The Ordinary Coverage Foundation Review

We know The Ordinary for their skincare but I’ll let you in on a little secret…they do makeup and it’s just as affordable as their iconic serums. Their Coverage Foundation is a hot contradiction because it has medium to full coverage with a lightweight and comfortable finish. When I think of full coverage, I think of a heavy and thick texture. This foundation squashes all of that and it’s mega affordable.

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation is an ultra-lightweight foundation with medium to full coverage. It has a semi-matte finish and suspended pigments for a smooth finish and long-wear that doesn’t settle into fine lines. With an ultra-affordable price tag but only 21 shades, it can be a nice option for some but not everyone.

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation Review

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation feels like a contradiction because it’s ultra lightweight with medium to full coverage. It doesn’t have a heavy or thick texture that is normally associated with more full coverage products. It’s really refreshing and it doesn’t feel like your skin is suffocating when you wear it.

The foundation contains highly saturated pigment levels which is what allows it to be so lightweight and easy to spread while still offering coverage. The Ordinary notes the, “pigments are suspended in our proprietary spreadability system that allows pigments to look natural on the skin, resist collecting within fine lines and stay on for longer.”

So, if you want full coverage but don’t like the heavy and thick texture that most of those foundations occupy, this is a great option. This has a semi-matte finish which is a good finish for all skin types. The Ordinary has two primer options, one matte finish and one dewy finish. So, with this foundation if you have dry skin there’s a dewy primer to add more hydration and a matte primer for oily skin types.

Now let’s talk about the shade range; it’s awful. The Ordinary prides itself in having multiple undertones, Pink, Red, Neutral and Yellow. The issue is that this shade range is not inclusive. There’s only 21 shades and they’re not equally dispersed between the light and dark shades. There is a big lack of shades on the deeper end of the spectrum and many could look at the shade range and not be able to find a match.

If you want coverage, go for this foundation. If you like something light, the Serum Foundation is a better option. Both The nice thing about this foundation is while full coverage, I don’t think it would look cakey because it’s so lightweight. Maybe if you build up the coverage and wear two layers.

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation Pros:

• Ultra lightweight texture but still offers coverage. It feels similar to the consistency of the serum foundation with medium-full coverage. Most full coverage foundations are thick and it’s nice that this one is not.
• Semi matte finish provides long lasting coverage. If you’re looking for an all day foundation, this could be a good option. It also gives a little bit of flexibility depending on your skin type. If you have dry skin, just apply a hydrating layer before applying this.
• The pump bottle is great for application.
• This comes in 4 undertones, Pink, Red, Neutral and Yellow. That can help to find a good shade match but keep in mind the shade range is abysmal.
• Does a good job at evening the skin tone and covering a majority of blemishes.
• This can be mixed with the Serum Foundation to make a more light-medium, wearable coverage.
• Spreadability systems keep the pigments from settling into fine lines. It also helps this foundation to wear longer.
• Vegan and cruelty-free formula.
• This foundation pairs well with the two primers offered by The Ordinary.

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation Cons:

• The shade range is terrible. There are 21 shades and it’s not equally dispersed. It’s significantly lacking and there are nowhere near enough shades on the darker end of the spectrum. The Ordinary needs to look at doubling the shade range to have it be a decent offering. The Ordinary recently came out with a concealer and that offering is a little better at 36 shades. Hoping they expand the foundation offering to match.
• This could feel drying for those with exceptionally dry skin.
• If you like a dewy complexion, this probably isn’t the type of foundation you are looking for.
• I would expect this to be full coverage given the name. I find it to be a heavier medium coverage. I think it does start to look cakey if you build it up.
• Of the shades that they have, they just aren’t an accurate representation of what they describe. I got 2.1Y which is for medium skin with yellow tones and this foundation was the darkest ‘medium’ foundation I’ve ever tried and it looked orange on my skin.

How to use

Apply this after your AM skincare, SPF and primer. Then, follow it up with your normal concealer, blush and other makeup. Since this is a makeup product it has no conflicts!

Where to buy it

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation is available at:

• Amazon
• ULTA

Final Thoughts

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation is more affordable than most drugstore foundations and it feels like a luxury foundation. Medium to full coverage on such a lightweight texture and formula is hard to find. I did expect this foundation to offer more coverage given the name. But, I think this formula could be manipulated to work for all skin types.

The biggest gripe is that the shade range is awful. There are many people who could go and look at this foundation and realize they don’t have a shade. So, while it may be able to work for all skin types, it does not work for all skin tones. The Ordinary desperately needs to fix that because this is a good product without many others like it at this price point.