My Top 3 Affordable Foundations

I don't know about you, but I alternate between 3 foundations based on the needs of my skin and the length of time I will be needing to wear it for without touch ups. These are the three I swap between and regularly repurchase.

Bourjois Healthy Mix. Foundation - No SPF £9.99 here 

This is recommended by Lisa Eldridge and is a great everyday foundation.  It gives medium coverage and a lovely glow.  I need to set this foundation on the t-zone though to avoid greasy looking skin within the hour, but this is not a deal breaker.  It has a pump (that can fail if the product isn't stored upright) It smells delicious and is smooth to apply, it stays liquid for a decent time giving you time to work it in. It apparently has no SPF so should not give you a greyish colour but the ingredients contain titanium dioxide which a common ingredient used to give sun protection.  This a great foundation for days when your skin feels dry and you want to look more radiant. On normal to dry skin (instead of my oily face) I imagine it is an amazing foundation apart from the lack of SPF. I looks incredibly natural. Note - it has changed it packaging recently.

Revlon Colorstay Oily/Combination foundation - SPF 6 - £12.49 here

I use this when my makeup has to stay all day , so lazy days or for "events". It dries quickly and so you have to work fast to blend this.  You need to do one area at a time so that the first blob hasn't dried before you have chance to blend.  It has a feeble SPF of 6 and no pump on the bottle but it is still a "must have" due to the fact I can go all day without a hint of oil. This foundation is great if you like the flawless look for your skin, I feel it can look a bit unnatural in it's perfection as it is full coverage, but sometimes it is nice to have a completely even base, particularly for statement make up. It doesn't feel heavy on at all and if I could only have one foundation this would be the one. It comes in a great range of colours and is good it toning down pinkish skin. It is also good at masking redness if blushing is a problem for you. I solve the pump problem by repurposing an old Lancome foundation bottle.

Rimmel Match Perfection - SPF 18 - £6.99 on offer here for £5
This is an easy to apply foundation with medium coverage and staying power it, stays longer than the Healthy Mix yet is more dewy than the Revlon, it is a good in-between and regularly can be picked up for just £6 a bottle. Other plus points are that it has an spf of 18 which is highly appreciated when on holiday and even better it has a pump, though I doubt whether anyone would need a whole pump to cover their face. I bought this as a cheapy foundation to cover me for the month or so in summer where my skin is most tanned, but it has ended up being a foundation i like to have on hand at all times. Again I would set this over the t-zone with powder is it has a "wet" finish.

Honourable Mention

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation SPF 15 - £8.99 here 
This is recommended by Tanya Burr and. I think it gives good coverage and a really natural looking finish.  the price is good and it smells lovely.  it has an SPF of 15 and a pump top.  The only issue i have is that the colour is slightly orange on, though this can be corrected with powder.  I wish this was stocked in a wider variety of shades as it is a good foundation.  It doesn't wear as well as the others, but can blended more easily, This is my least favourite of the 4 but I would still buy it if my usual colour was not available in the others as it does the job.

NB.  apply all my foundations with my finger tips, as i don't find that you can get such an even finish with a brush or sponge, they always seem to leave streaks.  I also prefer my fingers for hygiene reasons as i don't have to keep washing brushes, just my hands which I always do before applying my make up anyway. Another reason for using my hands is that brushes and sponges waste at least 50% of the product, so I have to re-buy more regularly and waste money.