The 20 Best Foundations for Dry Skin 2022
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Retailers
Even the best foundations can look off if the texture isn’t compatible with your skin. When your complexion is dry, the wrong base can settle into fine lines, accentuate peach fuzz, and latch onto skin flakes. That’s where hydrating formulas come in.
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Amber Dreadon — makeup artist to the likes of Lorde, Karen O, Rita Ora, and more — says to look for foundations that contain moisturizing properties and ingredients with humectants to draw moisture to the skin, like natural oils, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. “Rosehip oil is one of my personal favorites, and squalene is always in my makeup kit!” says makeup artist Lisa Aharon, who has worked with such names as Florence Welch, Rachel Brosnahan, and Jasmine Sanders.
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“It’s important to find a formula that will glide onto the skin and not grab onto any dryness,” Dreadon says. She suggests using a brush to apply foundation so that it goes on smoothly, before blending it fully into your skin with a damp sponge. Aharon agrees and says a wet beauty blender can help give you a dewier complexion, but if you prefer using zero tools, the warmth of your fingertips works—and can help push moisturizing ingredients deeper into your skin.
Dreadon emphasizes that a moisturized base is just as vital as the foundation itself, so she recommends using a hydrating face spray (she prefers Iris & Romeo Reset Spray), before applying moisturizer on your face to lock in the hydration even further.
We tested many options, with both matte and dewy finishes, to see which could hide imperfections on parched skin without looking like a heavy layer of spackle. These picks promise to moisturize without making you look oily and, thus, also photograph well. Read on for the 20 best foundations for dry skin that will result in the most radiant, natural-looking finish.
The One if You’re in a Rush
Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation
$30
For a lightweight foundation to throw, or rather hurriedly smear, on before you run out the door, this Tower 28 formula with reef-safe SPF 30 will do the trick. It’s lightweight enough for a natural finish while still giving you the coverage you need. Dreadon recommends it if you want your skin to look hydrated — thanks to its mix of glycerin and acids — but not too made up.
$30
at Sephora
$30
at Credo Beauty
The Multitasker
Iris & Romeo Best Skin Days
$42
A serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, and blue light–and–pollution protector in one sheer-coverage foundation — this formula does it all. Both Aharon and Dreadon agree that it’s one of the best out there for dry skin, leaving you with a glowing complexion in no time with ingredients like rose oil and hydrating sodium hyaluronate.
$42
at Iris & Romeo
The Best Foundation Stick
Merit The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick
$38
“A lot of sticks can leave the skin looking dry,” says Aharon, “but this buildable one is loaded with fatty acids, giving you a sheer creamy finish. It’s also fragrance-free for those sensitive-skin types.” This fan-favorite formula (nearly 80,000 likes on Sephora) glides on smooth and evens your skin tone without creasing.
$38
at Sephora
$38
at MERIT
The Hydrating Foundation
Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Dewy Foundation Drops
$68
This liquid formula leaves you with a dewy (but not wet-looking) complexion, and Aharon loves it because the first ingredient listed is squalane. For those who like their makeup and skin care to go hand in hand, it also improves firmness, texture, and radiance over time. Finish it off with setting powder if you like less shine, or skip it to embrace the glistening Twilight look.
$68
at Nordstrom
$68
at Sephora
The Amazon Favorite
The Long-standing Favorite
The Best Value Foundation for Dry Skin
The Luxurious-But-Worth-It Pick
Chanel Vitalumière Aqua
$50
An expensive option that’s worth the money is Chanel’s liquid foundation. The formula is extremely lightweight with a watery consistency. It yields medium coverage that looks like a second skin — but better and luminous instead of tired, dry, and pasty.
$50
at Nordstrom
$50
at Bloomingdale’s
The One That Has Everything
The Fullest Coverage Foundation
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation
$49
Despite being the fullest coverage foundation, this won’t feel dry or look cakey on the skin. Instead, it gives a Saran-wrapped, almost doll-like quality to pores, gliding effortlessly over pimples and dark eye circles to make your whole face look airbrushed. It even comes in 44 shades. Just make sure you double cleanse after wearing.
$49
at Nordstrom
$49
at Sephora
The Longest Lasting Foundation
The Glowiest Foundation
The One That’s Great for Monday Mornings
The One With the Most Extensive Shade Range
The Best Natural Foundation
The Photo-Ready One
The One That Feels Like a Tint
The One That Feels Like a Face Oil
The Best for Darker Skin Tones
Fashion Fair SkinFlex Stick Foundation
$37
One of the first beauty brands intended specifically for people of color, Fashion Fair is back and at Sephora. This stick foundation comes in 16 shades, and reviewers praise it for being lightweight, creamy, and easy to blend without enlarging the appearance of pores.
$37
at Sephora
The Most Luxurious
Clé de Peau Beauté The Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 21
$250
Yes, $250 for a single makeup item is steep. But, if you think of Clé de Peau’s foundation as the luxury skin-care product that it is (the ingredient list is loaded with skin-plumping extracts and antioxidants), the price tag makes more sense. The formula goes on so smoothly there’s almost no need to use a sponge or brush (but I still did). In fact, the box directs you to apply it with your hands, like you would a skin cream. Any brown spots or redness around my nose and chin vanished instantly with only minimal blending. It left my skin radiant in all the right places, almost as if I had used a highlighter. Also, a few tiny dots of the liquid-gel formula goes a very long way, so consider it a skin-care investment. Word to the wise: Dreadon says Clé de Peau’s radiant fluid foundation gives you flawless, hydrated-looking skin for half the price.
$250
at Bloomingdale’s
$250
at Net-A-Porter
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