The Best Foundations To Rely on For Flawless Skin in Your 30s
Smooth coverage, skin-first formulas.
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Picking makeup foundations in your 30s is much like picking a partner for life. It deserves an equal amount of research and experimenting. It’s no joke!
But once you find the right foundation for your unique skin, it becomes the best tool in your beauty arsenal to feel and look your best in a matter of minutes. So yes, your foundation is a big deal.
But, it’s not just about coverage anymore. As 30-somethings, we want to be able to blur out fine lines and wrinkles and other texture irregularities.
But we also want to do all that in the most natural way so that our foundation doesn’t settle into our wrinkles or look cakey or heavy.
The good news is that there’s a foundation for every skin type, tone, and need. You can try light coverage foundations if you prefer natural looks.
You can try full coverage options that still feel light on the skin. And you can even try foundation alternatives that multi-task and offer skincare benefits. So no worries.
Before digging in, make sure you follow a good skincare routine in your 30s if you want to get the most out of your makeup. Skincare is way more important than makeup in this decade.
Also, if you’re a beginner and don’t know where to start, you can check out our practical tips on how to wear makeup in your 30s. Now, whether you want high coverage or low coverage, below are the best foundations for your 30s.
Best Foundations For Your 30s
1. Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this is a skin tint! This is a medium-coverage foundation with a buildable texture. And it’s almost all water! So right off the bat, it doesn’t feel heavy on the skin and it feels far from the traditional, heavy coverage foundations. It’s made with tiny pigment particles that burst and blend seamlessly into the skin.
It has a natural, subtly dewy finish, and here’s why this is going to be your new staple: you can just slather it on! Yes, just pump some out and apply it all over the face, including the under-eye area. That’s why it’s such a convenient, time-saving, beginner-friendly formula. It also comes with a cute little brush!
Related: Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint Review
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Shades: 8
Size: 1 oz/30ml
2. Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation
OK, I was born in 1985 so Estee Lauder is very close to my millennial heart. And if CC cream is too ‘soft’ for your taste, no worries. This is a full-coverage waterproof foundation with a matte finish. It turns your face into a canvas just like that. You can cover redness, hyperpigmentation, scarring, breakouts – everything! It’s also good for oily skin because it’ll keep your skin looking matte all day!
It simply does not move, smudge, or oxidize. You absolutely can’t go wrong with it, especially if you have oily skin. If you have dry skin, apply your moisturizer generously before applying this. Plus, the foundation is oil-free and fragrance-free, which makes it a great foundation for rosacea too. Whether you have dark skin or light skin, the shade range is great!
Tip: Prime your face with a face oil to soften the matte look. It won’t mess up the foundation. But it’ll make it easier to blend if you have wrinkles or very dry skin.
Coverage: Full
Finish: Matte
Shades: 56
Size: 1 oz/30ml
Good To Know: Oil-free, fragrance-free
3. L’Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear 24HR Foundation
This is a refreshingly efficient drugstore foundation you can use in your 30s. It has a medium-full coverage with a lovely, natural finish. It also contains SPF and it’s fit to survive the weather, air, sweat, anything! You can use it on a daily basis.
It also allows you to build coverage however you like for special occasions. It’s budget-friendly, so it saves you the guilt when you’re applying it generously just for the fun of it. It lasts all day and it’s suitable for all skin types including combination skin.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Shades: 40
Size: 1 oz/30ml
Good To Know: Non-comedogenic
4. Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Foundation
This is your reminder to get yourself a Sephora bestie. I was able to try this one all thanks to the endless supply of deluxe foundation samples mine gave me. This is a full-coverage foundation with an incredibly thin consistency. It’s oil-free and has a soft matte finish.
Besides giving you a flawless base, it helps reduce the visibility of wrinkles and is one of the best anti-aging foundations for your 30s! If you’re in your mid or late 30s and want your full-coverage makeup to look as natural as possible, this is it. It gave me super soft skin and my pores were practically invisible! And I didn’t even use a primer! And even though it’s not waterproof, it does not budge!
Coverage: High
Finish: Matte
Shades: 40
Size: 0.84 oz/25ml
Good To Know: Contains fragrance
5. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Luminous Silk is one of the best liquid foundations you can use in your 30s. The coverage is medium but you can build it up to full because it layers easily. It doesn’t look heavy or cakey like a regular full-coverage foundation would look. It doesn’t dry out during application. The liquid texture doesn’t settle in wrinkles at all!
The bright satin finish is just amazing. For 30-somethings, dullness is a common issue. That’s why all skin types can make use of this natural glow. But at the same time, it’s super helpful for concealing any impurities on your face. Discoloration, acne, pimples- you name it!
Tip: Some foundations are wasted when applied using a brush. Makeup brushes certainly make things easier. But this one is too good to leave to your brush. Apply it using your fingers for a more natural and blended look.
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Radiant
Shades: 40
Size: 1 oz/30ml
Good To Know: Oil-free, award-winning
6. Too Faced Born This Way Foundation
Your skin has different levels of thickness in different areas on your face. For example, the skin on the cheeks is thicker than the skin around the eyes. A good foundation looks good in both of these areas. That’s why I love this one. It’s a great foundation to achieve a unified complexion with full coverage.
When you apply it in the center of your face, it covers all blemishes perfectly. And it doesn’t look heavy around your eyes because it doesn’t amplify the look of your crow’s feet. The liquid dewy finish foundation gives you fabulous luminosity! It’s absolutely one of the best foundations for early, mid, and late 30s. This one deserves all the hype in the world and has a wide shade range!
Coverage: Medium/full
Finish: Natural/radiant
Shades: 35
Size: 1 oz/30ml
Good To Know: Oil-free
7. Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Care & Glow Serum Foundation
I don’t get why Lancome calls this medium coverage, because it looks pretty full coverage on me! This is the glowy finish version of their full coverage Teint Idole Foundation and though I love that one for its all-day, fully matte look, I love this more because it has the most natural-looking radiant finish. It’s not a visible radiance like shimmer but it looks as if I’m wearing an illuminating primer underneath!
The liquid foundation has a very rich texture and as you pat it in, it covers up pores, uneven skin tone, and redness instantly! And it leaves the skin looking satiny and powdery because it is shockingly blurring! I can swear by the long-wearing buildable formula and recommend it to anyone with fine lines and wrinkles!
Coverage: Medium
Finish: Natural
Shades: 24
Size: 1 oz/30ml
Good To Know: Non-comedogenic
This completes our round-up of the best foundations for your 30s. Keep in mind that this list is in no particular order. I just feel like these are the best when it comes to doing base makeup on mature skin or skin that has wrinkles and lines. And each of them offers something unique. If you haven’t found your match, keep reading to find out how you can.
What to Look for in Foundations to Use in Your 30s
Coverage
First of all, foundations are all about coverage. So your end game is to achieve the desired base. It’s cosmetics. And that means ingredients are not your primary focus. Decide what you want to cover up. Superficial fine lines or basic discolorations can be smoothed out with low-medium coverage foundations. If you want more, you can try full-coverage foundations to help minimize the appearance of deep wrinkles, or other texture irregularities.
Texture
As our skin becomes drier and less oily, powder foundations or heavy cream foundations may not be the best to use in your 30s. They can cling onto dry patches and look flaky. So go for light, liquid foundations. They tend to apply very easily and don’t look cakey. Plus, lightweight foundations prevent creasing in smile lines.
Formulation
You need to choose your foundation based on your skin type too. For example, if your skin is prone to acne and congestion, go for oil-free foundations. If you have dry skin, go for creamy, moisturizing foundations. If you have sensitive skin, try hypoallergenic makeup and try to avoid alcohol and fragrance in your foundation.
Shade
Whether you’re in your 30s or 40s, the struggle is ageless. Finding the right foundation shade is very difficult. So it’s always a good idea to try the shades in-store before making a purchase. As a general rule of thumb, foundation really needs to match your skin tone and undertone. However, other base products have more room for experimenting. For example, you can try CC creams, BB creams, skin tints, and tinted moisturizers. They give coverage too but you don’t always have to be spot-on with the shade match.
How To Apply
Step 1: Moisturize
First of all, skin prep is everything. For women in their 30s, moisturizing plumps the skin and reduces the visibility of fine lines. That way, our foundation looks smoother. So do your skincare routine first. And let your skin absorb all that before moving onto the foundation.
Step 2: Prime
If you think you need all the help you can get with your makeup, you can make use of makeup primers in your 30s. There are primers to blur out fine lines and superficial wrinkles. And with that, your foundation looks more even. You can also try mattifying primers if you have oily skin or hydrating primers if you have dry skin. Apply your primer and give it a few minutes before applying the foundation.
Step 3: Start Slowly
Whether you’re using your fingers, a makeup brush, or a sponge, you don’t need to go overboard with the first layer of application. Just get a small amount of your foundation and dab it onto the cheeks, forehead, and chin. Start blending slowly until you’ve applied an even layer. Starting slow will make sure that you don’t use more than you actually need.
Step 4: Blend
Blending is everything when it comes to foundation. So make sure you blend until there are no brush streaks or sponge marks on the skin. If you need more coverage to smooth out wrinkles or acne, apply another layer of foundation. Once you’re happy with how things look, use a setting spray to set your makeup in place.
