In the age of matte foundations, finding the right foundation for people with dry skin can be just a little bit too much of a chore. This is why we’ve taken the liberty of scouring far and wide to look for some of the best foundations for dry skin that won’t leave it looking cakey or unnourished, but instead, fresh and glowing.
Here are our top picks for foundations that make dry skin glow:
Price: $69.00
We’re starting off this list with a product that doesn’t feel like a foundation in the strictest or most traditional sense of the word. The Intensive Skin Serum SPF from Bobbi Brown is definitely marketed as a foundation, but its very light weight on the skin makes it akin to something like a serum in the skincare sense (as its name, of course, implies). Besides this handy quality, it also boasts a nice buildable medium coverage as well as some light sun protection that makes it good for people who don’t really want to clog their pores with too much makeup.
Price: $48.00
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Despite specifically being a matte foundation (which isn’t always recommended for dry skin), the Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Foundation still definitely is an option that drier-skinned users should consider from the Laura Mercier brand. The kind of matte finish that this product delivers is so luxe, so comfortable, and so soft that it doesn’t really matter if you have dry, normal, combination or oily skin. This foundation will stay fresh on you all day if it needs to without bunching up or feeling weird or uncomfortable.
Price: $60.00
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What we really love most about the Veil™ Fluid Makeup Oil Free is its feel, especially in the way it caters to dry skin. This foundation product from Hourglass Cosmetics can be a valuable ally for dry-skinned beauty enthusiasts not just because it provides a perfectly balanced level of coverage or because it softly smoothes out the skin’s texture in an almost airbrushed way. This foundation is just unbeatably lightweight, which can be a huge help for people with very dry skin in that it generally won’t feel (or get) very cakey.
Price: $12.99
As a product that’s specifically tailor-made to suit normal to dry skin types, it’s no surprise that Revlon’s ColorStay™ Makeup for Normal/Dry Skin SPF 20 works so well for dry skin types. This foundation has a particularly lightweight formula that provides the perfect amount of coverage to get just the right look for an everyday makeup look, and it gives the skin a luminous dewy look. We also really appreciate this foundation product does not budge, which is good for long days at work, or nights out partying.
Price: $50.00
The Vitalumière Aqua is a foundation from Chanel Beauty that’s very much suited to dry skin types. The finish of this foundation is absolutely stunning, granting the skin a nice, natural, hydrated luminosity. Even if it has a smaller shade range (which we do have to point out), the coverage is light enough that it integrates quite well with most skin types. Take a look at this product if you’re looking for a luxury light-coverage experience.
Price: $47.00
NARS Cosmetics’ Sheer Glow Foundation is a much-talked-about product on the makeup-loving corners of the internet. This foundation has repeatedly been considered a “holy grail” by many enthusiasts, which only speaks to the effectivity of this product. Despite being just a little runny for our tastes, once applied to the skin, this feels so refreshing. It’s so easy to blend, and definitely quite breathable. Even though it doesn’t have the strongest staying power, we still find it to be a particularly powerful foundation that we believe dry-skinner users should definitely consider looking at.
Price: $39.00
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The Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ is an ideal alternative for dry-skinned makeup users who don’t really like putting on thick (and often, bothersome) foundations. This IT Cosmetics product definitely feels lighter than your traditional foundation, but somehow, still manages to give a stellar performance in terms of both coverage and wear time. Because of its skincare-esque properties, this product keeps skin feeling nourished even after a long day of wearing makeup which makes it such a refreshing alternative for traditional foundations.
Price: $7.99
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The Fit Me!® Dewy + Smooth Foundation has got to be one of our favorite foundations for dry skin, both within the Maybelline brand’s range of products, as well as in the drugstore. The affordability of this product definitely does play a part in why we like this product so much, but even past that, it’s just a great foundation—great shade range, lovely luminizing finish, and an extra dose of hydration for problematically dry skin. If this product came with its own pump, we’d probably love it even more!
Price: $44.00
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The Magic Foundation from Charlotte Tilbury definitely stays true to the “magic” part of its name. This miraculous little product works wonders for dry skin. The creaminess of this product definitely helps smooth blending along, but the strong coverage, and the über-comfortable, brightening satin finish puts this product a cut above its competition. This is a foundation that deserves every bit of the hype it’s been receiving on the internet since its release.
