Foundation is an essential part of a woman's cosmetic routine. Foundation helps even out your skin tone, hide imperfections and create an attractive canvass for the rest of your makeup. Depending on your makeup needs, foundation can provide strong coverage, give you a shimmery, light-refracting glow, or make you look younger than your years.

You want your foundation to look natural, so you need to pay attention to more than the shade of your skin. Whether you're fair, medium or dark, you have underlying tones to your skin, and your foundation should match those tones. The most common underlying tone is a subtle yellow, but some women have olive or slight reddish tones as well.

The only way to know whether a foundation will look good on you is to try it on. Don't buy a foundation online unless you've tried it out in person as well. If you're purchasing from a department store, you can ask the clerk to help you test out the colors. If you're shopping at a pharmacy or grocery store, there are usually testers you can use to try swatches on your hand or wrist (whichever is closest to your facial color). Always try to see what the foundation looks like in natural light. Walk over to a door or window and determine whether the color and formula look acceptable.

Dry, oily and combination skin all have very different needs and require different formulas of foundation to help them look their best.

Oily Skin

The first rule of choosing a foundation for oily skin is to avoid products with oil and ingredients that cause the skin to produce more oil. This seems like a no-brainer, but it isn't always obvious which ingredients to look for. Dimethicone is one ingredient that can clog pores and lead to breakouts. Alcohol in a product may initially reduce the appearance of oily shine, but will actually cause the skin to produce more oil after a short time.

Natural foundations, particularly mineral foundations, are the best bet for oily skin. Jane Iredale's Amazing Base (average price; $35) is a loose mineral foundation that provides excellent coverage without weighing down your skin. Because it contains no bismuth, talc, or any other skin-clogging ingredients commonly found in other foundations, it works for women who are prone to acne and skin irritations.

If mineral foundation isn't your thing, there are more traditional cream foundations that work like a charm for oily skin. Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation (average price; $42) gives your skin a natural matte finish that conceals large pores and other imperfections.

Foundation for oily skin doesn't have to cost a fortune. There are drugstore cosmetics companies that pay attention to the ingredients they put in their products and that create foundations suitable for a variety of skin types. Neutrogena has a long history of creating products for women with acne-prone and/or oily skin. Their products are designed to work gently and give you a natural, never overdone appearance. Try their classic Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup with SPF 20 for a decent, $15-or-less option.

Dry Skin

Dry skin tends to show signs of aging more quickly than other skin types. If you have dry skin, it's important to address it with a daily skincare routine. You should choose a face wash that's creamy and rich, and avoid products with drying chemicals and astringents. In addition to using a facial moisturizer on a daily basis, you should also invest in a nourishing night cream. The sun can parch and damage dry skin, so whatever products you use for day should have some sun protection included.

When looking for a foundation, seek out formulas that are labelled for dry skin. The ads and packaging will often use key words such as "hydrating" or moisturizing." A moisturizing foundation doesn't have to be heavy in order to keep your skin in good shape. Makeup that contains too much oil or unnatural ingredients really isn't very good for any type of skin.
Maybelline has a lot of fans. Many feel that this cosmetics company makes some of the best low-cost foundations available. For dry skin, try Maybelline's Dream Liquid Mousse(average price; $7). This hydrating formula won a spot in Cosmo's Best of 2010. It gives you just the right amount of coverage and won't make your skin feel smothered.

Sometimes, dry facial skin can affect the look of a makeup. It can cause foundation to crack and become creasy as the day wears on. If you have very dry skin, or dry spots on your skin resulting from acne treatments or other skin conditions, Clinique Super Moisture Makeup (average price; $24) might be for you. It's a thick, rich formula that eliminates dryness and keeps your skin looking dewy and healthy.

Compact makeup is convenient and easy to use. You can take it with you wherever you go and apply it on the run. Many times, makeup compacts are smart choices for women with dry skin because they contain creamy, emollient-rich foundation. CoverGirl CG Smoothers AquaSmooth Compact Foundation (average price; $8) is infused with vitamins and a special moisturizing complex that effectively delivers hydration to your skin throughout the day. You can use just a touch of this product for a light, barely-there look, or use a bit more for extra coverage.

Combination Skin

It's tricky to find the right foundation for combination skin. In typical combination skin, the majority of the skin is dry or normal, while the T-zone is oily. You can handle this by using products to address the skin's specific issues; for example, using rich moisturizer on dry areas and oil-zapping wipes on your T-zone - and wearing a good-quality foundation formulated for normal skin.

There are some cosmetic products that can help give your combination skin a more uniform look. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (average price; $32-$38) balances and evens out skin while filling in fine lines and wrinkles so the rest of your makeup goes on flawlessly. It comes in a clear formula as well as several other corrective and skin-enhancing colors.