That’s where a full-coverage, moisturizing foundation comes in.

Ideally, you could go makeup-free and let your moisturizer do its thing-but not everyone is blessed with a perfectly even complexion. Or, the cause could be subtler, such as your penchant for taking super-hot showers (the hot water and steam can strip the skin of its natural oils), getting a little too happy at happy hour (alcohol dehydrates the skin and dilates blood vessels, causing redness), or eating too many salty foods on the regular (which steals water from your body, including your skin). The cause of your dry skin could be as obvious as the winter weather-when the humidity level drops, the loss of moisture in the air (combined with the frigid temps) can rob the skin of moisture, says Debra Jaliman, M.D., NYC-based board-certified dermatologist and author of Skin Rules. Before you know it, that radiant glow you were striving for ends up resembling fine grit sandpaper.īottom line: “It’s difficult to create the appearance of a smooth surface on a textured surface-whether it be painting a wall, your nails, icing a cake, or putting foundation on your skin,” says Dana Rae Ashburn, New York-based makeup artist and founder of ABLE Cosmetics. When your skin is so dry that it snows more than, well, nature, applying makeup to mask it can actually draw more attention to the flakes and scaly patches.

The best foundation for your skin