Autumn is fast making itself known on British shores, and with it comes the latest beauty trends fresh from the hottest catwalks. By far, the simpliest to recreate and prettiest of the trends is the glowing, fresh-faced flawlessness of the Chloe and Calvin Klein models, so what better time to try and test the illuminating prowess of foundations? Beauty Assistant Jessica Hopper puts five foundations through their paces to see which has the most barefaced chic…
Lancôme Photogénic Ultra Confort
£22
'This foundation has a gorgeous, subtle flowery scent that I absolutely love. A delicate texture, its blends lovely and gives great coverage, although despite the 'light-reflecting' promise, this had more of a matte finish than the others tested. A really nice foundation, but better if you're looking for long-lasting coverage than an ever-lasting winter glow.'
Available nationwide
Chanel Teint Innocence
£21
'This fine liquid feels thicker than expected but is still easy to blend. Not only creates a lovely, even, fresh-faced finish, my complexion looked flawless and it lasted longer than the rest. People even commented on the glow! A fantastic foundation, as expected from a beauty heavyweight like Chanel, and considering I've continued to use this following my testing, I can safely say it's this time's well-deserved star product.'
Stockists: 020 7581 8620
L'Oréal Paris Translucide Healthy Glow Make-up
£9.99
'A bit tricky to blend - takes a longer time than the others to ensure even coverage. Once blended right, it gives a nice, peachy, plump finish with great coverage, but not especially 'glowing'. Despite being an illuminating foundation, it feels quite heavy although didn't last as long as I had hoped. Still a good foundation, just not the glow-getter I was after.'
Stockists: www.lorealparis.co.uk
Clinique Gentle Light
£17.50
'This foundation smelt a bit like alcohol – which was odd... A very oily, silky-smooth liquid that is super-easy to blend well. This created the best glow of the bunch – a really fresh-faced finish. But what it has in "glow", it lacks in coverage. My skin felt and looked naked, and it didn't last especially long – by lunchtime I was reaching for the touch-up stick! This foundation is well-suited to summer, when all you're after is a lightweight, glowing finish.'
Stockists: www.clinique.co.uk
Becca Luminous Skin Colour
£28
'I loved Becca make-up but haven't tried one of their foundations before. This had quite an oily texture initially, but blends really well and leaves skin feeling refreshed and well moisturised. Creates a nice, fresh-faced glow that looks and feels totally natural. A reasonably good level of coverage and seriously slick, chic packaging gives this foundation a not-too-shabby second place.'
Stockists: 020 7629 9161
