Drugstore foundations have changed so much! I remember when a lot of affordable foundations either looked too matte, orange, heavy, or they felt like they were sitting on top of the skin. You could make them work, but you had to work harder to make them look ok.
Now I feel like a lot of foundations genuinely perform like high end formulas. Not because they’re exact dupes of anything, but because the texture, finish and wear are good enough that you don’t feel like you’re compromising on quality.
For me, a foundation feels more expensive when it blends easily, doesn’t grab onto texture, gives you some flexibility with coverage, and still looks decent after a few hours. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it needs to behave well on real skin.
These are two drugstore foundations that stand out to me for different reasons.
NYX Make ’Em Wonder Soft Matte Buildable Foundation
I’ve been testing the NYX Make ’Em Wonder foundation, and it actually surprised me.
A lot of matte foundations say they’re soft matte, but then you apply them and they immediately start drying down, clinging to texture and making your face look flat. This doesn’t feel like that kind of matte. It has a smoother, more flexible texture, so you have time to blend it and work it into the skin before it sets.
The coverage is amazing and buildable. I’d rather apply a thinner layer first, then build only where I actually need more coverage. That’s what makes foundation look more expensive to me. It shouldn’t look like the same amount of product has been painted across the whole face.
