Foundations are a favorite among people who like to wear makeup because they cover all kinds of flaws, like pores, scars, and spots, and give your skin a smooth, even surface for the rest of your makeup to sit on.
Companies that make cosmetics seem to know how much we love them, so they have given us thousands and thousands and thousands of choices. If you’re looking for a foundation to cover acne, it can be hard to decide which one to go with.
So, in the post below, we’ll talk about our picks for the best foundation for large pores and acne scars. We’ll also answer some questions you might have about them, like how to choose the right one for you, how to apply and wear it, and some common problems you might run into.
If you want to learn more about acne, we’ve written a post about non-comedogenic foundations to cover acne, which don’t have some of the ingredients that are known to cause acne and our top picks.
Top 5 Choices: Foundation To Cover Acne And Acne Scars
Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation Makeup
We think this foundation to cover acne, the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation Makeup is a good place to start for people with oily skin and large pores.
This drugstore foundation to cover acne has a cult following for a few reasons. The most obvious is that Maybelline makes it in so many shades that almost anyone can find a color match.
Maybelline had a wide range of shades, from “Fair Porcelain” to “Classic Ivory” to “Light Beige” to “Golden” to “Caramel” to “Mocha” to “Espresso.” This is probably where the name “Fit Me” comes from.
As for coverage, Maybelline made the Fit Me formula very flexible. Coverage levels can start at “medium,” but with a little work, they can be built up to full or almost full coverage.
Because it has a very matte finish, it is made to keep oily skin from looking greasy all day and can save you from having to use setting powder.
The fact that it’s made with silicone (silica) makes us think it could be one of the best foundation to cover acne and large pores. Silicone can blur texture and make pores less noticeable, which could make the skin look smoother.
Just make sure to wash your foundation off well, because silicone that stays in your pores for too long can cause acne.
It’s important to note that, depending on the chemistry of your skin, the foundation can sometimes oxidize and become a little darker. Maybelline might want to think about better labeling the undertones of their foundations, but that’s pretty common for drugstore cosmetics like this one, and we still give it high marks.
By the way, we couldn’t find out if this cosmetic is cruelty-free or not. If you want a similar foundation to cover acne that we know for sure is cruelty-free and has a bit more coverage, you might want to try the Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer.
We also think this is a good choice.
People with big pores who want a drugstore foundation with medium-to medium-full coverage in a wide range of tones may like it.
L’Oreal Paris Makeup Infallible up to 24 HR Fresh Wear Liquid Longwear Foundation
We also like this, foundation to cover acne, the L’Oréal Paris Makeup Infallible up to 24HR Fresh Wear Liquid Longwear Foundation. It comes in a wide range of shades (about 30 when we checked last), and it’s made to last.
We hate it when our foundations wear off by mid-afternoon, so we’re glad that L’Oréal came up with a formula that’s both easy to find and long-lasting.
It also doesn’t make you sweat, which is something we’d like to see in a long-lasting foundation to cover acne since the longer you wear it, the more likely you are to sweat a little.
When it comes to the pores, which are the most important thing, it seems to be made for versatility.
It has three oil absorbers to keep oily or combination skin from getting greasy, but because it’s a liquid foundation instead of a powder foundation, it may also work well for people with dry skin, which is great because dry skin can still have large pores.
It’s also non-comedogenic, which means that it doesn’t have a lot of chemicals that are known to cause acne in the list of ingredients.
The 24HR Fresh Wear has a sort of satin-matte finish, which means that it doesn’t look very matte or dewy, just natural.
We think that looks good on almost everyone, but you still have options: you can set it for a more matte look, or you can spray a hydrating setting spray if you want a dewier look.
They also get points for putting it in a package with a pump, which is both handy and clean.
We find that this foundation to cover acne has pretty good coverage and gives you a lot of time to blend and build it up because it doesn’t set right away.
Overall, we think this has a lot of uses, so we’re giving it our vote for “best drugstore foundation for large pores.”
People with oily, combination, or dry skin who want a satin-matte foundation from a drugstore might like it.
BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF 30
Another one of our top picks for foundation to cover acne, is the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF 30, which we think is a great choice for people who want to avoid silicone.
Many people don’t have a problem with silicone. It’s in a lot of cosmetics, and we mean “a lot a lot,” and you can even choose cosmetics because their base is silicone.However, it has been known to cause skin reactions or acne in some people, so this is our top pick if you want to avoid it.
Here’s why: the formula itself is mostly made of natural things.
Instead of silicones, it has coconut alkanes, which can make pores look less noticeable.
Do you like them more than silicone?
Some people think so, but others don’t. However, they are one of the best-known alternatives, and chemists have said that the compounds are very similar and give a “velvet skin feel.”
(By the way, if you look at the list of what’s in the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue, you’ll see that “silica” is on it.
Silica is different from silicone in that it comes from nature, while silicone does not.
Yes, the chemistry of makeup is very hard to understand, and yes, we won’t talk about this kind of thing again. OK, we’re done with chemistry.
As for coverage, which is the most important thing about any foundation, Complexion Rescue is made for light-to-medium natural coverage that doesn’t feel heavy and a natural finish that is hydrating and more on the dewy side.
Only about 10 shades are available from bareMinerals, but since the coverage is so light, we think that one shade could probably work for a few different skin tones.
We think this foundation to cover acne would be better for people with dry skin or normal skin who like to look “glowy” because of the dewy finish.
Many foundation to cover acne and large pores are matte and have a lot of coverage, so we really like that this one is different while still helping to make pores and other texture problems look less noticeable.
People who want a light to medium coverage foundation without silicones and a dewy finish may like this.
PUR 4-in-1 Mineral Pressed Makeup with Skincare Ingredients
The PUR 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup with Skincare Ingredients is another one of our top picks for foundation to cover acne, and we think it can be a good choice for people with large pores and very sensitive skin.
It’s made to be nice and gentle, which is usually a worry for people with large pores. From what we can see, it’s also made to cover and let the skin breathe.
It’s a powder foundation, but the coverage is somewhere between “medium but buildable,” which is nice to see in a powder foundation to cover acne. Powder foundations have a bad reputation for not being buildable, so it’s nice to find one that is.
Mineral makeup can sometimes be a little bit dry, but this one has some ingredients (like shea butter) that keep it from feeling too cakey.
Powder foundations usually work better for people with oily skin, but we think this formula could also work for people with combination skin.
PUR made this powder with great skincare ingredients like ferulic acid, an organic compound known for its antioxidant properties, and Vitamin E, which is known to fight free radicals and is thought to have anti-aging effects.
Most powder foundations are easier to use than liquid ones, and we think this one is no different.
This will help people who are new to makeup or who have to get ready quickly in the morning.
We should also say that the SPF is good…
but not great. An SPF of 15 is good, but it’s not enough to really protect you from the sun’s rays. If this is your only way to protect yourself from the sun, it probably won’t work.
Also, you might be wondering what “4-in-1” means. It means that the product has foundation, concealer, finishing powder, and SPF all in one.
May be a good fit for a powder foundation with medium to buildable coverage for people with large pores and sensitive skin.
Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
The Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup is a high-end, oil-free foundation to cover acne, and we think it is the best foundation for large pores overall.
It’s made to do what a high-end foundation should do, which is to give you a lot of coverage.
This ability to cover comes from silicone, which we already talked about.
As a silicone-based cosmetic, it can cover pores with a single layer and leave a semi-matte to matte finish. If you have oily skin, which many people with large pores do, you usually want a matte finish and coverage like this.
We think it’s great that Estee Lauder makes it available in a wide range of shades. High-end foundations can be limited, so it’s nice to see shades like “Espresso,” “Deep Spice,” “Cashew,” and “Pure Beige.”
Higher-end foundations usually don’t surprise you with their tone. In the best cases, you get what you see, so if you’re interested in this foundation to cover acne, you should definitely think about your actual skin tone.
Before we wrap up, two quick points:
- Double Wear usually dries and sets on its own pretty quickly, which is one reason why it can be worn for a long time. If you find that foundations tend to slide off your skin after a few hours, this one might be worth a try, but…
- Because it can “quickly set,” it might not be the best choice for people who aren’t used to putting on makeup quickly.
So, if you are a beginner and really want to play this one, know that you might need to practice a bit.
Overall, we like this a lot, and we think it’s the best.
All smiles and thumbs up.
It might be a good choice for people who want full coverage that lasts a long time.
Our overall choice for the best foundation to cover acne and large pores?