Matte or dewy makeup? It’s the ultimate debate—and one of the first choices you make when you’re getting ready to glam. Do you go for that velvety shine-free finish that stays flawless all day? Or a radiant soft glow that mimics glass skin?

Here’s everything you need to know about matte vs. dewy makeup—including which finish is best for your skintype and our favorite products for creating each look.

What is Matte Makeup?

Think of matte makeup as a real-life photo filter. It’s all about creating a flawless, airbrushed look with no reflective or shiny appearance. Matte products, like oil-free foundations, powders and concealers, can give your skin a smooth, blurred and even look that’s meant to last all day.

Matte makeup is ideal for:
• Special occasions or busy days where you need your makeup to last.
• Hot, humid days where you need your look to stay put.
• Blurring the appearance of pores or controlling excess oil and shine.

What is Dewy Makeup?

This makeup look gives skin that reflective, glass-like finish that’s beloved on social media. Your complexion is plumped and hydrated with a natural, radiant glow. When choosing dewy makeup products, think skin-loving foundations, hydrating primers and glow-enhancing bronzers and blushes that create a “your skin, but better” look.

Dewy makeup is ideal for:
• Everyday makeup that looks natural and flawless without being too heavy.
• Cold weather days where your skin needs extra moisture.
• Hydrating and improving the appearance of dry skin.

Matte Vs. Dewy Makeup: Which Is Best for Your Skintype?

Choosing between these two finishes all depends on your mood, the occasion and of course, your specific skintype. Your skintype can play a huge role in deciding which finish will look and feel best on you.

Dry Skin
Dewy glam adds hydration and glow to dry skin without emphasizing patchy or flaky areas.

Oily Skin
Many matte formulas have oil-absorbing benefits that can help control excess oil and reduce unwanted shine. Stick with pore-minimizing and smoothing matte primers, foundations and setting powders. 

Combination Skin
Dealing with oily skin in certain areas and dryness in others? Try incorporating both matte and dewy formulas in your routine. Experiment with different finishes. 

Normal Skin
Matte or dewy makeup will work well with your skintype. Go with either, depending on your mood or the occasion.

Mature Skin
Choose lightweight, hydrating makeup products with skincare benefits that won’t settle into fine lines and wrinkles. These formulas can help add youthful plumpness, radiance and softness back to your skin. If you’re committed to matte makeup, prep your skin with hydration before doing your routine.

How to Achieve a Matte Makeup Look

Mad about matte? Here’s how to get that flawless, shine-free finish:

1. Prime for Visibly Poreless Skin
Start your routine with a mattifying primer like Double Wear Smooth + Blur Primer. This all-day oil-controlling formula blurs the look of pores to help create a smooth, matte finish.

2. Choose Flawless Matte Foundation
It’s time to reach for your favorite matte foundation. If you want coverage with serious staying power, reach for Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup. This iconic long-wear foundation with a fresh matte finish lasts 24 hours. Controls oil all day. Plus, it’s sweat-, heat- and humidity-resistant.

You can also use a powder foundation formula like Double Wear Matte Powder Foundation. This velvet-soft medium-to-full coverage powder creates an instant matte transformation that feels weightless.

3. Conceal & Perfect
Tap on Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer to brighten under the eyes and cover imperfections. The lightweight, natural matte finish blends beautifully with a matte base. This formula lasts 24 hours and won’t settle into creases or lines.

4. Lock In Your Look
Set your makeup with matte Double Wear Sheer Flattery Loose Powder. It creates a soft-focus blurring effect for a photo-ready finish.

5. Add Finishing Touches
Use a matte bronzer to add dimension and warmth to your look. Apply Bronze Goddess Powder Bronzer to the hollows of your cheeks, temples and jawline for subtle definition and natural, shine-free color. You can also apply your favorite shade of Pure Color Matte Lipstick to complete your matte makeup routine.

How to Achieve a Dewy Makeup Look

Ready to glow? Here’s the perfect routine for achieving radiant, dewy skin:

1. Prep Your Skin with Hydration
The secret to a dewy makeup look? It all starts with skincare. Moisturize well, then apply a glow-enhancing or hydrating primer to plump your skin. Futurist Watery Glow Primer triples skin’s moisture instantly. The gel-cream formula leaves skin looking healthy and radiant while helping strengthen its moisture barrier.

2. Opt for Lightweight, Luminous Foundation
Reach for Futurist Hydra Rescue Makeup SPF 45 if you’re looking for coverage, glow and skincare all in one. This hydrating, breathable formula delivers buildable medium-to-full coverage with flawless 12-hour radiance. It works to soothe, protect and hydrate skin with every wear.

You can also go with a skin tint like Futurist SkinTint Serum for a lighter coverage option. This sheer, tinted formula creates a natural radiant finish with 8-hour staying power.

3. Choose Radiance-Boosting Concealer
When it comes to concealer for dewy skin, Futurist Brightening Skincealer is your go-to. It conceals, brightens and hydrates skin for a boost of radiance—all while helping to plump fine, dry lines instantly and improve hydration over time. It’s also infused with a Vitamin C Brightening Complex to help visibly brighten dark circles and bring radiance to the undereye area.

4. Set Your Makeup Lightly
Use Double Wear Sheer Flattery Loose Powder soft glow formula to lightly set your makeup in key areas—under the eyes, around the nose and forehead—while keeping that healthy glow intact.

5. Maximize Your Glow
Add soft color to your look with Bronze Goddess Powder Bronzer. Then, apply Bronze Goddess Highlighting Powder Gelée to the tops of your cheeks, the hollows of your cheeks, forehead and down the bridge of your nose for that natural, healthy-looking glow.

Complete your routine with a glossy lip look. You’ll love Pure Color Melt-On Glosstick, which creates reflective, mirror shine and a lip-plumping effect.

Want more? Discover our bestselling makeup products.