I am SO excited for today’s post! I have been working on this one for awhile – gathering prices, shades, doing wear tests. ALL THE THINGS. As a woman with acne, it’s often funny to people that I much prefer light-coverage foundation to full coverage. When I do my makeup, I like to conceal my acne with concealer first, and then do light coverage foundation on the rest of my face. To me, that gives a more skin-like finish and helps keep my face from looking cake-y. Read on to discover my top 8 light coverage cruelty-free foundations!
The 8 BEST Light Coverage Cruelty-Free Foundations
Florence By Mills Like A Light Skin Tint – $18
This foundation is technically targeted to a younger age group – but I was drawn to the clean packaging and promise of the PERFECT skin tint. I loved it a lot more than I anticipated, and it’s become a go-to! Plus, it has a good shade range with 20 diverse shades.
My shade: F010
Coverage: Ultra Light
Lasting # of hours: 4-5
Shade range: 20 shades
Nudestix Tinted Cover Foundation – $35
I LOVE Nudestix so I was stoked to try out this foundation. It is light coverage, but buildable, and you don’t need very much to cover your full face. It lasts a decent amount of time for a tinted moisturizer and it’s great for evening out skin tone and those ‘no-makeup’ days. There are 14 shades, which a good amount of shades at either end of the spectrum.
My shade: Nude 2.5
Coverage: Light Buildable
Lasting # of hours: 4-6
Shade range: 14 shades
Milani Screen Queen Foundation – $13.99
I was SO INTRIGUED BY THIS. This foundation boasts a proprietary formula that defends against harmful blue light. As someone who is in front of the computer screen 5-7+ hours a day, I was interested. I can’t say totally whether it makes a huge difference, but the foundation itself is so nice that even if it doesn’t, it’s great. PLUS it has 45 diverse shades, making it the most inclusive shade range on this list.
My shade: Nude Ivory
Coverage: Light-Medium
Lasting # of hours: 6-8
Shade range: 45 shades
Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Acid Tinted Moisturizer – $14
I love this tinted moisturizer. I love all things Colourpop, and this foundation is no different. It’s got a really dewy finish and looks so healthy and natural. It has 21 shades and is pretty buildable so if you want a little more coverage, you can have it!
My shade: Light 5 N
Coverage: Light Buildable
Lasting # of hours: 4-6
Shade range: 21 shades
PCA Skin Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF45 – $37
This is literally a universal skin tint – there is almost no color. I really like it because 1. it has great SPF and 2. it is a true my-skin-but-better kind of glow. I spot conceal with concealer first and then I put this overtop. It’s something I like to reserve for pool days because it’s water resistant!
My shade: Universal
Coverage: Ultra Light
Lasting # of hours: 4-6 hours
Shade range: one shade
Tarte Maracuja Tinted Hydrator – $29
This is one of my favorite tinted moisturizers. The bottle I have is actually empty right now! It’s so nice, buildable and has a good shade range with lots of undertones. It lasts a long time and melts into the skin.
My shade: 13N Fair Light Neutral
Coverage: Light Buildable
Lasting # of hours: 6-8
Shade range: 20 shades
Physicians Formula Natural Defense Foundation – $15.99
It isn’t a secret that I love Physicians Formula – I just wish it had a more inclusive shade range. It’s my biggest beef with the brand. This one only has 5 shades, and they’re all in the light-medium skin tone range. If you fall under that umbrella, it might be worth a try because the foundation itself is super nice.
My shade: Fair-to-light
Coverage: Light Buildable
Lasting # of hours: 6-8
Shade range: 5 shades
Covergirl Clean Fresh Skin Milk – $11.99
This is another one I love love LOOOOVE. It looks SO healthy on your skin with a very skin-like glow. Some people report that this makes them break out, but as someone with very acne prone skin – I don’t find this to be the case for me. Ulta has a great return policy though if you want to try it out and see!
My shade: Fair-Light
Coverage: Light Buildable
Lasting # of hours: 4-6
Shade range: 14 shades
PIN THIS FOR LATER:
I hope this helps you make a decision on what light coverage foundation you want to snag at your next Ulta run!! I love trying new foundations – it’s probably my favorite makeup item aside from eyeshadow palettes.
BONUS: catch my list of cruelty-free favorites here!
What is your favorite light coverage foundation!? Let me know below!
Covergirl broke me out baaaad. I wanted it to work so badly but I found myself having to mix shades to get my color and the acne wouldn’t stop ????. Interested to try the others though, thank you!
UGH! I hate that! If you try any other ones you’ll have to let me know how you like them!