Foundation Long Lasting for Wedding Day

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

I don't normally wear much make-up, but on my wedding day, I plan to use foundation to even out my skin tone and cover some pimples. My concern is mainly about the foundation as I can just imagine all my relatives holding my face, hugging and kissing my cheeks. Is there a good foundation that is long lasting? Also, I do not want to spend a lot of money as I do not plan to use foundation after my wedding day.

Signed,

Worrying About Everything

Dear Worrying About Everything,

Foundations prices vary widely. In a department store, you can sample the foundation before buying. Some department stores might give you a small sample to take home and try for a few days. Although department store cosmetics tend to be more expensive than the drugstore brands, the department store brand might be more cost effective in the long run. Because you cannot sample drugstore brands, you may have to purchase several foundations before finding one with the texture, coverage, and shade that works best for your skin.

Foundations that are long lasting, give good coverage, look natural, and good for combination oily/dry skin are listed below. However, some foundations are more smudge-proof or transfer resistant than others. It's best to try out new cosmetics for a trial run well before the wedding date to make sure it suits your skin tone and type and tone. Remember to use moisturizer on your face and let it dry before putting on your foundation.

In addition, applying foundation primer also helps keep makeup lasting longer. See the letter, "Face Primer Keeps Shine Off and Smoothes Wrinkles."

Below are several brands of long lasting foundations that have been given high positive ratings from consumers at Makeupalley.com. Overall average ratings were 4.5 stars out of 5 by at least 10 consumers. Many reviewers stated that the makeup lasted many hours or all day. Most of the brands on this list are high in price. Some lower priced foundations that did not quite make the list because there were not enough reviewers or the cut-off of 4.5 stars was missed were Almay Amazing Lasting Foundation, Maybelline Great Wear Foundation, Maybelline PureStay Powder Foundation, and Revlon Colorstay Foundation.

Top 12 Long Lasting Makeup Foundations (alphabetical)

1. Cle de Peau Teint Naturel Satine Creme

2. Everyday Minerals Foundation

3. Guerlain Parure Extreme Liquid

4. Illuminare Extra Coverage Foundation

5. Helena Rubinstein Spectacular Foundation, SPF 10

6. Kanebo Lunasol Skinfusing Powder Foundation

7. Lancome MaquiLibre Foundation

8. LaPrairie Cellular Treatment Foundation

9. LaurEss Elemental Mineral Foundation

10. Stephane Marais Cream Foundation

11. Trucco SkinTones Foundation

12. Ultima II Wonderwear Longwearing Liquid

To read the reviews, go to www.makeupalley.com. New products are always being developed and old products discontinued, so check your local cosmetics, drugstore, or department store for availability.