With makeup made from oils and serums, you can say goodbye to that lackluster complexion.
Just like your foundation shouldnt settle, you shouldnt settle for makeup that simply isnt right for your skin type. As anyone with dry skin knows, finding products that dont exaggerate dryness can be a real challenge. And it only gets more difficult in the cold, dry months of winter when whipping winds and blasting indoor heat zaps any trace of moisture right out of your skin. That doesnt mean you have to resign yourself to looking dull or fighting flakiness. With the right alchemy of skincare, hydration, and makeup, you can take your skin from tragic to magic. Well, magic might be a reach, but the point is that hope is not lost for us dry skin warriors. With luxury and drugstore options running the gamut from dewy creams to matte liquids, there are no shortage of hydrating foundations that can help replenish and restore your skin. Here, find 27 of the best foundations for dry skin. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
With a formula thats nearly 90% skincare ingredients, does this even fall into the makeup category? Based on its long-wearing performance, medium to full coverage, and matte finish, yes, yes it does. Diors beloved foundation comes in 43 shades and provides SPF 35, as a bonus.
For a lightweight, oil-free option, try this makeup artist-approved option from Armani. Its earned numerous beauty awards for its hydrating effects and buildable medium coverage. Customers also love the way it blends flawlessly.
Skincare and makeup forces combined to bring customers the best of both worlds with this foundation from Olay & Covergirl. Made in part with Olay moisturizer, it contains hyaluronic complex, and vitamin C to help replenish your skins hydration.
Available in 50 unique shades, this foundation from Rihannas beauty line became a fast favorite among fans and beauty lovers alike. It offers medium, sweat-resistant coverage and is formulated with grapeseed oil and sodium hyaluronate, so it wont crease in any dry patches.
If youre going for a dewy finish and prefer products with natural ingredients, prepare to fall in love with Ilias serum foundation. As the name suggests, it feels like applying a serum rather than wearing makeup. Aloe Leaf, Rosehip, Marula, and Jojoba oils will help quench your skins thirst, leaving it with a healthier appearance even after your makeup comes off.
Restore your skin with this formula made with coconut water, Alpine rose, and hyaluronic acid. The buildable medium to full coverage will blur your skins imperfections.
For a drugstore pick, Maybellines Fit Me Dewy + Smooth foundation is formulated specifically for normal to dry skin. Its packed with Vitamin E to help keep your skin hydrated all day.
Get sun protection, hydration and medium coverage with this ultra lightweight foundation. Its thin consistency is made with MACs moisture fusion complex and elastic gel-serum that will leave your skin looking smoother than ever.
Many hydrating foundations promise a dewy look, meaning it can be difficult to find a good matte option that doesnt dry out your skin even more. This oil-free contender from Lancôme, however, finishes matte and looks very natural on skin.
Dont let the playful name of this one fool you. It does apply like moisturizer (seriously), but it packs the same punch as your favorite foundation. Its base as a moisturizer makes it a fantastic option for those struggling with dryness.
The formula of this drugstore option is 80% moisturizing cream, so you really cant go wrong. It also contains hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, glycerin, and Vitamin E to keep you glowy all day long.
Chanel formulated this foundation to be extremely lightweight with a thin, watery consistency. It provides a drink for you skin and light to medium coverage, plus broad spectrum SPF 15.
Although this foundation has a barely-there feel and a natural look, it puts in some serious work under the surface. Its made with ruscus extract, which stimulates micro-circulation to correct dullness and provide a brighter complexion.
Get a fresh faced look with this water gel formula from Neutrogena. Its lightweight and contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate, yet its still oil-free and non-comedogenic.
For skin woes that call for something more intensive than your basic tinted moisturizers or foundations, Kosas has the answer for you: a skin oil that also provides the coverage of foundation. It will lock in hydration with avocado, meadowfoam, jojoba, rosehip, red raspberry oils (among others!) while offering a light coverage.
You cant ask for much more than a lightweight, hydrating cream foundation with a smooth blend at a stellar price point.
Part moisturizer, part foundation, part serum, this Bobbi Brown foundation is like a three-in-one. Cordyceps mushroom help calm skin and hydrate will still offering medium to full coverage.
Customers love the second skin effect they get from this Shiseido foundation. Its buttery texture leaves skin looking healthier, fuller, and glowing.
The name doesnt lie. Wearing this Perricone foundation serum is as close to not wearing makeup as it gets—well, without actually not wearing makeup. The serum part treats your skin to vitamin E oil, antioxidants, and peptides, while the foundation corrects blemishes and imperfections. Neuropeptides, daisy flower extract, and bisabolol serve to boost luminosity.
For a fresh finish, try this drugstore option made with vitamin E, prickly pear oil, and anti-pollution agents free of any parabens, pthalates, or fragrances.
This foundation glides onto even the driest skin like silk, and ingredients like glycerin and coconut oil allow it to hydrate while you wear.
Now you can get a fully customized foundation—no more guesswork about shade matching and best formulas. Lancômes personalized makeup, available at select Nordstrom locations, enables you to perfectly match your skin tone and to select the level of hydration.
Formulas that are largely water-based are optimal for dry skin sufferers. This one is loaded with antioxidants to help nourish and restore your skins health and give you a luminous glow.
A dose of luxury might be just what your dry skin is craving. With this cream foundation from Chanel, made with diamond powder and vanilla planifolia water, youll be glowing and hydrated in no time.
Another oil-free option, Chantecailles Future Skin works to hydrate skin with water and seaweed and is a top-pick among celebrity makeup artists. Plus, it works great for those tricky cases where skin is both dry and breakout prone.
A cocktail of hyaluronic acid and natural oils, including balsam copaiba, andiroba, and açai, create a perfect hydrating foundation.
Not only does this drugstore all-star provide buildable medium coverage to rival beauty counter competitors, but its also a hero to dry skin, with a formula containing hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
The Absolute Best 15 Foundations for Dry Skin
- Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation. …
- L’Oreal Paris Infallible Longwear Foundation. …
- MACStudio Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation. …
- Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation, Lancôme. …
- IT COSMETICS Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer with SPF 50+
The Amazon Favorite
The name doesn’t lie: This formula goes on smooth and makes you look dewy. With buildable coverage, SPF 18, and a sleek pump applicator, this option is a steal that impressed me with its staying power and hydrating effects. On Amazon, it’s also the best-rated foundation for dry skin with close to 5,000 five-star reviews.
The Best Value Foundation For Dry Skin
I prefer to apply my foundation with a brush or a sponge, but I swiped L’Oréal’s stick on my face straight from the tube and blended it with my fingers. The formula was creamy and glided onto my skin. I found it successful at blurring my pores for a smoother and glow-ier complexion. Expect medium coverage, enough to hide imperfections without looking like you’re wearing an opaque mask. The stick application also makes it easy to touch up on the go. The only thing I found less easy was covering my neck area.
15 Best Foundations That Hydrate Dry, Patchy, and Flaky Skin 2021
With a satiny natural finish, this Dior foundation earned high scores for performance, usability, and user satisfaction from our expert testers. The buildable formula is made with Micro-fil technology “to sculpt and brighten, improving texture and blurring imperfections,” according to the brand. Reviewers also love it, saying, “It never looks dry or cakey, and is worth the price.”
Of all the products we tested, It Cosmetics foundation scored high for mature, dry, and sensitive skin. It creates a dewy, satin-like finish, and it got perfect scores for providing smooth, even coverage on dry skin. Our testers loved that it dispensed the exact right amount of product and blended easily over skin. Not to mention, its a 2-in-1 product with enough SPF to protect your skin from the sun. For best results, apply it with your fingers or using a sponge.
Quell those dry, flaky patches.
With 50 different shades to help you find your perfect match, more than 10,000 reviewers have raved about this foundation. “I have super dry skin and any other foundation cracks and breaks off around my nose, but not this one!” said one reviewer. “It feels hydrating and leaves a glowy finish.” The brand claims this foundation is formulated with hyaluronic acid to hydrate dry patches and adaptive technology to adjust to your complexion.
The Good Housekeeping Institutes Beauty Lab regularly tests foundations for ease of use, coverage ability, and smoothness of application. To find the best foundation for dry skin, we rounded up over 190 products and narrowed down the field to 30 based on each products claims, price, and availability, with formulations ranging from liquid to powder to cream. For products that make skin moisturization claims (think BB creams, CC creams, and tinted moisturizers), we use a Corneometer, a device that measures changes in skins hydration, to see how well (and if) they really moisturize.
Best foundations for dry skin
As more and more of us are leaning into the low-coverage look, Sisleys light-as-air foundation has arrived at just the right time.
This is the lightest option in Diors stellar skincare-inspired Forever foundation line, and the one most suitable for dry skin. The coverage is low yet buildable, and never looks flat or cakey.
Here, see the very best foundations for dry skin, in varying levels of coverage – and a true spectrum of shades. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
A classic foundation for dry skin, this one provides hefty coverage without settling into pores or fine lines. It also contains antioxidant vitamin C to ward off damaging pollution particles.
Find hydration and coverage in these glow-inducing new launches
The Best Foundations for Thirsty, Dry Skin
Now you can get a fully customized foundation—no more guesswork about shade matching and best formulas. Lancômes personalized makeup, available at select Nordstrom locations, enables you to perfectly match your skin tone and to select the level of hydration.
This foundation glides onto even the driest skin like silk, and ingredients like glycerin and coconut oil allow it to hydrate while you wear.
A dose of luxury might be just what your dry skin is craving. With this cream foundation from Chanel, made with diamond powder and vanilla planifolia water, youll be glowing and hydrated in no time.
Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
Although this foundation has a barely-there feel and a natural look, it puts in some serious work under the surface. Its made with ruscus extract, which stimulates micro-circulation to correct dullness and provide a brighter complexion.