A growing directory of makeup brands with inclusive foundation shades
IMAGE VIA @KOSAS/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY TESS FISHER AND FASHION JOURNAL
These are the beauty brands embracing diversity.
The human eye can see 10 million colours but makeup brands are still trying to convince us that a foundation range of 25 shades is ‘diverse’. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the Australian makeup industry has an inclusivity problem. Brands continue to fail BIPOC when they slap ‘diverse’ labels on collections that look like a beige rainbow.
In 2018, Rihanna’s revolutionary ‘beauty for all’ makeup line Fenty created shockwaves in the industry. The brand made $100 million of sales in its first 40 days, proving just how much consumers want comprehensive shade selections. The range jolted competitors into doing and being better, and showed that not only can diversity be achieved, but it should set the new benchmark.
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The ‘Fenty effect’, coupled with petitions and social media backlash against non-inclusive companies, is resulting in meaningful change. While it shouldn’t take naming and shaming for brands to know they need to cater to all skin tones, it’s working, and a shift is slowly happening.
We’ve trawled the web for the top beauty brands making foundation ranges that reflect real life. While we’ve enjoyed compiling this list, we look forward to the day when this article becomes redundant and the beauty industry is creating makeup for everyone.
Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation
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Shade range: 50 shades
Move over Christian Grey, Urban Decay has the only 50 shades I care about. Promising 24 hours of coverage, Stay Naked Weightless Liquid Foundation is lightweight, vegan-friendly, and breathable with a matte finish.
Get it here.
Tarte Cosmetics Face Tape Foundation
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Shade range: 50 shades
Cruelty-free makeup company Tarte is one of the many brands that started by getting it wrong. In 2018, its Shape Tape collection featured only 25 colours, prompting an online uproar. The outcry ultimately resulted in its new 50-shade-strong Face Tape Foundation, which comes in five undertones: neutral, sand, honey, beige and golden. The range uses a combination of snow mushroom extract, apple fruit extract and hyaluronic acid to boost hydration, combat free radicals and promote firm skin.
Get it here.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation
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Shade range: 50 shades
Romanian entrepreneur Anastasia Soare built a reputation as the ‘brow queen of Beverly Hills’ in the late ’90s. Over the past two decades, Anastasia Beverly Hills achieved global fame for its ‘golden ratio’ approach to beauty. The newest reason to love the brand? Its Luminous Foundation, which boasts five shade categories and three undertones across 50 shades.
Get it here.
Jouer
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Shade range: 50 shades
In 2017, Jouer was dragged by beauty vlogger Nyma Tang for its slim foundation range. But it looks like the brand took note – with its Essential High Coverage Crème Foundation now catering to 50 different skin tones.
Get it here.
Sephora
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Sephora’s Best Skin Ever: 53 shades
A unique combination of makeup and skincare, this foundation promises to look good, and do good, for your skin. The formula is enriched with algae and natural hyaluronic acid to hydrate skin and shield against external pollutants.
Get it here.
Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear
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Teint Idole Ultra Wear: 45 shades
Lancôme’s best-selling oil-free, long-lasting, matte liquid foundation Teint Idole Ultra Wear is available in 45 shades. Eight years in the making, this hard-working formulation was the brand’s first ever 24-hour foundation.
Get it here.
Kosas Revealer Skin Improving Foundation SPF 25
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Shade range: 36 shades
If you’re on the beauty side of TikTok, you’ve definitely seen this foundation. The Kosas Revealer Skin Improving Foundation is makeup for those who adore skincare. Infused with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides, SPF and a whole bunch of other good stuff, this foundation will do a whole lot of good for your skin.
Get it here.
Too Faced Born This Way Foundation
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Shade range: 35 shades
For those who love a medium to full-coverage foundation, the Born This Way Foundation by Too Faced is for you. This pore-blurring, soft-matte finish and oil free foundation is all you need on a night out, with a lasting power of hours on end.
Get it here.
Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation
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Shade range: 30 shades
Using a unique light-adjusting technology, the Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation provides exactly what you’d expect. Helping to visibly lift and smooth, this buildable, medium-full coverage while providing a second-skin, natural finish.
Get it here.
BareMinerals BarePro Performance Wear Liquid Foundation
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Shade range: 30 shades
If you have oily skin, you’ll love this foundation by BareMinerals. The BarePro Performance Wear Liquid Foundation is available in 30 shades, is full coverage and has a natural matte finish. It’s a foundation made to last.
Get it here.
Mac Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation
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Shade range: 67 shades
It’s no surprise ‘individuality’ is one of Mac’s five brand pillars; it’s been at the forefront of diversity with its products and marketing campaigns for decades. The brand tops our list, with 67 hues offered in its best-selling Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation. And that number is growing. Mac also has a virtual try-on service, meaning you can snap a selfie and find your perfect shade match all from the comfort of your couch.
Get it here.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup
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Shade range: 61 shades
Recently named a finalist in the 2021 Mecca Beauty Election, Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup has amassed a bit of a cult following. With a whopping 61 shades in a range of cool, neutral and warm undertones, it’s easy to find a product that will blend seamlessly with your skin. For a crash course on what kind of undertone you have, check out this guide.
Get it here.
Clinique Even Better Makeup SPF 15
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Shade range: 56 shades
Designed for dry combination to oily combination skin, Clinique Even Better Makeup SPF 15 promises to improve your complexion while you’re wearing it. After 12 weeks of daily use, expect a reduction in dark spots from acne, age, and sun damage. Plus, broad-spectrum SPF 15 helps protect against future discolouration.
Get it here.
Fenty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
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Shade range: 68 shades
“Fenty Beauty was created for everyone: for women of all shades, personalities, attitudes, cultures, and races.” Rihanna’s iconic words don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk. With 50 shades across its skin tints and powder foundations, as well as the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation (as personal favourite), Fenty products cater to various skin types as well as hues.
Get it here.
NYX Cosmetics Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Full Coverage Foundation
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Shade range: 31 shades
Developed in collaboration with beauty vlogger Alissa Ashley, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Full Coverage Foundation claims to ‘hustle as hard as you’ and mattify your complexion all day long. The foundation is noncomedogenic (meaning it’s less likely to block your pores) and suitable for almost all skin types. On the website, there are currently 43 tones.
Get it here.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation
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Shade range: 44 shades
Founded by the MBE-awarded British makeup artist of the same name, Charlotte Tilbury has a reputation for luxurious makeup that looks just as good as the bottle itself. Airbrush Flawless Foundation not only promises to blur your pores, it also uses 2 per cent anti-ageing ingredient replexium to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Get it here.
KVD Beauty Lock-It Liquid Foundation
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Shade range: 44 shades
KVD Beauty’s Lock-It Liquid Foundation comes in 44 shades and promises to be transfer-resistant, meaning no more face prints on your best mate’s black blazer.
Get it here.
Bobbi Brown Weightless Long-wear Foundation
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Weightless Long-wear Foundation: 43 shades
Favoured by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Campbell, Bobbi Brown has come a long way from its first-ever collection of 10 shades. Its Weightless Long-Wear Foundation is created using a high-speed cold fusion process and has been tested in extreme heat to prove its sweat and humidity-resistant properties.
Get it here.
L’Oreal True Match
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Shade range: 47 shades
In 2015, L’Oreal UK was lagging behind the competition. Cue, the True Match campaign. The initiative saw L’Oreal increase its shade selection, and engage a diverse range of influencers to bring to life their new slogan: ‘We Are All Worth It’. As the biggest beauty brand in the world, L’Oreal acknowledged “It is our responsibility to drive attitude changes in the industry”. True Match is offered in 47 shades online.
Get it here.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
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Shade range: 40 shades
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – a rumoured favourite of Kim Kardashian and Meghan Markle – isn’t cheap but the shade range is up to par with 40 colours on offer.
Get it here.
Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation
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Shade range: 40 shades
There are 16 intensities and six undertones in Dior’s natural finish Backstage Face & Body Foundation line. My barista wears this foundation and her face looks so flawless that I want to rip it off and wear it Silence of the Lambs-style. That is all.
Get it here.
Nars Sheer Glow
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Shade range: 40 shades
Cult fave foundation Nars Sheer Glow is loved for its finish and buildability, so you can go from a fresh dewy glow to a full beat with the same product. It’s water and silicone-based, so you don’t have to worry about those nasty pore-clogging oils. Available in 40 hydrating shades, it’s a great option for glowy and bright skin.
Get it here.
Mecca Max Life Proof Second Skin Foundation
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Shade range: 40 shades
Medium coverage with a satin-like finish, Mecca Max’s Life Proof Second Skin Foundation blends into the skin like a velvety dream. Easy to thin out with a beauty blender or buff on for full coverage with a brush, this foundation is easy and wearable with the promise of all-day coverage.
Get it here.
It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation
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Shade range: 40 shades
Known for makeup products that help to maintain the skin’s natural radiance, the Your Skin But Better Foundation is a fusion of makeup and skincare. It ensures you’re protecting your skin as you age while still leaving you with a flawless finish. The cruelty-free formula is available in 40 shades, making it an all-round guilt-free purchase.
Get it here.
Morphe Filter Effect Soft Focus Foundation
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Shade range: 40 shades
Affordably priced and now available in Australia, Morphe’s Filter Effect Soft Focus Foundation is silky-smooth with buildable coverage. During lockdown, Morphe extended its Shade Match Guarantee, meaning you’ve got 60 days to fall in love with the colour, or simply return it.
Get it here.
BeautyBlender Bounce Foundation
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Shade range: 40 shades
BeautyBlender is another brand that got it wrong when it launched its disappointingly-pale 32-shade collection. Shoppers were angry that the brand’s beauty blenders came in more colours than its foundation, and even Jeffree Star jumped in to throw shade (see what I did there?) Since then, eight hues have been added to the Bounce Liquid Whip Long Wear Foundation range.
Get it here.
Maybelline
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Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation: 40 shades
Maybe it’s foundation in 40 shades, maybe it’s Maybelline. Perfect for normal to oily skin, Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation is allergy tested and uses micro-powders to blur pores.
Get it here.
Head here for a selection of Black and Indigenous-owned Australian beauty brands you can throw your support (and money) behind.
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