I Tried The Most Expensive Foundation On Earth — & Kinda Wish I Hadn't

If a 27 ml jar of foundation gave you the skin texture of a 2-year-old and the kind of movie star glow usually reserved for Cate Blanchett, would it matter if it cost you as much as an Apple Watch? Um, unless you recently won the Powerball or landed a role on the Real Housewives of Orange County, most people would probably answer yes. That would have been my response, at least... until I tried Cle de Peau's new aptly named The Foundation.

You see, I wasn't genetically blessed with the soft, even, luminous complexion you see on red carpets. What I was blessed with? A job that allows me to try some of the best formulas on the market — for free. And in terms of foundation, Cle de Peau's is the Oscar winner of my cosmetics bag. The tinted cream is inspired by its best-selling La Crème, goes on like a dream, smells like a field of flowers, erases redness and blemishes — and, yeah, costs a cool $250.

Maybe great skin (even if it's the brightest, smoothest, most perfect baby angel skin) isn't worth falling behind on your rent. Maybe it is. Either way, we've rounded up a few exceptional — and yes, less expensive — new options worth trying as well. Everybody likes a back-up plan, right?