BAZAAR Beauty Awards 2020: The Best Base Makeup For Flawless-Looking Skin
Primers, concealer and foundations that do the job
Bring your A-game to the table with next-level cosmetics: Think skin-enhancing bases, IRL beauty filters with skincare benefits, high-coverage concealers and more
Never underestimate the power of primer. Correct surface irregularities for a smooth canvas and help makeup stay on for longer with this creamy one. It’s also designed to bring out a dewy radiance, thanks to an improved formula boasting the brand’s Skin- Empowering Illuminator, a complex said to brighten skin while enhancing its natural reparative and protective abilities.
Concealers can only do so much when it comes to masking blemishes. Double down on colour correction with this primer that comes in four hues to tackle every kind of discoloration: Pink, to counteract blue, green or purplish marks; Green, to neutralise redness and hide acne scars; Lavender, to counter yellow spots and sallowness; and Nudy White, for a luminous veil that evens out overall tone.
Yes, your lashes need a primer too—not only because it gives them a volumising boost, but also because it acts like a base coat that protects against the stress inflicted by curling tools, makeup and even the simple act of rubbing your eyes. This clear primer goes a step further with a moisturising formula composed of silk, collagen and vitamin B5 to help keep lashes strong and healthy.
Lightweight and long-wearing, this helps create the perfect canvas for eyeshadow to go on, while enhancing its longevity and vibrance. Improving the adherence of pigments to eyelids, this reduces fading and creasing, and even has a formula enriched with vitamins E and C to keep skin moisturised and help reduce visible signs of photodamage.
A powder base with a twist, this has a unique dough-type texture that blends seamlessly with any type of makeup and forms a luxuriously velvety cover over surface flaws to smooth the look of skin, sans stickiness. The oil-absorbing powder also has moisturising properties to further help keep your complexion looking smooth, fresh and plump.
Offering light-to- medium coverage, this liquid foundation not only blurs imperfections and imparts surface luminosity, but also gives your brightening game a boost by way of blue light protection. Formulated with a Digital Bluelight Filter technology, it works on safeguarding skin from the blue light emitted by electronic devices while minimising the visible signs of blue-light damage—such as dullness, pigmentation and photoageing— that put a dent in your skin’s radiance.
Matte doesn’t have to mean flat, as this liquid foundation that combines a sebum-control formula with a luminous finish proves. Enriched with what the brand terms “a life-proof technology”, it doesn’t budge, crease or cake even in hot and humid conditions— making it the perfect match for Singapore’s weather.
MOST LUXURIOUS FOUNDATION: Shade & Illuminate Soft Radiance Foundation SPF 50, $200, Tom Ford Beauty
Your textbook definition of luxurious, this liquid feels velvety yet light, enveloping skin in an ultra-comfortable, breathable embrace that perfectly masks imperfections big or small. A blend of advanced elastomers and light-diffusing powders optimises radiance, while skincare ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, noni fruit extract and botanical oils work on hydrating and protecting skin.
Promising up to 24 hours of medium-to-full coverage with a radiant finish, this liquid foundation also offers help for those falling short on the aqua end of the water-oil equation. Designed to maintain the perfect water-oil balance for a naturally luminous, shine-free look, it has pansy extract to help improve dryness and antioxidant-rich rosehip extract to give the skin's lipid barrier a reparative boost while refining skin texture.
Don’t be fooled by the texture of this liquid number—while it may seem a little heavy when dispensed, it feels weightless on skin. Count on it for all-day full coverage, thanks to skin conditioners and a transfer-resistant formula. Two pea-sized droplets are all you need for the entire face, and with a whopping 44 shades, you can be assured of finding your true match.
Cushions deliver the benefits of a liquid and the convenience of a compact. What sets this one apart from its counterparts in a saturated market: A lightweight formula that still packs a punch when it comes to coverage, courtesy of a weightless, ink-like fluidity that forms a buildable, flawless veil over skin and a shine-absorbing matte finish.
Developed with plastic surgeons, this full-coverage colour corrector does its job with pigments that mask tonal issues and skincare ingredients that work from the inside out to help reduce discoloration (think acne scars, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and dark circles). It also boosts hydration, and minimises the look of pores and wrinkles. The deal-sealers: A gentle-on-skin formula and sun-protection properties.
Dark spots, under-eye circles, redness, pimples—cover ’em all and make like they were never there with this oil-free matte cream concealer fortified with peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins A and C to support and promote healthy skin. With 30 shades to choose from, colour match is a done deal.
BEST UNDER-EYE CONCEALER: Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer, $42, IT Cosmetics
While a good concealer can flawlessly hide issues such as dark circles, redness, broken capillaries and age spots, a better one goes beyond the surface to actually work on them. Cue this aptly named one, which is formulated with the proprietary Expression Proof technology along with peptides, vitamins, antioxidants, hyaluronic acid and hydrolysed collagen to work from within to deliver visible results.
Setting products are a must for helping makeup last longer. This finely milled powder promises to set makeup for 16 hours without added weight, while imparting warmth to skin with the peachy yellow hue. With a no-flashback formula that also creates a soft-focus effect that blurs imperfections, it keeps you looking great in photos.
Giving skin a natural-looking airbrushed look, this finishing powder sets your makeup for longer wear while further perfecting the look of skin, keeping it bright and shine-free with light-reflecting pigments that blur flaws and illuminate, as well as nourishing ingredients such as rose wax and almond oil.
The gold standard in setting sprays, this cult favourite ensures that your makeup never strays. Fortified with hyaluronic acid and agave extract to keep moisture levels up, it helps skin look dewy without risking makeup migration.