We all love a good full-coverage foundation, but for drier skin types, these mattifying formulas can be a little, or intensely, drying. Wearing heavily mattifying formulas can make you feel (and look) like a chipped porcelain doll: cracked, dusty, and a little frightening. So, we’re tossing our mattifying complexion products and opting for something a little more radiant.
Dewy skin has collectively taken over our once-mattified faces, making drying foundation formulas a thing of the past. So, dry skin types, it's time to rejoice: With radiance being the name of the beauty game, now there are tons of dewy foundations, tinted moisturizers, and more to create an even, glowing complexion.
So, if you're tired of using moisture-stripping complexion products, check out these hydrating radiance boosters that'll brighten and even your tone in just a few swipes.
The Best Dewy Foundations
What to Consider
Skin Type
This one may be a given, but your skin type is going to make a huge difference in terms of the final finish of your foundation. If you have dry-to-normal skin, then most (if not all) of these dewy foundations can be used for your skin, but some oilier complexions need something a little more curated for their skin type. If your skin teeters on greasy, look for a sheer, lightweight foundation and pair it with a setting powder to minimize any oil buildup.
Coverage
Ask yourself: Are you looking to lightly even out your skin tone, or do you want to cover a few acne spots and hyperpigmentation scars? If you're the former, then a foundation with light coverage will give your complexion the subtle boost you're looking for.
For those of you who want to conceal a few more areas, opt for a buildable medium-to-full coverage foundation and pair it with a setting spray to make it last throughout the day. Most dewy foundations are lighter in terms of coverage, but we found a few buildable options that'll do just the trick.
Skin Benefits
Foundation has a bad reputation for causing breakouts, but here's some good news: A few of these dewy foundations are infused with pore-enhancing benefits to make your complexion better, not worse. Some ingredients you may find in these foundations include hydrating hyaluronic acid, anti-aging niacinamide, antioxidant-rich squalane, antimicrobial grape seed oil, and more to treat your skin throughout the day.
Many of these foundations also contain SPF, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should be skipping your sunscreen. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, you should be wearing waterproof sunscreen with a broad-spectrum SPF rating of at least 30, and you should reapply on every area of exposed skin every 2 hours.
Ready to get your glow on? Then take a look at a few of these best-selling options — and be prepared to stock up.
1
Best Overall
PAT McGRATH LABS Sublime Perfection Foundation
Leave it to Pat McGrath, inarguably one of the most celebrated makeup artists of our time, to create the ultimate dewy foundation. This foundation has everything you'd ever desire from a radiant formula: It's feather-light on skin, its buildable coverage suits just about any skin type, and it has a soft finish that acts as a subtle IRL filter for your face for hours on end. It also comes in 36 diverse shades, so finding your true match is a breeze.
It's not what's on the outside that counts, either: McGrath's highly praised foundation is filled with skin-nurturing ingredients like polymers, amino acids, and diamond core powder (yes, that's right — diamonds) to create a luminous finish while hydrating and smoothing your skin.
More: 13 Best Tinted Sunscreens for SPF Protection Without and Ashy Finish
2
Best Budget
Maybelline New York Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation
Yes, you can create the dewiest skin of your life for less than $5. How? With one of these 24 shades of dewy foundations from Maybelline, of course.
This foundation's name says it all: It creates a smooth, ultra dewy canvas on your complexion that leaves your skin feeling fresh all day long. Its non-comedogenic formula also has just a touch of broad-spectrum SPF 18, so you should definitely use sunscreen under it.
3
Best Drugstore
Revlon PhotoReady Candid Glow Moisture Foundation
We all love a bargain-friendly drugstore beauty haul, and this hydrating foundation is on the top of our under-$10 wishlist.
This foundation is infused with hydrating prickly pear oil and vitamin E to nourish your skin while evening your tone. Its silky texture glides on skin like a moisturizer but stays put and provides a beautifully lightweight finish like a true foundation should. It’s also free of oils, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and fragrances, so it’s a great pick for sensitive skin types as well.
The one downfall: This line only has 16 shades, and their deepest shade is still pretty light.
4
Corrects and Protects Skin
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation
Is it a serum or a skin tint? It's actually both!
This foundation has become a fan-favorite for its lightweight, comforting feel on skin. This SPF 40-infused formula slips onto your complexion and blends with ease, creating the perfect canvas for the rest of your complexion products. It also makes your skin look and feel good, thanks to its additions of squalane, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.
The best part? It comes in 30 “flexible” shades to choose from, so you’ll find your perfect match in mere seconds.
5
Long-Lasting Formula
NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation
If you have a long day ahead of you, the last thing you want to deal with is touching up your makeup. That's when you should break out this foundation: Its lightweight formula has a no-budge hold for a full 16 hours of wear.
Yes, this formula may feel light as air, but it actually has a buildable medium-to-full coverage finish, so blemishes will be covered without weighing down your skin.
6
Spray-On Formula
Dior Airflash Spray Foundation
Don't you wish you could just spray-paint your makeup on? Well, now you can thanks so this innovative dewy foundation from Dior. This featherweight foundation gives your skin an airbrushed look for up to 12 hours guaranteed.
Its water-resistant formula provides buildable full coverage on your skin and leaves behind a velvety-smooth feel that'll last all day long.
7
Best of Clean Beauty
Saie Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer
Ok, so technically, this is a tinted moisturizer, but we promise it'll give you the same sheer coverage results as a conventional lightweight foundation.
This “Clean at Sephora” tinted moisturizer will keep your skin covered without a full laundry list of (sometimes questionable) ingredients. It’s also meant to perk up your skin with an infusion of brightening licorice, hydrating jojoba esters, and moisture-retaining pansy flowers.
This broad-spectrum SPF 35 skin tint may only have 10 shades, but each shade is flexible across a range of skin tones.
8
Buildable Coverage
M.A.C. Cosmetics Studio Waterweight Liquid Foundation SPF 30
M.A.C. Cosmetics is usually known for their iconic lipsticks and heavier complexion products, but we’re loving their “waterweight” foundation. This SPF 30 foundation has a slippery, inky formula that blends seamlessly on your complexion, and it immediately dries down into a radiant sheer coverage veil over your skin. Its buildable formula can also be layered to create a medium coverage finish, so it’s all customizable depending on your taste.
While it’s formula is impressive, their 24-shade color range is quite disappointing, so people with deeper skin tones may want to opt for another foundation.
9
Best Shade Range
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Hydrating Longwear Foundation
Rihanna's beloved beauty brand broke barriers with its first-ever product, their original 50-shade matte foundation that raised the shade range bar for beauty brands all over the globe, which became a beauty phenomena known as the Fenty Effect.
But Bad Gal RiRi knows that we all wanted a dewy option, and boy, did she provide. This hydrating foundation comes in a whopping 50 truly diverse shades, blowing their dewy competition straight out of the water. Its medium-to-full-coverage formula is also infused with grape seed oil to keep your pores moisturized for hours on end.
10
Intensely Hydrating
Kosas Tinted Face Oil Foundation
Is your skin screaming for some hydration? Then quench your thirsty pores with this oil-foundation hybrid. Its medium-coverage formula is light on skin and leaves a satin-smooth finish on your skin, giving your complexion a dewy look even if your natural skin type is drier than tree bark.
This foundation works to actually hydrate your skin, too. It's filled with a blend of avocado, red raspberry seed, green tea, meadowfoam seed, jojoba seed, and rosehip seed oils to pamper your skin to a hydrating, brightening, and balancing treatment all day long.
11
Best for Skinimalists
Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint
Skin minimalism is one of the biggest 2021 beauty trends, so why not apply this curated approach to your makeup, too?
This ultra-lightweight, sheer coverage foundation is exactly what we're talking about: It's made to enhance the look of your natural skin instead of covering it up, creating a glowing, even canvas in the process.
Something to consider: This 12-shade skin tint is also the second pick on this list that's infused with diamond powder, yet it's a fraction of the price of its predecessor.
Jennifer Hussein
Beauty Editor
Jennifer is the Beauty Editor for BestProducts.com, where she’s testing out everything from the latest lip gloss to the craziest skincare trend sweeping the online beauty-verse.
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