best foundations for dry skin

19 Best Foundations for Dry Skin

Get your radiant glow with these foundations. 

Finding the foundation to deliver a radiant glow can be tough when you’ve got dry skin.

Traditional formulas tend to cake, crack, or flake on dry skin types, settle or sink into skin lines, and exaggerate pores.

Don’t fret, we’ll help you fight the good fight and win over this lengthy battle. When shopping, buy a good moisturizing foundation to deliver a natural glow. The matte finish will leave your face looking lifeless and flat.

The application process is what makes or breaks your look.

The key here is to start with a good skincare routine or pick a hydrating, long-wearing foundation.

Look for rich textures with oils and vitamins that nourish the skin. 

Best Foundations For Dry Skin

We’ve rounded out the 19 best foundations for dry skin.

NARS Light Reflecting Foundation

NARS Light Reflecting Foundation - Advanced Makeup-Skincare Hybrid Foundation - 30ml

A light base to build your make-up look upon. The Light Reflecting Foundation from NARS is the perfect lightweight formula to start your look for the day.

Although thin in consistency, this base product will smooth the look of textured skin and help conceal redness and dark spots.

Meanwhile, the advanced skincare ingredients defend your complexion against environmental aggressors and strengthen your moisture barrier.

Ideal for everyday wear thanks to its buildable coverage and natural finish, this foundation will change the way you see make-up.

Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation SPF 35

Dior Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation Spf 35

A lightweight foundation that offers a perfect fit for each and every palette.

Fusing hydration and coverage to perfection, the steller Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation SPF 35 caters to your complexion’s every need thanks to its buildable coverage.

The formula delivers all-day moisture and minimizes the appearance of pores and imperfections, all while veiling your visage in a beautiful glow.

It’s infused with rose extracts to soothe and calm skin. 

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk 

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundatio

Create and layer your look with an oil-free, ultra-fine hydrating foundation formula to maintain a glowing complexion.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk is award-winning. For a good reason – the oil-free, hydrating fluid employs Micro-fil™ technology to deliver a silky smooth, seamless application that blurs imperfections and hydrates skin for a natural-looking, all-day glow.

Whether you require its flawless finish for a once-in-a-lifetime bridal look or simply a refreshed everyday appearance, the 40-shade range makes it easier to find your perfect match.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Natural Skin Perfector SPF 20

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Natural Skin Perfector

Laura Mercier’s cult-favorite tinted moisturizer just had a makeover – and it’s perfectly tuned to oily skin types.

We needn’t make a case for no-make-up make-up – it’s been a favorite runway season after season, requiring only perfectly prepped skin and a barely-there base.

Enter Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Natural Skin Perfector: it’s a demi-matte evolution of the brand’s bestselling tinted moisturizer.

Renowned for its glow-giving, hydrating properties – specially adapted to oily skin, balancing a smoothing formula that absorbs excess oil without leaving your face with that tight, dry feeling.

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation

The potent IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation contains water-loving hyaluronic acid, soothing aloe vera, and radiating vitamin B5 (also known as panthenol) to replenish and revitalize skin.

Beauty tip: focus on areas of concern and don’t use yours on the entire face: the final result is a radiant natural finish. 

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Le Eclat Le Teint Foundation

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Le Teint Awakening Foundation SPF 22

Enriched with SPF 22 to protect your complexion from the sun’s harmful rays. YSL’s iconic Touche Éclat has been reimagined in foundation form with the Touche Éclat Le Teint.

Offering breathable coverage with the same illuminating properties as the bestselling highlighter pen, the buildable formula allows you to layer the product depending on your needs, offering a flawless, non-cakey finish.

Apply to the face using a brush and fingers to achieve the perfect healthy glow.

rms beauty “Un” Cover-Up Cream Foundation

RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up Cream Foundation - Hydrating & Nourishing Organic Face Makeup Provides Lightweight & Even Coverage for Healthy, Luminous Skin

This cream foundation from rms beauty goes well with the brand’s iconic Un Cover-Up Concealer.

It’s enriched with a trifecta of plant oils, including buriti, coconut, and jojoba.

The precious properties are perfect for dry skin.

Pro tip: buff the rich cream with a fluffy brush or spot-apply with a beauty blender

Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation 

CHARLOTTE'S BEAUTIFUL SKIN FOUNDATION

Have the skin you’ve always envied with a little help from Charlotte Tilbury.

The master of skin, Charlotte Tilbury, presents her latest radiance-boosting complexion product with Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation.

Formulated with brightening rose complex and intensely hydrating hyaluronic acid, it will naturally smooth the skin and enhance your glow with each wear.

With 30 shades and three different undertones, a beautifully luminous complexion is waiting for everyone.

Maybelline Fit Me Dewy Smooth Foundation

Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation Makeup, Sandy Beige

Shine like a superstar with the illuminating drugstore gem.

The creamy, lightweight formula is buildable and skin-softening, ensuring customizable medium to full coverage minus the cakiness and the cracks.

The non-comedogenic, fragrance-free formula is enriched with vitamin E to hydrate dry, tight skin. On the plus side, it comes in 24 shades to cater to countless skin types.

WESTMAN ATELIER Vital Skin Foundation Stick 

WESTMAN ATELIER Vital Skin Foundation Stick

Providing effortless enhancement to your skin’s natural beauty.

Westman Atelier’s Vital Skin foundation stick doesn’t simply conceal imperfections – its innovative formula, enriched with antioxidants and active ingredients, works to combat redness and irritation as you go about your day.

The practical stick applicator ensures the product melts into the skin for a natural finish while providing a moisturizing layer for sublime comfort.

ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation

ILIA - True Skin Serum Foundation | Cruelty-Free, Vegan, Clean Beauty

Looking for multitasking skincare that leaves you glowy and dewy, look no further than the ultra-nourishing, super-smoothing ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation.

The formula is infused with aloe vera, jojoba oil, marula oil, and squalane to moisturize and soothe dry and sensitive skin.

This one-and-done wonder is perfect for busy mornings. 

Cruelty-Free, Vegan, Clean Beauty

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream Foundation

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream Illumination, Medium (W) - Color Correcting Cream, Full-Coverage Foundation, Hydrating Serum & SPF 50+ Sunscreen - Radiant Finish

Don’t let the name fool you. This CC cream doubles as a foundation.

This overachiever delivers a hydrating, skin-blurring color, and broad-spectrum SPF 50.

Consider it your go-to multitasker when you’re running late. 

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick 

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick

An innovative blend of emollients, including olive extracts and shea butter, keeps skin feeling soft and smooth all day.

Achieve a naturally flawless look with the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick. Billed by the brand as ‘the ultimate nude foundation,’

The creamy, weightless formula updates the iconic Foundation Stick with a transparent base and tone-correcting pigments to blend seamlessly, presenting a perfected version of your natural complexion.

Find your perfect tone match with the label’s most expansive range yet.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF 40

Intensive Skin Serum Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 40

Broad-spectrum UV filters, vitamin E and Deep-Sea Ferment defend against sun damage, pollution, and free radicals.

Looking for the skin-transforming power of a serum and the full coverage of a foundation? Bobbi Brown’s Intensive Serum Foundation SPF 40 delivers both in little to no time.

The energizing formula delivers a wealth of skincare benefits thanks to the generous help of cordyceps, ginseng, and hyaluronic acid, leaving the visage looking smooth, plump, and glowing.

Try it yourself and expect to fall in love with its long-lasting hydration, 12 hours of non-cakey coverage, and second-skin finish.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer Long-Wear Makeup SPF 19


Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer Long-Wear Foundation SPF 19

A foundation to illuminate your natural beauty.

Estée Lauder presents the Double Wear Foundation as a natural liquid foundation for everyday use. Infused with SPF 19, the formula helps create a surge of sun protection.

Guaranteed to last and leave skin looking natural with its long-wear sheer finish, this foundation is a must-have for days filled with errands.

Sisley Phyto-Teint Expert Foundation

Sisley Phyto-Teint No. 2 Soft Beige Expert Foundation for Women

A flawless finish for up to 12 hours keeps you moisturized and comfortable.

Phyto-Teint Expert fluid foundation combines a smoothing, unifying, long-lasting effect with a natural result.

It provides radiance and optimal coverage that masks imperfections in the complexion with ultra-pure pigments, perfecting, and soft-focus powders. “Sisley Color Expert” technology guarantees pure color and a perfect complexion for 12 hours.

Its formula, rich in active ingredients of natural origin, softens, moisturizes, and enhances the skin daily.

Ultra-sensory, soft, and enveloping, it’s easy to apply and leaves the skin feeling comfortable.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation 

Fenty Pro Filt'r Hydrating Longwear Foundation

The Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation caters to all skin types with a 50 shades line-up.

It’s long-lasting and humidity resistant. The soft, emollient formula is suitable for dry skin. 

L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Liquid Foundation

L'Oreal Paris Makeup True Match Super-Blendable Liquid Foundation

The newly formulated, ultra-hydrating  L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Liquid Foundation is a modern necessity.

The nutrient-rich formula features panthenol, glycerin, and vitamin E to quench your complexion.

The medium buildable coverage leaves the face looking fresh. 

Ciate London Dewy Skin Vitamin C Glass Glow Primer

Ciate London Dewy Skin Face Primer 1.01 Fl. Oz! Vitamin C Glass Glow Primer! Formulated with Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid and Dragon Fruit Extract! Luminous Glow With A Dewy Glass-Like Finish!

Want a dewy finish? Get the Ciate London Dewy Skin Vitamin C Glass Glow Primer that works well as a foundation.

The tinted moisturizer is well-suited for dry skin. 


Final Verdict 
Whether you want to splurge or save, we’ve covered all the bases, so you don’t have to.

Our new fave is the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Natural Skin Perfector SPF 20. It’s the perfect pick-me-up. We love protecting our skin and finding makeup that doesn’t cause breakouts.

If you’re on a budget, get the new L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Liquid Foundation.

We hope this list helped you go well prepared the next time you shop.