitely gives you a very glowy look to the skin and its coverage is light. So like I said every day if you were looking for full glam full coverage, you will not like this one. But if you are someone who wants something that you can just touch up the skin, add some luminosity to it. Just give you a nice beautiful glow, but not a ton of coverage. It still looks like skin. This is beautiful. The viscosity of this one is thin. So I'll show you how I apply it. So here's a pump. Look how fast that is rolling down the skin. That's a thin viscosity. So I would not recommend using this with a sponge. So I like the Anisa brush like this and I usually stipple it on like this. You can also buff it too, whichever method that you prefer, but definitely use a sponge for this one. But do you see how it's light coverage? It's not giving me a ton, but it still has a nice luminosity to the skin. It just looks very natural, very perfect for every day. Hopefully that helps you find the perfect foundation for you. I have a lot of great info to share with you. Let me know in the comments below if this was helpful. Do you guys like this format? Do you like how detailed I go or is it too much? Let me know. I really do want to alter this to make sure it's helpful for you guys, but I can really geek out and go into ingredients hardcore if you want me to. So don't forget to subscribe. Come back to my channel for makeup, beauty, and fragrance content. Hit that subscribe button and I will see you guys for the next video. Bye.