YOUR SKIN, BUT BETTER

This Complexion Duo Keeps My Dry Skin Radiant All Day Long

YSL’s cushion foundation and Charlotte Tilbury’s loose powder make me look like I have a beauty filter on.

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When you have dry skin, the biggest issue when applying foundation is patchiness. Even some of the creamiest, dewiest formulas can end up looking cakey and blotchy. Product starts separating and building up around dry patches, making your complexion look almost like a puzzle—or worse, it leaves the redness, dark spots, and other imperfections you were trying to cover completely revealed.

Yes, skincare prep makes all the difference in how your foundation applies, but for those of us with dry skin, finding a hydrating base is essential.

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SECOND SKIN

I Tried Mary Phillips’ Le Skin Foundation for 12 Hours

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Unfortunately, many cream and liquid foundations out there (and I won’t name names) claim to contain hydrating, nourishing ingredients suitable for dry skin, yet fall deeply short. The telltale signs? If it’s in a stick format, you’ll notice some tugging when you swipe it across your face. If it’s in a compact, your brush or sponge will barely pick up product. Liquid formulas are harder to judge immediately, though you’ll usually notice the cakiness and patchiness by hour two—unless it’s a matte finish, in which case you can usually see the patchiness shortly after application.

On the other hand, some hydrating foundations are too dewy (yes, there’s such a thing), leaving your face looking less like a glazed donut and more like an olive-oil-slicked frying pan.

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LIGHT & AIRY

We Tried the New Jones Road Foundation Before Anyone Else

Roosa Rahkonen

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TL;DR: finding the perfect foundation or skin tint isn’t always an easy task when you have dry skin. Besides not having much time to do my makeup in the morning, that’s why I often skip the step altogether and go straight to concealer.

Then again, that’s not always an option—especially when I’m trying to cover up some texture and breakouts.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been scouring the depths of my makeup drawers for a foundation that works well with my dry skin. While I do have my tried-and-trues, like the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Luminous Skin Tint Stick and the Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint, my acne has gotten too intense for my light-coverage favorites to cover.

I revisited some old favorites, but found they were much too heavy for my current liking (I did have them during peak heavy-coverage 2018 era, after all). I decided it was time to give some newer formulas a shot. Alas, I was particularly intrigued by the YSL Beauty Skin Affair Soft Glow Cushion Foundation, inspired by Korean beauty cushion technology for mess-free application.

Realizing that I was running low on my go-to pressed powder from Charlotte Tilbury, I figured I might as well try the brand’s new loose powder format, too.

I prepped my skin with my current favorite routine: The Ordinary’s Milky Toner, Rhode’s Glazing Milk, and Anua’s Rice 70 Intensive Moisturizing Milk. Yes, I’m milky skincare’s number one fan, guilty as charged. (I find that they’re nourishing yet lightweight enough that my skin doesn’t end up looking overdone).

Sephora

$49

YSL Beauty Skin Affair Soft Glow Cushion Foundation

This paraben- and sulfate-free foundation minimizes the look of pores and perfects the complexion with a lightweight, breathable feel. It’s also infused with squalane and niacinamide to support skin hydration.

Shop Now Sephora

Shop Now Nordstrom

I let out a loud gasp the first time I tried YSL’s cushion foundation. I never really understood what people meant when they said a product made them look like they had a filter on, but when I blended this across my face, I finally got it.

The compact comes with a built-in blender, which is a huge plus when you’re traveling. As far as application goes, it’s pretty intuitive, too: I tapped the blender into the cushion, then pressed and blended the product all over my face, paying special attention to my redness and acne. The application was truly mess-free, and I blended everything evenly in seconds.

The result was a natural, radiant finish that perfected my skin tone and covered most of my breakouts without screaming “foundation.” For a medium-coverage foundation, it felt surprisingly lightweight and breathable—and stayed fresh throughout the day. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever tried a foundation with this much coverage that also feels this undetectable, which is a serious thing to say coming from someone who hates the feel of most base makeup.

I still ended up wearing concealer under my eyes and to spot-correct stubborn pimples, but the foundation itself covered most of them and gave my skin the coveted “your skin, but better” look.

Throughout the day, I didn’t experience any cakiness or patchiness, which I normally get with most skin tints and foundations. What surprised me even more was that, despite (bravely) covering up some active pimples, the formula didn’t seem to irritate them.

Fair warning: The formula sits in a cushiony sponge that releases liquid pigments. While the built-in blender is easy to use, you may find a stippling or flat foundation brush easier to use.

Charlotte Tilbury

$50

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Blur Loose Powder in Brightening Pink

This talc-free blurring powder controls shine and locks makeup in place with an airbrushed effect.

Shop Now Charlotte Tilbury

I’m rarely disappointed with Charlotte Tilbury, so I don’t know why I was shocked to find I was equally impressed by the new setting powder. Frankly, I’m surprised it took the brand this long to release a loose counterpart to its original pressed formula.

Anyone with dry skin knows the struggle of finding a powder that locks in your makeup for all-day wear without accentuating texture, crepiness, fine lines, or patches. It sounds counterintuitive to add a dry pigment to skin that’s already, well, dry, so many existing formulas cater more toward oily, combination, and normal skin. Still, the high points of my face need some shine control, and I find that I need a final touch to minimize makeup separation and movement.

From the second I used the built-in powder puff and tapped it onto my face, I could see a big difference. Thanks to its micro-milled formula, it truly seemed to grip onto my skin instantly. It blurred my complexion without making it look flaky or dry. Plus, it controlled the shine without stripping away the moisture or dewiness I had worked so hard to achieve with my skin prep.

While I’m not the biggest fan of baking (a technique in which you apply loose powder on top of foundation and let it sit for five or ten minutes for an enhanced mattifying effect), I dusted a bit of loose powder under my cheekbones and along the outer corners of my eyes to add some definition and give my face a subtly lifted look. I loved that it didn’t settle into the crevices of my face throughout the day.

Day to day, I still prefer the feeling of not wearing much base makeup. But on days when my skin needs some coverage without making my breakouts look worse, this duo is my new favorite. I can also see myself reaching for it on nights out and special events when I need more coverage and layers.

I still think pressed powders are a far less messy option, and I’ll probably gravitate toward one for everyday use. But when it comes to shine control, blurring, and keeping my makeup in place, the Airbrush Flawless Loose Powder takes the cake.

Regardless, I’m in awe of how much this duo perfected my complexion and how long it lasted. And for luxury products—which notoriously don’t always contain a lot of product—there’s a generous amount in both.

All that said, I’m excited to have found a skin-perfecting duo that keeps my dry skin radiant.

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Pia BelloBeauty & Wellness Intern

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