Tinted moisturisers are a mixture of foundation with moisturiser but, the consistency is not as thick as a foundation, it depends on which brand you are using because some can be the same or heavier. It typically provides light coverage with the aim to be more lightweight than your regular foundation.
I don't like wearing foundation and haven't used foundation that much in my entire life. I never did believe in using foundation to cover up my flaws, I always believed in skin care more as it is the foundation to good make up for the face. Some may disagree but at the end of the day, I go to sleep without make up on and I want to make sure my skin is as good as I can get it.
Laura Mercier offers quite a wide range of colours for a lot of skin tones and is classes as a high-end brand as it is sold exclusively in known department stores such as John Lewis's, Selfridges, House of Fraser and Debenams as well as online on the website.
Laura Mercier believes in natural colours in make up, which is why she created the flawless range which includes a collection of colours for tinted moisturisers and foundations.
I decided to try the tinted moisturiser as it's been popular for a long time and it's always highly recommended on youtube, magazines and people who have used it.
There are 2 choices of tinted moisturiser, one is for oily skin and other is for normal/dry skin. I bought this during spring and I know my skin tends to be oily when the weather starts getting warmer so I thought oil free option was best for me. I don't like knowing the product has oil and will be sitting on my skin for 8+ hours per day, it can cause break outs and blocked pores.
It promises to:
- give skin a healthy ‘no-makeup’ look with a soft hint of colour that
evens and enhances without hiding the skin. This oil-free lightweight
formula provides ideal protection from the sun’s harmful, damaging rays
with broad spectrum SPF 20 UVB/UVA sunscreen. Perfect for all skin
types, especially sensitive or oily skin.
For
£33.00 there is 50ml of product in a long plastic tube.
There are 15 shades available and the assistants at the counter can always help you to find your perfect shade.
For me,
Porcelain is a little bit too pale and
nude is a little too warm so I picked
nude which is slightly more golden but once my skin absorbed some sun, the shade was perfect.
Did you know that when you apply SPF to the face, and when you take photos with a flash, the face is lighter? This product contains SPF 20 and it made more sense for me to buy the shade that was a little darker than lighter as I take photographs all the time and I want to make sure my skin looks as natural as possible.
The screw off lid is based at the bottom of the tube, and the tube can stand on the lid which means the product can be easier to come out of when you dispense it out. However, when it comes to almost the end of finishing this tube, it doesn't stand upwards anymore so you really have to give it a good shake and roll the tube to get the product out.
I did enjoy using this tinted moisturiser at first, but then it became too thick for my face, it felt like my pores were blocked and you do need a top up during the day. Even with powder on top and mist spray to lock in the colour doesn't help. I find that when my face becomes oily, it becomes patchy therefore not reliable. Am not usually carrying my make up for top ups but I cant go out too long without realising the product strips from my face.
I work long hours (most of the time 12+ hours) and I can't rely on having a smooth flawless look with this product.
Pro's:
- 15 shades of colour
- contains SPF 20 which is difficult to find
- gives a natural glow
- available in pink and golden undertone shades which is very important to me as it's not often I find my perfect golden undertone shade
- contains no alcohol
- matte finish
- buildable coverage
- no oxidation
- evens out skin tone and hides flaws
- quite a hydrating formula
Con's:
- consistency is too thick, it sticks to my make up brush and stains my clothes
- strips off my face after a couple of hours which means I need to top up the product on my face
- consistency too watery and dribbles onto my clothes
- quite expensive for a product that doesn't suit me well
- the scent is quite strong, especially when you squeeze the product out of the tube. I had this experience since my first use and it put me off using it
I have a sheer-medium coverage from this and it does not oxidise straight away, however, the colour does strip off after a couple of hours, especially when its warm. I am a NC30-NC35, which is a golden undertone, the
nude colour shade is perfect for me. However, during cold season, it hydrates my skin well but not entirely, purely because the consistency is thick.
It hides my dark spots and redness giving me that smooth natural look. I would not recommend this for people who have large red spots as it will not cover that, this is a tinted moisturiser, not the same as a foundation.
This gives me a dewy finish, matte and natural, but it does become oily on my skin therefore I would not recommend to use this in hot weather.
I have used a stippling brush for this as well as my fingers but it becomes too messy and stains inside my nails. It stains my brush and I have to wash it every single day (which is what I should be doing anyway but am a bit lazy sometimes! aren't we all?! ) but the best technique for me would be to use a stippling brush such as the ELF popular strippling brush.
I personally would not be purchasing this product again because it hasn't made me feel like it's my holy-grail and it's not really benefited my skin as much as I expected. As you can see from my pro's and con's, there are more con's, and sadly it hasn't been my favourite tinted moisturiser that's lasted. However, I am glad I got to try this to see what the hype was all about, sadly it just isn't for me!
XOX
