15 Make Up Do’s And Don’ts For Dry Skin

For every skin type, make up do’s and don’ts are extremely important to pay attention to, not only to get a flawless poppin’ look, but for health of your skin. Dry skin is often forgotten about in trending makeup tutorials, as it is more popular to be on the oily side. So if someone has described your complexion as “Sahara” (meaning it resembles the dehydrated Sahara Desert – ouch), not to worry; we’ve got the tips to get you covered with these make up do’s and don’ts for dry skin!

1. DO Apply Moisturiser

Applying moisturiser to the face and neck is essential for smoothing out and hydrating dry complexions before the make up application process. Cleansing and toning is also highly recommended, but if you don’t have time for the full routine, still make sure to moisturise!

A hydrating face mask beforehand is also a great technique (if you have time)!

DON’T Cleanse And Tone Without Moisturising

This will dry your skin out and make you look patchy upon make up application!

2. DO Use A Hydrating / Glow Based Primer

Any primer labelled as ‘hydrating’ or ‘radiant’ is right up our alley, dry peeps! These types of primers promote a beautiful glow while hydrating the skin, keeping it fresh and youthful as well as creating the perfect base for your foundation.

If you find one that you like well enough, you can also wear it alone!

Quick note: If you really fall in love with the glowing look and want to add more oomph to it, you can also check out glow serums. Just add a few drops to your primer and voila!

DON’T Use A Mattifying Primer

When I was a teenager, it wasn’t a fashionable demand to know as much about make up as it currently is. Therefore, I did not know it was abnormal to not be able to move your face properly after applying make up, or for my foundation to be flaking off in patches. For that embarrassing period of yearbook photos, I can thank mattifying primer on my dry skin.

Anything matte on dry skin is neither comfortable or pretty folks, this type of finish is dedicated to smooth over and dry out an oily complexion.

Tip: If your skin is combination on some areas, you can mix it up. For instance, I will use a matte primer on my eyelids as they are oilier than the rest of my skin and causes my eye shadow to run.

3. DO Use A Dewy Foundation

Dewy foundations are catered to dry skin perfectly. They are hydrating, moist in appearance, and don’t set into those annoying fine lines!

Tip: For an extra glow, blend in with a damp beauty blender.

DON’T Use A Matte Foundation

… Unless you want to look like a patchy monster an hour into anywhere you need to be. This foundation type is more suitable to an oily complexion.

4. DO Use A Highlighting Concealer

While the upside of having a dry complexion is never getting pimples, we have to worry about fine lines a little quicker than our oilier pals.

A highlighting concealer (a few shades lighter than your foundation), under the eyes in an upside down triangle motion will add a brightening, face-lift like effect to the cheekbones.

Bring it up around the corner of the eye to the tail end of the brow to lift the eyes.

DON’T Use Too Much

Concealer holds to a strict one layer rule on all skin types to prevent linage and creasing, but this is particularly true on dry skin especially due to its tendency for fine lines.

Don’t layer up!

5. DO Add Setting Powder Lightly

As much as we’d love to keep our dewy glow all over, unfortunately it will run all over the place if we don’t mattify it with some setting powder.

Using either a powder brush or soft setting brush, lightly set the places in which you have applied concealer in a soft, patting motion.

You can also LIGHTLY dust setting powder all over the face.

Make sure to always tap away the excess powder before applying!

DON’T Use Too Much Powder Or ‘Bake’ The Face

Powder is made to mattify the face, therefore dry it out.

Face ‘baking’ is the ultimate mattifying technique, which works flawlessly on those with an oily T-zone, but for us Sahara sisters? Nuh-uh (unless you like the look of creases).

Too much powder around the whole face will also dry it out and create stiff patches.

6. DO Emphasise The Arch On Your Brow To Make Them Look As High As Possible

Dry skin can tend to cause sagging of the skin around the eyes and brow if not looked after properly. Lifted brows gives the illusion of a higher browbone, and therefore adds to the effect of a more lifted face.

Using either a pencil or powder on an angled brush, mimic the shape of your brow a little higher than the top natural hairs. Raise the arch in this same way, and only drop the tail slightly. Fill in the gaps to blend, and voila! Say hello to your new browbone!

Tip: Also add highlighter underneath the brow for a raised effect.

DON’T Draw On The Brow Any Lower Or Fill Them In Heavily

Avoid lining any lower than the bottom of the brow, as this will drag them down and take away from the lifted effect.

Filling them in too heavily instead of using hair like strokes also makes for a harsh, aged effect.

7. DO Make An Eyeliner/Eye Shadow Tail

Starting from the middle of the eyelid, make a triangular tail with the tip pointing toward the end of the brow. This lifts the eye, distracting from any downward lines that dry skin may have caused.

DON’T Let This Line Go Any Lower

If you need assistance in not dropping this tail any lower (which will cause droop to the eye and draw attention to downward lines of the face), use a credit card or anything else flat to help you in achieving that extra sharp line.

Also be sure to keep this line’s starting point in the middle. If it is dragged any further, it will close the eye off.

8. DO Curl Lashes/Apply Mascara In The Centre

This will open up the eyes from the centre, making them appear large and fresh.

DON’T Apply To The Outer Edge

While a common misconception is that this adds a flattering at eye edge, the outer corner lashes often lean downward. This draws attention to those downward shadow lines that our Sahara skin has caused, creating the opposite effect of a lifted eye.

9. DO Apply Eye Shadow To To Middle Of Bottom Lashline

This drops the middle of the eye down, for an even more lifted effect on the outer corner.

DON’T Take This Line All The Way Along

This will close off the eye and cause a drooping effect, which is the last thing we want for a lifting look!

10. DO Contour Your Cheeks On The Same Angle As Your Eye Shadow Tail

This will lift everything upwards on the same plane.

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DON’T Use Too Much Contour

Packing on the contour shade will cause patchiness on dry skin when blended.

11. DO Apply Blush Over Contour

Toward the back end of the cheek contour,this adds a healthy glow as well as a darker shadow, making the lift more three dimensional.

This technique also disguises any patches made from blending.

DON’T Apply It Below The Nose

Going for the ‘apple of the cheek’ blush look is perfectly fine, but anything placed below the tip of the nose will drag the cheeks down, and emphasise any sagging due to dry skin.

Be lifted with you!

12. DO Use Highlighter

Highlighter is what’s really going to add glow-factor to your newfound dewy complexion! Don’t be afraid to go ham with it, it assists the hydrated look beautifully.

DON’T Use Highlighter On Lined Areas

This will only accentuate and add attention to these areas; only apply where skin is nice and tight!

13. DO Turn Up The Corners Of Your Mouth

Even our mouths can create downward lines, so pick it back up by drawing up your mouth corners, on that same angle that your eye shadow tail and contour. This can be done using either a brown pencil, or contour powder with an angled brush.

Remember to blend!

DON’T Forget To Blend This

Unless you’re into ‘The Joker’ look.

14. DO Moisturise Before Using A Matte Lipstick

‘Matte’ is usually a forbidden word for us Sahara skins, but the lips can be an exception as long as they are properly exfoliated and moisturised.

Thank goodness we don’t have to miss out on such beautiful colours!

DON’T Apply Matte Lipstick Without This Step

I’m sure you’ve seen dried, flakey lipstick on someone before… It ain’t pretty!

15. DO Use A Hydrating Setting Spray

Isn’t it just the time for us dry skinned sisters? We even get our own setting spray so that we can shine on (and not crease or patch) all day!

DON’T Use A Matte Setting Spray

Unless you want to undo all of your beautiful glow and dew complexion work!