The Best Lightweight Foundations That Will Give Skin A Luminous Glow

We all have parts of our skin we don’t like and want to cover, but instead of piling on heavy foundation, opt for these lightweight foundations that mask flaws without feeling cakey on skin.

Start with a primer that addresses skin concerns, be it dryness, shine, or redness. Then follow with a lightweight foundation to even out overall skin tone, and use concealer sparingly to cover imperfections that are still visible. Finish off with a setting powder to help complexion makeup stay put.

Here are our best picks for lightweight foundations that feel like second skin:

Les Beige Water-Fresh Tint, $106, Chanel

The Chanel Les Beige Water-Fresh Tint is almost like a makeup-skincare hybrid. Encapsulated pigments within the formula burst on contact with skin, giving it water fresh hydration and natural coverage that feels like real skin.

Dior Forever Skin Glow, $85, Dior

The Dior Forever Skin Glow also comes in a version with matte finish if that’s your jam, but both variants offer 24-hour long-wearing formula, with SPF 35 PA++ protection to boot. Skincare ingredients help plump and hydrate skin as well.

Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation, $52, Fenty Beauty

Available in 50 shades, this hydrating foundation that offers medium to full coverage, all while making skin look radiant. Like the Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation, this hydrating variant has a sweat and humidity resistant formula, but is still incredibly comfortable to wear in our hot and humid climate.

L’Essentiel Foundation, $94, Guerlain

This lightweight foundation is made with 97 percent naturally-derived ingredients, and imparts skin with a radiant glow for up to 16 hours. It offers a light to medium coverage which is buildable, so you can adjust the coverage for areas that need it most.

Water Glow Gel Foundation, $59, Laneige

This hydrating foundation contains amino acid derivatives that help it adhere closely to skin, without shifting throughout the day. It comes with a gel-type texture which applies easily, leaving skin feeling hydrated and looking radiant.

Tinted Glow Booster, $60, Nars

This new complexion enhancer from Nars contains an exclusive Jojoba Hydroglow Complex which hydrates skin immediately, while imparting a dewy glow. It can be worn alone, under foundation or even as a highlighter to enhance the high points of the face.

Skin Fetish Sublime Perfection Foundation, $100, Pat McGrath Labs

Offering a sheer to medium coverage, this foundation contains Vita-Serum Complex to moisturise skin, while Diamond Core Powder Technology blurs out the appearance of fine lines, pores and imperfections. Skin looks luminous, with a lit-from-within glow.

Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Foundation SPF 30, $74, Shiseido

The Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Foundation, has one of the most innovative formulas for a foundation. It’s able to hydrate where skin needs it the most, while controlling shine, especially in the T-zone area.

Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40 PA+++, $92, Bobbi Brown

This luxurious foundation from Bobbi Brown contains skincare ingredients like Cordyceps and Artemia to fortify skin while giving it a luminous, natural-looking finish.