Hello, beautiful people! Today I’m sharing Fair Foundations Swatches specifically for our fair-skinned community. As an eternal seeker always on the quest for the perfect foundation—one that offers light to medium coverage, blurs imperfections and pores, minimizes fine lines, doesn’t emphasize dryness, and is preferably in a stick format—I’ve collected a ton of products to share with you.
Every product featured purchased by me in my quest to find the perfect foundation. All opinions are my own.
About my Skin Tone
I’ve consulted several professional makeup artists, including my best friend Mickey, to determine my undertones. They all agree that I’m a very fair neutral cool. When I’m exposed to the sun, after burning and peeling, my skin takes on a soft cool olive-yellow tone. Naturally, I do my best to avoid sun exposure or burning, but it did happen once after the COVID lockdown while I was at a Highland Games event. So, consider my skin tone to be very fair neutral cool; my best matches are in fair neutral and fair cool shades.
If you’re trying to figure out your undertones, I recommend hiring a professional makeup artist rather than relying on an average sales associate at places like Sephora or Ulta. And yes, you can hire professional makeup artists at Sephora—just make sure they’re actually pros.
See all my fair foundations swatches features.
Fair Foundation Purchases
I do want to note that I always seem to be the fairest shade in foundation releases. Any time I buy anything other than the fairest shade, it ends up too saturated for my skintone – too yellow, too orange, too pink, or too dark. So I’ve given up, in general, on trying anything but the fairest shades these days. I need desaturated fair cool neutrals.
Fair Foundations Swatches
I took photos of my fair foundations swatches indoors under artificial light, outdoors in direct sunlight, and indoors in indirect sunlight.
Huda Beauty
I haven’t had a chance to wear the Huda Beauty Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation in Milkshake 100B yet. I was stalking both Sephora and Huda’s website, waiting for this to go on sale for what felt like months. I need to point out that when it comes to foundations made by big personalities such as Huda, Rihanna (Fenty), or KVD, only Huda’s foundations have worked for my skin. KVD and Fenty by Rihanna foundations have great shade ranges, but they don’t suit my dry skin. No matter how much effort I put in, I couldn’t get their products to look good on me, aside from pressed powder foundations. Somehow, Huda’s foundations always work for me.
The Huda #FauxFilter Luminous Matte Foundation in 100B Milkshake worked well for me despite the strong fragrance, which can be migraine-inducing. The same goes for the Huda Stick Foundation that no longer seems to be available. I just wish she would stop adding fragrance to her products.
I absolutely adore the Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder in Pound Cake (slightly brightening), which my friend, pro makeup artist Cherie, recommended and used on me when doing my makeup. However, it does contain talc, which I’m not a fan of. Additionally, it has a very strong fragrance. It promises to be flashback-free, which it is. I use it very sparingly, the way Cherie showed me, with a big fluffy brush that I delicately pat around my face.
About Face
I also have not had a chance to wear the About Face the Performer Skin-Focused Foundation. I purchased this during Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty for $11. I’d been curious about it, but I have no idea how it will perform on my finicky skin. Have you tried this fair foundation? What do you think of it?
Iconic London
I bought the Iconic London Super Smoother Blurring Skin Tint on sale at the beginning of August for $16 in the shade Fair Neutral, and then realized it was too dark for me. So I purchased the Cool Fair shade, which is a better match. I really like this formula, but my skin prep has to be perfect. I find it works best with a hydrating primer beneath it. You can see me wearing it in my Monster High Draculaura Cosplay 2024. I plan to try it with the Iconic London Radiance Booster soon! I had to include both of these in my fair foundations swatches so you could see how much more depth Fair Neutral has vs. Cool Fair.
Going forward, I plan to use Fair Neutral around the perimeter of my face to add some depth, while using Cool Fair at the center. I’m curious to see how well that works.
I really like the Iconic London Radiance Booster, though it is nearly impossible to find Pearl Glow. The only place I can find it is on Iconic London’s website. I’m also a fan of their Prep Set Glow Spray. It can be used before or after makeup application. I typically use it after I apply a setting powder for extra illumination.
Haus Labs
I love the Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer! I was originally erroneously matched to shade 02 Fair Golden by a sales associate at Sephora. When I later hired pro makeup artist Cherie to give me some makeup lessons, she was deeply disappointed that I’d been matched to the wrong shade, as she said it had too much yellow for my skin tone. She stated that 01 Fair Neutral is a better match.
I adore the formula of this concealer because you can dab it on, wait 30–60 seconds, then blend with your finger, and it will effortlessly blend into your skin. You can also use a brush like the BK Beauty Kitten Paw concealer brush to apply it and get a beautiful finish.
Charlotte Tilbury
I rarely buy Charlotte Tilbury products because I swear they all pull so orange on me. However, when I saw Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick I knew I had to try it because on paper it looks like my perfect foundation. It claims to be a light coverage hydrating foundation stick that instantly smooths, blurs and leaves a soft-focus finish. Unfortunately for me, it’s similar to the Hollywood Flawless Filter on my skin in that it gives me weird Tin Man face. The Auric Glow Lust in Morganite works much better for me than Flawless Filter.
I missed the return window on this product and I’m still trying to figure out if there’s a way to make it work for me.
Urban Decay
I was recently asked what my favorite skin tint was and I immediately responded with Urban Decay Hydromaniac Tinted Moisturizer. Why? Because it just works so well for me! I get the most beautiful glow when wearing it. Urban Decay recommends mixing it with All Nighter Face Primer, which I’ve never tried. I keep meaning to try it with Auric Glow Lust in Morganite or Iconic London Radiance Booster. It’s a great product and one of my all time favorites from Urban Decay.
Monika Blunder
I like the Monika Monika Blunder Blunder Cover All in One Foundation quite a bit! It can be used to spot-conceal around the face or as a foundation. It’s a cream product—basically a stick in a jar. You can sheer it out or build it up as you need. It’s a miracle for dry skin and doesn’t emphasize dryness at all. You can use your fingers, a brush, or a sponge to apply this product.
Rose Inc
I’m very mixed on the Rose Inc Skin Ehance Luminous Tinted Serum. It has micro-encapsulated pigments that burst as you blend it, but I sometimes find it feels a little grainy until fully blended. I love the glow but don’t like the color, as it’s very pink on me. I prefer Auric Glow Lust in Morganite or Iconic London Radiance Booster to this but wanted to include it in my fair foundations swatches in case anyone else was curious about it. The brand used to be carried at Sephora, but now they’re not. I don’t know if they’re going out of business or what.
Silk Naturals
I love Silk Naturals! They’re an OG indie brand that I’ve been reviewing for years. I love the travel-friendly size of the stick; it’s very easy to toss into a makeup bag. The formula is lightweight, 100% natural, and doesn’t crease or settle into fine lines. It also sets to a dry finish, so it’s transfer-resistant. It works best if you hold the tube in your hands (or stick it in your bra) to warm it up before applying it directly to your skin. The packaging is in cardboard tubes that are eco-friendly. I think this is best suited for normal to very dry skin.
Read my Silk Naturals Indie Makeup Review.
Danessa Myricks Beauty
I don’t know why, but sometimes I really struggle with pro foundations. I strongly suspect my skin prep isn’t right for it, but I’m never sure of the best way to adjust. I like the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Serum Skin Tint, but sometimes it looks mask-like on me, and that’s never what I’m going for.
See my Danessa Myricks Beauty Complexion Collection Swatches.
Beautyblender
I love the Beautyblender 12-Hour Always on Radiant Skin Tint, but I absolutely despise the dropper packaging. It’s so messy! The foundation is beautiful to wear, but I don’t use it frequently because I don’t like dealing with the dropper and potentially making a mess at my vanity. I suspect this product is being discontinued or has already been discontinued because it’s no longer available for purchase in most places.
e.l.f. Cosmetics
I wanted to love the e.l.f. Soft Glam Satin Foundation, but it hated my skin. Every time I’ve tried it, it looks awful on me. I’ve tried it with the Wet n Wild Impossible Primer, and it made my skin look like it was peeling off in strips. I tried it with e.l.f. Power Grip Primer, and it looked a little better, but still appeared patchy and like I wasn’t taking care of my skin.
These days, it’s impossible for me to find a drugstore foundation that will actually work for my dry skin. I swear everything is formulated for oily to normal skin. I had similar issues with the NYX Blurring Foundation.
Favorite Fair Foundations
Out of all the products I featured today, my favorites include:
I’m hoping that I will love the Huda Beauty Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation – Milkshake 100B, but only time will tell. If my foundation history repeats itself, I should love it. Have you tried it?
What’s your favorite foundation right now?
