The 8 Best Foundations for Perfect Coverage, as Ranked by a Beauty Editor

It's that time of year when office parties, family gatherings and New Year celebrations start to fill up my calendar, and as we hit December, I, like all of us, start endlessly scrolling to find the perfect outfits and accessories for all my festive engagements. However, not only is it what you wear on your body that's important, but also what you wear on your face. It's vital to feel confident in what you're wearing, be it clothes, accessories or your makeup. Personally, my everyday makeup is very minimal, and I'd love to go totally makeup-free, but my problematic skin decides otherwise. But when it comes to events and parties, I like to go all out, because I feel it's a time to really work on my skills and experiment by trying a bolder eye colour (bright blue is a personal favourite from the past) or even attempting a sleek cat-eye liner, which I have a very low chance of succeeding at, but I'll remain persistent.

It's great to work on different makeup looks, but what I've found is that it's crucial to have a good base. If the foundation (quite literally) of your makeup doesn't work well, your overall look won't be as pleasing. And so if there's one thing to invest in, it's your foundation. And for special occasions especially, it's nicer to have a medium-coverage foundation that can really show up in those all-important IG pictures. I was late to the makeup game—I first had my makeup done at the age of 24, which I find is very late compared to today's teens, who seem to already be experts at all things makeup. But that also meant I was quite reluctant to use full-coverage foundations, as it can be daunting to choose the right one with the huge variety out there between drugstore shelves and high-end stores—the options are endless. Since then, I've gathered up the courage and now have my personal, tried-and-tested favourites which I recommend to friends and family. 

According to Sir John, Beyonce's makeup artist, it's a sin to let your moisturiser dry before applying foundation, because the tacky-ness of the moisturiser will help blend the foundation into your skin and almost make it look skin-like, even if it's a full-coverage product. Not only that, but it's also important to properly prime your skin before applying your foundation; I'm sure you'd agree that it's a horrible feeling when you're all ready to go and look in the mirror only to realise that your makeup looks thick and is separating from your skin. Therefore, it's necessary to add a primer to your routine to prep your skin before application.

Application is, in my opinion, as important as your choice of foundation, because if you don't spend time on your application technique, I don't think you'll ever get a nice finish, even if you have the most flawless foundation on hand. Armani Beauty makeup artist Nick Barose adds that equal application to every part of the face is not needed when applying foundation, as certain areas will need more coverage than others, and that's fine. It's also crucial not to layer on too much product over fine lines and wrinkles, as it will only serve to exaggerate them. 

Of course, what you use to apply foundation is also important. From personal experience, I believe sponges take away from a full-coverage look as they soak up too much of the foundation, hence when going for a full-coverage look, I tend to apply the product with my fingers, using a brush to spread the foundation across my face and then blending with a sponge to get a flawless finish. 

If you wear makeup, you'll know just how personal foundation is. There are some that will work for you and some that just won't, but largely, I find that being guided by recommendations based on your desired level of coverage is a much better bet (and cheaper) than going in blind. There's less risk involved if someone else has tried and tested something for you, right? So, with that being said, read on for my roundup of the best full and medium-coverage foundations that will serve you well long into the night this party season. 

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