Best cheap foundation

[whyno]

Can't find a thread about this less than two years old and make up moves quickly! Anyone got any recommendations for really good cheap foundations? Been wearing Lancôme but I'm completely broke (and will be for next few years at least)!

[SorrelForbes]

I've recently moved from using Lancome to the No7 Lift and Luminate and I'm rather impressed!

[DancingInTheMoonlight]

No7 is good.they will batch your foundation to your skin tone. Best foundation match I've ever had!, plus they trend to do 3 for 2 deals on their products.

My friends also say aldi lacura makeup is good. I use their skincare range and its brilliant

[buttercrumble]

Revlon photo finish is amazing, its about a tenner in boots

[QuinnFabray]

Bourjois foundations are good.

[JuliesSistersCousinsAuntsCat]

Dream Matte Mousse by Maybelline.I swear by the stuff.

[whyno]

Yay! Thanks for the suggestions. Off to boots this afternoon to try them out.

[JumpHerWho]

Bourjois Healthy Mix serum. Almost as good as YSL Touché éclat IMO.

[ElectricMonk]

For shade range and ease of matching, nothing in the drugstore range beats L'oreal True Match, IMO. I wore it to my wedding, and it looks perfect but very natural in the photos. It does separate after about 5 hours though.

For longevity, I've found Bourjois Healthy Mix to be the best - I can easily go 12 hours between touch-ups when using it. The only downside is the limited shade range - they're all very yellow.

My solution is to mix 1 pump of the palest Healthy Mix with 1 pump of True Match in N1 (the palest neutral shade). That makes the perfect shade for me, and gives a very natural but long-lasting finish. The Bourjois costs me £10 and the L'oreal costs me £7 from Tesco usually, so per 30 ml it works out as £8.50.

If you decide to try that, it's really important to use a brush or it ends up looking rubbish (for me, anyway) - after trying many brushes with both foundations, I recommend the Real Techniques Stippling and/or Expert Face brush for the best result.

[ElectricMonk]

Oh, and if you want sheerer coverage, you can mix the Bourjois Healthy Mix with a light moisturiser and that will also tone down the yellowness. The same is NOT true for L'oreal True Match, IME...

[coffeeinbed]

Healthy Mix Serum.
And I do what Monk does and mix with stuff - highlighter, Strobe Cream, moisturiser.
Depending on what I need that day.
Seriously good and cheap.

[ProlificWillyBreeder]

Is healthy mix a bit naff on its own then?
I have terrible trouble blending.
Yellowy is probably ok for me, pinky shades look dreadful on me.

Is No7 dewy?

[coffeeinbed]

No, it's lovely, I'm just a control freak when it comes to foundation. I need to mix.
It's an obsession.
It's quite yellow.

[JumpHerWho]

Healthy mix is lovely on its own IMO. It's the serum I've used, not tried the other. Serum feels lovely on, light reflecting but fairly matt.

[JumpHerWho]

Oh and yes it's yellowy but I see that as a good thing.

[coffeeinbed]

yellow is good for me as well, it's pink that I avoid.

[browneyedpixie]

Rommel fan

[QuinnFabray]

I prefer the original Healthy Mix to the Serum Healthy Mix. They're both good. Would say the original is a bit thicker and creamier, bit more coverage. Also like the Bourjois 123 Perfection, but would say this is better if you have oily skin. Is a little difficult to blend, but staying power and coverage is really good.

[Beaverfeaver]

Love maybelline too. Happy with both the mousse and the pump bottle.

Not been able to get in with borjois, or revlon

[Fluffycloudland77]

Aldi, £2.39. I'm very pale but the transparent shade suits me.

[ProlificWillyBreeder]

Thanks all, I'll nip into boots :)

[mummybare]

The MUA BB cream is dirt cheap and pretty good. I mix it with some benefit stuff to get the right colour as it's quite pinky, but the coverage is good and it doesn't dry out my combination skin :)

[SilverSixpence]

I really like mymix foundation from boots. It gives a really nice even smooth finish and looks natural. Far better colour match than many other more expensive foundations too.

[bishboschone]

Rimmel stay matte is what I use . It's super cheap ..( around £3) I think . I have tried loads !!! But like the coverage and colour of this one .

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

Revlon photoready here too. I decided to treat myself and try Estee Lauder double wear but I'll be going back to photoready when its gone. I find the coverage great but it still feels light on the skin.

[ElectricMonk]

Prolific - I agree with the other posters that there's nothing wrong with Healthy Mix, it's a great foundation. Bourjois is the only drugstore brand of foundation that I'm happy to use - it's the perfect combination of long-wearing, natural-looking (i.e. not orange/pink) and friendly to sensitive/acne-prone skin. It's just rather beige in tone, so it might take a bit of fiddling to make it fit your complexion. Fortunately, it takes well to mixing with lots of different things so you don't need to worry if the shade looks a bit off straight out of the bottle!