| |

Cover FX Power Play Foundation Review

If you’re a beauty fan, you’ve most certainly heard of the brand Cover FX. They’re known amongst the beauty world as a brand that offers high-quality cosmetics that are free from harsh chemicals like parabens, mineral oil, fragrance, and talc.

Many of their products are customizable, meaning you can create your own unique look; they have custom foundation drops, glitter drops, highlighter drops, etc. I have tried a few of their products over the years, but never any foundation.

Well, today, that changes because I’ll be reviewing Cover FX’s famous Power Play Foundation. I’m excited to take a deep dive into its features and how my personal experience was. For reference, I got the shade P10, which is for porcelain to light skin with pink undertones.

Let’s not wait any longer; keep reading for my full experience!

Bottom Line Up Front: If you’re tuning into this review and would like to know my quick rundown of the Cover FX Power Play Foundation, first, I will say that I definitely think it’s one of the best lightweight full-coverage foundations that I’ve ever tried. Here’s what makes it great:

  • There are 40 available shades.
  • The formula is buildable, so you can create the coverage you want.
  • The shopping experience through Cover FX is a breeze.
  • It’s sweat-proof, shine-proof, and offers environmental protection.

Key Features

Cover FX Power Play Foundation
Photo by Phoebe Berkeley

Cover FX Power Play is a full-coverage matte foundation with a lightweight feel. It also provides sweat-proof all-day wear and environmental protection. What is great about the coverage is that you can build it up slowly; you won’t end up with a cakey mess on your first application. What helps this foundation control shine is a unique blend of ultra-fine powders; you can rest assured you won’t look like you’re melting halfway through the day.

This foundation comes in 40 different shades, which is fantastic! So often, brands only have fifteen to twenty shades available, which means that many people are left without a proper shade match.

Cover FX has also laid out its shade range to be the same for every foundation they offer. That sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many brands have different shade names for every one of its foundation lines.

Here’s how Cover FX has laid out their shade range: Light (numbers 0-20), Medium (numbers 25-40), Medium/Deep (numbers 50-85), Dark (numbers 90-125). Now within these shades, there are also labels for undertones as well. They are as follows: P is pink (rosy, cool skin tone), N is neutral (equal parts pink and golden), and G (yellow, warm skin tone).

Another quick note on this foundation: it works best for those with combination to oily skin types. If you have very dry skin, you might find that it settles into certain dry or flaky patches.

Pros

  • Buildable coverage lets you pick your desired foundation look.
  • At the end of the day, there isn’t any product build-up that can sometimes happen with other full-coverage foundations.
  • The foundation nozzle is narrow, so it’s easy to control; you don’t have to worry about wasting any product either; just squeeze as you go!
  • The available shade range is fantastic; there are more options on offer than most other brands.

Cons

  • Some of the shades are out of stock on the Cover FX website; I found that my perfect shade was not available for a few weeks, which means their restocking schedule is a bit slow.
  • They are no longer available at Sephora, so other than the Cover FX website; there aren’t many other places to pick up this product.

Where and What To Buy

As previously mentioned, there are 40 shades available for this foundation. Within these shades, there are three different undertones to give you the best match. While you might be wary of ordering online, instead of trying a sample out in-store, given the resources on Cover FX’s website and countless beauty YouTube videos, it’s quite easy to pick the right colour.

Chances are, you probably have a foundation lying around from another brand, so go and check out what shade and undertone that one is. Let’s say your shade was within the other brand’s ‘Medium’ range, well then you would know to start looking at shade numbers 25-40 in the Power Play Foundation.

If you’re unsure about the exact number to choose within each range, I would recommend looking at the swatches photo that they have included on the product listing.

I will admit, sometimes you may be between two shade numbers, but in this case, I’d recommend picking the lighter of the two shades, as you can always give your face more warmth with bronzer and blush. If you do happen to order the wrong shade, Cover FX has a Shade Match Guarantee, which means you get free returns and exchanges on all first-time foundation purchases.

Now, if you’re looking to purchase this foundation, the best place to pick it up would be the Cover FX website. When you order from the website, you get the entire available range, and you’ll have customer support should you have questions or order the wrong product.

I’m really disappointed because Cover FX products used to be available at Sephora; they’ve since decided to pull the entire line. If you want to order from somewhere else, Cover FX products are also at Ulta and Beautylish.

First Impressions & Application

Cover FX Power Play Foundation
Photo by Phoebe Berkeley

I was really excited to get my Cover FX package in the mail. I never really order makeup online because I prefer to swatch and look at everything in person. I used to look at the Cover FX stuff in Sephora when they carried it, so I was familiar with the feel of their packaging and brand philosophy.

The packaging is quite simple; the tube is made of durable plastic, and the lid is pretty grey chrome. I like that the bottle isn’t glass because I’ve broken so many bottles during travel; once foundation went everywhere in my purse-yikes!

When you open the lid, you’ll notice that there is a narrow squeeze nozzle; I love this feature because it allows for less product waste. The number of times I’ve gone to squeeze out foundation, and it’s gone everywhere, is ridiculous! Just make sure to give the bottle a quick and vigorous shake so that any separated product mixes together.

To apply the foundation, I went with a beauty blender. I find that using a damp beauty blender for full coverage foundations ensures that you can gradually build up your coverage. Beauty Blenders also help push the product into the skin, whereas brushes can sometimes create streaks if the right techniques aren’t used.

The one piece of advice I’ll give for the Beauty Blender is to place the product on your hand first and then apply from there; if you squeeze your foundation directly onto the sponge, you risk half of it absorbing right away.

Once I had applied the foundation everywhere, I went in with a light powder to set it right away. If you want extreme full coverage, you could use a heavier setting powder over top, but I believe it’s always better to create your desired coverage with liquid foundation and then use a lighter powder to set. Thick powders can create the appearance of cracks and accentuate any problem skin areas.

To lock the foundation in, I then used a setting spray. Make sure that you let it dry fully before continuing on with your making routine. If you’re wondering what my favorite one is, it’s the Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray. 

All-Day Wear

I made sure to wear this foundation many times to get a good read on how it performed during different situations. Each time I wore it, I was extremely impressed with how it held up, especially considering that I am wearing my mask a lot and that it’s pretty cold and dry where I’m living.

The only issue I could foresee happening is if you tried this foundation and had really dry skin. As this foundation doesn’t have any intense hydration ingredients, it would most likely sit or cling to dry patches. I have some dry skin around my nose (from winter weather), and that was the first place that it wore off. It also looked quite flaky towards the end of the day too.

If you have certain areas of the face that tend to cling onto the foundation or that create foundation separation, I would recommend carrying a touch-up brush around with you. If you run into this issue, buff around your face gently so that it disperses any unwanted product.

If you have areas of the face that have mostly worn off, then grab a tissue and wipe away the last of the product. From there, go in with a clean or gently used brush and lightly tap on some new product. Essentially, you never want to layer new on top of old foundation, as it can lead to a heavy appearance.

Overall, I would definitely say that this foundation lived up to all of its claims. By the end of the day, I still had great foundation coverage, and there was no shine in sight; I get fairly oily in the t-zone, and it remained nice and matte the whole time.

The only other rigorous test I’d like to put this foundation through is a sweat test. I know it’s not generally great to workout in foundation, but I will put some on for my next workout session

Alternatives

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

This is a full-coverage liquid foundation that offers a beautiful, radiant finish. It’s actually known as a Sephora community favorite, so you know it must be great! Nars has infused this product with a blend of fruit extracts, which help smooth the look of skin over time. It’s always great to have a foundation that offers benefits outside of normal skin coverage.

There are 34 different shade options that also have a unique blend of undertones. Nars claims that the formula can mimic the skin’s natural tone, so you’ll end up with a uniquely tailored shade.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF 15

This foundation is great because it’s both oil-free and offers SPF coverage. It is also long-wearing and has a nice natural finish, so you’ll look refreshed all day long. This is a great option for those who have dry skin or live in a drier climate; the infused skin-loving ingredients help boost hydration and add some great glow.

There are 22 available shades with a good mixture of different undertones. I still feel like there could be a wider variety as they don’t seem to have many options for very pale or very deep skin tones.

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Mattifying Oil-Free

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Mattifying Oil-Free

I have never seen a foundation before that has a liquid to powder feature-it seems really unique and cool! The idea behind this product is that it provides all-day full-coverage wear to those that have acne-prone and oily skin. Hourglass recommends that you apply this foundation in small sections and that you use a brush for the best results.
This foundation also comes in 22 different shades. From what I can see, there are a lot of options in the light to medium range, but not a lot in the very light, medium/deep and deep shades.

FAQs

Question: Do I Have to Use a Setting Spray?

Answer: In my opinion, using a setting spray helps lock everything in and also ensures that all of your products blend well together on your face.

This is especially important if you have a variety of liquid and powder products on simultaneously; the moisture from the spray acts almost as a finisher so that you don’t look splotchy. I would always recommend getting a setting powder for whatever kind of skin look you’re going for, whether that be matte, glowy, velvet, dewy, etc.

Question: Is the Beauty Blender the Best Makeup Sponge on the Market?

Answer: I would definitely say that the Beauty Blender is the best makeup sponge that I’ve ever tried on the market. I am a makeup artist myself, and I’ve tried many different sponges from many different brands. I like that it’s light and airy and doesn’t over absorb product when you’re using it. Just make sure that you dampen it under the tap to get the best application possible.

Question: What is the Best Method for Taking Makeup Off at the End of the Day?

Answer: I have tried many different ways to take off my makeup over the years: oil balms, micellar water, waterproof makeup remover and makeup eraser sponges. I have personally found that a combination of reusable eco-friendly makeup pads and micellar water does the trick well and is also gentle on skin. Sometimes, if I have stubborn makeup on, I’ll use my backup waterproof eye makeup remover.

Cover FX Power Play Foundation Review: Bottomline

I thoroughly enjoyed trialling the Cover FX Power Play Foundation. It has many great features, such as shine control and a light & airy feel. It does a great job staying in place all day, even though mask-wearing and cold weather.

I’m excited to see how it holds up during the warmer summer months, as that will definitely test the shine and sweat-proof claims that Cover FX makes. If you’re on the fence about trying this product, I’d say go for it; it has a lot of great features to offer!

If you’re interested in reading more about some of my favorite recommendations, check out these articles below:

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *