Everything You Need To Know About Skin Tints

Published Jan 15, 2025, 6:30 PM

We're breaking down why these skin-first heroes are a game-changer for summer (or any season) when layering sunscreen, foundation, and powder feels like too much. From evening out your skin tone to giving you that breathable glow, tinted sunscreens just get it.

We're talking about our favourites for dewy coverage, long wear, zinc tints and hybrid products. Plus some new launches we are desperate to 'add to bag.'

LINKS TO EVERYTHING MENTIONED: 

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream SPF50 $80

Odacite Skincare SPF 50 TINTED MINERAL DROPS $89

Natio SPF50 Tinted Moisturiser $22

Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops $113

Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick $63

Naked Sundays Beautyscreen SPF 50 Foundation Tint $54.95

Revlon Illuminance Tinted Serum SPF $38.95

M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF $35

Naked Sundays CabanaGlow SPF50 Mineral Glow Serum Drops $45

FENTY BEAUTY Hydra Vizor Huez SPF 30 Refillable Tinted Moisturizer Set $62

Avocado Zinc SPF50 Natural Lip & Cheek Tint - Berry $36

Kevyn Aucoin Stripped Nude Skin Tint $76

Kosas BB Burst Tinted Gel Cream $63

Revolution Superdewy Tinted Moisturiser $18

CATCH UP ON HOT POD SUMMER HERE: 

Kelly & Leigh's Go-To Event Season Makeup

Holiday Ready: Hair, Body & Everything Glow

The Ugly Side Of Summer Skin

Our Travel Beauty Bag Essentials

Leigh & Kelly's Skincare Ins & Outs For 2025

New Year, New Makeup Routine

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CREDITS:

Hosts: Kelly McCarren & Sarah Marie Fahd

Producer: Cassie Merritt 

Audio Producer: Lu Hill

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

You're listening to a MoMA Mia podcast.

Mamma Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast is recorded on. Makeup is My Therapy, the Love.

I'm obsessed and I don't even feel jailty of body. Hello, and welcome to you Beauty, the daily podcast for your Face.

I am sorry Marie Fartt and I'm Kelly McCarran.

And this is In Her Bag, the show where we talk about what's in your makeup bag and why.

We hope you enjoyed our summer content over the past few weeks, and we're so excited to be back because we've got a really refreshed format for in Her Bag and we're just really excited to bring you some great content this year. I had to find the liner in my bag. Today we're going to be talking about tinted sunscreens. You've probably tried one, maybe you're a hater or a convert, but one thing is for sure. They are really having their moment right now with heaps of new launchers towards the end of Life last year, and I'm betting a ton of releases will be upcoming because skin is in.

So during summer layering sunscreen, foundation, and powder can feel a bit much.

Just a little bit, though there is a lot on my face. Tinted sunscreen is a tint so it's kind of like BB cream and sunscreen or moisturizer had a baby. So it's really great for evening our skin tone and adding a little bit of a glue. They're generally super lightweight and breathable and just a really great option. So for those days we just want to feel really put together, but you don't want to put a full face of makeup on. It's been a trend for the last few years and people are really looking for skin first products for that effortless, no makeup makeup glow. And we can't talk about the actual SBF of anything because of TGA. So we're going to be talking about all of our favorites and discussing different options based on our preferences for how things finish and how things feel on our face.

Yes, which is kind of what we really want to know any exactly and just get straight to the point exactly good, what looks good, what feels good, wall exactly. And we are in the peak of summer right now. We've been noticing everyone around the Mamma Mere officers has been talking about the toll the heat has been having on their makeup routine.

Sweat, sweat, sweatshead, sweaty, sweaty things be sliding off.

Honestly as soon as the weather starts warming up here in Sydney before summ are spring. Even I just stop wearing makeup, even if I'm going to work. By the time I arrive, if I have got makeup on, I'm too sweaty, Like I just can't have anything on my face. It's going to slip right off. If I do wear anything, it's a tint, so it's definitely gone with my sweat and I just prefer to like rock that natural redness and blush instead of having a sweaty half makeup face.

We've also been seeing a lot of chatter in the Facebook group. If you haven't joined us over there, please make sure you do about UB's looking for better complexion solutions for summer.

So I've been using the ultraviolet dream screen hinted fail, and I'm obsessed with it. It's a bit expensive, it's fifty five dollars, but it's a formula that I reach for and I think that that's most important, like I want to wear it.

Okay, Look, I think personally, especially with tinted SBF because I relate to this. Actually I'm not a tinted SBF person Normally, it's never enough coverage like the ones that I had tried previously, the ones I recommend later, it does have a little bit of coverage. If I find something I really love and it's expensive, I will pay only because I know I will love it and I'll go for it.

It'll be my go to. If you're going to use something every single day, it's better to go for something that you really love and that you know that you're going to use, rather than something that's just going to sit in your drawer. Maybe it was a lot less, but if you're not going to use it, well it was a big waste of money then exactly.

But all tinted on screens created equal. We are going to deep dive into them after the break.

You can do it, come on, I'll show you.

So.

The consensus from the women around the office and in our Facebook group is that tinted sunscreens are where it is at and I absolutely love the option that you be Lauren mentioned from Ultraviolet. It's really beautiful, but here are some others that we love, so we're going to go through some of our favorites. Sarah Marie kick things off. You have started off with the Cosmetic c SA cream. Yes, that isn't a tint. That is a flaw on foundation. I love that your version of a tint is like, I love this product so much, but it is so funny anyone that's also tried this product and now knowing Sarah Marie, that makes sense that you're like, yeah, this is a tint, right, this is a tip. Is the stay lorder doubleware of tints? So like, technically if you sheet it out drastically.

So those two versions, Okay, it's eighty dollars, so you want it to be versus eighty dollars. In my opinion, it does have the SBF that people want to write. The reason why I love it is because days where I don't want to wear too much, I can just put.

A little bit on. I would wear this out. Oh my god, this is how Lee feels usually I'm you and Lee's me, Oh my god, we need to put you in. Lee. That had been an interesting episode that would be so funny.

Would we just be like full coverage. Yeah, she'd probably agree with me for the C C cream.

No, no, no, she would be like, no makeup. She thinks that I wear too much makeup. No. Yeah, that's why it's so funny.

Continue, she would faint my makeup. Well, look, there are two versions I used to use. The original. The original you can work as more medium. You can make it a bit light. It's got a bit more of a glow to it. I cheer it out with some oil. Wow, you really share it? See that would be already pointless to me. Pointless What I love about this though? It has an anti aging serum in it, so you have your in my opinion, tinted slush non tinted. But it's got skincare in it, so you are progressively having this moisturizer, anti aging type of thing on your skin, so it doesn't damage your skin when you.

Wear it, so you can wear it every day.

I personally think the mate version in the heat, I can't feel it on my skin. The original I can feel it on my skin when it's really hot, like the humidity, and it gets itchy. Where's the mat? I'm fine, but the mat is more.

The mat sounds like my worst nightmare. I actually have it. Oh God like okay, no, that's good. Give me a little play so just so you can see you've loved yours.

This is I've used this for years. This is the Mate one.

So ladies and gentleman tint.

If you want the tint version, go for the non mat okay. And you can put just a small amount and just apply it with your fingers if you want it as like a tint. It actually is really nice. You don't feel it on your skin.

That finish for a Mate product, that's lovely, and.

I say matt, but I get very dry. Doesn't look dry and meat. It's actually not like that matte matte finish. And sometimes when I've worn tinted SBF, I feel it on my face versus this, So okay, well for works for you, works for you, why not right on my list?

I do have.

I did stay true to more of a tint in here for those days where I really just want to look fresh.

Okay, so you would just wear a tradition more of a light tint.

So this one is the Odor Site Skincare tinted mineral drops. It's on the lab Organics. I like it because it has quite a range of colors. Again, a lot of positive reviews on this particular tint, so it's eighty nine dollars again not a cheap one, so you do want it again to have really good reviews. I didn't really see anything negative here. Gives a glowing, seamless tint with added skincare benefits. It has like green tea and soothing KMA miles, So people who are prone to redness irritated really easy. That's actually really nice tint to you. Yes, even though it's a tint drop, you can actually build the coverage.

You can like be quite liberal with it.

I wouldn't necessarily say though it's like full coverage. It's light, buildable to medium. Yeah, so it's very active. We're safe if you're in like your active wear or you want to like pop into the office or you want to like run around or whatever. It's pretty safe in that aspect, bit of versatile. So not your CCA cream by It cosmetics level of coverage or coverage. I think it's in between us.

Both sounds beautiful. It is quite lovely.

So with the next one is more a tint, so I've gone like more like full meat to medium and then now we're going light. I just feel like sometimes you want the tinted as you just don't want tint.

Like a coverage.

Yeah, some days you're like this is not working, like I need a little extra, right, So I thought i'd give you some options. Next one I have here is the Natio tinted moisturizer. I wanted to get something that. Again, a lot of five starry views. I did quite like it and it's only twenty one ninety five. Oh wow, so very good price, very well priced hydrating. It's got ingredients like Alivira, kakadoo plant and your hobar light to medium coverage.

It comes in three shades.

If someone comes in three shades, I don't think you're looking at a very medium coverage.

You can't have a brand. It's going to be more like a very it's a very light.

Yes. I did not see one negative review on this either. So Nato is a good one. It's natural as well, and they're Australian base brands, so I thought that was a really nice option.

So we've got like your expensive, your medium to force a light and I'm still just cackling over the cosmetics because at first I was like, oh, my god, I love that tinted sunscreen. And then I was like, hold on, if we're talking skin tints, it's absolutely not a tint. Yes, let me show you some tints. Sarahmarie, take a seat, don't look yet. I'm just going to get them out. Okay.

The fact you even have that many in your.

Bag, I had to narrow it down, Sarah Marie, you are a too person. It's narrow it down. I've got five to recommend, from most expensive to most affordable. First up, the westmin Atlier complexion drops, the worst packaging in the history of packaging, but the most beautiful oil based complexion drops that you can either mix in with your moisturizem and really shear it out or build it up. I think that you would like this product because you can actually build it up to beautiful coverage. And that was one hundred and thirteen dollars, so expensive, really bad packaging, But I still want to recommend it because it's so good.

I hate that it's one hundred and thirteen dollars and the packaging is cramp.

I'm still recommending it because I feel like they will fix it over the next year, and there are ways around it. The next one on my list is the Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Tint sixty three dollars. It's a stick. I'm just going to show Sarah Marie that this is my idea of a tint. Okay, that's a very it's just a very light wash of color. Lightwash of color. But all it does, in my mind, a tint pa evens out your complexion. It's going to fade pigmentation, acne scarring, but it doesn't cover them.

See I just hear that, and I'm just like, why did I put makeup on? But I know the point is not that you're putting makeup, all right, it's the point that you've just got a tinted esper so you just feel like healing fresh.

Exactly, and you just look like a little bit less. Oh my god, I got no sleep last night and I had three bottles of wine. Next up is the Naked Sunday's Beauty Screen. I think that this one is quite better coverage, Like, if you're after something a little bit more intense, it is a peptide foundation tint can be built up. I think this is one of the most beautiful launches, very reputable that one's fifty four to ninety five. The Revlon skin tint. I'm including this because it's called a skin tint, but this is a foundation. You would love it. I think this is a proper foundation. This is one of the most underrated foundations on the market. It's absolutely beautiful full price. It's thirty eight ninety five. I've never paid over twenty bucks for it. And the most affordable one is the Misha BB cream. This one is from Amazon or anywhere where you buy k beauty. It is a perfect cover BB cream. It's huge, it's fifty mil rather than like a fifteen to thirty mil, and it's twenty five ninety five full pruce.

That's very big bang for your bucket exactly.

And this one is one of those online cult products that just has thousands of great reviews. So those are my top five that I would put in this category absolutely.

Okay, So I want to talk about zinc tinted on screens. We've come a long way. We were having a chat, you and I, Yeah, I don't like them, and You're like, I don't like zinc, but I think in your mind you're thinking zinc like old school.

You know, you put the zinc on the nose, it's very thick. No, I'm thinking even when companies release them now, yes they're better, but I still hate the thickness and how it feels on my skin.

Okay, there's been some that I found some Again, they are thicker sometimes and then summer thinner.

That makes sense though, in terms of textures that we both like. You don't mind a bit of thickness, Yes, that makes sense that you quite like them. So there is one in particular that stands out.

We have mentioned it already on the podcast Naked Sundays have a really good one. So sometimes when you think zinc, people think like surfing and stuff. It's not necessarily that. So zinc is more like a surface sun protection versus an SBF like your typical sun block chemical sunblock. So this main ingredient, active ingredient for its sun protection is zinc. It is the Kabana Glow SBA fifty mineral glow serum drops. It comes in four shades. Again, you're not going to get a white cast with zinc. I feel like sometimes with things that are thicker, you get like a white cast in your SBF. So you're not going to have something like that it's not going to block your paws. Again, Australian made very travel friendly. Love the packaging of this. You give it a shake, You got to shake it really well before you use it.

I am actually surprised that this is a zinc lead product because I do quite like this and I don't think it's that thick. Yes, see they are out there, they're getting.

Better, they are getting better. I think the ones that are not tinted that are zinc I feel a thicker. So it is a bit of a goldlook for it. So it's long wearing and water resistant. It has alabra, so again if you are sensitive, it's quite soothing. It's thirty one dollars fifty. It contains hydrating pink algae, hyaluronic acid and Rozella extract. And I thought it has really lovely finish on the skin. And again lots of amazing reviews and this would be something that I would reach for.

That's some of our favorite skin tints on the market. You can let us know what your faves are in the Facebook group because we're always looking to add to our collection. And after the break, Sarah Murray and I are going to tell you what ones we're currently before we've seen your recommendations. Want to add to our own collections?

Put it on buy now, pay later.

Yes, in the bag, Baby in the bag? All right, Sarah Marie? What are you adding to your bag? What are you wanting to purchase?

As you know, I'm adjusting, I'm adjusting to a test.

Right. Have I convinced you with any of mine that I've brought in for show and tell? Yes? No, yes, a little.

Bit, but I'm going to have to say. It's the Fenty tinted Moisturizer sunscreen. It comes with refills like you can buy refills. It's forty dollars fifty. I just feel like fenty is pretty awesome in general, you can't really go wrong. I love her products, like Rihanna's products are just gorgeous when I've tried her foundations, I've tried like the Quanto sticks and all that kind of stuff, So I figured she must snall a fenty tinted moisturizer. It has the sunscreen in that, and it's a lot of shades.

There's a lot of shaites. Rihanna does do shade ranges really well.

Absolutely, the other tints that I would love to try, and it's because I'm prone to pigmentation on my cheeks. The Avocado Zinc SBF Blush Stick thirty five ninety five, So it's a really lovely blush, lovely glow, lovely tints on the cheeks and you get that some protection on the cheeks as well.

So it's like, oh, okay, well, I've got three that I'm desperate to add to bag. The first is the Kevin o'quan skin tint. It's seventy six dollars from Mecca. I've just I think that everything Kevin Aquan. Actually I've literally tried two things, but like they were really good, and I just think it looks really nice and the reviews are great. Then the Kosis BB cream sixty three dollars, also from Mecca. I've only heard good things about that. It's one of those products that everyone was talking about on TikTok and InStyle when it first came out. Apparently it's very dewy and it just sounds like it was made for me. And then on the more affordable side of things, so I can probably race out to Priceline and purchase this quickly, is the Revolution Superjewy Tint which is eighteen dollars. I love everything that revolution do, and I think that this looks incredible.

I think our shopping bags are going to.

Be very heavy.

Yes, we've got a lot of tints in our bags.

Put back anyway, Okay, So I've.

Learned today that I can probably add a little bit more of a lighter tint into my bag. I learned today Bridge.

That Sarah Marie thinks a skin tint is full beat.

Just like so, I loved Bang for your bar.

I love that you do, though, and I love that you show up and you've got your full face and makeup on. We love it. There's no time. I love that you're probably looking at my makeup going But why would she bother?

No?

Not, I had ten minutes. I had ten minutes and I used a skin tint.

I think you look great. This is my minimum. Oh, if I'm doing any makeup, this is it.

Can I say? It's kind of refreshing being the one that's like the pared back, laid back girl, because usually I'm I'm the high maintenance queen, the full beat with lee. It's kind of nice being there. I'm so laid back.

Yeah, you're teaching me to be more so laid back. I'm so strong. Well that's all we have time for today, Yev, thanks so much for tuning into in Her Bag.

I'll be back tomorrow for Spendy Savie with the lovely Lee Campbell, but Sarah Marie and I will be back in Your Ears and Dies next week.

You Beauty is produced by Cassie Merritt, with audio production by Lou Hill Bye Bye Bye