FENTY BEAUTY Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation -290

Why it's worth it

Fenty's soft matte formula gives you buildable medium-to-full coverage in 50 shades, with warm, cool and neutral options at every depth. It's oil-free and built to resist sweat and humidity, which makes it the safest bet for most people in most weather.

Fenty's shade range is still the benchmark other brands get measured against. Fifty shades sounds like marketing until you look at the deep end, where there are genuinely warm, neutral and cool options instead of one token dark brown. In a Refinery29 panel of deep-skin-tone testers, more than 70% named this foundation an exact match — a number most other prestige brands didn't come close to.

The formula is oil-free and made to hold up in heat and humidity, and that's where it separates from prettier foundations. If you live somewhere sticky, or you're standing outside at a summer wedding, this is the one that's least likely to slide. Fenty also formulates it not to clog pores, which matters if you're covering acne rather than just wearing makeup over it.

From our review of 8 full-coverage foundations, by Sarah Wright, Editorial Associate

What we like

• +Fenty's shade range is still the benchmark other brands get measured against
• +The formula is oil-free and made to hold up in heat and humidity, and that's where it separates from prettier foundations
• +Coverage builds, so you decide how much you want
• +Its arrival reset expectations for the whole category

What to know

• –Soft matte is still matte
• –The shade names are numbers, and the numbers aren't intuitive