FOUNDATION: SKIN TYPE

So most people are used to hearing about how skin types are pretty typically divided into dry, normal, oily and combination. Then it all gets further complicated by sensitive and dehydrated skin types entering the mix (Caroline Hirons will tell you dehydrated is not the same thing as dry).

Dry/normal skin:

With dry skin I find you really have to be careful about foundation looking too heavy on your skin. That doesn’t mean you can’t use high coverage, it just means that you're using a foundation with too dry and clingy of a texture it’s probably going to stick to areas of your skin in an unflattering way. The best thing you can do for your dry skin is look for a foundation with nice moisturizing properties so it will glide on smoothly and feeeeeeed the dry patches (I said feed very creepily in my head and I hope you did too). A nice medium coverage version of this would be Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation and a nice higher coverage version would be Illamasqua Skin Base. 
I'm just going to lump normal skin in with dry skin because anyone with normal skin pretty much has the freedom to wear whichever foundation they want (yee lucky bastards), but likely the best thing for any skin is the keep it moisturized. 

Oily skin/Combination:

Oh yes child I know this well. Oily skin is not fun for anyone. It’s just poop having oily skin and that’s the truth. But there are foundations made for this skin type, so not all is lost. If you want your foundation to last it's good to find a foundation that is designed for longevity and to have oil absorbing properties. We’re talking the Revlon Colorstays and the Estee Lauder Double Wears (the Double Wear does come in a light version if you’re worried about it being too heavy). These foundations have a certain grip when you apply them (particularly the Colorstay... you’ll feel it good with that one) and that’s why they stay all day.

....Now those kinds of foundations are what one would normally recommend for oily skin gals, buuttttt that being said I don't rilly do that miself. I like using a bit more of a moisturizing foundation on myself - something like a satin finish - and just setting it with a good powder. I would rather touch up with powder throughout the day than use an intense, long wearing foundation. I get really paranoid about long wearing foundations clogging my pores and feeling too thick on my face.

Sensitive skin:

I’ll keep it short and sweet here with two suggestions. If you are really, really sensitive mineral powders are pretty much as gentle and non-comedogenic (non pore clogging) as it’s going to get. Additionally, just stay far away from any fragrance.  

Trying to find a mineral powder that doesn’t look fake can be a bit of a challenge. The Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation is really excellent and recently become available in the UK too! This is the kind of foundation that I use almost every day because my skin is a douche bag.

Dehydrated and oily skin:

Dehydrated skin can be a pain because it can go hand in hand with oily skin. A-say whaaaa? Yeah not as shocking as I tried to make it sound there, but it is the case. I had trouble with this until I found a more balanced skincare routine. I have combination skin myself, but because of certain products I use to fend off spots my skin still peels in certain places.

There are a few ways to deal with this problemo. 
One: I find that if my skin is really peely sometimes the only thing that doesn’t cling horribly to the dry patches is powder foundation. I know that might seem weird, but sometimes with liquid foundation the flakes seems to try to cling onto the moisture in the foundation.
Two: if your skin isn't flaking but still dehydrated, you might find it’s best to forgo long wearing foundation and use something with more light coverage and moisturizing. Then set that mother with a powder! Set her good... because otherwise you’re going to get oily.

Also, there’s nothing wrong with using different foundations for different areas of your skin. If you’re oily in one area and dry/dehydrated in another area... then use two different foundations!