Glossier’s First-Ever Foundation Is the No-Makeup Makeup I Crave
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Not to be a “pick me,” but most people say I look younger than I am. While looking younger shouldn’t be your number 1 goal, it’s nice to know my makeup routine doesn’t age me. I believe it’s because I almost never wear full-coverage foundation, which rarely looks good on me. It clings to all my dry patches and settles into my fine lines, making them more noticeable. Instead, I favor light-to-medium coverage, making Glossier’s Stretch Fluid Foundation the perfect formula for every day. It doesn’t hurt that the skincare ingredients ensure the product melts into the skin instead of settling on top of it.
These days, almost all complexion products have some type of skincare-like ingredient, usually niacinamide or hyaluronic acid. But Glossier‘s first-ever foundation is actually 89 percent skincare-based. And you can feel it in the gel-cream formula.
My favorites are squalane and glycerin to help support the moisture barrier, plus there’s wild rose berry and plankton extract to balance shine and maintain hydration. In short, it has a natural finish that’s not too dewy making it great for all skin types. The addition of amino acid-coated pigments is what Glossier says makes the foundation so “flexible” that it moves with your skin instead of settling into problem areas.
Now, if you favor a full-coverage base that hides every freckle and blemish, this isn’t the foundation for you. It builds up to about a medium coverage but not more than that. To test it, I shook the bottle to mix the ingredients (an important step!) and applied just one coat to really get a feel of how much it covers. I like to apply complexion products first with my hands and then buff it in with a brush. Glossier came out with a cute travel-friendly brush that I found fun to use but not essential. I’m definitely taking the Stretch Face Brush ($28 at Glossier) with me on vacation, though.
My first reaction was how it really did feel like applying moisturizer. But it does dry down to a natural finish. I love how much it covers. You can still see my freckles but it evened out my skin tone, hid the eczema around my eyes, and some post-pimple redness.
Some have questioned why a brand like Glossier, which is all about no-makeup makeup, would launch a foundation but this is exactly on brand. The company is all about that “skin first” approach so a skincare-infused foundation that looks like you — just better — makes sense.
I did feel like I needed more coverage under my eyes so I added Glossier’s Stretch Balm Concealer ($22 at Glossier), a product I’ve loved from the brand for years. It’s a medium-coverage concealer with a dewy finish that dries down a bit less than the foundation. When I want even more under-eye coverage, when my dark circles are a bit more obvious, I add a few dots of Tarte Shape Tape Radiant Concealer ($31 at Ulta Beauty), which blends beautifully.
I can’t say enough good things about this foundation, which is out now on the Glossier website and Sephora soon. If you want to try both the Stretch Fluid Foundation and Concealer, grab them both and save $6 with the Stretch Face Duo.
