The 7 best foundations for the full-coverage girlies.

I've never personally been able to nail the 'clean girl', 'natural', 'your skin but better' makeup.

Rather, I've always preferred a 'cake-face', 'excessive', 'heavy' look. Call me what you like, but you have to agree my skin looks pretty flawless. 

In saying that, I've had to go through a lot of trial and error in testing out full-coverage foundation. Read: Sometimes I look absolutely ridiculous. 

I've bought so many different types of foundations over the course of my 25 years that I now have a strict set of rules I must adhere to. 

They must perform. As in, they need to: 

• Make me look flawless 
• Remove anything that slightly resembles a pore on my face
• Not look or feel too heavy 
• And lastly, for a full-coverage foundation to be worth wearing in my book, it must not require too much product to actually... cover my blemishes.

Here I am with and without makeup. No filters or editing. Image: Supplied.

As someone who loves makeup, but has blemishes, pores and facial hair, it's important to me that I have a flawless base every time. So I've genuinely collected the best liquid foundations over the last three or four years that I reach for every day. 

Believe me when I say each foundation has undergone rigorous testing (I wear makeup for long hours, sweat and constantly touch my face so that feels rigorous enough tbh). I can proudly say I've found some faves that I will be reaching for every day and forevermore.

Here are the best seven full-coverage foundations I've found.

Flower Light Illusion Liquid Foundation Warm Beige, $13.99.

Flower Light Illusion Liquid Foundation. Image: Supplied.

Yep, we're starting off strong. 

A lot of people wear this for all kinds of coverage (my friends feel this is a true medium foundation but I just use about 3-4 pumps and it is extremely full coverage, so who is correct here?). I know people who mix this with a serum for an ultra-light coverage and then there are others like me who pack it on because it never feels heavy.

A perfect lightweight foundation from Drew Barrymore's brand. There are literally no downsides to this bad boy.

Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation in Vienna, $72. 

Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation. Image: Supplied.

I've written about this product probably three or four times now and it is genuinely still one of the best foundations ever. 

The consistency is serum-like. High-coverage. It blends in well with either a sponge, brush or hands. It has quite a few shades for all skin tones and it lasts FOREVER. I go through about one bottle every 6-12 months depending on if I am wearing it every day or not. 

(Disclaimer: I've seen people say this doesn't work for the dry girlies. I'm a mix of oily and dry when it comes to skin, so keep that in mind.)

KVD Beauty Good Apple Full-Coverage Transfer-Proof Vegan Serum Foundation in Medium 039, $60.

KVD Beauty Good Apple Full-Coverage Transfer-Proof Vegan Serum Foundation. Image: Supplied.

I got this foundation from KVD Beauty in June 2023 and I haven't stopped talking about it since.

The Good Apple Full-Coverage foundation might just be the best thing on the market for those who are looking to get a flawless makeup look. 

This baby applies like paint and blends out like a dream. It's bloody brilliant. 

I've gone through three bottles now (I need to buy another one but I'm holding out until I go through what I already have in my makeup bag).

Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-In-1 Foundation + Concealer in Golden Beige, $18.99.

Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-In-1 Foundation + Concealer. Image: Supplied.

This is my favourite everyday, natural yet full-coverage foundation. 

If you find that your base often looks cakey or a little too heavy, try out this one by Milani. It's super beautiful but looks extremely skin-like. 

My only flag (but not really) is that you have to test the product in-store to find your perfect match. The foundation oxidises A LOT, so it's best that you don't risk it online. 

The good news is that once you find your shade match, it's smooth sailing from then on out.

Ciaté London Extraordinary Foundation in 118Y Ochre, $55.

Ciaté London Extraordinary Foundation. Image: Supplied.

This is a new one I've tried and fallen in love with. 

The Ciaté London Extraordinary Foundation is that type of product that once you use it, you want everyone you know to adopt into their routine, too. 

It's a medium-coverage foundation technically but I'd include it on this list because it blurs my pores, evens out my skin tone and feels lovely on the skin without feeling heavy. 

I don't use much and find it achieves a full-coverage finish without looking cakey or feeling like I'm wearing a lot on my skin. This is a good one to use if you want to go lighter on some days and heavier on others.

MCoBeauty Ultrastay Flawless Foundation in Natural Beige, $29.

MCoBeauty Ultrastay Flawless Foundation. Image: Supplied.

I think every girly with a penchant for high-coverage bases have this in their makeup bag. It's such an easy, affordable option that I find myself reaching for on the days I don't need more but prefer it.

MCoBeauty is great at making products that compete with higher-end brands and this one is definitely a contender for one of the best foundations on the market right now.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation in 240N, $72.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation. Image: Supplied.

This is another one I recently got but I've become obsessed. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills is one of the best brands (just ask all those flawless drag queens on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under pls and tyvm) on the market because they offer so many quality products. This Luminous Foundation is simply fantastic. 

It is a really light formula that's comfortable to wear as an everyday foundation and is very buildable if you want more coverage. After about three to four pumps, I look like a blank canvas. It covers everything and is great for dry skin but works beautifully on my combination skin, too.

I can't say I've replaced my Big 3 (KVD, Nars and Milani) just yet, but I'm reaching for it more than anything else I have in my makeup bag right now... so that's gotta count for something, right?!

What are you favourite full-coverage foundations? Let us know in the comments below!

For more from Shanen Findlay, follow her on Instagram here.

Feature Image: Supplied.