12 Best Full Coverage Foundations on the Market
12 Best Full Coverage Foundations on the Market
Whether you have blemishes you're trying to get rid of, want to cover up acne, hide discoloration or just aim to look flawless, you may be on the hunt for a full coverage foundation. For years, full coverage foundations were synonymous with heavy, cakey formulas. But today's full coverage foundations are highly pigmented that can not only help cover up blemishes or uneven skin tone, but help achieve a brighter, more even skin texture.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab regularly tests makeup products, including the best foundations. In the Lab's most recent foundation test, scientists quantified nearly 1,000 data points while testing 190 submitted products, evaluating texture, application, coverage, feel and how the product dispenses, ultimately determining the top foundations on the market. Ahead, we've rounded up the best full coverage foundations for foundations for oily skin, combination skin and full-coverage foundations dry skin as well as foundations for mature skin and drugstore foundations.
Our top picks:
You can read more about how we evaluate foundations in our Lab and consumer tests at the end of this guide. Looking for more foundation options and how to apply foundation? Check out our guide on how to apply foundation flawlessly.
1) Le Teint Particulier Custom-Made Foundation
Lanc?me
nordstrom.com
$88.00
This GH Beauty Award-winning customizable foundation offers coverage of all levels, including full. Via Lanc?me's beauty adviser service, create your perfect foundation thanks to a skin scanning advice. They make the formula right in front of you and you walk away with a truly perfectly matched shade. In GH Beauty Lab evaluations, it matched all skin tones and 100% of testers continued using the product.
? Number of shades: Customized shade options
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
2) Outlast Extreme Wear 3-in-1 Foundation
CoverGirl
amazon.com
$8.99
Get a natural, buildable finish with CoverGirl's full coverage long-wearing foundation. With added SPF, get both sun protection and full coverage all day long. The "formula feels very hydrating to skin," says GH Lab Assistant Nikolas Greenwald. However, testers warn this formula can be streaky when applied in a hurry, so be sure to take care when blending,
? Number of shades: 18
? SPF: SPF 18
? Formula: Liquid
3) Infallible Total Cover Foundation
L'Oréal Paris
amazon.com
$7.05
If you're looking for a full coverage foundation with a weightless feel, look no further than this L'Oréal Paris formula. Though it hasn't been tested in the Beauty Lab, it has more than 3,500 five-star reviews on Amazon and was our pick for best full coverage drugstore foundation. Users found it lasts all day and doesn't budge. "You don't even need concealer and I have hereditary dark circles and acne scars," one reviewer raves. "Goes on quickly. When it is time to take it off it comes right off but only when you want it to."
? Number of shades: 11
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
4) Outlast All-Day Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation
CoverGirl
amazon.com
$9.99
This GH seal-holding and former GH Beauty Award-winning foundation does triple duty as a 3-in-1 primer, foundation and concealer for the perfect trifecta of coverage, blendability and lasting power. Our Lab results showed that this blendable formula didn't look heavy or cakey and felt light on skin all day long.
? Number of shades: 13
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
5) Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer with SPF 50+
It Cosmetics
amazon.com
$39.00
This full coverage tinted moisturizer ranked highest in GH Beauty Lab tests for mature, dry and sensitive skin. Thanks to a hydrating formula that includes niacinamide, glycerin and SPF, it protects and moisturizes while also providing full coverage. The dewy formula received perfect scores for providing smooth, even coverage on skin. "Spreads easily," writes one tester. "Dispenses a nice amount of product," another adds.
? Number of shades: 12
? SPF: SPF 50
? Formula: Liquid
6) Matte Velvet Skin Full Coverage Foundation
Make Up For Ever
nordstrom.com
$40.00
Erase shine with this long-lasting matte velvet full coverage foundation. In GH Beauty Lab testing, it ranked highest for ease of use among liquid foundations and earned a perfect score for dispensing the right amount of product. The Beauty Lab recommends this matte foundation for oily and combination skin types. To give its namesake velvet look, "It doesn’t really blend into the skin, it sits on top," one tester reported. "It’s going to cover and look smooth from far away," another said.
? Number of shades: 40
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
7) Face Tape Foundation
Tarte
qvc.com
$40.00
The cult-favorite Tarte Face Tape Concealer inspired this foundation that includes snow mushroom to up hydration and reduce inflammation; apple fruit extract which claims to protect against free radicals; and hyaluronic acid to increase skin's moisture. One Lab tester found it mattifies with smooth, even coverage and provides "extremely full coverage that's great for TV or photos." The formula is "smooth and buildable for my combination skin."
? Number of shades: 49
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
8) Skin by Mented Foundation
Mented
qvc.com
$30.00
Achieve hydrated, natural-looking skin with this foundation stick from Mented. The formula includes sensitive skin-friendly ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe leaf extract and grapeseed oil. You can customize your coverage level with the buildable formula that blends evenly and smoothly. Reviewers with oily skin claim it's great for mattifying and smoothing without triggering breakouts, though one Lab tester noted it "may be too heavy for dry skin."
? Number of shades: 16
? SPF: No
? Formula: Stick
9) Forever Undercover 24-Hour Full Coverage Foundation
Dior
nordstrom.com
$52.00
Dior's long-wearing foundation offers full coverage yet feels lightweight thanks to its liquid, water-based formula. It gives a natural matte finish that feels like your skin, but better. In GH Beauty Lab testing, it earned high scores for its smooth texture and buildability, though one tester recommends setting it with a face powder to prevent transfer.
? Number of shades: 25
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
10) Luminous Foundation
Anastasia Beverly Hills
amazon.com
$38.00
Just because you want full coverage doesn't mean you can't get a glowy complexion as well. Anastasia Beverly Hills' radiant foundation offers a natural finish with medium to full coverage that blends easily and is easy to dispense. An editor and tester favorite, it "blends very easily for a high coverage formula," says one tester.
? Number of shades: 50
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
11) Power Fabric+ Weightless Matte Foundation SPF 25
Armani Beauty
nordstrom.com
$64.00
Though this Armani Beauty foundation is matte and longwear, it doesn't dry out skin. We haven't tested it in the Beauty Lab, but we love that it includes broad-spectrum SPF and one beauty editor says it creates a seamless, flawless complexion. "This foundation stays in place all day long, even in hot and humid weather," she says. "I didn't even have to touch it up throughout the day."
? Number of shades: 30
? SPF: SPF 25
? Formula: Liquid
12) Say What?! Weightless Soft Matte Foundation
Uoma Beauty
nordstrom.com
$39.00
Offered in a groundbreaking 51 shades, Uoma Beauty's foundation offers full coverage that doesn't look cakey or heavy thanks to hydrating ingredients to keep skin radiant while still maintaining a satiny finish. Though this isn't a Lab-tested pick, it's our GH Beauty Assistant's go-to foundation for a little extra coverage. "I always get compliments on my skin when I wear this foundation," she shares. "It gives me a hydrated glow, and my skin still looks healthy by the end of the day."
? Number of shades: 51
? SPF: No
? Formula: Liquid
The best full coverage foundations for all skin types and needs, including drugstore and matte, oily skin, dry skin, combination skin and sensitive skin.