The Best High-End Foundations Of 2021

In makeup, foundation is, well, the foundation of the face — it's a pretty apt name, huh? — but not all foundations are created equally. They range in price drastically from über cheap to incredibly expensive, and their formulas are so different that it can take what feels like forever to find the best foundation match for your skin (nonetheless your skin tone).

Staying on the affordable side of the foundation realm is often better, but sometimes a high-end foundation releases and proves that it's worth the price, according to Well and Good. The makeup world then is simply a game of finding the best foundation and concealer brands in terms of price, color, and usability. From there, you can build any number of looks. The sky is truly the limit.

These days, as makeup products become increasingly accessible, a high-end foundation needs to have a flawless formula, a perfect applicability, and extra benefits, such as SPF, to make it worth the high price tag. The following are just a few high-end options that took off in popularity this year.

The first high-end foundation that created positive buzz this year comes from none other than Chanel. According to Byrdie, Chanel's Vitalumiére Aqua Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Sunscreen Makeup Broad Spectrum SPF Hybrid Fluid Foundation is one of the best high-end foundations when it comes to sheer coverage. This foundation won't completely block out your natural features, but it will round them out brilliantly to create a natural look. It retails for $50 at Nordstrom.

While Chanel's foundation is great for sheer coverage, a fuller coverage option comes from UOMA Beauty. UOMA Beauty isn't a completely high-end brand, but at Ulta, their Say What?! Foundation retails for $39, a steep price tag for something that you'll be using everyday. Still, Elle says it's worth the price. This foundation comes in 51 shades, so there's truly an option for everyone. Plus, in addition to being full coverage, it enhances one's natural beauty instead of covering it up. It sounds like a contradiction, but according to Elle, it's true!

Another full coverage, long-lasting recommendation comes from Vogue. To them, one of the best high-end foundations of the year is Estée Lauder's Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation. This foundation comes in many shades, and its formula was created to be durable so that it doesn't have to be touched up much. This foundation retails at Saks Fifth Avenue for $43, and when considering the price, remember that its formula is stronger and fuller coverage, meaning you'll potentially use less, making it last longer.

Sometimes people don't want to mess around with cream foundations and instead want to smear their makeup base on with a stick, and that's okay! In that case, Vogue recommends Westman Atelier's Vital Skin Foundation Stick. It's the most expensive foundation on this list — it rings in at $68 per stick at Goop — but it's known for how buildable its formula is. Moreover, it contains oils that supposedly create a shield around one's face to prevent the final makeup look from being smudged or otherwise ruined. Maybe it's worth it!

Finally, no year-end foundation list would be complete without Tarte's Face Tape Foundation (via Byrdie). This foundation has been widely buzzed about for a while in the beauty community because of Tarte's wildly successful line of Face Tape Concealers, and this foundation line seemingly didn't disappoint. One bottle of Face Tape Foundation retails for $39 at Ulta, but it's known to be comfortable and gentle as well as minimizing pores and offering a full coverage.

So, which high-end foundation would you consider giving a try?