Flawless Skin: What's the secret?

          A foundation? A cream? A magical potion? Many people have commented to me recently that I have flawless skin, something that until recently had always been a challenge.  I recently discovered a new product and so far I have not broken out, had oily or dry skin, or looked like I have makeup caked on my face.  Girls often face this problem: they use concealer to try and achieve flawlessness but instead the concealer's cakiness can be seen, often appearing like they are trying to cover something.  I have had this experience until recently I came across a product that I had never even thought of before: * lightbulb *

Tinted Moisturizer

          I am not a foundation girl.  I hate the idea of having tan paste on my skin all day, but I still needed some coverage, my skin isn't perfect.  So, I did what most people do: I googled it!  I soon happened upon some other bloggers, reviewers and other women posting and writing about tinted moisturizer.  What is tinted moisturizer? A substance that has both moisturizing powers with a little tint of coverage.  I had heard of the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, but never before had I actually looked into it.  At $42 it seemed simply like a really expensive lotion, one that a poor teenager like me can't afford to buy.  But from the numerous people online I likes the idea of tinted moisturizer: a lotion that has coverage but exposes your natural beauty, and also has some SPF coverage (there are oil-free versions as well of all brands listed below).  So I searched it on Sephora, and after some research I dragged myself to the mall and tried some on.

         I think I tried ever single tinted moisturizer in Sephora that was under $50.  Here are the highlights, starting with ms. popular: the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer.  None of the colors seemed to fit my skin tone (which is, by the way, a light complexion with yellow undertones due to my white-asian heritage), and the lotion did not have the light feel I was looking for.  I may in the future buy this simply because I think it offers more coverage and SPF 20, but I do not know.  So, I moved on.

           Next in line was the Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer.  I didn't even need to put this on my face.  I found it to be pretty good (is that a word?), but again they did not have my exact skin tone.  If you have darker skin, Stila is a good option because they have a larger range of darker tones.  I also tried the Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, which was just awful.  It had a nice texture, mostly matched my skin tone, etc. but it made me sparkle like a vampire!  Although I am a teen who occasionally enjoys some sparkle, I do not want to look like Edward Cullen.

           One of the other main competitors was the Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer, known mainly for their BB cream (what is that?), this tinted moisturizer was actually pretty amazing.  Their "light" tone matched my skin, the consistency was good, and overall I liked it.  I would recommend this, but I only used it in-store so I'm not totally sure.  This was one of my top favorites of all of these lotions.

          Another tinted moisturizer that must of course be mentioned is the Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer, which has and SPF of 15.  This option was also relatively good, but I felt as though the substance was too thick and offered too much coverage, more then the Laura Mercier.  It did have a surprisingly lightweight feel despite the substance, and this caused me to also prefer this one over many others.  The Clinique Moisture Surge is also a lot less expensive at only $26.

Tarte Smooth Operator

          Finally, I present the winner, the Iboughtitfinally and whydidntIdiscoverthisearlier product, the best tinted moisturizer, the Tarte Smooth Operator, a definite, outoftheballpark winner.  With multiple shades in many different undertones, this by far offers the best selection of shades.  I also love the fact that it offers "explanations" of each shade online, and definitely check it out before purchasing - it's also just interesting to know.  The "Smooth" Operator is by far the "smoothest" tinted moisturizer I have seen.   On the surface, it looks and comes out feeling like a foundation, but once it's on your face, you cannot feel it at all.  It soaks into your skin seamlessly, just be sure to buy the right shade, I'm agent 6.  I also love the fact that it overs a good amount of layerable coverage, you can easily place more on top of bad areas causing thicker coverage.  In addition, I, at least, have noticed my skin has become brighter and clearer after switching from the short period I used a liquid foundation.  This may be because it has Amazonian clay,  and is formulated without a lot of chemicals (it has the green stamp as a "natural" Sephora product) and it also has SPF 20.  I talked before about the ever-so-sparkle Stila Illuminating Moisturizer, and this one does have a slight sparkle, but it is a natural skin one that does not at all appear fake, and would not look silly or tacky on anyone.  I would recommend the Tarte Smooth Operator any day, but be prepared to pay $36.  Bonus: It has pretty packaging!

Don't think that tinted moisturizer is for you?  Take the quiz below and find out!

Runners Up Who Almost Made It:

• Too Faced Beauty Balm - I have seen this in Seventeen Magazine and it was reviewed to be excellent
• Philosophy Hope in a Tinted Moisturizer - comes in a small bottle: beware for the price
• Smasbox Camera Ready BB Cream - amazing and very popular, I just did not want to always have SPF 35 on my face all day (I hate sunscreen and don't want to even where one), is also a BB cream (different from tinted moisturizer)
• Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer - loved the cool packaging, had great reviews, then I glanced at the price * shock *         

Thanks!

Flawless Skin: What's the secret?