A full coverage foundation is the perfect makeup to cover up stubborn blemishes, scars, pigmentation as you head out to a party. That sounds like a really strong formula, yes, but don’t you worry. Today, modern makeup formulation is combined with skincare benefits and light-diffusing particles to help achieve a perfectly airbrushed finish without feeling too heavy or fake.
From Maybelline to Fenty Beauty, here are the best full coverage foundations you can add into your makeup bag.
Is a Full Coverage Foundation Bad?
Full-coverage foundations have gotten a bad rep for feeling too heavy, cakey, and more often than not, a little too much. However, when done right, your full-coverage foundation may just be the hardest working product in your makeup bag.
Here’s a tip from us: add a drop of foundation to your moisturizer or face cream and create a tinted moisturizer with a second-skin finish. Alternatively, you can also use your foundation as a high-coverage concealer to blur out any redness, dark spots, or blemishes and blending it out with a sponge to avoid any streaks.
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Let your skin glow from within with the perfect, flawless base from Charlotte Tilbury. The Magic Foundation combines phenomenal skin care benefits with an ultra-long-wear, buildable coverage that’ll help you achieve a natural flawless complexion.
This formula is infused with skin loving ingredients such as Hyaluronic Filling Spheres, Concentrated Mushroom extract, and Vitamin C. These ingredients work to hydrate and brighten your skin from free radicals caused by environment pollution. That mushroom extract seems questionable, but it offers great inflammatory protection for skin issues like eczema and rosacea.
Despite the full coverage, the Magic Foundation offers a weightless consistency that many have raved about. This foundation glides on smoothly to literally feel like a second skin. Many users also love that it works amazingly at concealing imperfections without creasing up or flaking.
If you suffer from blemishes, melasma, or rosacea, the Magic Foundation may just be the perfect choice to help you achieve perfect looking skin all day every day.
If you need a foundation that looks natural and does not budge no matter how hot it gets, then Maybelline’s SuperStay Full Coverage Foundation is the one for you. This highly pigmented formula has been voted the number one drugstore foundation, and we’re honestly not surprised at all.
Saturated with colour pigments and an ultra-transforming effect, Maybelline’s lightweight, yet high-impact coverage foundation delivers a flawless finish that does not fade or shift throughout the day. The best part about this buildable foundation, which many users have attested, is that it offers a dewy coverage without clinging or accentuating your dry patches.
Maybelline promises a 24-hour long wear. Though, the hours tend to vary from half a day to an actual 24 hours depending on your skin condition, according to fans of the product. But one thing that is true is that many have fallen in love with how long the foundation stays on without any signs of transfer issues.
What’s more, that price-tag makes it easily available for all to use. Overall, this is the one perfect buddy you can trust to last you through post-work drinks.
If you haven’t heard about Rihanna’s legendary Fenty Beauty foundation, then you’re definitely in for a treat! The Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation is well loved by many for its amazing ability to conceal blemishes without irritating the skin.
It may be know for its matte-finish, but everyone swears by its lightweight and buildable formula. This special formula incorporates climate-adaptive technology to resist sweat, humidity, and heat, making it the perfect must-have for Singapore’s all-year-long “summer” season.
With 50 different shades to choose from, you’re sure to be able to find one that captures your truest tones – not too light, and not too dark. That’s nice to hear for all Asian skin tones.
Although the Fenty Beauty foundation does not completely hide all dark spots, it’s nothing a little concealer cannot fix. All-in-all, we absolutely love how this airy texture goes on smoothly to deliver a natural matte finish without suffocating your skin.
Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup foundation’s wide range of shade is what caught our attention initially, but the foundation’s quality is what kept us interested. This full coverage foundation offers a buildable consistency to create perfect, porcelain-like skin without feeling cakey or dry.
We understand that the greatest fear for those suffering from oily skin, is having your makeup running down your face by lunch time. Fortunately, this makeup boasts a 24-hour wear to help you stay flawless from day to night.
It’s highly recommended by many to wear this foundation during hot, summer days. Many even lauded it for its ability to withstand hot, humid days - sounds like our Singapore weather.
Moreover, we also love that the foundation comes with an oil-free, non-acnegenic, and dermatologist-tested formula that helps to control oil all day without risking any unwanted breakouts. Tested by both combination and oily skin users, they commended that the foundation is so lightweight and comfortable to wear; you only need to apply it once and not think about it the whole day.
NYX Total Control Drop Foundation is the perfect multi-tasking base that gives you full control to achieve the coverage you want. With a watery texture, this unique foundation is buildable, and suits all skin types, working to beautifully cover any imperfections.
Whether you prefer a sheer wash of subtle colour or a full-on, flawless finish, this foundation comes with a dropper-tipped applicator for convenience. How it works is that it lets you control the amount that goes onto your skin, drop by drop. And to build on coverage, it’s like the technique of applying dry paint on dry paint.
Some reviewers have found that buffing and blending with a foundation brush works to help achieve better results with minimal powdering required.
Although it is a full coverage foundation, some do think that it’s an above average medium-coverage foundation while some swears by its full-coverage. Nevertheless, we love that NYX’s Total Control Drop Foundation gently melts into skin to leave a matte finish which we think, resembles velvet.
To simply put it, it won’t feel too heavy or cakey, and will work on both oily or dry skin users. All in all, the lightweight formula is perfect for those days when you prefer a natural makeup look.
Sure, it might mean curbing your daily Starbucks habit for a bit, but trust us, Chantecaille Future Skin Oil-Free Foundation is worth the splurge. This water-based gel foundation provides a full, lightweight coverage that diminishes appearance of blemishes and uneven skin tone to reveal a perfect complexion.
Infused with Aloe Lead and Camellia Sinensis extract, these ingredients blesses Chantecaille’s luxurious foundation to moisturize and soothe away any irritation and inflammation. Furthermore, those skin-loving ingredients even work to boost skin immunity and offer protection against environmental oxidation for a more radiant and younger-looking skin.
Now, to explain that high price tag: a little bit of this foundation certainly goes a very, very long way. As suggested by many, all you need is a little of this whipped goodness to help you conceal imperfections without making your skin feel congested. Moreover, the gel-like formulation is super easy to blend and will not budge.
Got oily, sensitive skin? Then Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation is the one you need. The greatest thing about this full coverage foundation is that it relies on natural ingredients and avoids harmful irritants to remain gentle on your skin.
Formulated with Amazonian Clay and Vitamin E, this Tarte foundation offers antioxidant protection plus mineral pigments to give long-wear coverage. Therefore, it shouldn’t cause your sensitive skin to freak out. Also, it protects the skin against UV rays with an additional SPF 15 in its formula.
Additionally, the use of Amazonian Clay helps the formula to adhere well to the skin. Netizens are reportedly happy that it stays on the whole day.
One unique feature that most users (and us) love about this amazing foundation is its texture. The foundation has a mousse-like texture that does not dry out too quickly, letting you take your time to achieve that seamless blend. Our recommendation is to apply this foundation with a brush, specifically, a buffing brush, in order to create a flawless, airbrushed look.
Now, powder foundations give the best portable package for on-the-go makeup. But many aren’t as strong as their thicker, liquid-y counterparts. Well, this one does, and very well too.
Kat Von D’s new Lock-It Powder Foundation quickly earns a spot on our list of best full-coverage foundation thanks to its long-lasting wear. This powder foundation is incredibly buildable, offering anywhere from barely-there to full on coverage.
Made with talc and kaolin clay, the Lock-It Powder Foundation features a silky, finely-milled, and very pigmented formulation. But don’t be surprise to find a coverage that’s more opaque than the other liquid foundations you’ve tried.
Remember, clay itself is a very opaque and adhering ingredient, which is why this powder foundation works so well. Moreover, Kaolin clay does not dry the skin, but gives it a soft touch.
One thing we absolutely love is how this powder instantly blurs out any signs of imperfections to leave skin feeling smooth and flawless. Kat Von D’s sweat-proof foundation even stays in place the whole day to leave behind a matte, polished look that doesn’t crease.