We’ve all been there: standing in front of the mirror, baffled at how the foundation that looked flawless in-store now clings to every dry patch in daylight. Finding the right one is a never-ending quest – which explains the graveyard of half-used bottles most of us have stashed away.

Come spring, our makeup needs shift too. We tend to drift away from full-coverage formulas that erase every pore and sit on the skin like a second layer. Even if that’s your usual preference, the lighter days make a case for letting your skin breathe and your natural glow do the talking.

If you’re in the market for a new foundation, the timing couldn’t be better. The past few months have been significant for base makeup, with some of the best-loved brands in the game releasing softer, longer-wearing, skin-friendlier formulas. In short, we’re looking at less paint, significantly more performance. Here are some of our trusted favourites for you to consider, so you can skip the potential regrets and go straight to the keepers.

SUQQU The Liquid Foundation

SUQQU is a beloved Japanese brand built on timeless elegance. Its shades are understated, impressively wearable, and buildable, with formulas that deliver exactly what they promise – and above all, are kind to your skin. Its new liquid foundation get this exactly right.

Ever heard of liquid pigment technology? Neither had we. Rather than the traditional powder-suspended formula, pigments here are held in liquid form, resulting in smoother application, zero cakiness, and no settling into pores or fine lines. The finish is natural and barely-there – precisely what makes SUQQU foundations so covetable. The formula is also packed with seriously skin-loving ingredients: hyaluronic acid, green tea, silk, and apple and olive leaf extracts.

The texture is impossibly silky, sinking into skin as though it was never there. Your complexion looks more even, texture is visibly smoothed, and the blend is so seamless that you look like you’ve had eight hours of sleep, drunk two litres of water, and just stepped out of a facial. We’ll always take a compliment on our skin over our makeup – and this is exactly the foundation for that.

Shades: 24

Price: £71.00

Where to get it: suqqu.com

KIKO Milano Love Fusion Foundation

KIKO Milano has always been something of a hidden gem on the high street delivering where pricier brands often fall short. Its new Love Fusion foundation is not just your summer fling: it’s unquestionably marriage material. The foundation delivers medium coverage, a luminous finish, and claims it offers up to 16 hours of hydration. For under £25, that’s a tall order.

The texture feels lightweight and breathable – we forgot we were wearing anything at all. Formula-wise, it’s packed with the good stuff: its Love Complex brings together rose extract, hyaluronic acid, and barley water to support your skin barrier and keep hydration locked in. A foundation that looks after your skin while it’s on it — now that’s our kind of love language.

There are also an impressive 49 shade options, so finding your foundation match is far less of a lottery than finding your love match, and there are no apps required.

Shades: 49

Price: £21.99

Where to get it: kikocosmetics.com

YSL All Hours Glow Foundation

If you’ve ever owned the original YSL All Hours Foundation, you’ll know it has something of a cult following, and rightfully so. Serious coverage, 24-hour wear, the works. The Glow version keeps all of that, but trades the matte finish for a slightly more luminous look.

And what a trade. The serum-based formula is weightless but easily buildable, and it evens out your complexion in one go – landing somewhere between a second skin and a very flattering light source. Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and macadamia oil work away underneath, keeping the skin hydrated and comfortable from morning through to whenever your evening ends.

The real achievement, though, is the balance. Glow foundations have a habit of veering into disco-ball territory or quietly abandoning all coverage pretences in the name of radiance. This one does neither – hours in, and my skin still looked luminous, without a hint of patchiness.

Shades: 40

Price: £44.00

Where to get it: Look Fantastic

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation

Few foundations have earned their place in the beauty canon quite like Double Wear. Since 1997, it’s been the reliable choice for anyone who needs their makeup to survive a full day, and then some. The recent reformulation is a glow-up (quite literally) of the cult favourite.

The coverage is still unapologetically full, the sweat-, humidity- and transfer-resistance very much intact – but the texture has been overhauled from the ground up. Where the original could veer into mask-like territory, the new formula is noticeably more fluid and layerable, landing on a dimensional matte finish that reads as real skin rather than a very committed paint job. Niacinamide, glycerin and brown algae extract have been folded into the formula, making this the rare matte foundation that actually has your skin’s best interests at heart.

Worth flagging: if you’re a longtime devotee, get yourself re-matched at the counter. The new pigment technology can sit slightly differently on skin – and with 60 shades available, there’s no reason not to start fresh.

Shades: 60

Price: £39.50

Where to buy: Estée Lauder

Clarins Double Serum Foundation

Clarins has spent four decades perfecting its iconic Double Serum – so when the brand decided to put that same technology into a foundation, we knew it wasn’t a gimmick.

The pigment and serum are housed separately and only mix on application, preserving the integrity of the active ingredients until the moment you need them. Inside, A.U.R.A. technology (Advanced Ultra Radiance Amplifier)combines light-boosting ingredients and illuminating microcrystals for an immediate glow effect, while stabilised papain, derived from papaya fruit, works as a gentle exfoliant to improve skin tone and texture over time.

Hyaluronic acid and peptides are included in the lineup of fourteen active ingredients. The result is a luminous, satin finish that wears for up to 12 hours and genuinely looks like skin. Good skin, at that.

Shades: 37

Price: £49.00

Where to get it: Sephora

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