Welcome to Internet Famous, a monthly series in which we ask our Instagram followers to vote on a viral beauty product that’s taken social media by storm. Then the beauty team will take the winning pick for a spin and share their reviews—pictures included.
It’s rare that all nine of our WWW beauty editors are on the same page with one particular type of makeup, but we can all agree that foundation is just not our thing. At least not for every day. We live for the skin tints, full-coverage concealers, and CC creams, but foundations don’t typically fit into our everyday beauty routines. This doesn’t stop us from trying all of the latest and greatest foundations on the market. (Bonus points if it goes viral.) Despite not being the biggest fans, we know exactly what to look for in a good foundation. Does it crease after a few hours? Is it buildable? Does it pair well with our go-to concealer? Does it suddenly look like there’s a filter on our selfies? The questions are endless and our standards are high, so we tested Glossier’s Stretch Fluid Foundation ($34), which is the brand’s first-ever foundation.
I’ve been a fan of Glossier since my first time visiting the NYC flagship store in 2018. I opened a pink bubble wrap cosmetic case filled with Boy Brow and Cloud Paint and considered those my go-to products for years. Fast-forward five years and now it’s expanded to foundation with buildable coverage and Gen Z’s favorite fragrance. Like all of Glossier’s other best-selling products, the Stretch Fluid Foundation leaves you with a natural finish and offers light to medium coverage. Think your skin but better. It comes in 32 shades and has a gel-cream formula that glides on the skin with ease and melts right in. Unlike most foundations out there, this one is 89% skincare-based, and you can see that so clearly in the healthy glow you get upon application. Eight of my fellow editors tested this viral product, and let’s just say we all had quite a bit of tea to spill. If you want to hear our honest first impressions, just keep scrolling.
“I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again—I am *not* a foundation girlie. However, there are times when I want slightly fuller coverage and complete redness control that my daily tinted moisturizer doesn’t offer. This Glossier foundation is so lightweight and truly does have a skin-like finish once applied. I honestly didn’t even feel the need to apply powder afterward since it melted so beautifully into my skin. I went to take a selfie to showcase the final result and thought a retouch filter was on. I looked airbrushed in the best way!” — Emma Hughes, social media editor
“I’ve yet to try Glossier’s Stretch Concealer, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from its medium-coverage foundation counterpart. For the past couple of years, I’ve noticed my skin responds best to formulas that provide hours of hydration for my ultra-dry skin and address my pesky hyperpigmentation. Upon application, I really loved how the product felt on my skin. The color match was on point and blended well with my chosen concealer. While I love the radiant and skin-like finished look of the foundation, I did notice some slight settling into fine lines (particularly around the nose and mouth). Overall, I think it’s a great place to start for anyone looking for a ‘your skin but better’ foundation.” — Maya Thomas, assistant beauty editor
“As a freckle face, I’ve always hated foundation. I also have loved Glossier’s Stretch concealer for years—I’ve been using it since I was in my early 20s. It’s perfect for me because it sinks into my skin and has a dewy finish, so it never even looks like I’m wearing concealer. Needless to say, I had high hopes for the Stretch foundation. As a staunch anti-foundation girl, I’m impressed. It does require a bit more blending in than I expected, especially for a more breathable formula, but once it’s blended in, it’s virtually undetectable and covers redness and imperfections without turning my face into a freckle-free mask. I think it does such a good job of evening out my skin and keeping it glowy. Also, I had the added benefit of getting shade-matched by Hailey Bieber’s makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes—so I may have had an unfair advantage from the jump.” — Katie Berohn, beauty editor
“Foundation is incredibly tricky because there are so many random factors that can totally derail your end result. (Skin prep or lack thereof, using a silicone-based primer with a water- or oil-based foundation… The list goes on.) So whenever I’m trying out a new formula, I do my best to pair it with other skincare and complexion products from the same brand. This way, there’s a better guarantee that everything will blend and melt together cohesively. (For instance, I prepped my skin with Glossier’s After Baume and also used the Stretch Concealer and Cloud Paint Blush.) All in all, I would say I liked but didn’t LOVE this foundation. I found it more difficult to blend and work into my skin than some of my other favorites. Although, I had better luck once I ditched the brush and just used my fingers. That said, once it is blended, the gel-based formula really does become one with your skin, and it looks pretty undetectable while still feeling lightweight and comfortable. I will also say that I didn’t notice any creasing in my smile lines and in the under-eye area, which is more than I can say for most complexion products I test!” — Erin Jahns, beauty director
While I’m not vehemently against foundation, I’ve ignored expert advice from my favorite makeup artists and gotten into the habit of using concealer as my base. (I’m sorry, but it works.) When I heard Glossier finally launched a foundation, I was keen to try it because I know that the brand’s products specialize in enhancing your natural beauty as opposed to covering or transforming it. This foundation was super lightweight and buildable. I even intentionally started out with two pumps despite seeing the recommendation for one pump because I really wanted it to cover up my hyperpigmentation and an unevenness on my cheeks. In this regard, it did exactly what I needed it to. I loved how it looked immediately after application, but I felt that it lost its blurring effect over time. It won’t sit in the back of my beauty drawer, though. I’ll be pulling this one out on my no-makeup makeup days when I want to look alive but don’t have the time for a full beat. — Aniyah Morinia, editor
“First, I’ll start with what I really liked about this foundation. It’s really breathable and lightweight so you don’t even feel like you’re wearing anything at all. Second, it isn’t heavy or comedogenic and is silicone-free, making it safe for my sensitive, acne-prone skin. I actually thought it left a really nice, almost-dewy finish on the skin. What I didn’t like, however, was that it didn’t blend as easily as I would have liked, and it required some building if you’re looking for something a bit more full coverage. Overall, though, I really like this foundation and will definitely bust it out on days I want something a bit more breathable for my skin. It really does just feel like a second skin and melts right in. If you’re also like me and have texture or acne scars, I think it does a good job of blurring those out which is a huge plus for me.” — Shawna Hudson, associate beauty editor
“The Stretch concealer is iconic, so I was overcome with joy when I got my hands on the foundation version. Given Glossier’s skin-first philosophy, it obviously has tons of skin-loving ingredients like squalane, glycerin, and peptides. It gave me natural-looking coverage that blended so seamlessly into my skin. I have some redness and dry patches at the moment, and it made them virtually disappear. This is easily one of the best foundations you’ll find that offers a moisturizing formula, medium coverage, and still has that ‘my skin but better’ finish.” — Emma Walsh, associate beauty editor
“Everyone who knows me knows that I’m not a foundation person. I’m extremely picky when it comes to my face products, so I was going into this trial with zero expectations. I really love how lightweight the formula is and how it essentially melts into skin. I was impressed by the results immediately after application, but by the end of the day, I had a lot of product buildup, and my skin felt very dry. Maybe I didn’t prep my skin enough or maybe it just doesn’t work well for me. Either way, I’m down to give it another try because there are so many other positive reviews I have FOMO.” — Caitie Schlisserman, beauty director, branded content
“I’ve been a fan of Glossier’s Stretch Concealer for years, so I was fully prepared to love the brand’s foundation… and I do. It offers medium yet buildable coverage that’s flexible. Translation: It doesn’t settle into the fine lines around my eyes and nose. The shade I wore was definitely a little light for my skin tone, but all in all, I love the radiant and smooth effect of this foundation.” — Kaitlyn McLintock, associate beauty editor
