Can anyone recommend a good foundation? I have a couple of skin problems. First, I have large pores around my nose and cheeks. Second, I have a lot of discolored acne scars that I would like to cover. I need something that covers well but does not feel heavy. I would not be comfortable wearing foundation that resembles a mask or feels like it's putty on my face. Any help is appreciated.

You could try out some blemish balms (They're good for fading acne marks and reducing pore appearance), I like the Dr Schrammek Blemish Balm.

I don't tend to wear foundation a lot since I also dislike feeling like I'm wearing a mask, but 2 I do love are Maybelline Second Skin and Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral (On my 2nd bottle of this).

My skin type is normal/dry, so if you have oily skin maybe these won't work as well for you.

You could always go to the higher end make up stands and ask to try out their foundations/get samples. I hate buying skin care items if I can't sample them first since my skin is a bit sensitive

Thanks serendipity. I've never heard of blemish balms. I'll look this up. I'll also look at the Maybelline products you mentioned.

I am very acne-prone (I have to use pro-activ, nothing else works for me) and also have sensitive skin, so I'm very picky about foundation. My favourite is Bare Escentuals mineral SPF 15 foundation. Mineral foundations really do feel soo much lighter and blend much better into your natural skin tone. They're very mild. You can get Bare Escentuals at Sephora, most department stores, or direct from their website. Unfortunately, the mineral makeup is a lot more expensive, so personally I can only afford to use it for special occasions. If you don't mind spending a bit more for higher quality foundation though, it's totally worth it.

When it comes to a cheaper, drugstore foundation, I love Almay "nearly naked" liquid makeup for everyday use. It has a very light feel to it, and a little goes a long way in terms of coverage. There are also "nearly naked" pressed powders you can buy for extra shine control on top of the foundation. It works great all on its own, but it does nicely when you blend it into a tiny bit of your favourite facial moisturizer too. I really love all of Almay's makeup. I find that it never irritates my skin or eyes, and it always looks natural.

Regarding Maybelline, I am very fair, and I have never found a Maybelline foundation or powder that didn't look awful on me. I find a lot of Maybelline products have that orangey tint and just don't blend well into my skin tone, making it very obvious that I'm wearing foundation. However, I have friends who are much more tan or olive-skinned than I am, and they absolutely swear by Maybelline foundation! So it all depends on you individual skin type and skin tone. I hope you find something that works for you, and that once you find it, they don't suddenly discontinue the product

Thanks for the info. alicia. I have a Sephora close so I'll have to go check it out. I'm pretty fair skinned also, so I'll see about the tints of the Maybelline.

JerseyGyrl: Do you think this will accentuate my large pores? I see they have a liquid makeup as well as the powder. Which do you use? How does it do in the summer when you are sweating? I think I'll try it regardless because of the trial sizes. Thanks for the info.

Jerseygirl - thanks for the rec! After about a year of Bare Minerals and loving it, my skin starting having reactions to it and I had to quit. I used a different mineral makeup for a while, can't remember the name, but the coverage was terrible.

Now I'm using Sephora brand pressed powder, applied with a brush. I also use their green-tinted primer (I have rosacea so the green counteracts the red). nomorenachos - using a primer definitely helps with the pores! They can be a little pricey but you only need a tiny bit. There are multiple brands at Sephora and I have seen them in drugstore brands as well.

Thanks for the info. everyone.

Can't help w/ the blemish scars, but can for the pore-minimizing foundation. I have them, too. I use Maybelline Dream Matte Liquid (not the Mousse in the jar). Also, you need a primer underneath the foundation. I am frugal, and I use Monistat Anti-Chafing Gel. Yes, Monistat! You find it w/ the other Monistat stuff (yeast infection, etc), and it's around $5.99 at Walmart.

I've tried a LOT of foundations, but the brand I like the best is Make Up For Ever from Sephora. It's pricey, but a little goes a long way, and it gives fantastic, natural coverage. There's two formulas I really like, one is called Mat Velvet + that's matte, and gives a lot of coverage. It's good for people with oily skin. I also use Face & Body, which is medium coverage and not quite as matte. It's the best I've ever used, and I've used drugstore brands and high end stuff alike. I apply literally a tiny bit (mixed with some moisturizer because I have eczema that likes to freak out for no reason) with a very slightly damp flat topped buffer brush. It gives me flawless skin.

I have large pores on my nose (and I'm beginning to have them along side my nose, which is just what I need) and dry skin. Powder makeup makes it all look about a hundred times worse. Foundation primers make things look better, but most of them made me break out (even the Monistat, hey - same ingredients as the Smashbox primer and it got good reviews, so I tried it). I have had good luck with the Laura Mercier moisturizing foundation primer and the Clinique pore minimizing concealer. They really do the job of smoothing out the pore situation and keeping my foundation from settling in AND I don't break out when I use them.

As for foundation, I have dry skin so I use Laura Mercier tinted foundation and I'm still on the hunt for a good concealer for the occasional blemish or leftover blemish redness. Nothing outstanding so far.

for my blemish scars, i use kiehls photo-age spot treatment! i just started it a month ago and when i bought it, i had a freshly popped scar on my face and now its all gone!! its suppose to be good for new ones and takes longer for old ones.

I like MAC Studiosculpt, its light and buildable for me. I just use a sponge to apply, and then the Light-Medium powder over top. Very buildable and so doesn't feel heavy.

I always moisturize a lot first though. Olay first, all over, let it set. Then Philosophys "The Present" Primer. Then foundation (or nothing if I don't feel like it, moisture and primer seem to make a huge difference on their own).