Don’t let dry skin get you down, try these hydrating foundations from Selfridges!

Want full coverage foundation but have unforgiving, dry skin? Look no further! Working closely with Selfridges, I have tried and tested top branded foundations that have been solely recommended for dry skin. Ranging from Armani to MAC, I have given each foundation a whole day’s worth of working to see which foundations rise to the top, and which one’s flop. So to save you all a lot of time and money, I’m debunking the foundation myths and trust me, I won’t be going easy!

Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Liquid Foundation – This foundation was an absolute dream to put on; it was the perfect shade, it was full to medium coverage but easy to blend, and it even had a lovely scent. I did try to build on the foundation but it just wasn’t really happening, so I added concealer instead and the foundation happily blended with it. I used a bit of setting powder as the foundation stays slightly damp rather than drying, but other than that I was off to a great start. I kept this foundation on until midnight, so it was on for a long time! I noticed that some makeup had been wiped off around my nose and there was some exposed dry skin on my chin that the other foundations hadn’t shown, but the rest of my face was still glowing and the coverage I had at the beginning of the day was still very much there. I’m not too sure what caused my makeup to come off around my nose; I always lightly touch my face if I need to and hardly ever touch around my nose, so if it was due to wandering hands it mustn’t take a lot of pressure to wipe off! I would probably recommend this product as an everyday foundation, so no out of the ordinary activities or extra-long wear. For just £35, buy it here!

All Hours Foundation at the start of the day, to the end of the day

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Supplement Foundation – Out of all the foundations I was given, the only one to leak all over the inside of my bag (thank you Bobbi Brown) was this one; this foundation was super watery, by far the most liquidy foundation I have ever seen – I’ve had drinks thicker than this foundation. I was incredibly nervous to try it out, as it was pretty clear the shade I got (which was shade 4, natural) was not my shade at all. I applied the foundation with my trusty beauty blender and I was pleasantly surprised at the coverage. I had a solid medium to full coverage and the foundation had started to dry; it was as if my skin was absorbing the water from the foundation. I was amazed at how little setting powder I needed to use, the foundation went from super watery to a dewy-glow in 30 seconds and it wasn’t transferring! I honestly forgot I was wearing foundation, it was that light and whenever I touched my face it just felt like my natural skin. After a full day of wear, the foundation looked more like a medium coverage, with my forehead and chin areas looking a bit more vulnerable than when I first put the foundation on. There were some slight cracks around my nose where the foundation looked a bit dry, but all in all the foundation wasn’t that bad; I quite enjoyed wearing it! For £48, buy it here!

The Bobbi Brown Foundation at the beginning and end of the day.

Diorskin Forever Undercover Foundation – I tried shade 10, porcelain, and it went on perfectly. It set well and looked great, however I’d say it was more of an in-between full to medium coverage rather than full. I was FEELING this foundation so I made an actual effort to spruce up my face. It dried really well and I put hardly any setting powder on at all. I had an extremely eventful day so I really put this foundation to the test. I must have had it on for at least 10 hours with no touch ups, and when I finally looked in the mirror I was not feeling myself any more. SO MANY LINES. I had cheek lines, under-eye lines, forehead lines, and nose cracks. This foundation just couldn’t hack it. If you don’t mind touching up your makeup during the day then this foundation would be perfectly fine for you, however I just don’t have the time to touch up my face so I was disappointed. For just £35, buy it here!

Dior Foundation at the beginning and end of the day

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation – This foundation is definitely full coverage, and you don’t need to use a lot at all – a little really does do a long way! I used shade 3 fair to pale, which was a tad too dark for my casper-like skin. The texture felt like your average drugstore foundation, slightly wet on the skin. Again, another foundation that surprised me; it didn’t fully dry but it became dewy and a lot less shiny which I was thankful for. I used a smidge of setting powder and then inspected my face for the final results. So far there was no cracking around my nose (which I usually ALWAYS get thanks to my dry skin) and all my skin seemed to be looking good, it was time to wear and tear this foundation. After a whole day, my face pretty much stayed the same; at a push the foundation was a tad patchy from transfer but I tend to touch my face a lot during the day so that was understandable. The foundation was still giving me full coverage and to my amazement my face didn’t have one single crack, not even around my nose – it’s a first for me! I would definitely try out this makeup again, in a lighter shade of course. I’m not yet bowled over, but this foundation might have made it into my next-to-purchase list. For just £30, buy it here!

Magic Foundation at the start and the end of the day

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation – I was sent shade 3W1 Tawny, which was completely the wrong colour; but for the purpose of this feature I went ahead and wore a full face of this foundation all day anyway. The formula looked and felt pretty basic, it went on fine with a beauty blender. It was very full coverage, however it wasn’t very good at blending. The foundation was supposed to be a semi-matte finish but it was almost as if it didn’t dry; my face felt very sticky and there was a LOT of transfer so I had to set it with a decent amount of setting powder. I also noticed my pores a lot more in this foundation, and that has never been a problem for me. At the end of the day when I checked my face the makeup was still all there; no patches and still very much full coverage, but I had a few lines on my face I wasn’t too happy about. I must have been smiling a lot that day because I had the biggest lines on both my cheeks, and a little bit of cracking around my nose. I can’t blame the foundation for not being my colour since I did put a dark shade on, and other than the smile lines and a slight bit of cracking, I can’t really say anything bad about this foundation. I asked for full coverage and that is exactly what I got! For £33.50, buy it here!

At the beginning and the end of the day, wearing Double Wear Foundation

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – Another very wet, liquidy formula. It blended well and was full coverage. For such a wet foundation it dried very nicely, I only had to apply a small amount of setting powder. My skin felt a lot more hydrated as soon as I applied it. I didn’t see any cracking or any pores, not even any cracking around my nose. The foundation also feels very light so it’s quite refreshing to put on. At the end of the day my face looked shiny, which has never happened to me before so I’m not sure if I should be happy or disappointed. There was no cracking at all and no dry skin could be seen anywhere. Pretty much all of my foundation was still exactly where I left it, so there was minimal transfer and zero smudging. My skin now feels hydrated and is thanking me so much right now. I would definitely recommend this product! For £42, buy it here!

The Luminous Silk Foundation at the start and end of the day

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation – Out of all the foundations I trialled this one was by far the creamiest; the foundation itself was quite thick and cakey. The coverage was OK, I expected better coverage considering how thick the foundation was but it was a steady medium to full none the less. The shade matched perfectly and the product blended out seamlessly. I do like my foundations super full coverage so I tried to add another layer but the foundation didn’t take very well to building, so I went in with some concealer to give me the extra bit of coverage. The foundation didn’t dry at all; I had to slap on lots of setting powder, one lot to actually set the foundation and stop transfer, and a second dash of powder to sort out my cracks that had already started to appear. My under eyes were not dealing well with the product so extra care was taken to sort the cracks before I left the mirror that morning. Skip forward to 11pm and I had a nice long look in the mirror; cracks weren’t the problem at all – half my foundation had rubbed off during the day! My chin, on and under my nose and the bottom of my jaw line were left naked of foundation, and I definitely didn’t start the day that way. I think it’s fair to say this foundation has a lot of transfer. For just £27.50, buy it here!

MAC Foundation at the beginning, to the end of the day

Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation –  If I had to be picky about this foundation I would struggle to find a flaw, at a push it could have been slightly fuller coverage. The formula was extremely creamy, not at all like the Luminous Silk Foundation I tried on. It doesn’t really dry so setting powder will definitely be needed, but it only took a little dabbing of setting powder. It is in between a medium to full coverage. I thought my skin looked nice and I didn’t feel overwhelmed by cakey foundation so I was quite pleased. At the end of the day I had noticed some of my makeup had rubbed off, but it was only a tiny bit around my nose. There were no cracks or dry skin in sight! I had noticed that the coverage had gotten lighter to the point that my ugly pinkish coloured cheeks were shining though, but I wasn’t hating on this product. If you prefer creamy foundations rather than liquidy ones then this one would be a great choice; Giorgio Armani has knocked it out of the park again! For £42.00, buy it here!

Armani Power Fabric Foundation at the beginning of the day, to the end

Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation – Let’s just get straight to it, this foundation is not full coverage; medium at best. I thought I’d try to build on the foundation to see if it could give me any kind of fuller coverage but I was highly disappointed. This product does not build well at all. My face felt very sticky and I had to put quite a bit of setting powder on to feel normal again. First impressions weren’t great at all, but I’ve got to say there wasn’t any cracking or patches, and when I finished all my makeup I actually was quite happy with how my skin looked. Fast forward 10 hours and I had never been so horrified at my reflection before. I’ve been clubbing, jogging and even in 35 degrees heat, and my makeup has kept better than this one. All around my nose and lips were bare, I had spots showing and even new spots forming; I was patchier than a Dalmatian. I have no idea how long it took for my makeup to start melting off my face but I was so disappointed considering how nice it made my skin look originally. For £66, buy it here!

Tom Ford Foundation at the start and end of the day