Best Dewy Foundations For Every Skin Type and Tone
The good news? The latest wave of hard-working and best dewy foundations makes it entirely possible to give you a complexion that looks as though you drank a pint of liquid sunshine. Best of all, because they’re filled with skincare wizardry, no skin tone or type will be left in the dark. Dryness your beauty bête noir? There are hydrating ingredients that make light work of parched skin.
Perhaps oiliness has held you back from a dewy foundation? In which case know that oil-free versions guarantee an even glow. Lazy girls will also be pleased to see that some formulas can even rival their skincare products allowing you to pare back your morning routine. That’s not all. Coverage wise you’re sorted, too.
Whether you want a sheer wash of colour or prefer a full-on finish to mask acne or hide pesky pigmentation, these dewy foundations come in various levels of coverage and never look or feel cakey.
Find your best dewy foundation…
Charlotte Tilbury
Hollywood Flawless Filter, £39.00
Best dewy foundation for dry skin
If you find that by midday your skin has eaten your foundation leaving you with dry, flaky patches, then this formula is for you. Packed with hydrating squalene and glycerin, the latter is a humectant and moisture-preserver often used in face creams to keep skin soft and hydrated. As for the finish? You can sheer it out with a sparse bristled foundation brush or build up coverage with a beauty blender.
Monika Blunder Beauty
Cover Foundation/Concealer, £45.00
Best dewy foundation for full coverage
You’d be hard pushed to find a beauty editor or makeup artist who doesn’t love this foundation. It’s truly magical in that it can cover a multitude of skin issues – think large pores, dark circles etc, and yet it leaves skin so dewy you look as if you’ve just had a facial. There are all sorts of skin nourishing goodies hidden in there, from antioxidants that help fight free radicals (perfect for city dwellers) to chamomile, which reduces redness. It’s got staying power too, which is ideal if you go from barre to desk to bar.
Ilia Beauty
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 30, £48.00
Best dewy foundation for medium coverage
Granted, this feels more like a serum than a makeup product, but it does a stellar job at giving skin a nice dewiness, whilst also being buildable. A great shout for sensitive and dry skin types, it’s watery in texture so blends like dream, cleverly masking acne, hydrating dry patches, and blurring fine lines thanks to squalene, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide (an anti-inflammatory ingredient). Bonus points for the added SPF30, which starves off damage from UV rays.
Nars
Sheer Glow Foundation, £39.00
Best dewy foundation for sheer coverage
Incredibly lightweight and sheer, this glow-dation offers an “I woke up like this” finish that looks and feels like second skin, akin to wearing your favourite chiffon top, if you will. Packed with turmeric and powerful antioxidants, it also works to improve skin texture over time and its brightening properties go to town on dull skin. A wise choice if you don’t like the feeling of wearing foundation.
Shiseido
Revitalessence Glow Foundation, £49.00
Best dewy foundation for dewy glow
Marrying plant-based magic with esteemed Japanese lab work, if glow is the name of your game, then this has it in spades. The formula works to create a veil of light on the skin that imparts a gorgeous and undetectable finish, giving major off-duty beauty vibes. There’s also fermented kefir+ (like the yoghurt), which supports the good bacteria residing on your skin, ensuring it stays healthy and protected throughout the day. The finish is sheer so you can work in with your fingers or a dense angled brush.
Chantecaille
Future Skin Foundation, £80.00Best dewy foundation for oily skin If your skin is in crisis mode, you’ll be needing an oil-free foundation that doesn’t add to the excess flow of sebum. This is where water-based gel foundations are worth their weight in gold. Chantecaille’s reduces redness with its soothing blend of aloe, chamomile and green tea. It also smooths the skin's texture without looking like you’ve got on a thick layer of makeup. In short, it maximises your glow while minimising shine. Final word, a little goes a long way, so apply to the T-zone and blend outwards for best results.
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Read More
• A Guide to The Underpainting Makeup Technique• The Best Foundations for All Skin Types • The Difference Between Contour And Bronzer
• Best BB and CC Creams
