Best Ways To Apply Makeup To Dry Skin For A Long-Lasting Glow

Whether you are going with a minimal makeup look or trying out the current TikTok trends, your dry skin mustn’t get in the way. Makeup on dry skin can look patchy even with the most expensive products if they are not tailored to your skin type. So when your oil glands don’t produce enough sebum to keep your skin moisturized, it is essential to choose skin care products that do the job externally. Hence, makeup products for dry skin must not only contour and cover flaws but also hydrate your skin to achieve a dewy, luminous finish.

Read this article to learn the proper pre-makeup prep for dry skin and the correct order of layering your products to slay your look every day.

How To Apply Makeup To Dry Skin

Have you ever noticed that your skin appears more aged after applying makeup? This is usually a typical dry skin woe. As the foundation and concealer draw out the barely available moisture from your skin, you end up with a pale, wrinkled look. A simple solution to this problem is to prep your skin with hydrating products before you start your day’s makeup.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to applying makeup to dry skin to ensure it lasts long without cracking. But first, let’s get into how to prep your skin before you apply makeup.

Prep Your Dry Skin Before Makeup

1. Cleanse Away The Dirt

Begin your skin routine with a mild cleanser that gently removes dirt and pollution without stripping your skin of its natural oils.

2. Exfoliate Away Dead Skin

While many may advise against using a scrub on dry skin for fear of irritation and redness, a gentle scrub helps improve your skin’s texture. Beauty experts recommend light exfoliation to achieve a smooth base for seamless makeup. Exfoliation removes the top layer of dead skin that can make your face look dark, tired, and aged.

3. Hydrate With A Toner

Hydrating toners work to remove residual dead skin and add the much-needed hydration to dry skin. Toners also improve the absorption of products that you may apply afterwards.

4. Dab An Eye Cream

This is an essential step to prevent your eye makeup from creasing or building up in your fine lines. Eye creams keep the eye area hydrated and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

5. Moisturize

Opt for a face cream or moisturizer that is crafted to care for dry skin. Creams with 24- to 48-hour hydrating potential make for a good selection. Focus more on areas that are prone to flaking, such as the cheeks or the corners of your mouth.

6. Apply A Lip Balm

For a perfect pout, pamper your lips with a good lip balm, and before you do that, exfoliate the dead skin away. Look for ingredients like beeswax or shea butter in your lip balm that instantly nourish and soften chapped lips.

8-Step Tutorial To Dry Skin Makeup

1. Prep With A Primer

Start your makeup by applying a cream or gel-based primer. These serve the dual purpose of creating a smooth canvas and sealing moisture into your dry skin. With a perfect base, you can now apply your makeup without the fear of creasing.

2. Layer A Foundation

Invest in a lightweight, hydrating formula. Many skin experts suggest that a sheer foundation that gives your skin a luminous effect is more suitable for dry skin than one that gives a matte finish.

You can even skip the foundation and try out a tinted moisturizer or a serum that has a more hydrating effect on your dry skin.

While applying the foundation, use a soft fluffy brush or a damp sponge to blend the product. This ensures better foundation distribution and prevents your dry patches from showing up.

3. Conceal Your Dark Spots

Avoid layering too much concealer in one place, as it can dry out those areas. A good trick to make your flaky patches less visible is to apply an extra dose of moisturizer and then lightly cover them with a concealer.

4. Apply A Cream Blush

We suggest you swear by the cream blush if you have dry skin. These products  effortlessly dissolve into the foundation and give you natural, rosy-hued cheeks.

Blush balms are also great for dry skin as their creamy formula moisturizes the drier zones on your cheeks instead of emphasizing them (as some powder bronzers and blushes do).

5. Use A Cream Eyeshadow

 Before applying a cream eyeshadow, apply a small amount of eyeshadow primer to your eyelids. This ensures the eyeshadow lasts longer without smudging. Also, try blending cream eyeshadow with your fingertips for a smoother look.

6. Highlight Your Features

Highlighters can work magic on dry, dull skin, giving it the right amount of glow for a luminous, youthful appearance. The ideal choice for dry skin is a cream-based highlighter that melts into the skin and doesn’t dry out after a while.

Use a makeup sponge or your fingertips for better control while applying the product. Focus on the higher points of your face, such as the cheekbones, the nose bridge, and the cupid’s bow. Always start with a small amount of product, blend, and then build up as you deem fit.

7. Apply A Moisturizing Lipstick

These products are a blessing when you want to transform your chapped lips for a picture perfect alluring pout. Tinted lip balms can do the job perfectly well if you’re on a tight budget.

8. Set The Look With A Setting Spray

 As a finishing touch to your dry skin makeup, apply a setting spray that gives your skin a dewy texture. Various products in the market are now customized to nourish and hydrate dry skin. So do your research and pick the right one. Look for a lightweight formula that contains natural moisturizing ingredients like seed oils and aloe vera gel.

Now that you know about layering and applying your makeup correctly, getting your hands on the right products is crucial. With the market teeming with products labeled ‘for dry skin’, revamping your makeup kit can be confusing. Hence, we’ve listed a few pointers to keep in mind while shopping for the perfect drugstore liquid makeup for your dry skin.

How To Choose The Best Liquid Makeup For Dry Skin

1. Foundation

• Pick a sheer foundation with a creamy or oily base that smoothly blends in for a dewy, radiant finish.
• Look for ingredients like seed oils (argan, almond, jojoba), niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, glycerides, ceramides, and aloe vera while shopping for your foundation.
• Avoid foundations that contain shimmer particles, as these can settle down on your skin, creating a dry, patchy look.
• Other ingredients to avoid are preservatives, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, and phthalates.

2. Concealer

• Pick a hydrating, creamy formula that is lightweight. Use a brush to buff away at problem areas rather than building up the product in a single spot.
• A concealer that contains peptides, glycerine, hyaluronic acid, shea butter, or other emollients is suitable for dry skin.
• While purchasing drugstore concealers for dry skin, check that the product does not contain parabens, artificial fragrances, or alcohol.

3. Blush/Bronzer/Highlighter/Eyeshadow

• Pick cream- or oil-based products that blend easily, seal moisture, and don’t give your skin a textured look.
• Check if the product contains hydrating ingredients like vitamin E, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid.
• Avoid products that contain alcohol, parabens, PEG compounds, mineral oil, talc, and phthalates.

4. Lipstick

• Avoid mattifying lipsticks and opt for tinted lip balms or creamy, liquid lipsticks.
• Go for moisturizing ingredients like honey, aloe vera, jojoba oil, avocado oil, beeswax, and cocoa butter.
• Stay away from products that contain parabens, synthetic dyes, BHA, lead, and synthetic fragrances.

A Guide To Winter Makeup For Dry Skin

Winter is that time of the year when getting a dewy finish becomes tricky for your dry skin. A few hours out in the cold, and your makeup feels like an over-dried face mask – creasing, cracking, and accentuating your drier areas. However, you can easily avert such a disaster with the right products and slight tweaks in technique.

So here’s a simple guide to getting your winter makeup right.

• Step 1: Cleanse with an oil cleanser. The type of cleanser you use can greatly impact the final outcome. An oil cleanser gently removes makeup, dirt, and sunscreen without unsettling your skin’s oil balance, and leaves your skin feeling soft, nourished, and a little oily (in a good way).
• Step 2: Double moisturize. Heavy moisturizers often act as occlusives; they form a protective barrier over your skin and prevent moisture from escaping from your skin’s surface. However, owing to their dense consistency, they cannot penetrate the deeper layers of your skin. Hence, to ensure optimum moisturization, apply a serum or a lightweight moisturizer first and follow it up with a heavy moisturizer.
• Step 3: Apply a hydrating primer with a cream or gel base. These create a smooth base and provide an added supply of moisture that prevents the foundation from drying up.
• Step 4: For dehydrated skin, you can skip the foundation and use a tinted moisturizer or a CC cream instead. Another good option is to add a few drops of moisturizer/facial oil/serum to your liquid foundation.
• Step 5: Apply cream-based blushes, bronzers, highlighters, and lipsticks for a natural healthy glow.
• Step 6: For the final touch, spray an illuminating setting mist to prolong the life of your makeup.

Now that you know how to handle your dry skin like a pro, let us tell you a few tips to prolong the look you worked so hard to create.

5 Tips For Long-Lasting Makeup On Dry Skin

1. Apply a good moisturizer before you begin your makeup.
2. Begin with a good moisturizing primer and end with a hydrating setting spray.
3. Avoid heavy formulas. Invest in cream-based products.
4. Use a damp sponge while applying makeup. Avoid rubbing the product into your skin. Instead, gently dab it on.
5. Spray a face mist when in need. This instantly boosts your skin’s hydration, especially in the drier months of the year.

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

Is setting powder ok for dry skin?

Setting powder may become flaky on dry skin. Instead, use a setting spray for better hydrating benefits.

Does dry skin need a primer?

Yes. A hydrating primer adds the right amount of moisture to your dry skin and ensures better makeup coverage and longevity.

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Sushmita has a master’s degree in English literature from Gauhati University, Assam, and is an experienced content writer and editor. Genres like fashion, beauty, and lifestyle have always interested her, and this allows her to assist her team in creating high quality content. When she’s not working, she loves singing and listening to music, strumming the six strings (sometimes 4),…View Profile ›