How to cover peeling dry skin with makeup

Picture this: you’ve got a big day ahead of you, and it’s time to get your glam on, but just as you look at your face in the mirror, you spot dry skin peeling off your face.

Oh no! How to fix this!?

Say no more.

If you want to cover peeling of dry skin fast and get results, you’ll want to:

Even out your skin’s surface with primer
Unify your complexion with foundation
Mimic a natural glow with highlighter
Use face mist to keep your skin fresh
Follow a proper skincare routine
Get to the bottom of what’s causing you to have dry skin

Read on to find out how to cover up your dry skin with makeup to shine through the dryness and the reasons causing your skin issues.

4 easy steps to cover up your peeled skin with makeup

Flaky skin is definitely annoying, but with these 4 quick and easy steps, you’ll be slaying the catwalk in no time!

Step 1: Embrace the power of primer

The first thing you’ll need to do if you want results is to smoothen your skin and even out all the dry and rough spots with primer. For the best results, opt for a moisturizing primer with antioxidants to hydrate your skin on a deeper level and give it a healthy, plump look.

If you want to cut back on the redness of certain areas in your face, go for a color-correcting primer.

In all cases, give your primer a good minute or two to dry before applying more makeup; otherwise, you’ll be dealing with a canvas instead.

When applying primer, make sure you’ve blended in just enough with your fingers on flaky areas to coat your skin evenly. Just don’t go overboard; primer is only the first step before applying the rest of your makeup.

With that said, many people tend to head straight to applying foundation and skip out on primer altogether; however, more often than not, that’s a surefire way to make your makeup cake up around your face, and that’s especially true for dry skin since it absorbs moisture quickly.

Step 2: Build your foundation

No makeup routine is complete without foundation, and when combined with primer, you’ve got yourself the recipe for a goddess-like complexion.

For the best results, make sure to choose a foundation color that’s closer to the skin tone of your neck to let your makeup blend in harmoniously with the rest of your body.

With that said, not all foundations are created equally, and the type you go for makes all the difference to cover up dry skin properly.

If you have dry skin, you’ll want:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Moisturizing liquid foundation

For flawless coverage, you’ll want to go with moisturizing formulas to give yourself a second skin that hydrates your pores while giving you a perfectly even base to apply the rest of your makeup.

Cream foundation

If you want to focus on a specific area to cover up, you can’t go wrong with cream foundations. Keep in mind that while cream foundation might be good for dry skin, they often tend to give off a heavy look if applied excessively.

Mousse foundation

If you’re trying to mask fine lines from dryness or even wrinkles, a mousse foundation will be your best bet since they tend to be thick yet not too heavy, giving you perfectly smooth skin that doesn’t cake up with the perfect matte finish.

Serum foundation

Perfect for mature skin, serums have a rejuvenating effect on dry patches since they tend to have nourishing ingredients that lift up the skin and give it a youthful yet minimal glow.

Types to avoid if you have dry skin:

Stick foundation

Although stick foundation is easy and convenient to use for quick touch-ups, you’ll want to avoid it if you have dry skin and haven’t previously moisturized properly, since its thick formula dries up quickly which can make your skin look even flakier than it is once it starts to cake up, not to mention that it can clog your pores and prevent your skin from breathing.

Powder foundation

While powder foundations are great for a quick makeover, when it comes to dry skin, it’s best to avoid them since they tend to absorb the skin’s natural oil and result in dry patches becoming more noticeable, especially once the powder starts settling into the fine lines of your skin.

Cream-to-powder foundation

You’d think that you’re getting the best of cream and powder foundations with such products, but when it comes to dry skin, cream-to-powder is just going to add a blindingly bright spotlight on those dry and cracked up areas once it starts to set in, which is why it’s only recommended for people with skin in between dry and oily.

Matte liquid foundation

The rule of thumb when it comes to dry skin is to avoid matte products with a dry finish unless you’ve moisturized your skin well since they’ll make your skin look drier or could result in your skin becoming even tighter from their oil absorbent ingredients such as talc and silicon.

Scented foundation

We all love a refreshing touch, but more often than not, the fragrance in your foundation means that it contains alcohol or other irritants which can further fry up your skin or cause excessive dryness.

If you want to get the best of both worlds, especially if you happen to have some oily areas on your face, start with a hydrating liquid, cream, serum, or mousse foundation as a base and finish off your look with a dash of powder, matte, or stick foundation to cover up the oily areas to get the right balance between hydrating dry spots and reducing excess oil in other areas.

Step 3: Highlight your beauty

Dry skin tends to look dull, especially if you haven’t been moisturizing in a while.

If you want to take back the spotlight and give your face a radiant glow, dab your favorite highlighter on the high points of your face such as your cheeks after applying foundation and primer.

When it comes to highlighter, there’s a whole world of options out there ranging from silky smooth matte looks to dewy options that give off a glowing finish. Make sure to go with an option that blends into your foundation and enhances the spots you were previously too shy to show off from that peeled-up skin!

Step 4: Spritz up with face mist

As a cherry on top to make sure your makeup looks flawless once you’re out and about, make sure to keep a bottle of face mist handy just in case to keep your face hydrated and healthy on the go.

While face mist doesn’t replace a proper skincare routine, it’s all you’ll need to perk up your skin and replenish your it if it’s starting to feel dry while you’ve got makeup on.

Speaking of a proper skincare routine…

Now that we’ve gone over how to cover up your flaky skin with makeup, it’s time to go a step further and give your skin some proper loving to keep it luscious, keep read on to find out how.

What’s a good skincare routine for peeling dry skin?

Getting your makeup game on point is just half the story.

If you want to give your peeling dry skin the care it deserves, it’s time to embrace these next 4 steps for a full-on skincare routine as well!

Step 1: Cleanse your face

Forgetting you have yesterday’s makeup on can happen even to the best of us, and although a smudged pillow might not seem like the worst thing that could occur from it, you’re actually blocking your pores by letting them absorb all that leftover makeup which will clog your pores and dry up your skin.

To fix the damage done to your skin from leftover makeup, start by gently rubbing the excess makeup with a cotton pad dabbed in cleansing water. Make sure to go for cleansers labeled as pH balanced for the best results to avoid irritating your skin or drying it even more.

Once your skin starts to shine through, you’ll want to moisten your skin with warm water, then gently work in your cleanser cream across your face to remove any remaining makeup.

Step 2: Exfoliate dead skin

When it comes to dry skin, it’s best to always go with a chemical exfoliator since a mechanical one will feel like you’re rubbing a razor against your skin, which could result in cuts.

If your skin is dry and sensitive, manually exfoliate your skin by using a damp washcloth with just a teensy amount of pressure to remove the moistened skin that’s peeling off, or go the extra mile and use a gentle facial scrub to obliterate the dead skin cells.

Do keep in mind that overdoing your exfoliating routine can make your skin drier, so limit your usage of exfoliation creams to about 2 to 3 times a week.

Alternatively, another popular option is to pamper yourself with a soothing face mask for about 10 to 15 minutes; not only does it feel relaxing, but once you take it off, you’ll also be left with radiant and clear skin!

Step 3: Tone up your skin

Toners can be a bit confusing if you’ve got dry skin, especially since many of them are alcohol-based and end up doing more damage by drying your skin even more.

While you can skip out using them in your skincare routine, a natural, alcohol-free toner can do wonders to keep your skin hydrated. An alcohol-free toner does this by restoring your skin to its natural state and allows it to absorb all the nutrients it needs to remain free of imperfections and look youthful.

You’ll mainly want to keep your eye out for toners that include active ingredients such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, rosewater, or aloe, all of which nourish your skin and balance its natural chemicals to keep it as radiant as ever.

Step 4: Moisturize, moisturize, and MOISTURIZE!

We can’t stress this enough, but replenishing your dry skin with the moisture it needs is essential to finish off your skincare routine properly.

For maximum results and to get that oh-so-perfect baby soft skin, apply moisturizer immediately after using toner while it’s still wet, as this will let the nutrients from both your toner and moisturizer pass through the barriers of your skin and heal it from within.

As far as moisturizers go, we recommend going for the ones with SPF 30, vitamin C, vitamin E, and shea butter. However, everyone’s skin is unique, so take your time to explore your options until you find one that speaks your skin’s language and gives you the tender skin of your dreams!

What's drying up my skin in the first place?

There’s more than just one way to level up your makeup and skincare game, even if your skin might not be cooperating with you. But if you want to get things done right, it’s time to think about getting down to the reasons behind your skin’s dryness and tackle the issues once and for all.

While there isn’t one definite answer as to why you have dry skin, we’ve gone over the most common reasons to help you get to the bottom of it:

Cold air drying up my skin

If there’s one thing that we can all shout OMG SAME, it’s how cold wind makes our skin dry in one way or another.

Why? Simply put, cold wind dries up the moisture of exposed skin, and since your body is warmer than the weather outside, the longer you’re out, the more your exposed skin will keep on drying and start to crack.

Sound familiar? We thought so.

Although cracked skin is mainly associated with the lips, cold wind affects every part of your skin so long as it’s exposed and not properly moisturized.

Thankfully, all it takes is applying a good amount of moisturizer to get you ready to face off against the cold, and if your skin doesn’t seem to be cooperating with the moisturizer you’re used to; go with a moisturizer that soothes your skin, then seal it off with a second moisturizer that’s thicker.

Before we jump off to the following less-chilly reason, we’d like to add that this also applies to everyone who enjoys recreating a blizzard with their AC in the warmer months as well.

Sun exposure drying up my skin

It isn’t just the colder weather that’s to blame for peeled skin; Summer does its fair share of damage that dries up the skin.

We’ve all heard about the importance of sunscreen in Summer, but while we might not admit it, most of us only use it when going to the beach or visiting somewhere overly sunny. That, ladies, is the answer to all those WTF moments you’ve had when your skin starts to crack and dry up on a blazingly hot day even more than it does during Winter.

Even if you’re not on the beach or by the pool rocking a bikini, your face is still exposed to the sun’s harsh ultraviolet (UV) rays every time you go out, so grab that sunscreen and apply accordingly!

Remember to go with sunscreen with SPF 30 written on it, and if your skin is sensitive, go for a sunscreen with a higher SPF rating.

Indoor heating drying up my skin

Think about this for a moment: How often is it that you spend your days locked in with the heater on when it’s chilly outside?

Exactly. All that built-up heat that’s drying up the humidity in your room is also drying up your skin, making it yet another culprit to your skin woes.

While we’re all guilty of cranking up the heat to get toasty during the colder season — and there’s nothing wrong with that, except maybe a higher heating bill; turning on a humidifier can go a long way to prevent your skin from paying the price of all that extra heat by adding moisture to the air.

Hot showers drying up my skin

Who doesn’t love a long, hot, and soothing shower? It’d be madness to say otherwise!

But while it feels like a relaxing experience to you, your skin might not precisely agree with you on that.

The reason?

Heat.

The more time you spend having a steamy hot shower, the more you’re stripping your skin’s natural oils away, not to mention that once you’re done with your shower and dry up, the real damage starts to kick in since your skin’s moisture has been sucked away, making it parched and vulnerable.

While this might sound like it just ruined one of your favorite things to do after a long day, it’s nothing that a good moisturizing routine immediately after taking a shower can’t fix.

Medical skin disorders drying up my skin

While dry skin is usually not something to worry about and can be easily treated, sometimes, it all comes down to skin conditions such as eczema, hereditary medical issues, or even from certain medications.

If you’ve noticed that your skin is peeling and flaring up from certain beauty products, opt for makeup and skincare products with natural ingredients like cocoa butter, shea butter, and vitamin E.

Of course, everyone is unique and has a specific checklist to enjoy healthy skin to the fullest, so always make sure to check with your doctor or dermatologist to know what’s best for your skin and what items to avoid.

Caffeine drying up my skin

While you might think to yourself that all the coffee and tea you’re having is keeping you hydrated, you’re actually doing the opposite of that and harming your skin.

Ever noticed how your mouth gets drier the more you have coffee or dark tea? That’s because drinks like coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate have caffeine, which depletes the body of its natural moisture, your skin being no exception to that.

We’re not telling you to go cold turkey on your favorite drinks, but keeping things balanced throughout your day by staying hydrated with enough water will even things out, not to mention that it’ll let you reap in their natural antioxidants which we’re sure your skin will be thankful for!

Alcohol drying up my skin

While a night of binge drinking with the girls might be fun, excessive drinking will cause your liver to go into overdrive to break all that alcohol down, which in turn causes it to release an enzyme called acetaldehyde that dries up your skin cells and your body, and in the long term, could result in other unpleasant skin issues.

To keep the booze from getting the best of your skin, lay off the vodka and opt for wine (in moderate amounts) to enjoy the benefits of antioxidants that’ll give your skin a dazzling glow.

Smoking drying up my skin

We all know that smoking is bad for you, so we’re not going to jump into the details of that, but what you should know is that one of nicotine’s long-term effects is that it slows down your blood flow by narrowing down the amount of blood passing through your veins, which directly impacts the amount of blood passing through your skin, causing it to become dry, unhealthy, and uneven.

Conclusion:

Makeup might be a girl’s best friend, but it’s just the icing on the cake which compliments and enhances what you’ve already got.

If you want to enjoy the skin you’re in, you need to tackle the problem head-on and know your skin to slay effortlessly and look fabulous no matter what instead of hiding the problem under the rug.

Just keep in mind that while your skin might look like it’s throwing a fit for no reason, there’s always a way to get things under control and look good every time.

That’s why it’s essential to love your skin as much as you love your favorite makeup kit, and if things seem to be getting out of hand, don’t be ashamed to get in touch with your dermatologist.

Iqra

As the head artist of Farishta Beauty I was inspired by many young individuals who were just like me passionate about makeup.
Welcome and thank you for joining us.