Foundation for skin that drinks everything

A balm-textured stick that buffs out to light-to-medium coverage with a satin finish, built around not dragging on skin.

A balm stick is the right format for dry mature skin and this is the best-behaved example of it. The formula is rich enough to stay put on the surface instead of soaking in, which means it keeps looking like skin for hours rather than going dusty, and it is built around gliding rather than dragging — important when the surface is rough enough to catch. You also push it on in exactly the spots you need, so there is no thin layer of product sitting on a flaky patch where it will cling.

A fluid serum-foundation with light-to-medium buildable coverage, a luminous finish and SPF 50.

The serum texture carries enough water and glycerin-type hydration to go on evenly over a thirsty surface, which is what most dry skin needs from a foundation: not richness exactly, but enough fluid that it spreads thin without grabbing. It stays luminous rather than drying down flat, so skin keeps reflecting light, and at drugstore price you can use enough of it without rationing.

A tinted serum with sheer coverage and a blurring, hydrating finish.

This sits at the most hydrating end of the range and the finish is the reason to buy it: a soft blur that comes from moisture rather than from powder or silicone film. On dry mature skin the look you are usually chasing is plumpness, and this gets closer to it than a heavier foundation does. The wide pot is also easy to hold and hard to tip over.

A creamy twist-up stick with medium, buildable coverage and a natural, skin-like finish.

The more coverage-capable stick of the two here. It is creamy, builds to medium, and still has the surface-sitting quality that dry skin needs — so you can actually cover an area of redness without the product going dry and tight over it. For dry skin that also wants coverage, this is the combination that normally does not exist.

A thick, full-coverage color-correcting cream with SPF 50+ and a luminous finish.

Full coverage and hydrating at the same time, which is rare and is the only reason to put a thick cream on dry skin. If you have pigmentation or redness that light coverage will not touch, this covers it without the chalky dry-down that a full-coverage matte would give you. The SPF 50+ is a genuine bonus on thinner skin.

A thin liquid with light-to-medium coverage and a dewy finish, aimed at normal-to-dry skin.

The cheapest way to get a dewy finish that does not look like oil. It is thin, it spreads easily, and the finish keeps dry skin looking hydrated rather than papery. For an occasional-wear bottle, or for testing whether dewy suits you before spending more, it does the job.

A lightweight liquid with medium coverage, a natural finish and a wide shade range.

Included for dry skin that is only moderately dry and wants medium coverage five days a week. The finish is natural rather than dewy, which means it will not look wet in a photograph, and the formula has enough hydration not to cling if you prepped properly.