AliceintheRabbitHole has put more than 20 foundations through their paces, and she brings a very specific lens to each one. She has dry, mature skin with tricky olive undertones, and she is not shy about saying when a product fails. Most of what she reviewed earned her approval, only a handful got a mixed take, and very few were outright skipped.
What does AliceintheRabbitHole recommend in foundation?
She keeps praising products that look like skin rather than makeup. The Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Powder Serum Skin Tint is her overall favourite from one round of reviews. She called it a top pick because it wears beautifully and has no scent. The Makeup by Mario Surreal Skin Natural Finish Foundation also wowed her. She was surprised it worked so well on dry skin, calling it stunning and noting its blurring effect. She named the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Luminous Skin Tint Stick her near-daily go-to, saying it melts into her skin. She loves the About Face Performer Skin Focused Foundation so much she called it her absolute favourite foundation outright. Shade range and undertone matching matter a lot to her too. The Estée Lauder Futurist Skin Tint Serum impressed her deeply, and she said its formulation is one of the most interesting she has seen in years. And for skin tints specifically, she named the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel Tint her top pick, praising its formula and the fact it has no added fragrance.
In her words
"There's no SPF in this, which is fine, just wear it over your sunscreen, there's no scent, and it wears beautifully. I [...] prefer to apply this with my fingers. Yes, this is my top pick from this video, there may be certain characteristics you like a little more in some of the other products, but as a whole this one knocked it out of the park, it's a really, really good skin tint."
"Another huge hit for me has been the Makeup by Mario Surreal Skin Natural Finish Foundation. This is such a gorgeous foundation, and I can't believe I'm sitting here telling you this as a person with dry skin, because they didn't say it's for my skin type, but it's so natural looking that it really flatters mature skin. It has almost a blurring effect, it's simply stunning."
"It has a big shade range, I went with one that's a little warm and leans a bit more orange than the neutral shade I'd usually wear, but because I'm applying it lightly I think I'm still pulling it off. I am thoroughly blown away with this one, [...] I am really impressed with it, I think it's one of the most interesting formulations I've seen since the Shiseido Synchro Skin."
"The foundation I grab for almost every day is the Bare Minerals complexion stick, I wear shade Birch 1.5. It is absurd how much this just melts into my skin. On light coverage days I just spot conceal with it and blend it out, it doesn't look like foundation, it looks like my skin but better."
"My absolute favorite foundation, unfortunately it's not at Sephora, is the About-Face foundation, specifically in shade F2."
"This is my top pick for a skin tint in this sale. [...] It's a bit glowy but not over the top, [...] wears beautifully, and has no added fragrance. [...] Really great formula. The only thing is if you're looking for more coverage or a matte finish, I'd recommend you avoid it, but it's very flexible from super light to light coverage."
How many foundations has AliceintheRabbitHole reviewed?
AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed 28 foundations, for an approval rate of 64%. 18 approved, 5 mixed, and 5 skipped.
What has AliceintheRabbitHole skipped in foundation?
She skipped very few products, but the ones she passed on had clear, specific reasons. The e.l.f. Halo Glow Skin Tint earned her sharpest words. She named it her worst skin tint and worst sunscreen of the year, arguing that its SPF 50 claim creates a false sense of security rather than real protection. The Covergirl Simply Ageless Skin Perfecting Essence Foundation frustrated her too. The beads would not break up properly, leaving a patchy application, and she found it especially bad on dehydrated skin, where it turned into what she called an absolute mess. The Youthforia Date Night Skin Tint Serum Foundation upset her on a different level. She felt its shade range showed a lack of care for deeper skin tones, and she said spending forty-eight dollars to essentially beta-test a product felt wrong. The Smashbox Always On Skin Balancing Foundation was a subtler skip. She bought it for the olive shades, but when she compared it to another fair olive foundation, she felt the match was clearly worse.
"I'm so offended by this, because first, it says you don't care about customers with a deeper skin tone, and second, I spent forty eight dollars to be one of their research participants. You're supposed to pay us to try your products and give feedback, not the other way around. I've really liked this brand up until now, they made my favorite primer and I've bought lip glosses from them, but I'm so sad about what's happened with this foundation."
"The idea is there, the beads are there, but it's just not breaking up properly, my struggle was getting this to apply evenly because the beads don't break up properly and you end up with a patchy application. Also be careful with this if you have dehydrated skin, my skin was a little dehydrated the other day and the essence part of this immediately soaked into my skin, which made it even worse, so that left the beads on the surface of my skin. What an absolute mess, I washed it right off."
"I bought this in an olive shade, which is a good selling point for me since I have a difficult skin tone to match with some green and gray undertones. But comparing it side by side with another fair olive foundation, it's shocking how different they look, and I am absolutely confident the other one is a way better match for me. [...] I'm still glad I bought the Smashbox to realize this doesn't work for me."
"I included the ELF Skin Tint SPF fifty as my worst skin tint and my worst sunscreen of the year, it is not a sunscreen. Some people said that even if a pea sized amount doesn't get you a real SPF of fifty, it's still better than nothing, but I disagree, I do not think that it is better than nothing. I think it's creating a false sense of security in people, and that's a big problem."
What should you take from AliceintheRabbitHole's picks?
AliceintheRabbitHole is a reliable guide for anyone with dry or mature skin who wants coverage that reads as real skin. Her named winners span skin tints, powder formulas and traditional foundations, so there is something across budgets and finish preferences. Where she skips a product, she explains exactly why, which makes her nos just as useful as her yeses.
Watch AliceintheRabbitHole say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel TintNamed a winnerWatch at 32:01
- About Face Performer Skin Focused FoundationNamed a winnerWatch at 13:39
- Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Powder Serum Skin TintNamed a winnerWatch at 15:24
- Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting FoundationNamed a winnerWatch at 38:32
- Jane Iredale Pure Pressed Base Mineral FoundationNamed a winnerWatch at 18:07
- Youthforia Date Night Skin Tint Serum FoundationSkipped itWatch at 9:55
- Covergirl Simply Ageless Skin Perfecting Essence FoundationSkipped itWatch at 14:19
- Smashbox Always On Skin Balancing FoundationSkipped itWatch at 23:29
- e.l.f. Halo Glow Skin TintSkipped itWatch at 24:31
- Sephora Collection Reveal the Real Skin TintSkipped itWatch at 28:42
- Makeup by Mario Surreal Skin Natural Finish FoundationRated itWatch at 29:58
- Estée Lauder Futurist Skin Tint SerumRated itWatch at 24:43
- bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Luminous Skin Tint StickRated itWatch at 18:23
- Parnell Cicamanu Serum Cushion FoundationRated itWatch at 15:39
- Tirtir Mask Fit All Cover Cushion FoundationRated itWatch at 22:09
- Erborian CC Red CorrectRated itWatch at 8:27
- Smashbox Halo Healthy Glow All-In-One Tinted MoisturizerRated itWatch at 25:08
- BareMinerals Original Pressed Powder FoundationRated itWatch at 29:20
- Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint FoundationRated itWatch at 17:02
- Rose Inc Soft Light Skin Smoothing Liquid FoundationRated itWatch at 23:08
- Urban Decay Face Bond FoundationRated itWatch at 7:07
- Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech FoundationRated itWatch at 12:46
- Perricone MD Face Finishing and Firming Tinted MoisturizerRated itWatch at 17:04
About this expert
See everything AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what AliceintheRabbitHole said across her videos about 28 products in foundation, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.