13 Stick Foundations for Every Skin Type and Makeup Aesthetic

Best Overall

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation

4.7

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Who else recommends it? Glamour and Allure both picked Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation.

A creamy formula that glides on like a second skin and imparts a gorgeous natural finish? Check and check. This Make Up For Ever product is all your foundation dreams realized. Designed for all skin types, the full-coverage formula helps conceal everything from redness and blemishes to scarring and dark circles. But the best part is that, although it does some heavy-duty masking, the finish doesn’t look cakey.

Price at time of publish: $43

Coverage: Medium to full | Shade Range: 18 | Finish: Natural satin | Size: 0.44 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Budget

Wet n Wild PhotoFocus Stick Foundation

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We love a makeup cheap thrill, and this budget buy from Wet n Wild is one of the best. It offers full coverage and a flawless finish but in a way that’s not too thick or mask-like. Infused with argan and sunflower seed oils, the product feels hydrating on the skin but still dries down to a soft, matte finish.

Price at time of publish: $6.49

Coverage: Medium to full | Shade Range: 21 | Finish: Semi-matte | Size: 0.42 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Splurge

Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick

4.3

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There’s just something about Tom Ford that makes our heart swoon, this buttery stick included. Creamy and malleable, it’s easy to tailor this product to your desired coverage. Spot-apply it and blend with a damp sponge for a sheer look, or swipe and buff in for a full face. The finish is a natural matte as well, so it won’t settle into wrinkles or fine lines.

Price at time of publish: $89

Coverage: Medium to full | Shade Range: 37 | Finish: Soft matte | Size: 0.5 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Shade Range

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick

4

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With 43 shades in the lineup, this option earns a gold star from us in terms of inclusivity. But the real kicker is the texture. It’s not thick like other stick formulations. Instead, it glides on easily and almost melts, resulting in a complexion that looks luminous. Drier skin types will appreciate the inclusion of emollients like olive extract and shea butter as well.

Price at time of publish: $52

Coverage: Medium to full | Shade Range: 43 | Finish: Natural | Size: 0.31 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Long-Wearing

Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick

4.8

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Byrdie’s resident foundation expert Holly Rhue loves this Hourglass offering for a multitude of reasons. First, it’s waterproof and long-wearing, meaning it can withstand whatever your day wants to throw at you. While it’s heavy in pigment (three times the amount found in regular foundation), the warmth of your skin will ensure it blends like a dream. Expensive, yes, but it's worth it—trust.

Price at time of publish: $48

Coverage: Full | Shade Range: 32 | Finish: Natural | Size: 0.25 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best Applicator

Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Skin Finish Buildable Foundation Stick

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Want super fresh skin on the go? Makeup guru Huda Kattan’s FauxFilter stick is seriously amazing stuff. The tapered, triangular tip makes it easy to spot apply in tricky areas, while the creamy finish makes blending a cinch (even fingers will work). It does give skin a filtered look, but in a natural, believable way. Call it magic or just really good makeup, but take our money regardless.

Price at time of publish: $39

Coverage: Medium to full | Shade Range: 39 | Finish: Natural | Size: 0.44 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Contouring

Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick

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Trust RiRi to create a stick foundation that delivers both coverage and killer cheekbones all in one swipe. The texture is lightweight but super matte, so carving out facial contours is surprisingly easy—all you need is a damp sponge and a little patience. If you’re new to the game, we suggest tracing the product along the underside of your cheekbones, across the top of the forehead (almost in the hairline), and along the jaw. Blend until it’s undetectable and marvel at your bone structure. Rihanna, we owe you one.

Price at time of publish: $28

Coverage: Medium | Shade Range: 8 | Finish: Matte | Size: 0.25 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Fair to Medium Skin

Nudestix Nudies Tinted Blur Stick

4.6

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This innovative launch is like a tinted moisturizer in stick form and we’re here for it. Unlike more pigment-heavy options, this goes on quite sheer, blurring the look of pores, blemishes, and uneven skin tone. If you’re someone who prefers CC creams and barely-there coverage, you’ll love this. The line contains a great mix of warm- and cool-toned shades for lighter skin hues, too.

Price at time publish: $32

Coverage: Sheer | Shade Range: 10 | Finish: Natural matte | Size: 0.216 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Dark Skin

BLK/OPL True Color Skin Perfecting Stick Foundation SPF 15

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BLK/OPL is a cosmetic line formulated specifically for deeper skin tones, so the shade offering here is very impressive. The coverage is second to none, so it works well on hard-to-conceal conditions.

Price at time of publish: $11.95 for toasted chestnut

Coverage: Full | Shade Range: 24 | Finish: Velvet matte | Size: 0.5 ounce | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No

Best for Oily Skin

Milk Makeup Flex Foundation Stick

4.9

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Occasionally, oily skin and matte finishes don’t mix—the oil just causes the product to settle or separate. Milk Makeup offers a solution with Flex, a workable but mattifying option that won’t crack or crease when midday shine appears. The secret ingredient is marshmallow root, an extract that gives the product bounce and freedom to move with your facial contours (rather than against them).

Price at time of publish: $36

Coverage: Medium | Shade Range: 36 | Finish: Natural | Size: 0.35 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best for Dry Skin

Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick

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If you typically don’t like stick foundations, this product will convert you (we promise). Not only is the texture light and blendable, but the stick itself is full of skin-loving ingredients like vegetable-derived squalane, camellia seed oil, and coconut. The texture is heavenly and working it into the skin hardly takes any effort. Best of all, it provides lasting hydration for dry skin types.

Price at time of publish: $68

Coverage: Medium | Shade Range: 21 | Finish: Natural and radiant | Size: 0.31 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes

Best Full-Coverage

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Long Wear Foundation

4.4

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Want bulletproof coverage that won’t budge? Lancôme has got you covered. This handy stick ticks all the boxes: It's full-coverage, long-wearing, transfer-proof, and buildable. There’s a lightweight SPF in there too, but we suggest layering over your regular sunscreen for adequate protection (can’t have too much of a good thing).

Coverage: Full | Shade Range: 22 | Finish: Natural matte | Size: 0.33 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes