Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

A beauty blog blooming with fresh makeup reviews, swatches and beauty tips from your friendly neighborhood beauty addict

Full-Coverage Foundation: Love It or Leave It?

by 69 Comments

Foundation Junkie Badge unlocked!

Do you love it and wear it all the time? Or do you never, ever wear it? Or is it somewhere in the middle?

More is more full-on “cake face” with all the bells and primer/foundation/concealer/contour/highlight/powder for baking whistles is very popular right now, especially if you use social media as a guide.

Full coverage is definitely in right now. It has been for a few years, and I like it on occasion… I think it can look amazing in pics, and full coverage loves lots of studio lighting, but it’s getting harder for me to pull off completely full coverage as I get older, especially in broad daylight if I don’t have the patience to really work at it, and I need to work at it more to keep full coverage from looking heavy or harsh around my “experience lines.”

Basically, it takes time, man. For events or parties when I know I’ll be wearing makeup for hours, and everyone’s gonnna have their iPhone out (because, take a pic or it didn’t happen!), sure, I’ll still go the full-coverage route, but if we’re just talking about taking Connor to baby story time at the library on a Wednesday, nah. I’ll either go bare faced or go minimal with a BB cream or tinted moisturizer, and that’s it. Most days I wear either sheer or medium coverage.

It wasn’t always this way, though, of course. My last major full-coverage phase lasted from 2011-2015, and I wore all the things. With foundation, the fuller the coverage, the more I was into it.

I think if you’re young and have porcelain smooth skin, hell yeah. You can pack it on (I know I did, LOL!), and it’ll still look good.

Anyway, how about you? Full-coverage foundation… Love it or leave it?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. It does seem like all the brands are coming out with long wear, oil-free full coverage foundations for 2018 (Nars, Bobbi, Chanel). I still prefer a dewier, medium coverage for my very dry skin and don’t need the full coverage. I have yet to find a perfect replacement for Bobbi’s Moisture Rich foundation, but I have been wearing Nars Sheer Glow, which is pretty good, but not great. I still go for a tinted moisturizer in the summer months.

    Reply

  2. I tend to like full coverage. My cheeks are pretty red so I need something heavy to cover it up. I have combination skin that gets oily throughout the day so full coverage looks better than “dewy” which just looks oily on me.

    Reply

  3. I prefer medium coverage rather than full-on full coverage. That way I’m able to even out my skin tone without looking like I have pounds of makeup on my face. Full-coverage looks great in certain lighting and in photos, but out in daylight it doesn’t look natural on a lot of people.

    Reply

    • Hi Kristen,

      The cool thing about medium coverage is that you can easily sheer it out if you want to. Which ones do you love?

      Off topic but how’s the wedding planning going? Everything set?

      Reply

      • We actually got married on Oct. 21! It was a beautiful day. We got our wedding photos last week and we were so excited to look through all of them!

        Reply

          • Gosh, I bet. I have a few friends who’ve vacationed there and they loved it. Enjoy newlywed life! 🙂 It’s good stuff. My hubs and I have been married now for over 10 years, and I still haven’t killed him in his sleep yet. Yet being the key word here, LOL!

  6. I’ve never been that into it, i like the idea of covering dark circles, and so I sometimes will do it, and use a full on concealer too, but it’s not my thing and I’m 30 so it’s getting worse. I love face and body, I like the UD Naked skin tint, and I love using Hourglass Vanish Stick just where I need it, to barely get any coverage but be perfect.

    Reply

    • Hi Breyerchic04,

      You just named three of my fave foundations. I’m a big fan barely-there coverage. Dunno if you’re into drugstore but Neutrogena makes a skin tint that’s excellent.

      Reply

  7. You know the only reason I like full coverage long lasting foundations is because I have super super super and I mean super oily skin so nothing lasts on me. Although I never layer a full coverage foundation full on. I always sheer it out. I don’t like to look flawless. I want my freckles to show and my imperfections so YES to full coverage foundation and YES to just applying it so it isn’t. Karen that Armani Sheer Glow foundation can you tell me how your final thoughts on it? I think you just had Conor when it came out so you never really did a full review. I have super oily skin but sometimes I like to look less flat because more full coverage foundations are matte. Also my goodness I love seeing her pics. She reminds me so much of my daughter at that age.

    Reply

    • Hi Liz,

      I wish I could remember what I thought of that foundation, Liz. I’m so sorry! Everything during that time is a blur. Let me see if I can find it. If I can fish it out I’ll give it a go and give you some quick thoughts. 🙂

      How old is your daughter now? Everyone tells me it goes by so fast so I’m trying to enjoy every moment. 🙂

      Reply

  8. I like medium coverage. I usually stick to It Cosmetics CC Cream. Sometimes I will mix it with Too Faced Born This Way. If I need full coverage for photos or an event, I’m still really partial to MAC Full Coverage.

    Reply

      • Have you tried their Full Coverage foundation? The Pro one in the big pan? It’s basically a giant Studio Finish concealer without sunscreen, and I’ve used it off and on since MAC started offering their pro products online. I bought it after Wayne Gross recommended it, and I’ve never regretted it!

        Reply

        • Hi Abbey,

          I’ve never tried it before, but it looks very cool. What type of skin do you have? I have combo oily/dry and my only concern is that this will catch onto dry spots.

          Reply

  9. I have rosacea so I tend to stick to full coverage, all the time. I get oily throughout the day, especially in my t-zone. My faves are the Fenty foundation and the new Too Faced Sweet Peach foundation.

    Reply

  10. Hmmm, I guess I lean towards full coverage although the foundations I use are not marketed as full coverage. They give a very nice finish and hide any problems I may be having. I used Nars Velvet matte skin tint and Lancome teint idole. Both give really nice coverage without geting masky and they stay put all day.

    Reply

    • Hi Nyx,

      NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint is SO good. I went through a phase where I wore it for months straight. I’ve never tried Lancome Teint Idole and should put it on my list because I love non-masky coverage that doesn’t move. Do you set it with a powder? Or can you skip it?

      Reply

  11. I’m like you, Karen! When I was in my 20’s, full coverage was my daily routine. Now I definitely cannot go on a daily basis full coverage, as the forehead and under-eye ‘veteran’ lines do their job then…
    I love using tinted moisturizers now, especially NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. Makes my skin babysoft?!
    I do the full co erage thing mostly on photo sessions, but in those cases it takes like 1 hour just to do face and another hour – eyes! So, definitely not my routine thing before bringing child to kindergarten at 7:30 a.m. ?

    Reply

    • Hi Lelde,

      Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer is so good! One of my faves, too. I love that you can just put it on and not really think about it. It’s super pretty with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish dusted on top.

      How many kids do you have? I have 2 — my daughter Connor and her older brother, Tabs the cat. 🙂

      Reply

  12. For years I’ve mostly used Bare Minerals powder but have recently really been into the Kat Von D foundation; not sure if that would be considered a medium or full coverage but it’s way more than I typically have used and I love it. I have that “over 50 skin” which tends to be more on the dry/dull side and the KVD foundation doesn’t make my skin look dry, flakey or cakey. Lovin It.

    Reply

    • Hi Patricia,

      I had a friend who used that foundation for years but stopped when she hit her mid 40s. The powders can be hard after a certain point. What do you use to set your KVD foundation? I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.

      Reply

  14. I need full coverage for my cheeks ,under my eyes. I have there, two, thumb sized, age spots. For the rest of my face, I dilute the foundation, or I blend it until is very sheer.

    Reply

  17. I’ve never done full on coverage, covering freckles would need some strong pigment to not look gray and well, I like my freckles to show. Also requires a better color match that would transition to my ultra pale neck and that’s nearly impossible as it is. I’m 37 and my skin is showing more signs of aging than yours, and now that it’s super dry I’m struggling to get anything more than sheer-light to not to look crazy dry and accentuate all my lines. While I wore makeup off and on through my teens and 20s, I didn’t wear foundation or concealer until about 30. My porcelain smooth skin years passed me by unawares. ?

    Reply

  18. I’m really not into full-coverage at all. I like sheerer to medium coverage, max. This may be because I’m freckly and I like my freckles to show.

    Reply

  19. Full coverage, long wearing foundations tend to be matte and exaggerate every line and pore on my face. Maybe I don’t know how to apply them? I use serum, moisturizer, sunscreen and primer, but I still end up looking like every last bit of moisture has been sucked out of my skin. Shriveled old lady. And my pores are more like garages these days. Pretty sure I could park a car in them. So no, I don’t do full coverage. I haven’t got the patience to try and make it work.
    That said, it doesn’t keep me from continuing to look for the perfect foundation that will blur my pores and tone down the pigmentation and redness. AND won’t settle in my pores and lines. (Not even gonna call them fine lines anymore.)
    Question. If you’re young and have perfectly smooth skin, why do you even need foundation? I never wore foundation when I was in college or my twenties. I didn’t buy my first bottle of it until after my daughter was born and I was in my 30’s. Makeup is so different now with social media than it was back then.

    Reply

  20. Now that I’m 49 can’t do the full coverage or else I look way older&made up. I wind up scrubbing it all off lol I’m loving It Cosmetics Bye Bye redness as my Foundation! I don’t need a color corrector with it. I sheer it out with a beauty blender. Another combo i use is It CC cream and Tarte Shape Tape (undereyes). Really, just keeping my skin looking good/hydrated helps anything I put on these days….

    Reply

  21. I’ve used it once for a special event but don’t wear it everyday. Usually it’s moisturizer and colourless face powder over top with concealer if needed for me.

    Reply

  22. I have hyperpigmentation on each side of my face. Normally I use a medium coverage foundation all over then concealer on those areas. Some days I would like a full coverage foundation to nix a step in the morning. Right now I am having difficulty finding the right one for me. Oily skin, sensitive, fair to light yellow undertone complexion. Most fair foundation lean toward cool tones.

    Reply

  24. I couldn’t agree more! I have just too many “experience lines” (ha! Love that and will steal this lol!!!) for full coverage. I look a lot older when I wear full coverage- though it seems to work for photography- if the camera isn’t too close lol! On a daily basis I like a light-medium coverage. The IT Cosmetics CC cream is my go to daily cover up.
    Sissi recently posted … MISOOK FASHION HAUL | FASHION OVER 40

    Reply

  25. I think full coverage foundation can look great in photos for weddings or other special occasions, but it’s pretty confronting in real life. I stick to light/medium coverage with Asian BB creams from Holika Holika or Missha, as they match my fair skin perfectly and even it out without looking obvious. Full coverage concealer in the form of the old Max Factor Erace is my go-to, as spider veins are perfectly covered and it stays on all day. It’s also summer in Australia now, so anything heavier would melt right off!

    Reply

  26. I am 41 and I wish I didn’t need full coverage foundation, especially since I now have (older) drier skin, fine lines that crease, as well as giant pores that turn into foundation puddles, but I have so much scarring and hyperpigmentation that I have to use full coverage or I might as well be wearing nothing at all. I have tried SO MANY foundations and I still haven’t found another one that covers, finishes, and lasts as well as Estee Lauder Double Wear. I prefer the look of a satin-dewy foundation but they just don’t cover or last like I need them to. I also like Dior Forever, though it’s pretty dry and shows every flake, as well as the Teint Idole stick. I had such high hopes for the Jouer High Coverage, and it does go on beautifully and cover EVERYTHING, but it creases and breaks down after less than two hours no matter what primer/powder/finishing spray you use with it. I would still like to try the MJ ReMarcAble but they don’t have a color match for me – shades go from ghost pale to light Asian with no match for Generic White Girl.
    Also, I’m still trying to find an undereye concealer that covers allergy circles and blue veins without creasing or causing breakouts – I know how to color-correct but just don’t have time for it most days.
    Any suggestions, Karen?

    Reply

  27. For anyone who’s desperate about scars/redness and doesn’t find colour correction enough, I can recommend Keromask camouflage make-up. A little goes a very long way. You pat it on with your ring finger over the scar/redness and then let it set for about 20-30 mins – sounds a lot but if you do it first thing while you get your coffee etc you can work it into your routine. Then, I use Bare Minerals powder foundation over the top and voila! All marks GONE.

    Reply

  28. I usually go for medium coverage, but sometimes I need full coverage when I have a bad cystic acne attack. I hate ones that feel like I’m wearing a mask. I LOVE Lancome Teint Idole 24H Long Wear Foundation. UD All Nighter is really good on me, too. I like KVD Lock-It, though it is a bit heavy. It has a great color match and stands up to my oily skin, at least.
    Rachel Runyan recently posted … Adopt a Spooky New Friend at Leather Monsters

    Reply

  29. Leave it! It’s much better to have some semblance of natural rather than absurdly fake your skin. I have redness and occasional acne, but I still don’t cover it entirely. I don’t want to change my face/skin, just enhance it! Plus, I hate feeling a ton of makeup of my face! Nor do I feel like spending an hour (or two) in front of the mirror every day. Blech. Natural is better!

    Reply

  30. Not sure I ever had a true full coverage. I had ysl teint eclat or something like that. But I just got the ysl all hours and I’m kinda like eeeeeew with my pores and such. I blended it a lot and it didn’t collect in my lines but it did emphasize my pores a bit. After powder and such ( not a baker) it looked ok but in general I’m not a fan of heavy makeup.

    I’m 60. My skin has texture.

    Reply

  31. I love the look of full-coverage, but I have a heap of trouble getting it to stay looking good (oily skin ugh) so generally I only bother if I’m going out to something fancy.
    K recently posted … Breathe Through It

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Copyright © 2019 Makeup and Beauty Blog. Get in touch.