This post is inspired by the barometer. In case you haven’t noticed — Spring has sprung and Summer’s just ’round the corner. Hopefully you’ve been reading ThisThatBeauty all Fall/ Winter and have been putting in work with respect to your skin care routine. For if you have, you will embrace my upcoming recommendation. But if you have been bad little ThisThatBeauty bellas and have not taken my sage skin care advice all Fall/ Winter, well….you’re gonna go into a state of panic over this next sentence.
When warm weather settles in it is time to ditch your beloved moderate to full coverage foundation and lighten up with a tinted moisturizer. I am visualizing some of you clutching the pearls, yelling “Egad”, and possibly cussing me out….but please indulge me.
Unless you want your face to melt clear off of your face, I beg you to set aside the full coverage foundation for the next few months…
Summer is the time of year to show a little skin…skin on your arms, legs, midriff (please, at the beach only), and face. When I think of tinted moisturizers I generally think of them as a go-to products for individuals with near perfect skin. If you’re anything like me (and most women), your skin is not perfect…and that’s ok. While its never too late to start a proper skin care regimen to address your skin care issues, at this point I encourage you to embrace the skin you’re in and tone down your makeup with a tinted moisturizer. For those of you with slight uneven skin-tone and minor discoloration, — a tinted moisturizer will bump up your complexion and give the appearance of bare beautiful skin. For those of you dealing with more severe skin conditions like acne and hyperpigmentation — I still recommend a tinted moisturizer. While it will not give the appearance of perfect skin, like with a heavier foundation, it will clean up the canvas, calm the skin, and cancel out redness and blotchiness. Your skin will feel light and refreshed without a heavy coating of foundation competing with 80 degree days. As someone who’s been there with troubled skin, believe me when I tell you that at some point you have to (as the old folks say) “let go and let God”. It is simply too hot and too humid to mess around with heavy foundation during the summer. Continue to focus on your morning/evening skin care regimen and your skin’s condition will improve over time. But in the meantime, especially for the warm summer months, strip down your foundation just a bit and give a tinted moisturizer a try.
Do you have a favorite tinted moisturizer in your current makeup arsenal? Well you know I wouldn’t put you through this whole soap box soliloquy on tinted moisturizer without offering up a few of my favs. Yep, ThisThatBeauty’s got your back:
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 ($42) offers lightweight and flawless coverage. You will find that many tinted moisturizers come with a built in SPF. Laura Mercier offers an SPF 20. Now of course you know that you should always apply a stand alone moisturizer+SPF before your makeup, but I love it when a cosmetic product also includes SPF…its like a lil bonus. Laura Mercier recently extended her tinted moisturizer shade range to include deeper tones. So from Porcelain to Mocha (my shade) Laura Mercier has you covered. Another fun fact worth noting — Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 comes in the classic formula and oil-free. I use and love the oil-free version!
BECCA Luminous Skin Colour Sheer Colour Makeup SPF20 ($42) is another ThisThatBeauty fav. You all know that I love my BECCA Compact Concealer to pieces, but come Memorial Day I switch over to a lightweight formula. In addition to offering sun protection, this multitasking tinted moisturizer contains antioxidant vitamins A, B, D, and E to aid tissue repair, increase collagen renewal and hydration, and protect against free radical damage. The soothing soothing anti-inflammatory and antiseptic ingredients in the formula make BECCA Luminous Skin Colour Sheer Colour Makeup SPF 20 a great choice for individuals with sensitive skin.
CoverFx Skin Tint FX Moisturizing Treatment and Tint ($42) is an oil-free, paraben-free, and water resistant formula with skin repairing ingredients and anti-aging technology. The shades available range from C Light to M Deep…that’s like a “light olive” to a “warm walnut”. SkinTint FX’s formula is light and silky. The finish is a natural sun-kissed glow. SkinTint FX contains SPF 30 and multi-vitamin antioxidants A and E. It is also supercharged with emollients, such as ceramide 2, vitamin F and emollients derived from Mediterranean olives. This one’s packed with goodness!
La Mer Fluid Tint SPF 18 ($65) is a water based formula that adds a touch of color for a smooth, even finish. Enriched with gemstones, Fluid Tint absorbs light energy, transforming it into beneficial green light to enhance anti-oxidant activity. Photonic spheres redirect and diffuse light. Light-reactive seaweeds bind moisture to the skin, helping to prevent dehydration. La Mer Fluid Tint SPF 18 comes in three shades: Light, Medium, and Dark.
per-fekt skin perfection gel (57.50) is a skin perfector that instantly enhances the appearance of the skin offering an easy breezy summertime appropriate alternative to traditional foundation, primer, color corrector and powder. This powerhouse gel-mousse instantly enhances skin tone, helps to maintain hydration, and significantly reduces the appearance of redness and discoloration. It also helps to diminish the appearance of enlarged pores, pesky fine lines and embarrassing ill-placed shine. per-fekt comes in five shades: Translucent (colorless for all skin tones), Luminous (very light neutral/fair skin tones), Radiant (medium beige/fair to medium skin tones), Rich (warm tan/tanned skin), Decadent (deep tan/ doubles as a bronzer for lighter skin tones).
Youngblood Mineral Radiance Moisture Tint ($39.50) allows you to hydrate, cover, and protect all in one formula. This lightweight tint leaves skin beautifully hydrated, with sheer even toned coverage while shielding skin from environmental damage. Youngblood Mineral Radiance Moisture Tint contains Seve Marine, a green algae that replenishes dehydrated skin, leaving it smooth and supple. The formula is packed with free-radical fighting antioxidants of Kiwi Extract and vitamin E, Licorice Root Extract to calm redness and inflammation, and Menthol to provide a cooling effect. The nourishing formula also includes Youngblood’s signature mineral blend of Rhodolite, Zincite, Hematite and Malachite, which help protect skin cells and tissue.
Youngblood Mineral Radiance Moisture Tint comes in four skin-perfecting shades: Natural, a bare shade for Light to Medium skin; Warm, a rich brown for Medium skin tones; Tan, a toasty shade for Medium skin; and Golden Sun, a soft, shimmering golden shade for illuminating Medium to Deep skin tones. Golden Sun is my personal fav for highlighting the skin! Visit Youngblood at Henri Bendel NYC.
POP Beauty No Show Correct & Protect Tint ($24) is a weightless SPF 30 tint gel that evens out uneven tone and discoloration. The formula is oil-free, water based, and enriched with Vitamins C and E. POP Beauty No Show Correct & Protect Tint is available in two shades: Neutralize and Balance. The no show formula is ideal for women of fair to medium complexion.
This summer, embrace your skin and try a tinted moisturizer. Stay tuned for the next installment of Summer Makeup 101 
About Felicia
I always use tinted moisturizer in the summer; and all-year on days where I want to look more even without looking “made up”. I am a medium-dark complection and Lancome’s IMANANCE Multi Defence Environmental Tinted Creme with SPF 15. in Bronze. When I get a litle more color as summer goes on, I just add a little darker foundation to it!
I have a Laura Mercier foundation, I may try this tinted moisturizer, as I like that there is SPF in it.
I’ve used Trish McEvoy tinted moisturizer in Bronze the past few summers, but it’s being reformulated and is no longer available. Which of your recommended brands would you suggest? I’ve tried Laura Mercier, but it seemed a bit too yellow based for me. Thanks!
@Mena. I love all of my recos for diff reasons. If LM is too yellow for you, depending on your complexion, try Youngblood. CoverFX and Becca have extensive range so they’re worth a shot as well. I hope this helps!
Becca’s Tinted Moisturizer is fab – it’s a big hit for us in-store (and in my own personal beauty closet…)
I’ve always wanted to try the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer but the price has always scared me away. I like Maybelline Pure Makeup, which isn’t technically a tinted moisturizer, but it doesn’t have a lot of coverage, and I usually mix it with moisturizer so it goes on pretty sheer.
@Jeni. That’s a great tip…Mixing current foundation with moisturizer to sheer it out!
Hi,
Have you heard of BB Creams? They’re like tinted moisturizers, except they provide better coverage and has more beneficial ingredients ( anti blemish, anti aging, whitening, etc)
Hope: Yes i have heard of BB creams but have never tried. Saw lots of them when i was in China.
LM and BECCA TM are my faves! I’m getting the CoverFx one pretty soon to test, but will have to check out the others.