Best Full Coverage Foundation
Are you looking for the best full coverage foundation that offers full coverage foundation without feeling heavy?
With so many foundations on the market, it can be difficult to find one that won’t cake up or look unnatural. But don’t worry: we’ve done the hard work for you!
Here is an extensive list of our top picks for the best full-coverage foundations available today. We’ll discuss each product in detail, from its benefits and application tips, to how it looks and feels on your skin.
Whether you need extra coverage for special occasions or are just looking to upgrade your everyday makeup routine, these foundations have got you covered!
Skin Type
A major factor that is critical in foundations (especially when the product is fully covered) is skin type. People with dry skin will want a foundation with moisture enhancing ingredients rather than a product with a shine reduction function. It usually takes a little more work to reduce oil production in the skin, resulting in dry patches or a cakey appearance.
A person whose skin is extremely oily would like to opt for a shine-preventing or waterproofing formulation like the Fenty Pro Filtr Soft Matte Long Wear Liquid Foundation, which helps to prevent creases in makeup.
Best full coverage foundations
1. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation
Starting strong, one of the most popular foundations in the beauty industry right now is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation, which is a full-coverage foundation that doubles as a skincare hybrid for the perfect complexion.
The product uses three technologies formulated by the brand, which all work together to reduce the appearance of signs of aging, such as wrinkles, hydrate the skin, and all do so without feeling heavy.
This product not only leaves the skin looking flawless, but also leaves it feeling fresh and replenished. It’s the perfect start to your daily beauty routine.
2. Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation
Full-coverage foundations can often appear a little cakey and feel like they’ve been slathered onto your skin in thick layers, meaning you can feel the product sitting on your skin all day. However, with the Nars Radiant Longwear Foundation, unnatural, thick foundations are a thing of the past.
While the product does offer a full coverage finish, meaning it’ll camouflage blemishes and pigmentation on the face, it feels lightweight and won’t leave your skin looking or feeling unnatural.
The product, suitable for combination, dry and normal skin types, leaves the face with a naturally radiant finish, that appears natural and glowing.
3. MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation
If you’re looking for a makeup-artist-approved brand when it comes to your face, you can always rely on MAC to deliver high-quality, high-performing products.
This foundation in particular is the perfect example of their impressive formulas, and it’s easy to see why it’s loved by professional makeup artists, boasting an incredible 36-hour wear.
This is one of the best full coverage foundations out there, being waterproof, long-lasting, and covering blemishes all whilst offering a satin finish that won’t cake on your skin.
4. Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation
When it comes to foundations, Nars have one for everyone, and every occasion.
While their Radiant Foundation that we mentioned earlier is an amazing product, and offers a glowing, natural-looking finished that’s all the rage right now, it may not be for everyone. Luckily, their matte finish foundation is here to save the day.
If you prefer a more matte, yet still flawless and natural-looking foundation, look no further. This one, with its impressive shade range, lasts for up to 16 hours on the skin.
It’s the best foundation for oily skin, too, as well as acne prone skin and blemishes.
5. NYX Professional Makeup Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Full Coverage Matte Finish Foundation
While we often go for high-end products when we want to guarantee a long-lasting, seamless look, there are some great drugstore options, too.
For example, this full coverage foundation from NYX Cosmetics is one of the best full coverage foundations out there if you’re on the hunt for something with a matte finish.
This PETA-approved cruelty-free foundation works hard throughout the day to control your skin’s oil levels, maintaining a matte finish, without overly drying out your skin.
Alongside this, it also contains the key ingredient vitamin e, which helps to hydrate and brighten your skin, improving your natural complexion at the same time, too.
6. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation
One of the most significant and noticeable things about this foundation is it’s incredible shade range, boasting over 50 shades, so you can guarantee that you’ll find the perfect match for your skin, no matter its tone.
Aside from this, the product itself has been an industry favorite ever since it was released. It comes with a buildable coverage formula, allowing you to tailor the coverage to your own needs, making it a versatile product for daily use.
On days when you want a lighter finish, you can simply apply a lighter layer for a more even medium coverage formula, whilst you can also build the product up for more full coverage foundations on the days you want this, without having to buy two separate foundations.
Not to mention, it’s a completely vegan product.
7. Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear full-coverage Foundation
No one wants a foundation that’s going to worsen or exacerbate their natural complexion, and that can often be one of the most off-putting things about wearing makeup is a full coverage foundation. It’s not unusual for a full coverage product to make the skin oilier, or clog the pores.
For those with acne, or other skincare concerns, you may wish to conceal and camouflage blemishes on the skin using a full coverage product, but equally wish to avoid causing even more pimples. Lancôme teint Idole ultra It is one of the best full coverage foundations for sensitive skin.
Luckily, this foundation from Lancôme is an oil-free formula, so you don’t need to worry about it clogging your pores or exacerbating oily skin. Not to mention, you won’t be left with an oily, patchy appearance in areas such as your T-zone at the end of the day.
8. KVD Beauty Good Apple Skin-Perfecting Hydrating Foundation Balm
Previously known as Kat Von D, KVD Beauty have been a big name in the beauty industry for years, and they’re known for their high-pigment, reliable formulas.
The KVD Beauty Good Apple Skin-Perfecting Hydrating Foundation Balm has already become a popular pick for beauty lovers, and it comes in a slightly different format from what you may be used to.
Rather than being a liquid product, which you can pump or squeeze onto your face or hand, and blend from there, this balm product comes in a compact, and looks somewhat similar to a powder foundation.
For the best results, we recommend using a sponge to apply this, by taking the product onto the sponge directly from the compact, and pressing it into the skin to build up the coverage.
9. Maybelline New York Super Stay Full Coverage Liquid Foundation
Another drugstore top pick, this is the best full-coverage foundation comes from Maybelline’s Super Stay collection. They makeup range designed to offer long-lasting finishes that you can count on to last throughout the entire day (or even an evening at the club).
Along with their various liquid lipsticks and other products from this range, their foundation lives up to everything it promises to do.
This 30-hour longer full coverage foundation is practically invincible – it’s transfer-proof, water-resistant and sweat resistant, whilst still feeling light on the skin. Whether you’re wearing it to the bar or the gym, it feels lightweight and’s got you covered.
10. L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte 24 Hour Foundation
Continuing strong with the drugstore favorites, next up is this natural matte finish, full coverage foundation from L’Oréal Paris. If you’re a sucker for a matte finish best full coverage foundation ever, this may just be the one for you, and at just $10, there’s no harm in trying it!
This foundation has a slightly thicker consistency, instantly concealing imperfections as soon as its applied to the skin, resulting in a smooth, even complexion.
While this product is great at its job, matte foundations aren’t for everyone. Luckily, the brand also sells the same, 24-hour-lasting equivalent to this foundation, but in a ‘Pro-Glow’ finish.
11. EXA High Fidelity Foundation
EXA is a modern, quirky makeup brand that have some really interesting products to offer. For example, their high fidelity foundation, which comes with some clever technologies.
This full-coverage foundation boasts a supercharged antioxidant ‘pollution shield’ in order to protect your skin from the free radicals which can cause a number of skin concerns, including ageing.
As well as this, the product also features ingredients such as micro algae actives and maqui berries to soothe and protect your skin.
12. Dermablend Flawless Creator Liquid Foundation Drops
One of the most impressive things that makes this foundation stand out from other full coverage foundations is that it’s formulated using just 10 ingredients, none of which are animal-derived, making it cruelty-free too.
If you find yourself often perplexed at the extensive ingredient list of the average foundation (what do all of these chemicals even do?), and sometimes even concerned about this, allow us to introduce you to Dermablend’s Flawless Creator Foundation.
This foundation may skimp on ingredients, but it definitely doesn’t skimp on quality. It can either be used alone, or diluted with skincare products, such as your moisturizer, for a more lightweight, seamless finish on days where you want a ‘no-makeup’ makeup look.
13. Make Up For Ever HD Skin Undetectable Longwear Foundation
Makeup should be a filter for mature skin, not a mask, so why wouldn’t you want a foundation that blends into your skin so seamlessly that it’s completely undetectable? If you want to find a full-coverage foundation that won’t look like a mask over your entire face, then it’s time to try this one from Makeup For Ever.
While this product is on the more medium coverage side of foundations, it still offers a flawless finish that’ll camouflage any blemishes. Plus, it’s a great option for combination and oily skin, as it won’t clog your pores. Read our best primers for combination skin and foundation for combination skin
14. Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
Foundation sticks are a great multi-purpose product to have in your kit, and they’re the perfect travel companion, too. Not only can a foundation stick like this one from Hourglass offer a full coverage finish and smooth your complexion, but it can also double up as a contouring stick, too.
When you use this product as a foundation, all you need to do is swipe a little product into the middle of your cheeks, and across your forehead (remember a little goes a long way so don’t apply too much at once). Then, take a foundation brush or damp beauty sponge and use to blend out across your face.
If you’re using this is a contour, select a slightly darker shade than your skin tone and apply a very light swipe of color into the area you wish to contour and blend out, keeping the product mostly in that area.
15. Giorgio Armani Beauty Power Fabric Longwear High Coverage Foundation
We all love to find a high coverage foundation that doubles up as a skincare product, too, which is one of the great things about this one from Giorgio Armani Beauty.
As well as being a great makeup product, with a medium to full coverage finish that looks natural on the skin, this product also contains SPF 25 protection from the Sun’s UV rays.
Whilst this makes it a great way to protect your skin in the winter – you may not need to apply another SPF underneath if the UV is low, as SPF 25 is plenty – it’s worth noting that, in the summer, you’ll still need to pair this with a sunscreen containing a higher SPF rating, in order to be properly covered.
16. Bare Minerals Original Liquid Mineral Foundation SPF 20
Anyone who’s used bare minerals before will be able to attest to the fact that they offer some impressive, high-quality products that can create the most flawless base ever.
Of course, this liquid foundation, inspired by the brand’s original loose powder foundation, is no exception, and it’s one of the best full coverage liquid foundations on the market.
Not only is the product formulated with clean ingredients, just like the brand’s other products, but it also contains a mineral complex to protect the skin, as well as olive-derived squalane to nourish dry skin.
If you’re looking for a protective, ethical, and effective full-coverage foundation that won’t aggravate dry skin, you’ll love the natural finish of this one.
17. Estée Lauder double Stay Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup SPF 15
Every celebrity makeup artist has tried the Lauder Double Wear stay foundation from Estee Lauder at some point during their career, and it’s a best-selling product coined for its unbeatably natural finish and budge-proof formula. It has a great natural-looking finish and one of the best full-coverage foundations.
Now, we’re introducing this foundation from Estee Lauder, inspired by the original double wear formula, but with even more coverage. It’s one of the best full-coverage foundations out there when it comes to finding something that won’t transfer, and this one can even be used on the body, too.
18. Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Luminous Matte Foundation 24H Longwear SPF 30
Full-coverage foundations don’t have to look dull on your skin, and some can even have a more glowing, luminous finish as if you’re just wearing a tinted moisturizer. For example, take this foundation from Yves Saint Laurent.
While this foundation is powerful enough to completely cover and conceal blemishes on the skin, it won’t leave your face looking dull. Plus, it even contains an SPF 30 which is protective enough to be worn alone during the winter months, without an additional sunscreen beneath, when the UV is lower.
On top of all of this, the foundation also contains hyaluronic acid, making it great for dry skin and hydrating enough that it won’t cause your skin to dry out from everyday wear.
19. Too Faced Born This Way Natural Finish Foundation
While this foundation is technically more of a medium coverage foundation, the product can be built up on certain areas of the skin to provide more coverage where more shades are needed and offer more coverage the same coverage as most full coverage foundations.
The product has an impressive list of key ingredients, such as coconut water and alpine rose, making it great for sensitive other skin types, too. Plus, it’s non-comedogenic, so it’s great for even oily skin types and provides a natural looking finish.
20. Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Luminous Foundation
Finally, the last foundation on our list is this industry favorite from Huda Beauty.
Not only do we appreciate the impressive shade range filled with gorgeous hues to suit every skin tone, but we also love how this product has a matte finish whilst still giving the skin a ‘lit-from-within’ type of natural glow.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for the best full-coverage foundation that will give you a flawless finish, then look no further than these five options. The right full-coverage foundation can make all the difference in your makeup routine, so it’s important to find one that works well with your skin type. These foundations are some of the best on the market and will leave you with a perfect complexion.
I hope this list was helpful in your search for a new apply full coverage foundation! If you have any other suggestions, please leave them in the comments below. What is your favorite full-coverage foundation?
Full coverage foundation FAQ
Which foundation gives full coverage?
Liquid Foundation: Liquid foundation is the most common form of full-coverage foundation. Its simple application can be quite useful. Powder Foundation: Powder foundations are also an option that can give you the best coverage. It is perfect for oily and skin tones and can be effective in controlling light.
What is the best flawless coverage foundation?
Top rated full cover foundations. NARS Cosmetic All Day Light Weightless Foundation. Yves Saint Laurent Liquid Foundation. Ordinary cover. A night-long urban-decade fund. Esteé Lauder doubles as a permanent look. Mac Studio fixes liquid. NARS Cosmetics All Day light foundation for the body. All Hour Liquid Foundation. Cover. Foundations. Urban Decay – a nightlife charity. Estée Lauder’s double-layered stay-at-home cosmetic. Mac Studio fixes issues.
Can you make a full-coverage foundation look natural?
The sheer foundation you use can be quite revealing to the eye. You may need some lash extensions or lipstick to give the face more depth. You can also use tinted moisturizers and/or BB lotion if you prefer a natural look.
What foundation do celebrities use?
Celebrity-like foundations are backed up by top names like Dior, Giorgio Armani, or the mineral-rich bare mineral company. Find out which foundations are a popular choice.
Is full coverage foundation the same as a concealer?
Can foundation concealers or concealers be similar? Most people believe coverage foundations and concealers are essentially similar to foundations but differ greatly from one another. Foundations should be used to base your makeup, while concealers are meant to hide imperfections or dark spots.
Is matte foundation full coverage?
A matte foundation that combines medium to full coverage with an almost thick formula to maintain shine. Dewy foundation uses light, thin formulas that give skin an overall luminous, healthy glow.
What skin type is matte foundation best for?
The glossy appearance of these surfaces reflects the properties of the skin and is a good option for those with a sensitive complexion. It leaves no residue, is usually long-term, and controls shine, making the matte foundation a preferred option for people who have acne.
How do you apply full-coverage makeup to your face?
The spout is used for applying a fully covered foundation that is going to be applied with oil free the apron.
Is there a foundation that matches all skin tones?
This innovative new liquid foundation goes on white and is automatically auto-adjusted according to your exact skin complexion. It protects and moisturizes the skin and helps improve the complexion.
What is the best full coverage foundation for oily skin?
