Clinique Just Launched The Perfect "Your Skin But Better" Foundation

I’m forever feeling like Goldilocks when it comes to my makeup coverage. The perfect base product has to hide redness and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, but still show my freckles. It has to make my complexion look flawless yet natural. The formula should be lightweight but contain skin-nourishing ingredients (if those ingredients include SPF filters, even better). It should also be easy to apply and last all day without melting off my face. I mean, is that too much to ask?

After testing contenders in this category for about a decade, I’ve learned that serum-like foundations tend to be my best bet. But only a select few truly check all the boxes. The latest to make the cut? Clinique’s Even Better Clinical Vitamin Makeup SPF 45.

Dubbed a vitamin-powered foundation, this baby is packed with skin-boosting actives that are meant to improve your complexion with regular wear (yes, a makeup product is claiming this). Despite its skin-forward formula, however, it gives me the radiant glow of my beauty editor dreams. Read on for everything to know about Clinique’s latest launch, which has quickly earned a top spot in my makeup bag.

Fast Facts

• Price: $48
• Best for: Natural-looking coverage for all skin types
• Your rating: 4.8/5
• What we like: It’s lightweight and gives you a gorgeous radiant finish, plus it has good-for-your-skin ingredients *and* sun protection

The Clinical Vitamin Makeup SPF 45

Clinique’s vast Even Better line features multitasking makeup products that work to improve your skin over time thanks to their nourishing formulas. And the Even Better Clinical Vitamin Makeup SPF 45 is no different: This one in particular aims to brighten, energize, and protect your complexion.

How, exactly? It contains a significant amount of vitamin B3, aka niacinamide — the beloved ingredient known for regulating the skin’s oil production while brightening and boosting hydration. Besides that, it features five forms of vitamin C to amp up its complexion-brightening prowess, hyaluronic acid to plump and infuse the skin with hydration, vitamin E to protect the skin from environmental aggressors, and acetyl glucosamine, an amino acid that promotes cell turnover for a more even radiance. Oh, and it offers SPF 45 sun protection via chemical filters.

Though it sounds like I’m describing a skin serum, this is a foundation I’m talking about. It offers light, oil-free coverage that’s buildable, and comes in 28 flexible shades — meaning they adapt across multiple skin tones for a natural-looking finish. As a bonus, it’s sweat- and humidity-resistant, which is key for a product that offers sun protection.

The Review

Foundations in this category really run the gamut. Having SPF in the formula throws a wrench into the whole natural-looking finish deal — I’ve found that they can be totally sheer, offering little to no actual coverage, or extra goopy and impossible to blend. This one has a nice, creamy formula that completely melts into the skin upon application. At first, I was afraid the shade I picked would be too light, but after a few seconds it magically adjusted to my skin tone. (The “flexible shades” description is accurate.)

It’s also so lightweight, it felt like I had nothing on my face except for a hydrating serum — my skin felt like it just gulped down a Liquid I.V. And yet my complexion looked instantly better: It had a gorgeous dewy glow, all traces of redness were gone, and my skin appeared more even overall. Since the formula is buildable — and my post-acne marks are still fading — I swiped on a little more on top of my first layer for extra coverage, but it still felt super light.

Once I had my base, I was shocked: I could still see my freckles, yet the imperfections I wanted to cover had disappeared. The foundation truly gave me that “your-skin-but-better” finish, which is the ultimate win for a coverage product, IMO — hence why I’ve been wearing it practically every day for over two weeks now.

The Verdict

Clinique has truly nailed it with this foundation. If you like products that work double-duty, this is the ultimate coverage essential — it’s got an impressive roster of complexion-boosting ingredients, great sun protection (SPF 45, TYVM), and feels like skin care, all while making you look even more gorgeous. In other words: It’s a must-buy.