It’s true: this celebrity beauty brand foundation is *that* good—it’s like a skin filter in a bottle

It’s safe to say that celebrity beauty brands are a divisive subject among experts and consumers alike. But Haus Labs by Lady Gaga is widely-regarded as one of the good ones. Easily one of the most popular buys is the Triclone Skin Tech Foundation, which was worn by Gaga herself in the music video for 'Abracadabra'. But perhaps more noteworthy is its fan-favourite status; on the brand’s own website it has close to 14,000 reviews with an average star rating of 4.7 out of 5. Pretty impressive.

As make-up categories go, the one for the best foundation is fairly subjective, not just because of individual finish preferences, but because your skin type plays a huge role—it’s rare for a formula to be one of the best foundations for oily skin and one of the best foundations for dry skin too.

I’d struggle to count the number of foundations I’ve tested over the years, but by now it must be in the hundreds. So it says a lot that I keep coming back to this Haus Labs number. Here’s how to tell if it’s right for you, too.

Haus Labs by Lady Gaga Triclone Skin Tech Foundation—reviewed by a beauty editor

Let’s first do a little overview. The Triclone Skin Tech Foundation comes in a weighty paddle-shaped, frosted glass bottle with a silver lid, embossed with the logo. There’s 51 shades on offer here, which span a really broad and inclusive range. The first time I tried it, 070 Fair Neutral was a bit too dark on my paler skin, but now that we’re heading into summer it’s a near-perfect match.

The brand also calls out several skincare ingredients included in the formula, from squalane to centella asiatica and a patent-pending fermented arnica complex to calm the skin. Because I haven’t worn it every day for an extended period of time (I test a lot of products for work so regularly switch makeup bases in and out), I can’t say whether or not all this does improve your skin condition with time, but it certainly sounds promising.

The coverage is definitely medium but has some buildability; you can stretch a little out for a minimalistic everyday make-up look, or dial it up for more of a base. If you pair it with one of the best concealers—which I did in the below shot to cover a particularly painful spot on my forehead—it’s plenty, and blends like an absolute dream, melding with your skin for this radiant, not overly glowy or shiny, finish. For an evening or more of a "done" make-up look, I'd probably do another light layer for more coverage, but this is how I'd wear it day to day.

As for how it wears, I have to shout out its longevity. Sure, it might not be the full coverage, long-wearing base you’d want as a wedding foundation, for example, but it plays brilliantly with my oilier complexion. If I put it on first thing in the morning, it hasn't migrated after a few hours of wear, and my skin still looks even and healthy by the afternoon. I’ve gone back to it time and time and time again when I want my skin to just look… “great”.

I do wish it weren’t so expensive. Price-wise it’s up there with some of the best luxury foundations, but if you like that mid coverage, buildable, slightly radiant-but-not-glowy base, it’s lovely (and, hey, thousands of shoppers are in agreement).