My Favorite Foundations for Very Fair Skin

Ever since I first started wearing makeup, I've had trouble finding a good foundation for my very fair, very dry skin. I remember my very first time going to buy makeup the summer before high school, my mom took me to the MAC counter in the mall, and I was so excited to finally start wearing makeup. The woman working there swatched a few different shades on my face before telling me that even the lightest one they carried was too dark for me. I was a little bummed but she told me that a little concealer and some blush was all I needed on my face anyway.

I was fine wearing super minimal makeup for a while, but after about a year I really wanted more coverage. My mom suggested trying Cover Girl, which carried super light shades, but that makeup must be formulated for oily skin because I found it left my face feeling rough and chalky. I think I even went a while wearing makeup that was just a bit too dark for me, noticing that dreadful mask line in old photos. So I began my hunt for the perfect foundation, and now am happy to say I've found a few that really work for me!

The first one I tried and loved was bareMinerals Original foundation in Fairly Light, the lightest shade for neutral under-toned skin. I was a little unsure about it at first because it was powder I assumed it wouldn't work well on dry skin, but after a friend of mine swore on it, I bought a starter kit. I immediately fell in love. The color blended perfectly, had a natural finish, and pretty good coverage. It's been about six years since I first tried this one out and it's still a must-have in my makeup drawer.

Although I really loved that makeup, I still really wanted to find a liquid foundation that would work for me. I don't really remember how I came across it, maybe from someone on YouTube, but I decided one day to try out the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in the lightest shade Siberia. I completely loved it. This foundation comes in so, so many different shades, and leaves your skin looking very moisturized and fresh. I really love this makeup!

I discovered my next favorite, and probably my most used foundation by trying to find a good dupe for the Nars one. I normally wouldn't feel like I need to, but $45 for one ounce of makeup started to feel like too much. I read a lot of people online suggested Revlon ColorStay for Normal to Dry Skin in the shade Buff. When I looked at this makeup in the store, it looked pretty dark, so I was nervous to try it, but for $10, I thought I'd give it a go. And I'm glad I did! This foundation is so, so similar to the Nars, and for a fraction of the cost! This is my everyday, go-to foundation, it just always seems to work well. And being on my fourth bottle now, I'm really glad I discovered this instead of spending that much money on the Nars!

And finally, a foundation I just recently discovered is the bareMinerals Bare Skin Brightening Serum in Bare Porcelain. When I heard that this brand was finally coming out with a liquid foundation, I was thrilled, it seemed like the best of both worlds! I bought this after trying it on a bunch of people at work and really liking how it looked on them, very bright and fresh looking. And I ended up really liking it on me too! The lightest shade works for me, which I still consider lucky, and the finish is really nice. The only thing I will say though is this makeup doesn't last very long. When I do wear it, I like to be able to touch up during the day. But when I'm lucky enough to find a makeup that works for me, that doesn't matter too much!

So those are the foundations I've discovered so far for extremely fair skin like mine. I will admit, even these require blending into my neck in the wintertime when my skin is extra pale, but I'm still able to make them work and am glad I found them after some crazy searching and a lot of failures!

What foundations have you found that work perfectly for your skin?