Foundation for Dry, Flaky Skin?

Remember that part in Miss Congeniality when Sandra Bullock gets ready to do her makeup, and she goes "Ok...now which one of these is the lipsticks?" All of a sudden, her friends swarm around her and help her out. The beauty blogging world reminds me of that!!

I just had a reader ask me a beauty question, and rather than just replying to her alone, I thought I'd open up the question to you guys so you can weigh in too!

Le Question: Can you suggest a foundation that is super easy to apply, gives light-medium coverage for daily wear, and is for combination skin (oily nose, but dry everywhere else)? I suck at liquid and I have a compact, but it looks funny and gives me flaky dry skin. 

My answer:

1. Using a gentle exfoliator everyday to buff away dead skin cells. I like Olay Regenerist Daily Thermal Peel, Mario Badescu Strawberry Scrub, and Lush Dark Angels.

2. Use a rich moisturizer before applying makeup. I suggest Cetaphil (in the jar) or MAC Moisturelush. You can also try La Mer if you have won the lotto. ;)

3. One of the best foundations I have used is Shu Uemura Face Architect. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation is also great because powders don't accentuate flakes as much. For both products, a dense, flat top mineral brush works brilliantly.

4. In the winter, I used to get dry patches even after the foundation was on. What I did was apply a spot of eye cream on the dry spots and they'd go away (I used Mario Badescu's Hyalauronic eye cream). Because eye cream is heavier than face cream, it really helps combat flakes.

Now over to you guys. Please help this reader out, and along the way, give me a few new wishlist items! :)