Matte v Dewy: Two Beauty Editors Battle It Out

When it comes to your complexion makeup, you've most likely experimented with both matte and dewy finishes in the pursuit of your perfect match. Both finishes have their merits; matte is long-wearing and offers superior coverage, while a dewy finish exudes health and youthfulness.

On the flipside, both have their pitfalls. Matte formulas can look cakey and flat, and dewy formulas can lack longevity and make breakouts more obvious. Here, two beauty editors battle it out in an attempt to determine the ultimate winner. We'll let you be the judge...

Team Dewy (Nicola)

When you get to a certain age - say past your thirties - ‘dewy’ becomes the most important thing. You might not realize it yet, but it is. Wrinkles don’t matter - and if you’re using good skincare, your fine lines probably aren’t that noticeable anyway. What matters is radiance. Glow. Dewy skin. Call it what you will - but that overall ‘bloom’ that makes you look healthy, happy and like you’re radiating with health - that’s everything. That’s why you can keep your matte foundations and your blotting powders - I’m ‘team dewy’ all the way.

People who love a matte finish often say that one of the advantages is that it has better staying power. And I think that’s probably true. But that’s one of the reason I love the Beauty Pie Brightening Primer so much. It’s like a miracle for helping makeup ‘grip,’ but it has this really beautiful illuminating effect that means your skin looks dewy before you’ve even started with your makeup.

I actually think, though, ‘dewy’ is much more about skincare than it is about makeup. Essentially, the smoother your skin, the better it will be able to reflect light, so I do a weekly polish with Wonderscrub (my desert island skincare product) and a few nights a week, I’ll apply Plantastic™ Micropeeling Superdrops. They contain Banana, Caja and Mango fruit extracts to gently resurface, and they’re suitable for all skin types, including sensitive. (If you have oily skin, you can use them a bit more often).

At night, I remove my Japanfusion™ Pure Transforming Cleanser with a Cleansing Cloth which also helps give a little bit of manual exfoliation and then morning and night, I apply the absolute OG dewy skin serum: Youthbomb™ 360 Radiance Concentrate. It’s amazing. Every single ingredent was chosen for its ability to help the skin reflect light, and it really shows.

Then, when it comes to makeup, I use as many cream textures as possible. I love the Supercheek™ Cream Blush (I love the Bare Blush shade) and the Pro Glow Highlighting Stick in Glazylight, a gorgeous soft rose gold. I just dab them onto cheekbones with my fingers. Oh - and it’s not the case that all powders give a matte finish. A final dusting of the super-clever Triple Beauty Perfect Glowy Powder sets everything in place, while still boosting your glow. Team matte? You’ve got nothing on us.

Team Matte (Lottie)

I wish I was the kind of person who could pull off the dewy look. Just like I wish I was the kind of person who could wake up early to work out, enjoyed green juices and always ironed their clothes. But, I’m not. It’s just not going to happen for me.

I agonize over precise application, thinking it’s just a matter of placement, but I have grown to accept that any glowing makeup look I create will, inevitably, morph into a greasy sheen by midday. I always end up looking sweaty, slightly off-color and wondering why I bothered.

Matte makeup, on the other hand, never fails to deliver. Sure, it can look a bit flat when first applied, but then it warms up throughout the day and, in stark contrast to dewy makeup, it actually looks better and better as the day goes on.

The key is finding the right products that strike the perfect balance between reliable, longwearing coverage and velvety, second-skin texture (as opposed to cakey). Look for lightweight formulas (ingredients with the word “micro” in them are always a good sign) and apply sparingly and precisely - it’s easier to work your way up to the perfect level of coverage than it is to remove any excess.

The Wonderfilter Velvet Finish Primer is a great starting point - it has Textureperfect™ Powder Matte Finish Microspheres (see - micro!), which have a ball-bearing effect for a delicate, silky texture, increased colour payoff (for any makeup you apply next), a soft-focus finish and amazing makeup blendability, plus Evanscent Oil to ensure smooth application and a silky feel without any oily residue. Then, I usually use the Everyday Great Skin Foundation, which is infused with high-tech Micro-Pearls for a melt-away feel and natural matte finish.

Once I have my base, I can spot-treat specific areas like the cheekbones and brow bones with a dab of liquid highlighter (the Triple Beauty Luminizing Highlighter Wand is the perfect, non-glittery texture) and I get the best of both worlds. Who can argue with that?