The best foundations, as chosen by Sali
This is the fifth part of my series for Harvey Nichols, who?ve asked me to judge the very best in foundations sold in-store and online at harevynichols.com. After weeks of testing luxe bases for all skin types and ages, and across all formula categories, this is the last in my final selection of five phenomenal foundations. Next week I?ll announce my overall winner from all of the shortlisted products. Here?s the last pick in the running.
Hourglass Vanish Seamless Stick Foundation (shortlisted), £42

Stick foundation is, in my view, the easiest to get wrong. Get it right and it can be wonderful – melty, dewy, versatile, long lasting, convenient to carry and easy to apply. Mess it up and you have a dry, thick, unblendable and unnatural looking base. And so my first instinct when Hourglass launched Vanish Seamless Foundation last year was one of surprise. It?s rare that we see new stick bases at all, and even rarer to see them heralded as such an important launch for an established brand. It seemed high risk, but I was intrigued to see why Hourglass thought they had something so special on their hands. Their confidence and hype was, in my view, entirely founded. Vanish Seamless Stick Foundation is an absolute triumph and proof positive that there?s no more versatile a base than a solid stick. The extremely concentrated formula (packing in around twice the pigment of a traditional base) is sold as both a full coverage foundation a...