It’s official: 2021 is the year that skin reigns supreme. With many of us having dialled up our skincare routines during lockdown, we’re emerging from restrictions ready to ditch our full-coverage foundations and show off our skin in all its natural glory. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re waving goodbye to makeup entirely. This summer is all about embracing colour—from pastel eyeshadows to bright lipsticks, expect to see people taking to the streets in a riot of kaleidoscopic pigment. But as for our complexions? There’s a new product in town encouraging us to embrace a more pared-back approach to coverage—skin tints. And I’m into them.
Way more lightweight than your classic foundation, a skin tint is exactly what you’d expect—a low-maintenance, barely-there hint of colour and coverage that evens out skin tone but lets your natural complexion shine through. If, like me, you’re used to applying base products as a way of covering up breakouts or redness then a word of warning: skin tints do no such thing. However, there’s been something thrilling about embracing skin tints as a way to show off the bits of my skin that I do like rather than thinking of makeup as a means to camouflage. And make no mistake, the best skin tints really do leave your complexion looking great, spots and all. It’s not just me that’s experiencing this change in mindset either. Research conducted by Ciate London shows that makeup consumers are actively seeking out more lightweight options when it comes to complexion products with an 180% increase in internet searches for ‘natural everyday makeup’ in the past year. In fact, 4 in 10 consumers confirmed that they’ll be ditching full-coverage foundation for good with over half of people surveyed saying that they felt more confident in their own skin having experimented with more natural-looking makeup recently.
When it comes to shade range, it’s worth noting that you’re unlikely to find 50 shades of skin tint to choose from when you’re shopping about. In fact, I think Fenty Beauty has the biggest offering with 25 shades—half the amount of their usual foundation. This is mostly down to the fact that these products aren’t about coverage. In fact, many skin tints blend away to basically nothing more than a dewy, fresh-faced finish, meaning that the available shades are a lot more versatile and suit a larger breadth of skin tones. That’s not to say that there isn’t more work that could and should be done in this arena though, specifically when we’re talking about more pigmented skin tint options where shade range really does count. So with such an abundance of new launches hitting the market right now, which ones are actually worth your cash? Keep scrolling for the 11 best skin tints to try now.
Undoubtedly the biggest skin tint launch of the year so far, Rihanna has created makeup magic yet again in the form of this skin-smoothing tint. The formula is described as blurring and I’d be inclined to agree. It definitely minimises the appearance of pores and evens out texture and it has more coverage than some of the other skin tints I’ve tried—which I personally like. Verging more on the matte side than other skin tints, I’d say it’s a great place to start if you have oilier skin. Plus, it has 25 shades to choose from which is vast in the skin tint arena.
After the brand’s research showed that consumers are actively seeking out more hybrid skincare-makeup products, Ciate London launched Dewy Skin. The result is a seriously glowy base product that delivers on dewiness and luminosity with lightweight coverage. Even better, its infused with hyaluronic acid to hydrate skin and brightening vitamin c so you’re getting a healthy dose of skincare benefits at the same time.
BB creams were basically the original skin tints—a moisturising-makeup hybrid that offers hydration with a hint of coverage. While they seem to have fallen a little off the radar in recent years I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a resurgence with high-street brands like NYX serving up new-gen versions like this tinted skin veil. Available in 12 shades, it has a beautiful satin-finish that lasts really well on the skin. And it’s non-comedogenic so it won’t clog pores either.
I’ve genuinely lost count of the number of beauty editors that rave about this skin tint, but along with being the priciest product on the list it’s also the lightest in coverage. Composed of 75% water, this is a tint in its truest form. It melts into skin, delivering glow and creating a more uniform complexion but there is basically no coverage at all with this one. However, if you’re looking for a product that’s quick to apply and will give your skin an instant boost of radiance then it’s well worth it.
What would a list of the best skin tints be without Glossier’s cult offering? When Glossier launched in 2014, their Perfecting Skin Tint was the only makeup product in their 4-product offering. And if I’m honest, I’m not sure any of us had ever heard of a skin tint before this. Honouring the brand’s makeup first, skincare second ethos this is described by Glossier as an ‘imperceptible wash of colour’ that lies between bare skin and makeup. It has a very fluid texture and is super lightweight in finish. While I wouldn’t personally recommend if for the coverage, it is brilliant at providing that bright, healthy skin look and I find that it really comes into its own during the summer months when I don’t want to wear anything heavy or cloying on the skin. There are 12 shades available but they’re so sheer that I’m pretty confident that everyone will be able to find a colour that works for them.
I discovered this innovative face oil a couple of years back and have recommended it so many times since. I’ll say straight off the bat that although my skin is naturally oily, I still love a dewy product—and this is definitely dewy. Almost serum-like in texture, the formula is infused with botanical oils and a fairly impressive amount of pigment that belies its lightweight finish. It’s hydrating, glowy and always makes my skin look better than before I applied it.
I think that the formula of this skin tint really belies its £16 price tag. It has a lovely light formulation that glides on to smooth and hydrate skin, but you can layer it up to give you more of a medium coverage too. While the finish is definitely radiant it isn’t as shiny as some of the other skin tints so I feel like this offers a good middle ground between tint and foundation if you’re new to the category. Oh, and there are 20 shades to choose from.
While Milk Makeup’s cult sunshine oil is still not available in the UK (come on, Milk!) this is basically a tinted version of that much raved-about skincare product. Unsurprisingly then, given the number of oils in the formula, it is quite oily in texture so I’d say it’s ideal for drier skin types. However, the coverage and finish are beautiful and I still like wearing it despite the intense dewiness. You can always apply a little powder on top to dial-down the shine.
When it comes to affordable skin tints, NYX are clearly the brand to go-to with their second product on the list. This one is way more luminous than the skin veil and much more sheer in finish. In fact, there are only 5 shades in the range to choose from which, while a bit of a letdown, does show just how little coverage this product actually offers. But that’s not a bad thing. While spots and pigmentation will still show through this product, your overall complexion is left so damn glowy that I didn’t care anyway.
The brainchild of Millie Bobbie Brown, Florence By Mills is a Gen Z-friendly skincare range that embraces that natural skin way of life. While reviews of this are a little mixed, I think it’s clearly been formulated with teenage skin in mind as the non-greasy, slightly thicker texture is perfect if you’re going through an oily skin phase. However, it also contains meadowfoam and jojoba seed oils to impart a little glow.
Brimming with skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid and butterfly bush flower extract (which protects against blue light pollution FYI), this is a moisturising-makeup hybrid that I really rate. It actually does have a pretty good amount of coverage and definitely minimises redness and blemishes but the best thing about it is how fresh and glowy skin looks after application. It’s the same kind of rested skin look that you get post-facial and I’m very much here for it. Up next, 15 moisturisers that won’t clog your pores at all.
