A medium/full coverage foundation that doesn’t make me look caked in make up?

[PepsiMaxLime]

Does such a thing exist? I have a lot of redness and uneven skin tone so need a decent coverage, but every foundation I try makes me feel like it’s caked on and just sitting on my skin, and I can’t wait to remove it as soon as I get home.

I’ve been a devotee of EL Double Wear for years but after not wearing make up much during the covid years even that’s giving me the ick.

Any recommendations? I also have quite large pores which I feel most foundations just amplify 😭

I have used Georgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation for quite a few years, and it's brilliant. I tend to use it neat on certain areas that need more coverage, like my nose and chin which both have some redness, and then mix what's left with moisturiser for a lighter finish on the rest of my face.

But I think it's quite buildable if you want good coverage and it has loads of shades so tends to match well with lots of skin tones. I never feel like I'm wearing a mask when I have it on. Apparently it's used a lot by make up artists.

Thank you @HornyHornersPinkyWinky I’ve just been looking at this as have heard good things previously.

I think my other foundations aren’t quite the right shade for me or are oxidising as I find I look quite orange so I’ll try to get colour matched properly if I’m going to shell out for the Armani.

Also…wonderful, wonderful username 😅

I'm liking Estee Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue foundation having always used double wear. It's gives good coverage and does last, just don't get it in your eyes as it stings so much! I flit between that and double wear to be honest.

Yes, I meant to say definitely get colour matched that makes so much difference. For me it just sort of disappears into my skin so it's really difficult to get wrong.

But maybe try and get a tester or a sample as it's quite expensive. Also, Boots does a smaller bottle (18ml I think) if you don't want to get the larger size, but I'm not sure they have all the shades.

Good luck, I've spent years trying to find the right foundation, like you I stopped wearing it during lockdown and was happy with a tinted moisturiser. But after a while it started to bother me that my redness would come through, so I reverted back to wearing it.

Great stuff, thank you both @DumpedByText @HornyHornersPinkyWinky

IT CC cream or Erborian BB are both Korean and so much heavier coverage than western CC or BB creams.

I'm using up a tube of the Estée Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue at the moment but won't repurchase. It's nice enough but not enough coverage for me (redness comes through quite quickly)

Boots Hydraluminous has a bit more coverage but still stays soft rather than the mask like look that Double Wear gives.

I second the Armani and Estée Lauder Futurist. Nars radiant is also fab. Do you use the colour matching tools on the websites? I think they are quite accurate. Or if you know your shade in another brand, you can input it and it tells you your shade in the new brand too.

Would also recommend Il Makiage.

My skin is quite like yours OP, I like MAC Studio Fix liquid foundation. I find it gives really good colour-evening and coverage without looking at all cakey. Plus it's SPF15, win! Can usually get it for around £20, so doesn't break the bank either.

I hated Il Makiage - went very cakey and drying on me, as did EL DW.
i have the Armani at the moment, and it’s nice, great colour match, but something about it doesn’t make me think it’s amazing.
weirdly enough, I’ve just been having a rummage through my old makeup bag, and have found an ELF foundation, put some on, and it’s totally erased any redness!

Not a foundation, but have you looked at Cicapair? It’s a Korean cream with tiger grass that makes it green, so it’s great for counteracting any redness - there are tons of videos online showing people using it.

You can get it Boots, so it’s worth a try next time you’re passing.

You may not want one that's relatively cheap and unglamorous but No7 Stay Perfect is amazing and they will match it perfectly to your skin tone. Why spend loads of money when you don't have to !

I really love the Hourglass Vanish stick

Nars Soft Matte, it's the holy grail as far as im concerned

If you go to an a Estee Lauder counter they'll give you a 10 day sample so you can decide if you like it.

I wear a touch of rosalique on my cheeks and nose to tone down the worst of the redness and then cover with Estée Lauder futurist - it’s the best foundation I’ve had in ages

I'm a bit confused by this: Korean makeup tends to be much, much lighter than Western makeup. I've actually never experienced nor heard of otherwise. IT CC Cream is an American product as well.

@ASighMadeOfStone I have the travel size version of the Erborian CC anti redness cream and think I will rebuy. I tried the Dr Jart version but found it very ashy where as Erborian just seems to match my skin tone, do you think their normal CC cream is worth a try or sticking with the anti-redness one.

@ArcticBells more than happy to try No7, I can easily get colour matched for that one too!

Thanks all, some really helpful suggestions that I’ll look into :)

Dermacol is amazing, cheap and a tube lasts fora year with nearly using everyday except in the height of summer. I used to use DW and bought iMac, both just look too cakey on my skin. Dermacol, gives a dewy finish and is very buildable, there are lots of shades so it may be a bit hard to colour match as I’ve only ever been able to buy on line, but once you get it right, it’s amazing. I always buy direct as there are fakes out there the same as any successful brand.

@PepsiMaxLime I don't like Erborian CC- I find it too watery and with little coverage (ITCC on the other hand has really full coverage- probably the nearest to Doublewear of all those suggested so far) Erborian BB is great though.

my skin sounds quite similar to yours. I get along well with No.7 Stay Perfect and the No.7 pore minimising primer (I think it’s called Airbrush or something like that!).

I love Trinny London. Really natural and she has a concealer for redness. I feel like there are similar options not as expensive though. The IT CC creams are great. There's a light one and then a heavier one that I just use as a concealer

I agree with this. I'm in my 50s with not the best skin but this always makes my skin look much better than anything else I've tried.

Having googled, I'm confused as well. 😂 It's definitely talked about as a Korean product, and at least until recently was made in Korea (mine says so on the tube) although the woman owner seems to be American. L'Oreal own it now apparently.

It's definitely very full coverage though (the one I have- though again I can see there's one billed as "lightweight" whereas mine is billed as "full coverage matte"- I only wear it if I'm going out at night tbh as it's too heavy for the day)

All the Korean bases I've tried tend to be heavier than western BBs and CCs which seem to be more like tinted moisturizers.

I'm loving the Bobbi brown serum foundation. It's really glowy and a little goes a long way.