Best Tinted Moisturizer

Finding the Best Tinted Moisturizer: Our Tests & Tips

Let’s talk tinted moisturizer.

Yes, tinted moisturizer is what it sounds like—moisturizer with a bit of color mixed in. So you might ask, how does this differ from foundation?

Foundation is thicker and meant to cover skin texture. Tinted moisturizer is much lighter . . . but can still help even skin tone and cover up light or dark spots. Yes, this is the bare makeup look that lets your skin peek through. Here is a before and after comparison:

Photo credit: Bare Minerals

After testing a dozen brands, here are some tips we learned along the way!

• Wash your face first before applying. And let the moisturizer sit for a few minutes before applying any other makeup, as it needs some time to absorb.

• Three birds, one stone! Most moisturizers also include sunscreen (although the SPF can vary).  So you get three things accomplished with one product: moisturizer, light makeup, sunscreen. (You may need more sunscreen, however, if you plan to be outside for a lengthy period of time).

• Use a dry makeup sponge to evenly apply the moisturizer. Yes, these moisturizers can be a bit tricky to spread evenly by hand—a sponge helps even it out.

Here are the best tinted moisturizers that impressed our testers:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!