I briefly hinted at the fact that I would actually be doing a review for this. Typically any type of product or place review of mine will go right on over to ChickAdvisor, but since I have been going back and forth on this tinted moisturizer thing for several months, I thought I would put it right here.
Like I said before, me and tinted moisturizer were never friends. I have worn a full face of foundation every day for at least 15 years. Yes, I was the girl at the gym with makeup on-granted I didn’t have smokey eyes or fake lashes but you could bet that if I rubbed my face on a towel, there would be foundation on it. I prefer heavier coverage foundations as I feel they give the appearance of a ‘flawless’ complection. Haven’t been without foundation in a loooong time. I am not ashamed to take longer or be late in the name of good coverage on my face!
I am not sure what made me waver….tons of review sites/beauty bloggers singing the praises of tinted moisturizer? The new products and promises of ‘natural looking coverage’? Or maybe it’s just me getting tired of having to touch up all day and having my makeup rub off (does anyone else remember Cindy Crawford in that Revlon commercial where she had on a white silk blouse and she would rub her face against it? That was to prove the makeup’s staying power or something right? Well, I don’t wear white blouses-ever!)
Phew-that was a ramble. Sorry for getting off track, now where was I? Oh yes, so anyway-I was in Sephora yesterday and found myself browsing the different tinteds (again). I so did not want to get on the Laura Mercier bandwagon. Yes, I have sampled it before, yes it’s fantastic but it’s over $50.00 a tube! I just couldn’t make the commitment-I mean, what if I hated this stuff after I got it home? So I let the Sephora employee show me around and my eyes fell on Stila sheer color. I do not own one Stila product-couldn’t tell you much about the brand. However, I liked the consistency and it was probably the ‘best’ match for my skin tone that was NOT Laura M. So I bought it.
Today was my first day using the product-I didn’ t want to wear it to work until I tried it. Here are some photos of my hand:
product just out of tube with lighting
"natural light"
starting to blend-indoor lighting
starting to blend in natural light
fully blended indoor light
fully blended-natural light
So after all that, I still don’t know how I feel about tinteds. Admittedly, they look more natural and I can’t see myself having to reapply or having that ‘color transfer’ aka makeup rub-off from a full foundation. However, my hyper-pigmented skin (from years of tanning as a young person) still shows more than I would like it to. I may top this off with a light dusting of powder and maybe a teensy-weensy bit of foundation in the T-zone? Going cold-turkey off foundation is HARD work-I am going to need to ease into this.
Overall I like the product-and I am going to be brave and wear it into work on Monday!
What are your thoughts on tinted moisturizers? Are they worth it? Likes/Dislikes?
MarciaF (beauty info zone)
I waver on TMs too. I want to like them but then I look in the mirror and don’t see enough coverage. I’ll wear them when I don’t think I’m really going to see many people though. LOL
meredith
oh my sentiments exactly!
Looks like for now I will be “weaning” myself off the full coverage foundation-it’s probably better since summer is approaching. For right now I am going to try wearing the TM with a bit of extra ‘help’ in the T-zone. I may invest in a good powder too-any suggestions?
ElaineA
I used to always use tinted moisturizers but I now have “sun spots” as I’m getting older so I am now using a light coverage foundation but Joy said I should get a full coverage one to save time LOL! So….I guess I’m in the opposite boat as you! Have you ever tried mineral powder foundations? I find they feel really light but the coverage is pretty buildable.
meredith
I have sun damage across the bridge of my nose-and that’s the one area that I need some ‘help’ with. I dabbed a little foundation over that area and then used the TM everywhere else. It’s still a lot lighter than I am used to but I am going to see if I can pull it off!
Hmmm, I am interested/intriqued by Joy’s answer….how do YOU feel about wearing full coverage foundation? I am used to it-been doing that for so long! I am *attempting* to get to the point where I am using foundation for special events or going out. I would like to try to get off of it.
I have always been a fan of mineral makeup but I am thinking about trying one of the many smaller indie companies that I am always seeing on twitter! I am also thinking that this summer I may try some loose mineral eyeshadows-it’s time to step out and take some “makeup risks”
Joy
Thanks for your question and great post! I love both TM and full-coverage foundations. However, not all TM’s and foundations are created equally. What your preference is really depends on your skin type and your lifestyle. I think there is a time and place for everything. In the winter, I find my skin needs more coverage than in the spring/summer so I’ll wear a fuller coverage in the colder months and a TM in the warmer months. If I’m doing errands and need to get out of the house quick I’ll usually put on a bit on TM and concealer. If I’m going out for the evening or need to look flawless all day I’ll use a full coverage foundation. The ones that don’t feel heavy or cakey on the skin are Face Atelier Ultra Foundation and TEMPTU’s airbrush foundation. For TM’s I really like tarte’s smooth operator and a new one by Clinique – they both have pretty good coverage than the average TM. I know Mercier’s is a good one but even for a MUA it’s pretty pricey.
If your skin has a lot of blemishes or scars, I recommend using a full-coverage foundation and spot concealing with a concealer. But if your skin overall is pretty good you can wear a TM all year round. Hope this helps!
meredith
Joy-firstly thank you so much for responding (I know how busy you are!)
I am going to check out the tarte TM for sure-didn’t even think about them and shame on me-they are coming out with some AWESOME spring products. Bloggers are raving about their amazonian clay blushes!
I share your sentiments about when to use a TM! I just want to do what’s best for my skin and try to give it a ‘break’ once in awhile. I always use decent products and am more than willing to “invest” in my skin. I just hate when the media tries to tell me that Mila Kunis or Jennifer Aniston wear TM on the red carpet because we all know that IS NOT true!
*ahem* mini rant aside-thanks for the weigh in! Your opinion/thoughts are more than welcome!
Joy
Always happy to help! tarte has some really great products – I’m lemming over those blushes too and their lip surgence gloss in Adored! Try to see if you can get a sample before trying to make sure you like their TM. Yah, most celebrities can afford to keep their skin looking beautiful but I’m sure the majority use a heavier foundation for red carpet too!
meredith
Thanks again Joy-I will be having my ‘Fantastic Friday’ trip to Sephora again next week (see my post before this one 😉 ).