What kind of coverage do you prefer in your foundation?

I like medium, buildable coverage; I’d like to be able to sheer it out a little if preferred or easily build it up to full coverage without it getting too heavy or cakey. I probably could get away with light to medium coverage, though, but I just find medium to be faster to apply to my liking usually!

— Christine

34 Comments

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Ally Avatar

Light to medium coverage that is buildable. I have redness from rosacea. I like the redness reduced but I like my freckles to show. Full coverage foundations after a day at work just settle into every book and cranny of my face

Z. Avatar

Medium to full. If I have a medium coverage I inevitably end up layering it or adding concealer. But for me, lasting power is more important than coverage. Usually I’m lucky though and these tend to go hand in hand as the longer lasting foundations tend to be higher coverage.

kjh Avatar

Generally light. KGD Aqua. The ordinary serum is not bad. Recently have been using the CFX drops and other mixers, with tm or s/c. Fave TMs are Paula, which barely blurs and has not-noticeable coverage, and JouerJouer, for more coverage and color. Foundations have come a long way, baby. (Flashback cringe)

GUSnail Avatar

For everyday, I like a light coverage. For special events or if I’m feeling more glam, I go with a medium coverage. I never reach for full coverage. I won’t build to full either, I just don’t like it on me. I have freckles that I like, so I always feel weird when they’re completely covered.

Mariella Avatar

I like light, slightly buildable coverage and long wear/something that won’t visibly break dowm and go sort of “curd-like” as the day goes on. My skin is good; all I really need is my skin tone evened out a bit and some redness toned down. Most days, I don’t want it to look like I’m wearing foundation.

joy Avatar

i like a medium to full coverage. it’s more worthy of the application time and photographs better. thanks to technology, they even feel as light as sheer coverage foundations!

Leah Avatar

I also prefer medium coverage. On its own, or with a finishing powder, I find it perfect for evening. I like to add a drop of water or moisturizer to sheer it out for day or casual events. I sometimes add a drop of luminizer either for an all over glow, or during the second half of application for highlighting specific areas. A high quality, medium coverage foundation gives me the versatility that I want.

Nancy T Avatar

Enough coverage to concea and correctl my very uneven skintone and rosacea, but not so heavy that it turns my freckles gray or winds up looking cakey. I detest a thick, cakey look. Since this happy medium and flexibility is a rare thing in most foundation formulas, I always add a little MAC Strobe Cream to my foundation, mixing it together on the back of my hand before applying, this makes every foundation I’ve used become flexible in coverage. Plus, it takes away any cakeyness and reduces oxidizing.

thirteenthirteen Avatar

Sheer for sure, MUFE Water Blend is my HG. Texture and the weight of makeup is a big deal to me and I don’t like the way heavier coverage feels on me. I don’t have a lot of blemishes, just some discoloration and redness and it’s fine if those things come through to some extent – I just want to even my skintone out a bit.

Ana Maria Avatar

I like medium-full, but buildable coverage. The kind of formula that looks natural but covers decently on the first layer, but able to be build for full coverage, and also mixing well with primer/serum so that I can get a light coverage when I need.

Shannon. N Avatar

A year ago I was a estee lauder double wear FEIND.

But now, I’m all about a super natural base! So I only wear Bare minerals complexion rescue tinted hydrating gel cream as my daily coverage. It just evens out my redness. That’s it!

For “coverage” days. I reach for the ordnarys serum foundation and apply a sheer layer of that with my fingers!

So light to light medium!!!

joy Avatar

i wanted to like the rescue tint gel cream so much but always broke downing visible patches after just 3-4 hours on me no matter what i tried 🙁

Sílvia Avatar

As light as i can get by but with the option to build I guess in case I need it as getting older only to even out some slight redness or spots here and there I don’t mind my freckles to show at all but hate to choke my skin on heavy cakey foundation. I like the dewey option for a slight healthy glow.
Sometimes when I greet one of my parents good old friend and she loves to dress up rather (I don’t even know how to call it?) rather exotic? She’ll wear a fur coat (probably fake) and hair all done up in the air and big necklace. Heavy in the eye mascara, red lips and the works. She was a dentist friend if my dad also a dentist they studied together anyways, when I kiss her in the cheeks I’m afraid I’ll pull off a mask! Lol! ??‍♀️? It feels so cakey to the touch she pours that thing on but is cute to see her dressing up all fancy at her old age. Rock on!

Genevieve Avatar

I like a medium coverage in a mattish finish I have decided after all these years. Dewy foundations make me end up looking too greasy. I need to cover my uneven skintones and little patches of red on my face and I want the foundation to last all day.

Tippy Avatar

Sheer/light/light-medium and that’s as far as I’ll go because anything heavier looks creepy. I’ve found that as I crossed the north of 60 mark, less is definitely best.

Lizzie Avatar

I am all about full coverage. I have redness but I am also very pale, and if I don’t get enough sleep I look anemic (which I am). Lately I have been leaning on my MAC staples— Studio Sculpt is my frequent choice. First I apply argan oil (Vitamin Shoppe– very reasonable there) and that seems to do trick to make the foundation not get cakey. I am a cancer survivor (2 years) so I really like full coverage — it gives me confidence to face the day.

Deborah S. Avatar

I tend to prefer medium, buildable, slightly dewy foundations for my very dry skin. I have uneven skin tone with hyperpigmentation and a couple of areas where a misdiagnosed bout of eczema left not only a dark mark but also an area where it looks like my skin has been shrink wrapped. Foundation doesn’t help with the texture but it does help with the hyperpigmentation. My HG foundation, Chosungah 22 Luminous Blend has two separate components that you can mix in different ratios which allows for lighter coverage or closer to full coverage so if I need more coverage I can just mix it a with less of the serum and more of the foundation and vice versa. This allows me to pretty much customize the amount of coverage with just one foundation. I got 4 foundations from Australia via New Zealand and am about half way through my second container so probably by winter I will need to repurchase. I use to be able to buy here in the U.S. at Sephora but the company either stopped making it or they just stopped shipping to the U. S. I am hoping it is the later and I can keep getting it. I don’t want to buy too far ahead because I am not sure how long they will be good for and hate to have product out-date. Just keeping my fingers crossed!

Karen J Avatar

Sheer. Just enough to even out my skin tone. I really don’t like the feel of anything more than a very sheered out medium coverage. A fuller coverage makes me feel almost claustrophobic, I just want to get it off my face. I think that full coverage works well on younger skin with discoloration issues. However, I am dealing mostly with lines and wrinkle problems which no amount of coverage can disguise. Medium to full coverage foundations age my skin making it look looking cakey and mask like (but with crevices, not a good look!)

Wednesday Avatar

I like medium buildable foundations best.‬
Favs: Estee Lauder DW SIP in 1N2 and Sunday Riley The Influencer in 140. While I love the looks of a full coverage foundation in my mirror, I feel overdone and too face perfected for regular day lighting.

The Sunday Riley is a new addition. I found it rather nondescript after applying, but it is a foundation that improves significantly with wear. I love it, looks so natural, does not oxidize, has a true neutral base for colour 140, and wears as well as the EL. I have so many foundations that start out looking great, but then crash and burn. This one, a big winner for me. I like best over becca purple (first light) primer or smashbox photo finish primer water.

Kat Avatar

Right now, sheer-to-medium. I have a lot of redness that to cover would require medium-to-full coverage, but I’ve come to terms with my skin so I’m more okay with letting it shine through than I used to be.

Brittany Avatar

I honestly almost never wear foundation anymore, but if I’m going to wear a tinted powder all over my face (I hate liquids and creams because I have extremely oily skin), then I prefer keeping the coverage very light. Just enough to even out my skintone and take some redness down. Most days I wear nothing on my face except for just some eyebrows. 😛

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