4 lightweight foundations to achieve a natural finish

Lightweight natural makeup is slowly but surely becoming my thing. Years of puberty- and stress-induced acne have finally been dealt with, and I've reached a point in my life where I feel my face should be as free as it can be. A coming-out of sorts, if you will.

My heavy duty mattifying and full-coverage foundations have been taking a serious backseat to no makeup days - and on the days I do wear makeup, they have been almost entirely replaced by these lightweight my-skin-but-better alternatives.

If you're unsure about switching up the full-coverage for the lightweight, consider starting small by sheering out your existing foundations - simply add a little moisturiser or a drop of face oil to them before applying it on your skin. Of course, if you still need that serious oil-control, our first option will thrill you with its lightweight mattifying powers.

#1 L'Oreal Paris Mat Magique 12H Bright Mat Foundation, $28.90

Best for: Combination and oily skin

I'm starting this list with the newest of the lot - this foundation landed on my desk this very morning. I was shocked (or you could say pleasantly surprised) to find that one of the three shades was a perfect match for my medium-toned skin, and decided to try it out figuring I'd get a good seven hours of wear to test it out before I started this list. I had fairly high hopes, given that the brand's Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation is my favourite budget full-coverage matte foundation.

I applied it to my T-zone area, where my face gets the oiliest, to see if it looked natural enough to match the areas of my face without makeup. Spoiler alert: It matched!

The foundation has a very watery consistency that requires a good shake to get everything well and truly mixed (fairly common with water-based lightweight foundations). The coverage is pretty good, hiding any redness around my nose, and it blended out easily without looking too dry on my skin. My fingers were a tad shimmery after, possibly due to the volcanic perlite minerals in the formula, which are meant to provide incredible oil control. Thankfully, the shimmer isn't obvious unless you look really closely at your skin.

Eight hours later, I'm truly impressed by the oil control properties in this foundation. It absorbed all the excess oil without drying out my skin, and while it's only available in three shades, I'd recommend it to anyone with oily skin in need of a lightweight and budget-friendly foundation.

#2 Mac Cosmetics Lightful C Quick Finish Compact SPF50, $56

Best for: Dry, normal, and combination skin. Available from July 15.

I took this with me as I prefer not to travel with full bottles of foundation in case they leak or break. The good ones often don't come cheap, and I haven't the best luck in general. This compact worked like a charm. The coverage is not high (a buildable sheer-to-medium), which I enjoy a lot more now, and the formula is hydrating due to replenishing ingredients like Mac Cosmetics' Marine-Bright Formula, vitamin C and a variety of mineral-rich seaweed extracts. It also has great SPF coverage which was perfect as I was headed outside on a day with some pretty intense sun.

I've got combination skin, so my face really appreciates the hydration. The Lightful C compact is meant to provide oil control, but I always set my nose and forehead with a damp Beautyblender and some setting powder to be extra safe. My one gripe is that there are only five shades of this compact, and I happen to be somewhere between two shades.

I enjoyed this a lot more than most BB cushions I've tried, mainly because of the hydrating natural finish and shade match (most BB cushions are too light or pink-toned). If you love Mac foundations but want one that's perfectly handy to throw in your purse, then pick this up when it launches this Friday!

#3 Sephora Collection Teint Infusion Ethereal Natural Finish Foundation, $33

Best for: Combination, normal, or dry skin.

I'll be honest: Prior to purchasing this, I can't remember buying anything from the Sephora collection in a long time. That said, the brand has definitely improved in quality over the last few years, and when I saw a few beauty bloggers giving this foundation positive reviews on Youtube, I had to pick it up for myself. I'll admit that the dropper applicator was half the reason I wanted it in the first place, but that aside, the foundation itself is actually pretty decent.

This one requires a good shake each time, but the clear bottle makes it easy to see the separation, which serves as a reminder to shake before use! The watery texture and correspondingly light coverage meant that I had to use a few drops on each side of my face, but it evened out my skin tone and brightened the dullness. I wouldn't say it's particularly buildable, so if you're looking for high coverage this isn't for you.

That said, this is a really great everyday foundation that's perfect for days when you want your skin to look natural but slightly improved, and it also boasts decent hydrating properties without making me look too oily. Where this beats the first two foundations on this list is the pretty extensive shade range. Thank you Sephora.

#4 Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup, $62

Best for: All skin types

I fell instantly in love with the Naked Skin concealer from Urban Decay, so it seemed like a fair bet that the foundation would impress me as well. I recently took a sample of it with me on a work trip, and tried it out with a primer. It's been raved about by so many people that I've been dying to try it, and so when faced with a big event night out, I took the plunge.

The application was so incredibly flawless with my Beautyblender that I couldn't stop admiring my skin in the hotel bathroom's magnification mirror. I had the added advantage of extra nice skin thanks to pleasant European weather, and the overall effect was entirely satisfying. The formula of the foundation is truly lightweight and the finish is a beautifully luminous semi-matte, thanks to the light-diffusing spheres in the foundation.

My skin stayed matte the entire night (again, possibly due to European weather), but I imagine this would hold up fairly well even in Singapore weather with the right touch-up tools (blotters and powder). The shade range is also a huge plus.

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