Tinted Moisturizer Showdown

I’m fairly certain you all haven’t gone out and bought yourselves airbrush makeup systems, though I continue to be obsessed with mine. One of the things I was researching before getting addicted to the airbrush was tinted moisturizer, and I still needed to find one to use for low-maintenance days and summer travel.

I had been using Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizer, but felt that it was a bit too sheer and wasn’t working hard enough on my pore situation. As the tube neared it’s end, I started to look for something new. I had always heard great things about Bobbi Brown, so I headed directly to her section in Sephora to begin my search. There was a decent range of colors, but not overwhelmingly so. I found a match, and actually ended up trying it on my whole face right in the store, which I never do because I’m afraid of germs and bacteria. (And bedbugs, but that’s another story.) The squeeze bottle seemed safe, so I just decided to go for it.

It’s definitely a little heavier than the Laura Mercier, but that’s what I was going for. It has excellent pore coverage, yet still looks and feels sheer and light. It’s SPF 15, which is good. But the great thing is, it really seems to STAY on. I wiped my nose with a tissue, and only the faintest bit of color came off. I didn’t feel like I needed powder to “set” it, and I also didn’t need powder to control shine, because this doesn’t look oily at all. One less step, plus a more natural look. It was love at first swipe.

That said, I didn’t pull the trigger yet. I went home and did a little research online, including reading reviews on the Sephora website. From there, I decided there were three others I should check out: Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, Benefit You Rebel, and Tarte Smooth Operator. Back in the store, I commenced my research. The tinted moisturizer from Stila was both too sheer and too shimmery for me, and You Rebel was only offered in two shades, with very light coverage. The one from Tarte seemed more like what I was looking for, and has the added benefit of being oil free and natural. The one thing that concerned me about Bobbi Brown was that it is not oil free. I had one of the lovely ladies at Sephora make me samples of Bobbi Brown and Tarte so I could try them at home.

Tarte definitely seems to have lighter coverage than Bobbi Brown, but still more than the others. I think it’s slightly “illuminating,” but not obviously so, which is the perfect amount of illumination if you ask me. It feels lighter too, which is nice, and yet it still takes care of the pores, which is my primary concern. It’s SPF 20, so that’s awesome. I’m not sure about the staying power on it’s own, so I set it with a little HD powder, and it looked fresh all day, neither matte nor shiny. Very “your skin, but better.” The one thing that concerns me is the texture of the cream seems slightly… chunky. It has some tiny little bits mixed in with it. I didn’t have a problem blending it, no chunks showed up on my face, but it’s still a little worrisome. Maybe it’s because the testers at Sephora take so much abuse. Or maybe since it’s water-based, it doesn’t stay emulsified as well? Either way, it didn’t effect the application or results, so it’s not really a big deal.

Ultimately, both Tarte and Bobbi Brown are really great. It’s a draw! But which one do I actually buy? I was discussing my quandary with a friend, and she said “Well, for summer, you’re going to want the oil-free.” Clearly! It seems so obvious now. I think maybe the Murad products I’ve been using are making me less worried about breakouts. You can really never be too safe though, zits are sneaky little buggers! Plus Tarte has the extra 5 in the SPF department, and I like that it’s natural too. So I’m going with Tarte, at least for summer. Should I want a winter tint, next fall maybe I’ll give Bobbi Brown a shot.