Ultimate Vegan Foundation Guide

Foundations are often one of the main items people struggle with most when switching their makeup bag. It usually takes years to find your perfect foundation… to then find out it’s not vegan or cruelty-free can be heart-breaking. Take advantage of more time indoors to experiment with your base makeup and see what works for you!

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A post shared by Nicole • Vegan Beauty Girl (@veganbeautygirl)

For a little extra help, I’ve got a Foundation Review series over on YouTube with over a dozen videos for you to explore! Feel free to add comments if there are any other vegan foundations you’d like to see reviewed.

Shade matching is a little bit of a pain right now as we can’t go into stores and use testers. However, I find this site super helpful – using foundation shades you know match you, you can find your perfect shade in other foundations.

Please note, this post contains affiliate links. That means I can earn commission if you make any purchases through these links. This helps keep my content free.

Foundations with 40+ Shades

Unfortunately there’s plenty of brands in the vegan beauty space that release foundation ranges with too few shades. If you struggle to find foundations to match your skin tone, these ranges may be a good place to start as they have over 40 shades – working hard to create a match for everyone:

• PUR 4-in-1 Love Your Selfie -100 shades
• Uoma Beauty Say What Foundation – 51 Shades
• Revolution Conceal & Define – 50 shades
• Lush Slap Stick – 40 shades
• ELF Flawless Finish – 40 shades

Though only 16 shades, EX1 Invisiwear Foundation is made exclusively for olive skin tones who may otherwise struggle with finding foundations that match.

Is Fenty cruelty free and vegan?

As for Fenty? Whilst the brand is self-claimed cruelty free and the foundation is made with vegan ingredients, Logical Harmony has Fenty listed in the ‘grey area’. This is because the brand’s failing to answer some key cruelty-free questions. Read more about it here. Whilst this puts me off using Fenty, I appreciate that for many this may be one of few foundation options that suit their skin tone and type. So feel free to make your own mind up on this one – just want to give you all the information!

Lush Slapstick

If you’re looking for a plastic-free foundation, Lush have their own 100% vegan ‘naked’ (aka package-free) cosmetic line. This coconut-oil based Slap Stick comes in over 40 shades (as does their concealer ‘Trix Stick’) and gives a buildable dewy finish. 

Use their ‘chat with us’ feature on their site if you have any further questions. You’ll be through to a Lush expert, not a chat bot!

On a budget?

Working to a budget? There’s actually some incredible vegan foundations that cost less than a tenner! Even better, you can find all of these in Superdrug:

• £5 – MUA PRO / BASE Long Wear Matte Finish Foundation (24 shades)
• £7.50 – elf Flawless Finish Foundation (40 shades)
• £9 – Revolution Conceal & Define Foundation (50 shades)

My favourites?

I love a low coverage foundation and for me, nothing beats the PUR Tinted Moisturiser. Although this comes in just 16 shades, it has one of the best shade ranges I’ve seen of a light coverage foundation in the vegan space. I would love to hear if you’ve seen better though! It’s not only great for providing a gentle coverage, it also has skin improving ingredients.

For higher coverage, I like the MILK Flex Stick foundation (36 shades) for a medium coverage, natural finish. It covers, calms, and flexes without creasing or caking – a brilliant formula!

Rosy skin?

If you struggle with sensitive, red/rosy skin then you might be interested in this 3 in 1 formula by Rosalique. This green cream will instantly conceal redness, gently reduce symptoms and protect skin from UVA & UVB rays. I use this on occasion, but my mum and sister who struggle with redness both love this formula. You can see it in action here:

Hope you found this useful

I really hope that after reading this short guide, you’ll find it a lot easier to switch your foundation. I know that this can be a ‘make or break’  for some people, but please have patience, the right product for you is out there! 

My biggest tip for foundations is: don’t wait for your current foundation to run out before you start looking for a replacement. If possible, get some samples and start testing out what works for you.

Good luck!