These Complexion Products Are Infused With Good-for-Skin Ingredients

Whether your complexion is dry, oily, or some combination of the two, it's important to keep it well hydrated in order to maintain optimal skin health—particularly when spending hours indoors amidst the dry air from heaters and air conditioners. According to celebrity makeup artist and esthetician Rudy Miles, adding hydrating ingredients to makeup can help products to blend better with skin. This is particularly important with complexion products—like foundation—which usually cover your entire face and are most prone to creasing if skin loses moisture. "Very often makeup makes the skin look dry, and during the day it can cake and settle into fine lines, wrinkles, and pores," says board-certified dermatologist Dennis Gross, MD. "If you maintain the skin's hydration, it helps keep the skin in balance."

"If you maintain the skin's hydration, it helps keep the skin in balance." —Dennis Gross, MD

There are a number of different hydrating skin-care ingredients that have made their way into the new wave of hybrid foundation formulas, but pros say that the two most effective ones are squalane and hyaluronic acid. "The body naturally produces both of these, but they become depleted as we age," says Miles. There are also smartly crafted new ingredients, such as ion-charged water, that have shown promise in improving skin hydration all day when incorporated into complexion products. In addition, hydrating oils can be helpful, too, but Dr. Gross cautions that they can cause breakouts in oily or acne-prone complexions. To avoid this, Miles suggests looking for a "plant-based oil that most closely resembles the skin’s natural sebum," such as jojoba, almond, or evening primrose.

Now, scroll through for three (of many!) lovely complexion-perfecting products that thirsty skin will slurp right up.

1. Estée Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue Moisturizing Foundation SPF 45, $45

For hydration with a side of SPF, this foundation has (literally) got you covered. It's made with chia seed extract, probiotics, and IonCharged water (a mega-hydrator), and the formula has been clinically shown to provide all-day hydration while protecting against pollution and soothing redness and irritation.

2. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint, $15

Neutrogena Hydro Boost skin care has become a drugstore diamond, thanks to its use of hyaluronic acid. Now, you can now reap the same benefits in makeup form, too. This water gel formula is completely oil free, and goes on smoothly, no matter how you choose to apply. Because of its hydrating properties, the formula won't settle into fine lines, and its light-tint finish will remain silky and cake-free all day.

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3. Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer, $32

Under eyes tend to be the first place we show signs of aging because there are fewer oil glands and the skin is less hydrated. That said, you need to replenish the moisture with a concealer that's like a tall drink of water for skin. This one from Shiseido includes hyaluronic acid and glycerin, so that it evens out your skin tone, without caking or creasing.

Once you've got the right foundation picked out, it's important to know how to apply. Here's exactly how much to use, plus the best tools to give you the coverage you're looking for.