Top Foundation Tips for Dry Skin

How Do You Apply Your Foundation When You Have Dry Skin?

Foundation tips for dry skin – Dry skin can occur at any time and for almost any reason. You might have chronically dry skin, aging skin that has become dry and a bit papery, or seasonally dry skin reacting badly to changes in temperature and humidity. Though this means everyone’s skin is different, there are some issues that always apply to a dry skin crisis. One of the biggest is how to wear makeup, especially foundation, if your skin is already a bit dry. After all, foundation has a tendency to give the skin a matte finish that will only exacerbate the lines, wrinkles, large pores and other flaws that really seem to pop when skin gets dry.

The good news is that we have a lot of great foundation tips for dry skin, whether it is due to the weather or your genetics, and in this article we are going to look at the following issues:

• Choosing the Right Foundation for Dry Skin
• Prepping the Skin Before Applying Foundation
• Whether or Not You Need Primer
• The Best Ways to Apply Foundation If Your Skin is Typically Dry
• Hydrating Skin to Reduce the Challenges of Dry Skin in General

Along the way, we’ll mention all of the little “dos and don’ts” that can really help boost your outcomes, too.

Choosing a Foundation for Dry Skin – Whether Chronic or Seasonal

So, dry skin…just what is it? Dry skin is just as the words describe, it is skin that is lacking adequate moisture and it means that the outermost layer, and perhaps even the deeper layers, are not as hydrated as they might be. The person living with dry skin at any time of the year may notice that their skin flakes and peels, develops lines and cracks, has a tight feeling after bathing, gets red easily or has an ashen look, and may even be itchy all of the time.

The good news is that dry skin is something that usually responds to at-home remedies. The first of these foundation tips for dry skin is not what you might think. While moisturizers and other treatments can soak the skin with compounds meant to enhance the health and good condition of the skin, one of the first things to do is consume more water. Most of us don’t drink enough decaffeinated fluid or pure water throughout the day, and in just a few weeks of consciously consuming more fresh water throughout the day, it becomes possible to improve all layers of skin.

A bit later we are going to delve a bit more into hydrating the skin, but until your skin’s condition improves, you can still wear foundation by following the next steps, especially selecting the right foundation products.

So, which sort of foundation is the “right” one? No matter why your skin is dry, you need to use the following criteria when examining options for foundations:

• Avoid any matte formulas
• Skip the waterproof and “oil control” formulas
• Go for “luminous,” and “dewy” formulas
• Do not buy powder foundations; stick exclusively with cream and liquid products
• Look for anything that says it is a “moisturizing” foundation
• Always see if there are multitasking formulas that might have anti-aging or hydrating ingredients

Now, we could spend the balance of this article talking about choosing the right colors and tones, but that has very little bearing on the outcome of applying foundation to dry skin. You’ll definitely want to take the time to learn about your skin tone and the right colors to use for the look you want, but that won’t have much of an impact on how your dry skin looks with foundation.

Instead, the next thing to consider is how to prep your skin the best way before any applications. Read on for more foundation tips for dry skin.

Related: Makeup for Your Skin Tone

Prepping Dry Skin for Optimal Foundation Applications

So, what is needed for your dry skin to look and feel great with foundation and makeup in place? In a word: prep. Unfortunately, prepping dry skin is not a single step, but is instead several. They are:

• Exfoliating
• Moisturizing (and spot treating if you have the need for serums)
• Priming

Exfoliating is one great way to eliminate all of the dead skin cells that only worsen the look of your dry skin. The thing to remember about exfoliating is that it should be done gently to prevent any damage to new, tender skin cells revealed in the process. There are all kinds of exfoliating products, and you’ll want to find one that is in line with your skin’s needs. There are great combination products that gently remove the dead skin through physical and chemical means, such as a natural rice or other coarse material blended with an enzyme or other compound that softens as it exfoliates.

Related: This is How Often You Should Exfoliate

Use your product on your face and neck, rinse and pat dry, and then quickly get moisturizer in place to trap the remaining water in the skin cells.

Remember that the areas of the face most prone to dryness and most obvious when foundation has been applied are the areas around the nose and the chin. If you are someone who uses serums to lock in moisture in those areas (such as a simple hyaluronic acid serum or a specialty serum) apply them before your moisturizer.

Allow the serums to set for a moment, and then apply a non-petroleum product. What you want is a moisturizing product that the skin cells actually absorb. If the moisturizer just sits on the surface, it actually makes any foundation application fail because it also sets the product on the surface and gives it a greasy finish.

Then you’ll want to consider a primer. This is a huge subject in foundation applications, and is also something that anyone with dry skin wants to keep on their radar, as well.

Do You Need to Prime?

According to the experts, dry skin “can benefit greatly from the right primer, so don’t skip this important, complexion-perfecting step.” And just what on earth are primers, exactly? Again, those same experts explain that they are products that “prepare your skin for makeup while addressing your complexion concerns, so you can achieve a flawless, radiant, and gorgeously dewy look.” That should be music to the ears of anyone who has struggled with makeup applications and dry skin.

It is a good idea to think of primers as a sort of lightweight filler that even out texture and adjust discolorations while concealing slight imperfections in the surface of the skin. When you have exfoliated to remove dead cells, deeply moisturized and hydrated the skin, all that is left is to ensure that your “blank canvas” is nice and even. That is precisely what a good primer will do.

Related: Before You Buy Another Foundation, You Should Read This

In fact, you might say that these are formulas designed specifically for those wearing foundation with dry skin. Some are even formulated with a luminizing ingredient to improve the overall appearance of dry skin.

Choosing one specifically for dry skin is the first step and then consider secondary issues like rosacea or acne. Look for moisturizing primers and then highlighting or luminizing formulas. You might also want to see if there are any color-correcting options available to you. Go only with a cream or lotion formula, apply, give it a moment to dry, and then it is time to head for the foundation.

Keep in mind that an “eye primer” may be useful too, if you wear eyeshadow and eyeliner, and you’ll want to use a tinted option at the same time you apply facial primer. As one beauty expert advised, just “apply one dot of eye primer to each lid and pat it on with your fingertip,” but make that the only time your foundational steps are done with your finger and not a tool.

How to Apply Foundation If Your Skin is Typically Dry

Now that you have prepped and treated the skin before putting on a moisturizing primer, you may find that applying foundation is far easier than ever before. There are a few basic tips that will help to make this a certainty, however, and they include:

• Always finding the right tools for the task – Here’s the thing, it may seem as if your fingers are the ideal tools for getting into all of the cracks and crevices of the face, but that method is going to work against you if you have dry skin. This is because your finger is going to press and fill any of those lines and flaws created by dry skin, further emphasizing them. Additionally, your fingertips are made of skin just as much as your face, and so the product will be absorbed by the skin of the fingertips and make it almost impossible to get an even and smooth application. The right approach is to dab product in place with a sponge or brush.
• Work in layers and use cream concealers and highlighters prior to any foundation applications – Ask experts in makeup applications for dry skin and they will say you want to use a few layers to create the best look, starting with ultra-creamy concealers. As one noted, foundation “easily skew cakey in dry weather… if you’re looking for more glowy luster than serious pigment, it’s the pick.”

• Skip the brush – When it gets to the point in the process where foundation is to be applied, you’ll want to give heed to one experts common concern, and that is that people do not use beauty blenders but instead lean heavily on brushes or fingers! As one has explained, “First dot the foundation all over your face with your fingers, but don’t blend it out. Then get the beauty blender wet, and squeeze out the excess water so it feels damp. Finally, bounce the beauty blender on your skin to blend in the dots of foundation.” If you do use the brush, do not press with it but instead use soft taps to blend and spread.
• Do not use any setting powders…Use a sealing spritz instead – Setting sprays and sealing spritz products are the ideal for anyone with dry skin. They set the makeup application but do not absorb any of the moisture you are working so hard to trap and retain. You do this before you apply the balance of makeup (eye makeup, lip, blush, etc.). You can repeat with a setting spray later, if desired, but always (and that should read ALWAYS) avoid powders if your skin has periods of dryness or is even chronically dry. And remember that powder blush is a mistake if you are aiming to help skin look less dry and flaky.

All of this makes it sound amazingly easy to get a beautiful application with even the driest skin. However, that is not exactly true. You will have to do some experimentations and trials with products to find which work best for your skin. Start with the exfoliation and moisturizing regimen, and switch to liquid and cream products right away. Those two simple foundation tips for dry skin will make a world of difference.

Then, begin practicing applications of primer and foundation to determine the right tools and techniques for your skin. Of course, intense hydration may also be your ideal solution!

Related: Your Guide to Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrating Skin to Reduce the Challenges of Dry Skin in General

If you suffer from bouts of dry skin, you know that it may worsen or lessen without any seeming cause. That is not really true. Typically, it may be due to such issues as:

• Overly hot baths
• Scrubbing the skin dry or exfoliating too vigorously
• You use lotion rather than a serum or ointment
• You use scented products for your skin, including detergents
• You live in an overly dry environment

If you make a habit of paying extra attention to the ways in which your habits and environment may be drying out your skin, drinking ample amounts of water and using the preparatory steps outlined above, you may find you no longer need to use a foundation for dry skin regimen. However, the process here will guarantee a much better outcome, and your skin will look great even if it is experiencing flaking, drying and seasonal trouble.

Related: Face Mask Showdown: Sheet Masks vs. Mud Masks

More Great Foundation Tips for Dry Skin:

BEST FOUNDATION TECHNIQUES FOR DRY SKIN

How to Choose the Best Foundation Makeup for Your Skin

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