After the feedback on my budget foundations video, where many people expressed frustration at not being able to get a suitable – affordable – foundation match for their skintone, I decided to do a bit of research and see what was available on the high street.

Not a lot, as it turned out – many high street brands have a really very narrow selection of shades, meaning that anyone with a very fair or darker skin tone is simply not catered for. The standout brand was L’Oreal – True Match comes in a massive range of 23 shades and the foundation formula is light, fresh but offers great coverage.

Biting at L’Oreal’s heels, however, was Boots No7. They have seventeen shades in total, so far as I can tell, and a brilliant selection of different formulas – everything from a matte finish to a lighter-than-air soft focus sort of base. Though not all shades are available in all formulas, there’s something for just about everyone and No7 have a colour-matching service for those who aren’t confident picking the right shade.

The L’Oreal True Match (here) has a formula that’s almost as easy to blend in as Chanel’s Lumiere Velvet – it really is superb*. Perhaps the fact that you can get such a close match to your skintone makes it more foolproof, but the light texture must also help. Coverage is very good, if that’s what you need, but it’s also easy to sheer it out, especially if you apply with a damp makeup sponge…

I absolutely loved the No7 Essentially Natural foundation, too (find it here) – it is a brilliant dupe for the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, which has a poor shade choice. I’ll be reviewing it in more depth later on this week. Watch the video to see all of the foundations in action!

L’Oreal True Match Foundation, 23 shades, £9.99: http://tidd.ly/52b55758

Max Factor Facefinity, 9 shades, £12.99: http://tidd.ly/fa4dc1b1

Revlon Colorstay, 9 shades, £12.99: http://tidd.ly/2507d2c

Boots No7 Essentially Natural Foundation, 12 shades in this but up to 17 shades in other formulas, £9.95: http://tidd.ly/d396bf88

*in the interests of transparency, I’d like to disclaim that I have actually worked with L’Oreal on a True Match project, which will be out soon, but this inclusion is editorial and completely un-sponsored. It would have been sort of crazy to miss out the one product that has the most shades on offer!