Best Tinted Moisturizers
It’s time to pack away your full-coverage foundation and invest in a tinted moisturiser. When the mercury rises, make-up starts sliding, so let your skin shine through in summer with a sheer, lightweight, dewy complexion perfecter.
All the ones we’ve included here come with an SPF rating, so you’ve got skin safety in the sun covered. And some feature additional anti-ageing skincare benefits too.
1. Bobbi Brown Nude Finish Tinted Moisturizer SPF15:
Hide imperfections, cover redness and even out complexions – this lightweight sheer wash manages to do it all invisibly.
Sheer coverage with a seamless finish, it’s also a creamy, hydrating and protective moisturiser packed with vitamin E and jojoba oil.
Available in a very decent seven shades, it gives the skin a nourished, radiant glow and SPF 15 means you’re protected too. Top marks for ticking all the tinted moisturiser boxes and delivering a really natural, dewy finish.
2. Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream SPF30:
With a higher SPF (mineral-based, not chemical) than most other tinted moisturisers, this is great summer makeup if you have fair skin that burns easily.
It also contains something called ‘water-encapsulations’, which supposedly gives skin an instant shot of hydration (without silicones or oils to get in the way), so dehydrated summer skin will look plump and dewy immediately.
And after just one week, we found skin texture improved dramatically. Coverage is light to medium in 10 great shades, with the darkest one being significantly darker than many other daily tints.
3. Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer SPF15:
Ultra-lightweight and packed with anti-oxidant and anti-pollution properties from edelweiss, green tea and honeysuckle, this one has a devoted following of men as well as women because it gives such a natural, invisible finish.
An SPF 15 rating and botanicals help fight skin-ageing free radicals and the anti-irritant blend makes it great for sensitive skin. It melts into the skin like a dream and leaves polished perfection without looking made-up. It’s ever so slightly sheeny, so gives a very soft, natural radiance.
It’s at the upper end of the pricing scale, so if you like to spend out on your base, this one is absolutely worth it and comes in seven shades.
4. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20:
This award-winning cult classic is a make-up artist kit staple. The long-lasting tint doesn’t smudge or budge all day and also contains an anti-oxidant vitamin blend to protect the skin from environmental aggressors.
It wears really evenly and despite only being available in six shades, the colours are good at adjusting to your skin tone. It also comes in an illuminating version to boost radiance and an oil-free option if you’re prone to shine and breakouts.
5. Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector SPF 20:
This high-tech, lightweight, oil-free formula is loaded to the max with peptides, vitamins and moisturisers so your skin gets real nourishment to improve tone and texture, as well as light colour coverage.
But it’s the optical blurring, light-diffusing spheres that make flaws vanish and reduce the look of pores, and that helps it stand out from the crowd.
It feels quite creamy and needs some working into the skin but then seems to glide on easily, leaving skin defined, matte and flawless.
It only comes in six shades, but they are so forgiving they cover many more skin tones than you expect. And on top of all that, it has a SPF 20 rating. This is all your make-up, skincare and SPF in one simple tube. Another fabulous time saver from Urban Decay.
6. Eve Lom Radiance Perfected Tinted Moisturiser SPF15:
This is available in an incredible 12 shades, so if you struggle to find the right colour of tinted moisturiser, there should be an Eve Lom one to suit.
Tired, dull, lacklustre complexions will drink up this hydrating skin treat that boosts luminosity thanks to vitamins E and C and brightening actives to reduce the appearance of pigmentation. The dewy, glowing finish is super pretty and leaves skin smoothed out and supple.
The coverage is fairly full, but it doesn’t settle in fine lines. No mean feat for a relatively thick consistency, that needs to be worked into the skin.
7. Benefit Bigger than BB Big Easy SPF35:
Prone to shine and need some oil control? Then this liquid to powder complexion perfecter is for you. Oil-free and skin balancing, it also soothes and comforts irritated skin while concealing blemishes.
It’s velvety smooth and melts into the skin, transforming into a matte powder. It’s another one that’s only available in six shades, but it adjusts to your skin colour and seems to cover more skin tones than you’d think.
8. Caudalie Radiance Tinted Moisturizer SPF20:
Oil-free, yet hydrating, with an SPF20 rating, this radiance booster is great for covering imperfections and reducing the appearance of dark spots.
It also packs in hyaluronic acid – which can retain a huge amount of water, so the skin’s barrier is strengthened and looks and feels smooth, soft, plumped and firm.
Great for skin prone to dryness and dehydration. It’s also an anti-oxidant and can defend against further ageing free radical damage. This isn’t just make-up, it’s a major multi-tasker.
9. La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur SPF20:
Almost completely weightless, this oil-absorbing mousse melts into the skin and feels like you’re not wearing anything. It creates an instantly matte look – great for blemish-prone skin and keeping summer shine at bay.
Oil-free, non-pore clogging and paraben-free (good for sensitive skin), it also blurs the appearance of fine lines, blemishes and enlarged pores too. It leaves skin flawless, but seemingly make-up free.
10. StriVectin Clinical Corrector Advanced Anti-Aging Face Tint SPF30: £17 for 30ml, Feel Unique
More heavy duty than some of the other tints tested, this gives a fuller coverage to minimise flaws and pores and brighten shadows and grey areas.
If you’re not keen on parting with your foundation in the summer months, but a sheer tinted moisturiser isn’t enough, then this is a good option.
Not as lightweight as others, but you do get good coverage to diffuse lines, smooth texture and even out skin tone for a flawless complexion. The high SPF means you’re protected too.
Verdict
Bare Minerals has a good, high SPF for fair skin and great hydration for dry skin, Chantecaille is virtually invisible and boasts a strong anti-ageing formula,
Laura Mercier is a cult classic that’s oil free and good for breakout-prone skin, while Urban Decay is a major multi-tasker. But Bobbi Brown tops the lot with its sheer, seamless, radiant finish.