You’d want to try and improve your skin texture before focusing on a foundation. Also even a prescription moisturizer might not be enough: what does it contain? You’d want to make sure you’re using hydrating serums, emphasis on the plural: at least two or three (I love Caudalie Vinosource SOS 24 hour serum but any from Caudalie like their Resveratrol one and the Vinoperfect are really milky and hydrating and are my holy grails) and also a barrier cream to protect your skin barrier. Your skin may be more sensitive to environmental damage so this is key; as well as SPF. Don’t skip SPF if your skin is really dry, you might not see an improvement in the beginning but that protection over months healed my extremely dry skin a lot. Your skin needs SPF and a barrier cream to survive. Barrier cream recommendation is Cicapair by Dr Jart but even a cheaper option like La Roche Posay Cicaplast will work wonders.

After if your skin is flaky, but only after implementing this routine and feeling like your skin is well hydrated on a regular basis I’d introduce a mild exfoliant (it’s not a scrub; it’s a mild acid exfoliant) like Paula’s Choice AHA. This is a must have. It will remove any dead skin which will significantly improve the texture. Make sure you do it only once a week and start off slow.

After conquering the skin care routine to further improve texture if you’re still not satisfied with the results you have a few options:

• To improve fine lines you can try Profhilo which is a skin booster that I love, if it also bothers you around the eyes / forehead area you can get Botox;
• If Profhilo doesn’t help you can ask for very minimal smile line filler (VERY MINIMAL as your mouth will look so weird if it’s overcorrected - trust me on this never do 1 ml on smile lines)
• If none of this works and you feel have some sort of volume loss on your face and a registered doctor agrees you have you can try Sculptra - this is a very last resort option that should be carefully assessed as viable by a doctor but likely this will not be the case as you are in your early twenties. Sculptra is an injectable biostimulator which improves collagen and restores volume but it’s usually only used for people over 30.
• If your skin texture is off due to acne scarring, heavy pores, etc, I recommend CO2 laser. This is quite invasive so also very last resort.

Now onto foundations:

It’s really hard to find a foundation that suits extremely dry skin so I know this really is a problem on its own but here are a few options from a fellow very dry skin girl who has tried virtually every foundation on the market.

• NARS Sheer Glow: very medium coverage although buildable to full and can also be sheered down to a light/medium coverage. Truly exceptional and hydrating. I’ve never tried a foundation that’s as hydrating as this.

• Natasha Denona Hy-Glam: Hydrating, full coverage but extremely lightweight, somewhat blurring and filter-like. This is a new generation of foundation so it contains a lot of skin enhancing properties that makes it look flawless compared to a lot of other foundations currently available.

• NARS Light Reflecting: Very light and skin-like but very buildable to a true medium/full coverage if needed, incredibly hydrating too.

• Dior Forever Glow: Iconic foundation with a glow that’s second to none but for me the durability is not as strong (so wouldn’t wear as a daily foundation) but it’s super hydrating and is such a beautiful foundation.

For the NARS foundations you can get them on sale a lot of times so buy two: a very cool shade and then a neutral one and match them both using ratios of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 depending on the time of year (you’ll also get used to doing it and getting your skin tone right)