Radiant or matte, light touch-up or airbrushed, flushed or bronzed, base products are wonderful and versatile things. You can find options for every level of coverage—concealing breakouts or adding glow with a touch of tint—and you can choose to never leave the house with undereye circles again. You can play with color in a way that’s flattering and creates a vibe: romantic blush, beachy bronze, polished contour. With the right products, the world is your oyster. Well, really, the luminous, iridescent interior of the oyster shell.
The thing we love most about base is how much you can accomplish with a few great tubes, compacts, and palettes, from the practical (a couple of dots of concealer) to the full-on, clock-rewinding, smooth and dewy, full-face beat. First, though, you do have to find products that don’t require a master’s degree in art to apply.
The 26 winners of our Allure Best of Beauty Base take the guesswork—and streaks and splotchiness—out of the business of putting on base, and reward you with glowing skin or shine-free T-zones, a healthy blush, or a sexy bronze. These formulas are 007-level masters of disguise when you need them to be, and they blend and buff and brush on with ease, so the next time you wake up with a pimple, you might almost be excited to show them who’s boss.
Best of Beauty Awards 2026: Base
Shop your favorite category or keep scrolling for the year’s best blushes, bronzers, and concealers.
See our winners:
Best Primers
Best Hydrating Primer: Kylie Cosmetics Supple Glaze Hydrating Primer
Best Hydrating Primer
Kylie Cosmetics Supple Glaze Hydrating Primer
Why It Won: As light as a serum and every bit as moisturizing, Kylie Cosmetics Supple Glaze Hydrating Primer makes complexions look so dewy and smooth all on its own that it’s almost a shame to cover it up with makeup—and it accomplishes all that radiance without any shimmer or primer-y feel. We don’t need to be rushed in the morning to want to wear this solo: A little bit of this light, moisturizing primer (with glycerin and panthenol) for more even and radiant skin, some mascara, and we’re good to go. And when we do apply makeup on top, it goes on more seamlessly, and we wind up needing to use less of it. Did we mention we love the way this makes our skin look?
