Picture perfect: the best new foundations launching in 2016

The search for a flawless complexion is over as these new foundations hit the market

Yslbeauty.co.uk (yslbeauty)

Whether or not you took part, there’s no doubt that 2015 was the year of the selfie. Of course no photo-taking trend would be complete without camera-friendly face paint and that took the form of a very heavy-handed approach to make-up application.

This year, however, there’s a fresh start in the beauty world and the new year is kicking off with an array of new foundations dropping on to beauty counters, all designed to emulate a far more natural beauty look.


 Candleglow foundation, £35, Laura Mercier, from 1 February, nationwide

A healthy radiant skin that doesn’t betray too many late nights or an overindulgent diet is the holy grail of beauty. Laura Mercier’s new foundation Candleglow aims to replicate “the way candlelight casts a spell on a woman’s face, creating a warm ambiance and glow,” Mercier explains. In practical terms, this translates to a lightweight formula with a pearlescent finish.

Les Beiges £36, Chanel, 020 74933836

Chanel’s new-to-counter offering is Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation. Despite a weightless application, the formula gives fairly good coverage, although the dewy finish means it’s probably more suited to those with drier complexions.

Velvet Matte Skin Tint, £30, Nars, from 1 February, spacenk.com

For combination skin types, Nars’ newest innovation is Velvet Matte Skin Tint which gives all the benefits of a naturally radiant finish with the added bonus of mattifying technology to keep any shine patches under control.

Maestro Glow, £40, from 27 January, armanibeauty.co.uk

Armani’s Maestro foundation was a game changer when it was first released back in 2012; in February a new version hits the market. It features the same oil-rich formula but with the added benefit of a big dose of glow.

For those who aren’t quite ready to put down the contouring brush in favour of something more natural, Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Foundation released at the end of last year will cover anything from acne scars to age spots.

Touche Eclat Le Teint £32.50, from 1 February, yslbeauty.co.uk

YSL has released an improved version of its Touche Eclat to provide even better coverage and staying power – so there’ll be no need to worry about getting caught out with all those selfie-sticks still lurking around.