If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, WWD may receive an affiliate commission.
A beauty look is only as good as the foundation it builds on — and we mean that literally. Choosing a foundation that works with your skin type and skin concerns is crucial for a flawless glam look, and our editors increasingly turn to Ulta when we run out of our favorite formulas. Whether you have a skin type that’s dry, normal, sensitive, oily, or acne-prone, we tested the best Ulta foundations to help you nail down your next holy grail.
If you’re a beauty lover, you already know Ulta is one of the best beauty destinations to browse a massive assortment of brands and products. Ulta Beauty foundation brands range from drugstore foundations to pricey prestige formulas and even options from emerging indie brands, so the retailer offers more than enough options to discover your perfect foundation. And Ulta’s selection only continues to grow: Rihanna’s sensational Fenty Beauty brand finally joined the roster in March 2022; editor-loved Polite Society (created by the founders of Too Faced) launched at Ulta in the summer of 2023; and Charlotte Tilbury’s TikTok-famous makeup most recently arrived in February 2024. Plus, Ulta is always taking on new and exciting brands you can’t find anywhere else, like Serena Williams’ Wyn Beauty or the sustainable and unisex fragrance brand Noyz.
You may be hesitant to shop for foundations online, but Ulta makes the process easy and impressively accurate. Where to start? Navigate to Ulta’s foundation page and filter the results based on your preferences, like formula texture, coverage level, and skin concerns. Or, you can take the quick Ulta Foundation Quiz that’ll match you with several formulas that align with your needs. Once you decide on a foundation, the retailer’s Foundation Shade Match tool will guide you through the color selection process. All you have to do is click on the feature from any foundation product page, input your go-to shade in a different foundation or brand, and Ulta will use that information to pinpoint your truest color match in the formula you’re eyeing.
Another great way to kickstart your search? Simply browse our list of the top nine editor-approved and top-rated foundations at Ulta below. Our beauty testing team evaluated 31 different formulas to narrow down the best Ulta foundations for every skin type. Plus, we outlined some pro tips for shopping at Ulta and how to take advantage of all of the retailer’s benefits for a savvy shopping spree.
Top Foundations at Ulta of 2024
Sign up for WWD Shop’s newsletter to get the scoop on the best in beauty and style with in-depth reviews of exciting new releases and buyer’s guides to find the products you need to try ASAP.
Editor’s Choice: Top 3 Foundations at Ulta
Foundation is as person-specific as the very skin you’re in, so there’s no one-size-fits-all formula on the market. The best foundation for you depends on your skin type, skin texture, daily activity, glam preferences, special sensitivities, skin tone, and undertone. So, instead of highlighting just one universally stellar foundation at Ulta (it doesn’t exist!), we selected our top three recommendations that are worth every penny and appeal to different needs. Here are the best foundation formulas to add to your e-cart, according to months of editor product testing:
- Nars Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation: Our favorite foundation for a skin-mimicking finish is the Nars foundation at Ulta. It comes loaded with hydrating ingredients for a dewy finish — without appearing overly shiny on the skin — and it’s one of the most comfortable foundation formulas our testers swatched on during our four-month testing period. Bonus points: It also protects your complexion against blue light damage and reduces redness with long-term wear.
- Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Perfect Foundation: One word: Flawless. Pat McGrath’s Sublime Perfect Foundation beautifully builds with medium coverage and sets to an incredibly soft-focused satin finish that blurs pores and fully camouflages breakouts and pigmentation. It’s exceptional for day-to-day wear as well as full-glam makeup moments, as it stays locked down for a whopping 10-plus hours of perfect wear.
- Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation: Looking for a skin glow-up on a budget? This popular Maybelline foundation at Ulta is the ultimate your-skin-but-better option. Its ultra-hydrating formula soothes and plumps dry or combination skin types, with a smoothing veil that evens the skin tone while letting your natural radiance shine through. Compared to similar drugstore foundations at Ulta, this one stood out to our panel of beauty testers for its impeccable texture and breathable feel on the skin.
Editor’s Choice
Nars Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.9/5 rating
Shade range: 36 shades available
Texture: Liquid
Finish: Natural
Key ingredients: Biomimetic oat, Japanese lilyturf, cacao peptides, and milk thistle
The Nars Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation takes on the feel of a face serum with nourishing ingredients your skin will love. Nars actually formulated this Ulta foundation with 70 percent skin care ingredients, like soothing biomimetic oat, blue light-protecting cacao peptides and milk thistle, and Japanese lilyturf that works to strengthen the skin barrier over time.
This foundation reduces redness under the makeup while leaving your skin with a healthy, lit-from-within glow, and comes in a wide range of shades that perfectly match cool, warm, and neutral undertones. It has earned an average 4.5-star rating by over 2,200 Ulta shoppers — though our testers scored it higher at a 4.9 rating after four months of testing it.
Editor testing and review notes: “This is the foundation for folks who want to look like they’re not wearing an ounce of makeup. It has an impeccable formula that fully melts into your skin rather than sitting on top of your complexion. It works wonders on my combination skin, balancing out dry patches with a dose of moisture — but without overwhelming shine-prone areas like my T-zone. I find that it’s best teamed up with a liquid blush and bronzer rather than powder formulas (the latter may clump a bit on the wet formula).” — WWD Shop Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Commerce Editor Claire Sullivan
Longwear: 4.8/5 rating | Coverage: 4.7/5 rating | Formula: 5/5 rating | Finish: 5/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $52
Editor’s choice
Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Perfect Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.9/5 rating
Shade range: 33 shades available
Texture: Liquid
Finish: Satin
Key ingredients: Raspberry leaf extract, glycerin
You can always rely on legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath to create high-performing products that leave your skin with a flawless finish. The viral Sublime Perfect Foundation has been featured in over 13 million posts on beauty TikTok, while Ulta shoppers deem it “skin-like,” “luxurious,” and “the best foundation for mature skin.” Unlike other foundations on the market, it features a self-setting formula that locks in place for up to 12 hours of wear, so dry or combination skin types can get away with skipping finishing powder. The formula is especially blurring, too, creating a filter-like, satiny skin effect.
Editor testing and review notes: “This formula doesn’t budge. Its smooth and flawless finish never separated, creased, or transferred — with and without makeup primer — through long hours of testing. Its satin finish makes it a great everyday foundation for those with combination or oily skin, though those with dry skin can certainly enjoy it layered over a hydrating moisturizer or primer. This foundation gives glam-level coverage but doesn’t look or feel too heavy. Its natural finish still lets your skin shine through.” — WWD Shop Commerce Writer and Producer Olivia Cigliano
Longwear: 5/5 rating | Coverage: 4.8/5 rating | Formula: 5/5 rating | Finish: 5/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $69
Editor’s Choice
Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.8/5 rating
Shade range: 24 shades available
Texture: Liquid
Finish: Dewy
Key ingredients: Vitamin E
This hidden gem is your ticket to “glass skin.” Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation is an ultra-hydrating, light-coverage foundation that smooths the surface of the skin and infuses a lit-from-within dewy glow, making it a standout foundation for dry skin types or those who love a radiant finish. It’s an excellent choice for casual, comfortable coverage during the day, and it’s formulated with SPF 18 to bolster protection from your favorite face sunscreen underneath. While its open-top bottle isn’t especially convenient (Maybelline, please add a pump!), the foundation consistency isn’t too runny or messy — just dispense the product with a gentle pour onto the back of your hand.
Editor testing and review notes: “Dewy, smooth skin is exactly what you’ll get with this foundation. It immediately feels hydrating upon application, making it a great lightweight foundation for those with dry skin who want a little more coverage than a tinted moisturizer. Its light coverage allows my freckles to shine through while still evening out my complexion and looks like my skin but better once it’s fully set. Keep in mind that does leave a wet-to-the-touch feeling upon initial application, so make sure to wait for it to dry before applying products on top (otherwise brushes or sponges may smear the product).” — Cigliano
Longwear: 4.5/5 rating | Coverage: 4.7/5 rating | Formula: 5/5 rating | Finish: 5/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $10.99
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.9/5
Shade range: 56 shades available
Texture: Liquid
Finish: Matte
Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation has been a cult-favorite foundation among beauty lovers, editors, and makeup artists for over 25 years. Its flawless finish, oil-absorbing properties, and long-wear staying power make it especially ideal for special occasions, as it’s often found in makeup artist kits for weddings and photoshoots. (One WWD Shop editor wore the Bone shade on her wedding day.)
While the brand describes it as medium coverage, the beautifully-buildable foundation formula allows you to quickly bump it up to full coverage. It comes recommended by over 8,500 Ulta shoppers who give it a 5-star rating for its skin-smoothing effect and lightweight feel.
Editor testing and review notes: “I was first introduced to the foundation via TikTok, and after witnessing its incredible coverage, I had to see the results myself. I’ve been testing it for over six months and I can’t seem to put it down. The lightweight formula blends into the skin seamlessly, conceals every dark spot, and totally uneven out my skin tone. Plus, I find it helps to reduce the appearance of my pores. The matte finish and oil control keeps my skin looking fresh all day.” — Cigliano
Longwear: 5/5 rating | Coverage: 4.9/5 rating | Formula: 4.7/5 rating | Finish: 5/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $52
It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF50+
Editor testing review rating: 4.8/5 rating
Shade range: 22 shades available
Texture: Liquid-cream
Finish: Natural
Key ingredients: SPF 50+, hyaluronic acid
The It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream will give you a full coverage foundation effect in an ultra-lightweight formula. The Ulta bestseller with over 11,700 five-star reviews pumps out in a creamy, milky consistency, similar to a rich face cream, and packs more pigment than you’d expect (trust us, a little goes a long way). With deep hydration from hyaluronic acid, the formula gives the look of glowing glass skin with more coverage than other “clean girl” complexion products, and a hefty dose of SPF 50+ protects your precious skin. The six deepest shades are also formulated with a clear SPF, so there’s no need to worry about white casts or flashbacks.
Editor testing and review notes: “I recommend this formula for travel because it covers several bases in my beauty routine: Moisturizer, sunscreen, and complexion coverage. It’s definitely best for those with dry skin or combination skin in the colder months, as the cream texture is fairly thick, although it quickly absorbs like any other moisturizer. I also like that it comes in a soft tube, as I often drop products while glamming during chaotic mornings, and the pump deposits the perfect amount of product to cover my entire face.” — Cigliano
Longwear: 4.6/5 rating | Coverage: 4.8/5 rating | Formula: 4.9/5 rating | Finish: 4.7/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $47
Polite Society More Than a Pretty Face Skin-Caring Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.9/5 rating
Shade range: 30 shades available
Texture: Liquid
Finish: Natural
Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, willow bark
Polite Society is one of the best breakout beauty brands that offer clean formulations without sacrificing transformative performance (and it’s only available at Ulta!). The More Than a Pretty Face Skin-Caring Foundation provides completely customizable coverage: One pump gets you a sheer, skin-like base; two pumps achieve full to medium coverage; and three pumps will conceal blemishes, dark spots, and all kinds of skin concerns with ease.
The vegan formula is also cruelty-free, oxidation-proof, non-comedogenic, and is the best Ulta Beauty foundation for acne-prone skin and sensitive skin we tested. Plus, it comes in recycled packaging — this guilt-free beauty buy earns serious kudos.
Editor testing and review notes: “Knowing that this brand comes from the minds behind Too Faced, I had high expectations when I tested it out. This foundation surpassed those with its incredibly creamy, totally-customizable formula. It’s become one of my favorite foundations to travel with due to its range; during the day I’ll dab on one pump for a skin tint finish, and at night, I’ll build it up for a fuller coverage look. I haven’t experienced any breakouts or irritation from it — just flawlessly smooth, hydrated skin.” — Sullivan
Longwear: 4.7/5 rating | Coverage: 5/5 rating | Formula: 4.7/5 rating | Finish: 5/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $42
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.8/5 rating
Shade range: 52 shades available
Texture: Powder
Finish: Matte
The Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation is a legendary formula made by an icon (Rihanna, of course). It was the first foundation on the market to come in 40 shade options and has since expanded with 12 additional tones to find your truest color match. This matte foundation from Ulta is comfortable for all skin types — but we rate it the best full-coverage foundation for oily skin, due to its adaptive technology that controls oil, sweat, and shine. Plus, it visibly blurs pores, fine lines, and skin texture as it sets to a plush, velvety finish.
Editor testing and review notes: “As someone with dry skin, I’m always hesitant to try out matte products, but this Ulta Fenty foundation had such high reviews, I had to give it a try. Upon testing, I applied a small drop to the palm of my hands to see how my skin would react and noticed that it was drying quickly. So, I mixed it with the Rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid for an added dose of hydration and it applied beautifully on my skin. It didn’t cling on to any dry patches and was seamlessly buildable with every next layer. For that reason, I like that this foundation allows me a lot of coverage control, whether I want light, medium, or full coverage. However, since it’s not ideal to have to blend your foundation with another product to make it work for your skin, I would recommend this one for oily skin girls.” — Sullivan
Longwear: 4.8/5 rating | Coverage: 4.8/5 rating | Formula: 5/5 rating | Finish: 4.8/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $40
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.8/5 rating
Shade range: 40 shades available
Texture: Liquid
Finish: Matte
Key ingredients: Replexium, MossCelTec, AirCool
If we were to select one chameleon foundation at Ulta for every skin type, it’d be the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation. Its hydrating skin care ingredients and true matte finish allow it to control shine without overdrying the skin, and it also provides a cooling effect upon application — perfect for tired skin in the early mornings. You’ll get full coverage out of this formula, though it can be sheered out with a makeup-friendly sunscreen or skin tint for more casual wear. It’s one of the brand’s most popular TikTok beauty products and a personal favorite among several WWD Shop editors too.
Editor testing and review notes: “‘Airbrush,’ ‘Flawless,’ and ‘Longwear’ are apt words to describe this worth-the-hype formula. After one year of testing, I am never not impressed by how far one pump goes across the entire face, and how quick and smoothly the product blends. While the foundation does set to a matte finish, I don’t find it drying on my combination skin, and I can still see my natural radiance shining through. It’s lightweight for daytime glam and photogenic for special occasions. Plus, one bottle will last you many months of use.” — Cigliano
Longwear: 4.9/5 rating | Coverage: 5/5 rating | Formula: 4.8/5 rating | Finish: 4.8/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $49
Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Hydrating Foundation
Editor testing review rating: 4.7/5 rating
Shade range: 42 shades available
Texture: Liquid
Finish: Dewy
Key ingredients: Hydrafresh Complex, hyaluronic acid, coconut water
Ulta is one of the few beauty retailers that offers the full range of Colourpop. The brand is best known for color cosmetics, like vibrant eyeshadow palettes and creamy lipsticks, but the Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Hydrating Foundation is easily Colourpop’s bestselling complexion product. It’s a tall glass of water for the skin, with hyaluronic acid, coconut water, and the brand’s Hydrafresh Complex that smooths lines and enhances natural radiance with fruit extracts.
This dewy foundation from Ulta has a fresh-face finish, though our testers reported that it didn’t leave their skin looking greasy by the end of the day. Although it’s an online-exclusive formula, there are still plenty of options for matching your undertone from home (and if you need more help, click on the “Find your shade” link under the color options).
Editor testing and review notes: “Colourpop’s Pretty Fresh foundation is a true serum formula — it feels incredibly hydrating and refreshing on the skin. It has a wet, thin texture that doesn’t look streaky with a foundation brush or sponge, and I find it pairs well with my rotation of makeup primers. It’s lightweight on the skin and is definitely buildable, so you can layer it in problem areas without the risk of cake-face. The brand was smart to add a pump to its packaging, considering the foundation has a runny consistency.” — Cigliano
Longwear: 4.3/5 rating | Coverage: 4.6/5 rating | Formula: 5/5 rating | Finish: 4.8/5
Price upon publish date of this article: $16
The Benefits of Shopping Foundations at Ulta
Ulta knows how to pamper beauty lovers. The retailer always offers opportunities for shoppers to make the most of their beauty haul, but with so many limited-time deals and perks, it can be overwhelming to know where and when to look. Below, we outlined the quickest ways to access all the benefits of shopping at Ulta:
- Ulta 21 Days of Beauty: Typically happening in March and August, Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty showers shoppers with three weeks of irresistible daily deals. It’s one of the only times of year the retailer slashes prices on bestsellers and new releases across makeup, hair, and skin care galore. Each day of the shopping event, you can snag limited-time deals on Ulta’s wide selection of brands from drugstore to prestige, including hair styling tools, makeup brush sets, anti-aging serums, and so much more. Last March, we saw prices drop as low as 50 percent off, and Ultamate Rewards members earned bonus points as they stocked their carts with epic beauty hauls.
- Ulta Black Friday Sale: Apart from the 21 Days of Beauty event, Black Friday is the best time to score rare deals on all kinds of beauty products. The shopping extravaganza typically kicks off with an entire week of sales of up to 50 percent off, including hundreds of coveted brands. At the 2023 Ulta Black Friday sale, we saw 30 percent off deals on foundations from Mac Cosmetics and It Cosmetics, and, since Ulta tends to up the ante year after year, we have our fingers crossed that there will be even steeper price drops in November 2024.
- Buy More, Save More Offers: Luckily, Ulta offers special shopping perks year-round. On Ulta’s Featured Deals page, you can take advantage of regular BOGO deals, digital coupons, and limited-time sales on bestselling products. There are even flash promotions like gifts with purchase, like curated mini bundles and viral TikTok beauty products.
- Ultamate Rewards: If you’re an avid beauty shopper, you don’t want to miss out on Ultamate Rewards perks. The membership allows you to earn points with every purchase, and those points can be redeemed on future beauty hauls — which means bonus savings. Plus, you’ll get access to member-exclusive discounts, score first dibs during sale events, and get a special beauty goodie on your birthday every year. It’s totally free to sign up here. And, if you spend a minimum of $500 to $1,200, you can qualify for the Platinum and Diamond membership tiers, which get you VIP perks like $25 off Ulta’s beauty services, a birthday coupon, free shipping over $25, and reward points that never expire.
How We Chose The Best Foundations at Ulta
To narrow down the best foundations at Ulta, WWD Shop editors went right to the source: our makeup bags. We referenced our extensive repertoire of foundation testing, including drugstore and prestige formulations, and cross-checked our personal favorites with the retailer’s bestselling foundations. We reapplied our holy grails, tested TikTok-viral and new releases, and compared formulas against each other to determine the cream of the crop, paying attention to each foundation’s comfortability, finish, coverage, and overall effects on the skin. We made sure to include a foundation or two for every skin type, including dry skin, combination skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin, and sensitive skin. Editors also sifted through customer reviews, TikTok testimonies, and even Reddit threads to ensure the formulas we selected are universally impressive.
How We Tested The Best Foundations at Ulta
For this shopping guide on the best foundations at Ulta, a panel of four WWD shop testers with various skin types evaluated 31 formulations at different price points. We wore each foundation from eight to 18 hours per day and tested our top picks over extensive duration periods from three weeks to three years. We took note of each product’s pros and cons, including key factors like skin-healthy ingredients, ease of application, reliable wear time, formula packaging, and overall comfortability atop the skin. We also paid attention to wide shade ranges that appeal to various undertones, along with special foundation claims like serum or skin care hybrid formulations. Any formulation that didn’t align with our high standards was removed from our top list.
Before you go, check out our list of the best foundations:
Meet the Testers
Our Ulta foundation test panel includes a total of four WWD Shop editors and product testers with different skin types. Our foundation testers include Olivia Cigliano, the Commerce Writer & Producer at Footwear News and WWD and the author of this story, who regularly reviews foundations at WWD, as well as Claire Sullivan, the Senior Beauty and Lifestyle Commerce Editor for WWD and Footwear News, along with two additional testers. We included a variety of foundation options that appeal to different skin sensitivities, coverage needs, and finish preferences in order to share honest recommendations that you’ll love in your makeup routine.
Why Trust WWD
Since 1910, WWD — often referred to as “the fashion bible” — has been the leading industry voice of authority for senior executives in the global women’s and men’s fashion, retail and beauty communities, while also informing the consumer media that cover the market. Today, WWD’s breaking news and trend coverage continues to be a trustworthy resource for both fashion insiders and consumers alike. Our shopping editors continue to uphold WWD’s editorial standards and values with quality, expert-backed product selections. Learn more about us here.
Meet the Author
Olivia Cigliano is a Commerce Writer & Producer at Footwear News and WWD where she writes shopping content across fashion, beauty, footwear, TikTok style trends, and more. Cigliano received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Emerson College, and her byline can be found in publications including Elite Daily and CR Fashion Book. She is currently based in New York City. She regularly reviews the best foundations from beauty destinations like Ulta and Target.
