Best Dewy Foundations- Drugstore & High-End
So it's almost April, and it's basically still winter here in NYC. (Yesterday was April Fool's Day & I'm pretty sure Mother Nature just played us because it snowed 6 inches today.) Now I love wintertime for a number of reasons- ice skating, hot chocolate, and Christmas carols, but I am NOT a fan of the winter-time weather! I am one of those people who have uberr dry skin- especially during the colder seasons. To the point where years ago, I couldn't even put foundation on my face without me looking like a batch of Aunt Jemima.
Since then though, with proper and consistent skincare (will write a blog on that soon!), I was able to wear foundation again during the cold months.
But that didn't change the fact that I still have dry skin. So I knew I couldn't wear the majority of popular matte foundations that everyone around me knew and loved. Sure, I could glop on a whole bunch of moisturizer before applying the foundation, but from trial and error, even when I did that, most matte foundations throughout the day didn't look great on me. I finally decided that a dewier finish, would suit my skin best. Since then, I've tried countless of dewy foundations, from drugstore to high-end, in the pursuit of finding a foundation that was both moisturizing, long-lasting, and obv DEWY.
So here are some of my top picks for hydrated, dewy skin:
Drugstore:
Drugstore foundations have really stepped up their game in the past couple of years! Although I do prefer high-end dewy foundations over drugstore dewy foundations (sorry not sorry!), here are three that I've enjoyed over the years!
1. Loreal Infallible Pro-Glow Foundation
As of late, I've been using this foundation for my go-to-glow if I want to preserve (*Gollum voice*) my preciousss Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation. When this foundation first came out, I remember my initial reaction was "Wowww, the drugstore brands are coming for Sephora's edges!" Literally, if someone had put this foundation in a fancier bottle and sold it to me for 1.5x the price, I'd still like it! This foundation is actually dewy on my skin and provides medium to buildable coverage. My favorite way of applying this foundation is with a good ole' Beauty Blender, and if I want to sheer it out, I just add a drop of my daily moisturizer into it. The only thing that keeps me reaching for my high-end dewy foundations more than this one though, is that I can feel that I'm wearing makeup (not drastically though) and that it's not as transfer-resistant as I'd like it. Now, those of you who could care less about either of those two conditions, I'm sure would absolutely love the Pro Glow. I mean, it didn't become a favorite amongst beauty influencers for nothing!
2. Borjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation
So this foundation reminds me of good memories. You know when you hear an old song that you used to jam to many years ago, and you're suddenly teleported to another world of feel-good times? That nostalgic feeling perfectly describes my relationship with this foundation whenever I use it. It has this fruity smell that I love (those of you who are sensitive to fragrance might not like this one for that reason though); it's infused with lychee, goji berries, and pomegranate. It glides on skin as it has a very gel-like texture (hence the name), and provides a light to medium coverage. On my dry skin, the foundation is satin to radiant, but on combination skin, I'd expect the finish to be more radiant to dewy. I wore this literally every day for 3 weeks in the Philippines, because it stayed on well underneath the tropical sun and felt light enough that the humidity didn't make my face feel gross or sticky. Now, there are two downsides to this product: 1. The shade range is very limited. There's literally only a handful of shades available that are suited for very pale to medium-tan skin. 2. It's super hard to find this foundation in the U.S. so your best bet if you live in the states is to look up swatches and to buy online (affiliate link provided above). I actually picked this guy up at the Seoul Inchon Airport during a stopover to Manila, but even at the duty-free beauty shop I was purchasing this in, they only had a limited inventory of 4 shades available for sale.
3. Loreal True Match Lumi Foundation
Here's an oldie but goodie. This foundation has a bit of mixed reviews- mainly leaning towards the positive end though. For dry skin, I really like this foundation. It looks very natural, not overly dewy or anything. It doesn't wear as long as I'd like it to, but you could combat the short wear time with a setting spray and powder in the T-zone area. It feels pretty lightweight for a drugstore foundation (lighter than Pro Glow in my opinion), and there's a decent shade range with different undertone options. I wouldn't recommend this to oiler skin types though, as I can't see it lasting very long.
High-End:
I personally LOVE high-end dewy foundations. Why? One, they have longer staying power and feel tremendously lighter than drugstore dewy foundations. Two, because of statement one, they tend to be friendlier to all skin types as well!
1. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
You must have seen this one coming. Almost every beauty influencer and makeup artist I know loves this foundation- and I am no exception! When I wear this, my skin looks naturally radiant, not overly dewy or oily. This foundation provides medium-full, buildable coverage with a radiant to dewy finish, and it lasts a little over 8 hours for me during the summer. Luminous Silk is water-based, so it's not the most transfer resistant, but it definitely doesn't come off as easily as some of the foundations I mentioned earlier, as it still sets way better than most dewy foundations on the market. This is the foundation I wear when I'm going out to dinner or to a special event when I want more coverage or when I know I'm going to be photographed. There's no SPF so worry not all you in-the-club selfie takers!
2. Too Faced Born this Way Foundation
This one's also a popular one! Like the Luminous Silk, the Born this Way foundation provides medium-full coverage (so I'm not sure "born this way" is entirely appropriate- but who cares! We still flawless!). It's not overly dewy, but gives off the right amount of radiance to the skin. This foundation contains coconut water and alpine rose, which supports hydration and vibrancy. It's not as transfer-proof as I usually like it, but it does stay on me for 8-10 hours before slightly fading. This foundation is safe for combo to oilier skintypes as well; you just may have to touch up a little bit or blot occasionally throughout the day.
3. Ellis Faas Skin Veil Foundation
Ahh, one of the Rolls Royces of the dewy foundation category: The Ellis Faas Skin Veil. The $90 price tag may turn many people off, but when I tell you one bottle of this stuff could last you an entire year (more if you don't wear foundation everyday) you may actually rethink rolling your eyes. This foundation is water-based like all the others, but it doesn't feel like one. It's not watery at all- in fact, it's so thick and pigmented, some makeup artists even use a medium to sheer it out. My favorite way of application is mixing it with a moisturizer and blending it in with an artis brush. If you don't own an artis brush (uhh, first, invest in one, they're awesome), you can use your fingers to apply the foundation when it's sheered out. I wouldn't recommend using a beauty blender with this stuff. I've tried- and it just does not work. This foundation is quite transfer resistant, and I don't have a problem with it ever wearing off. It is very dewy- which is why it's loved for editorial- but the right amount of powder in the right areas (T-zone & smile lines) can still keep this foundation looking dewy and not oily (for those of us with oilier skin types). Worth every penny!
My absolute holy grail. I don't know what I'd do without this foundation. Where would I be? What type of person would I have become? What value would my life be worth? I know I'm exaggerating, but REALLY- this foundation is everything. First off, if you have a true light-medium, olive undertone, you NEED this. Like, yesterday. This is the only foundation I've ever worn where I didn't have to add green to completely match my skin tone. Where has this been all those days I was looking like either an orange or a peach in natural sunlight? (& looking like a fruit ain't cute!) Now the coverage: I would describe this as a medium coverage foundation that can either be sheered down or built up and has pore-minimizing qualities. The finish is definitely dewy- it reminds me of those flight attendants on Korean Air that just have the healthiest, smoothest, glowy-est looking skin. Now here's where this foundation really reaches HG status- it makes my dry skin look genuinely dewy (which is super hard to do) but it sets like a powder. It's transfer-resistant, and I don't find that it wears off at all, even after the 12 hour mark. I can wear this out running errands, and look like I have the most perfect "I woke up like this" skin ever, but I can also build this foundation up to a "Dang, new skin, who dis?" Absolute must have if you want if you want a quality dewy foundation.
These were my favorite dewy foundations, what are yours? Leave your must have's in the comments below!