The Best Stick Foundations For The Perfect Base In 2024

How is it that every product on your makeup table runs out at the same time? As frustrating as that can be, the good news is refilling your collection gives you the chance to try something different. But with so many foundation formulas available, it can be hard to pick what’s going to work best for you. If multifunction is your vibe and you love easy application, you might want to give a foundation stick a try. 

Super portable and sleekly packaged, the best stick foundation can be used as a concealer, a highlight stick, a straight-forward foundation and more. Always convenient and easy-to-use, you can easily achieve the perfect base with the best full coverage stick foundation. 

Creating less mess than a liquid formula and a more even coverage than a cream, a cream stick foundation is perfect for those with normal and oily or combination skin types. Offering a flawless finish and long-lasting coverage, you can build up your look easily when you apply the best makeup stick foundation. 

What is the Best Full Coverage Stick Foundation?

The best full coverage stick foundation for oily skin will give you a dewy finish without leaving you looking shiny. Often made with a blend of mattifying ingredients, a foundation stick will help curb shiny, annoying oily patches. 

If you’re someone who is always on-the-go, you might want to cut down your getting ready time by choosing a nourishing stick foundation. Not sure which formula will work best? We've listed our favourite below to help you find the perfect stick foundation to help your skin look fresh and feel great. 

Life gets busy and when you’re running low on time, you want to reach for a faithful foundation product that won’t take ages to apply. The Napoleon foundation stick is a creamy, versatile formula that offers sheer or full coverage. Ideal for quick in the car touch ups or perfect for use on a plane, the featherweight formula isn’t messy or hard to apply. Great at concealing imperfections and working to blur blemishes, you can keep this handy tube in your bag and easily grab it when you need. 

The ideal foundation for travel, the Napoleon Perdis Foundation Stick is a compact formula that smoothes onto skin easily. Designed to even out the texture of your skin and minimise fine lines and wrinkles, this formula will keep you looking flawless, even when stress arises. The SPF15 keeps the skin protected and Beeswax and Aloe Vera lock in hydration. Vitamin C helps protect the skin and stimulates collagen.

Suitable for all skin types (even those with dry skin) you’ll enjoy choosing from the various shades on offer. Buildable and hydrating, this formula won’t stick to dry patches and blends into the skin easily. Designed to be super nourishing for skin that’s lost its lustre, you can keep this stick foundation in your pocket or purse and pull it out when you need a mid-afternoon touch-up. 

Blending with a slew of hydrating ingredients, this stick foundation won’t cause you to breakout. The Designer Brands Stick Foundation includes Vitamin A, E and Aloe Vera, which work together to keep the formula moisturising, so your skin feels the benefit. Perfect for all ages, simply swipe the stick over your face and blend from the middle out.

Available in a large variety of shades, the Kryolan stick foundation will leave your skin looking flawless and lust-worthy. The twist-up, easy-to-travel with stick packaging makes it super convenient, and you can easily apply on-the-go if you're in a time crunch. Apply for a natural satin finish that lasts all day and blend with a brush for a seamless finish. 

Pick from an assortment of Kryolan stick foundation shades to achieve a professional, flawless finish. Loved by experts around the world, the Kryolan TV Paintstick will cover any number of imperfections without it looking cakey or heavy. Blend around the jawline, hairline and temples to ensure a natural look and set with powder unless your skin is very dry. Suitable for all skin types including congested, oily skin, this stick foundation blends out beautifully, so you can walk with confidence.

Offering long wearing perfection. This unique cover stick allows you to build-up your look to the finish you love. The colour pay-off lasts all day and you can wear the cream to contour, highlight, cover or as a solid base for the rest of your makeup. Super lightweight and comfortable to wear, this formula has a cream to powder finish and blends beautifully into all skin types. Blending like a second-skin, you won’t feel uncomfortable wearing this formula. 

Suitable for dull and dehydrated skin that’s lost its glow, this cream to powder formula helps prevent shine and minimises the appearance of large pores. Designed to cover imperfections, the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Stick Foundation is transfer and smudge resistant, so you don't have to worry about it rubbing off on your clothes. Easy-to-use, blend out with your favourite brush or blender to perfect.

If you’re looking for a highly-pigmented foundation that’s comfortable to wear and invisible to the naked eye, you’ll love this creamy formula. Guaranteeing long-lasting coverage, you’ll feel good about your skin, no matter how long your day lasts when you wear this formula. With a skin-like texture and designed for professionals, the exclusive 4K Complex ensures the finish is both invisible to the naked eye and the camera. 

Easy to travel with, the MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Stick Foundation can be used as a concealer or a foundation. Loved by makeup professionals, it’s easy to keep in a travel kit and will pack away neatly for in-flight application. Offering  a skin-like texture and buildable coverage, you’ll love the way your complexion looks and feels when you apply this revolutionary formula.

If you’re looking for a flawless finish ahead of a long day, you might want to give this nourishing stick foundation a try. Offering a natural matte complexion. You can build the formula up from a medium to full coverage. Also the perfect formula to help cover spots and imperfection, pull this tube out of your bag when you need a quick touch-up post gym. 

The perfect foundation stick if you love a medium to full coverage, the Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Foundation Stick is available in an assortment of shades. Made to suit normal to oily skin types, the easy to blend foundation sits comfortably on the skin and doesn’t transfer as the day wears on. With a cream to powder finish, this dermatologically tested foundation is weightless on the skin and super comfortable to wear.

If you love cute packaging, you’ll love this happy formula from Benefit. The long-lasting stick foundation has a natural-matte finish and it’s so easy-to-apply and blend, you’ll enjoy the natural skin-like finish. Smoothing over imperfections and helping to wave goodbye to cakiness, this formula leaves skin feeling breathable and flawless. 

The Benefit Hello Happy Air Stick Foundation is a new stick foundation that is water-resistant, with a natural matte finish. Seamlessly applying to your skin, this formula is easy-to-apply and easy to blend out. With SPF20 PA++, your skin stays protected on days when you’re in the sunshine. Made with Shea Butter, Chamomile and other botanical extracts, this formula will always feel comfortable on your skin.

If practical, easy-to-use formulas always top your must-have list, you’ll love this Clinique chubby stick foundation. Offering full coverage with a light, easy-to-blend touch, your face won’t look clogged or feel uncomfortable when you apply this formula. Great for all ages and skin types to enjoy, the foundation won’t slide off your face if you struggle with shine. 

On the hunt for a new foundation? Why not try the much-loved Clinique Chubby in the Nude™ Foundation Stick available in an abundance of shades, you could pick-up a stick, which is a shade of two darker to chisel your cheeks and give you a contoured finish. To achieve a flawless base, apply your chosen shade across the cheeks, forehead, chin and down the bridge of your nose. Use your fingertips to blend for sheer coverage and buff using light circular motions for a more moderate coverage.

If you want radiant looking skin with coverage that lasts all day, this stick foundation formula could be a great thing to introduce into your collection. Perfect for when you want a comfortable, long-wearing foundation that lasts all day, this oil-free formula won’t oxidise on your skin or slide off of your complexion. Perfect for sheer to medium coverage, this innovative formula gives your skin the treatment it needs for a flawless finish. 

Combining liquid makeup with an all-in-one application, this Estée Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick Radiant Makeup formula applies beautifully to your skin. You’ll notice straightway when it needs replenishing because the stick will keep becoming smaller. The non-pore clogging formula will wear comfortably on the skin and you can blend it in easily with your fingers or a brush.

The Iconic London foundation stick is the ultimate multitasker for your face and body. The super blendable, creamy base lasts for ages on the skin and offers a good, pigmented finish. The semi-matte formula makes it easy to use as a contour stick or a highlighter. Simple pick the shade that will suit the task best and blend the creamy texture in for a flawless finish. 

An easy formula that’s super blendable, with 18 shades to choose from, you’ll match your skin perfectly when you use the ICONIC London Pigment Foundation Stick. Cruelty free and kind to skin, you can build-up coverage for your desired effect. Great for all skin types, this foundation is great for afternoon touch ups when you have a big night ahead of you. 

How to use foundation stick on face

If you’re a devoted liquid foundation girl or a cream formula expert, the thought of applying your foundation with a stick could feel a little daunting. Less messy than other formulas, and faster to apply than most, a first base foundation stick will give you a flawless finish in just a few quick strokes. 

Simply moisturise your skin and prep the skin with your favourite primer. Take your concealer and foundation stick and either draw lines around your face or dot the formula on. Using a face brush or blender, work the product into your skin from the middle of your face outwards for a stunning, even application. 

Though often thought of as uncomfortable and drying, a modern stick foundation works just as beautifully as a liquid formula. Though still not ideal for those with very dry skin, you can achieve a natural-look with a stick lightweight foundation. 

Are stick foundations good for oily skin?

A stick foundation is very good for oily skin because you can build the product up from a light to full coverage. A stick foundation for dry skin might cling to the dehydrated patches, which could make your makeup seem obvious and cakey. The solid style of a stick foundation makes it the perfect formula for perfecting oily skin. 

The creamy texture sinks into the skin easily and the light touch won’t clog pores or slip around your face half way through the day. Often rich in antioxidants and minerals that don’t feel uncomfortable on the skin, if you suffer with excess shine, a stick formula will give you a matte finish and a moisturised effect. 

How to fix a broken foundation stick  

Fixing a broken foundation stick can actually be a simple process. If you’ve snapped your stick in half and are currently sitting on your bedroom floor feeling sorry for yourself, don’t worry. Simply reattach the foundation into the base of the stick and run a lighter around the circumference to seal the two pieces back together. If you’re still worried about the foundation falling away, put it in the fridge overnight to set it. 

How to contour with stick foundation 

If you love multitasking with your products, contouring with your foundation stick might feel like a revelation. If you’re wondering how to use a stick foundation to contour, it’s easier than you think to create a sculpted look. Simple choose a stick foundation that’s a couple of shades darker than your face shade. 

Apply the stick to the hollows of your cheeks and paint on your stick of liquid foundation. Chisel your cheeks by blending the formula out with the best makeup brush for stick foundation. Use a stick that’s one or two shades lighter than your normal foundation to create a highlighted, sculpted finish on your cheek bones. Then blend, blend, blend it all out! Gorgeous. 

Are foundation sticks better than liquid 

When it comes to a stick foundation vs a liquid foundation, it comes down to personal preference and skin type. If you have dry skin, you might prefer a liquid formula with very moisturising properties. You shouldn’t completely count out a stick formula if you have dry skin though. The best stick foundation for dry skin will contain nourishing ingredients such as Shea Butter and Almond Seed OIl, which will help the formula smooth flawlessly onto your skin. 

Don't forget to choose the right foundation shade for you! Not sure what foundation shade you need? Be sure to check out Findation, a clever foundation shade matching tool.

This article has been updated on 15/02 to replace discontinued products with our recent product recommendations. Brooklyn from our Customer Service team has helped to bring you our most recommended products and up-to-date information.