For our latest Beauty Guru series, Geoffrey Rodriguez talks us through the best stick foundation products for maximum efficiency and beauty.

Nothing beats the ease or convenience of a stick foundation. An absolute must for all travel, the format allows for easy touch-ups and you never have to worry about bottles leaking in your bag. A good stick foundation can also be used as a concealer, so having multiple shades can be very practical. Try evening out your overall complexion with a shade that exactly matches your skin, while a slightly lighter shade can be used as an under-eye concealer and if your feeling adventurous, a slightly darker shade is ideal for an on-trend facial contouring effect. For the very best in stick foundations, the following suggestions will not disappoint.

Shu Uemura Nobara Cream Stick Foundation
Shu Uemura is a highly acclaimed artistry brand favored among professional make up artists for innovative products with the very finest textures and formulations. And now the company has recently launched the stick version of its cult classic Nobara Cream Foundation. As expected, the texture is truly amazing and yields the most realistic results. Available in 13 blendable, natural looking shades, this stick provides the richness and coverage of a concealer combined with the ease and spread-ability of the famous Nobara cream foundation.Bobbi Brown Essentials Foundation Stick
The selection of shades for this award-winning foundation stick is quite impressive—including 22 varieties in total. Bobbi Brown is a true pioneer and created one of the first retail cosmetics lines to incorporate yellow-based foundations that do in fact look far more natural. Brown’s range of rich, warm foundation shades are particularly complementary to ethnic complexions. From very sheer to full coverage, the texture is extremely easy to blend into a beautiful, natural finish.Chantecaille New Stick Foundation
Chantecaille’s New Stick Foundation lives up the brand’s reputation for sophisticated and luxurious products, and contains beneficial ingredients such as the botanical anti-oxidants like Gingko Biloba and Green Tea as well as Vitamins C and E. New Stick is also non-comedogenic and free of animal derivatives, lanolin and mineral oils. The creamy, hydrating texture —available in ten shades—is superb and wears extremely well throughout the day without any shiny build up.Make-Up For Ever Pan Stick Foundation
If maximum coverage is what you desire then look no further than Make-Up For Ever Pan Stick Foundation. This ultra-rich, creamy formula blends any imperfection to a perfect flawless finish. Available in ten shades, the Pan Stick is also ideal for dry and problematic skin.

Final Tips: Although a stick foundation texture should be easy to blend with your fingertips, nylon bristled foundation and concealer brushes are recommended for perfect application. Finishing with a soft sponge to remove any excess is also recommended, as is a finishing powder applied over the foundation. Always make sure that there is no dirt or debris left on the surface of your stick foundation, especially if you do use your fingers or apply the stick directly on your skin. A light scraping with the back of a butter-knife across the top of the stick works well for this. Lastly, it’s important to occasionally wipe off the lid and exterior of all your products with rubbing alcohol to remove any bacteria or unwanted germs.

—Geoffrey Rodriguez

Editor’s Note: Geoffrey Rodriguez is a celebrity make up artist and is not paid to endorse any of the aforementioned products. All products reviewed are done so objectively and are thoroughly tried and used by Rodriguez.