Hi! I recently took on a project to find the perfect lightweight face product that I could use on my “no-makeup-makeup” days. You know… days where I’m just hanging out at the house with the little one, running errands or hanging outside! I wanted to save time by finding a product that doesn’t need a primer or a setting powder, save money by finding a product that is preferably under $30 and save my skin by finding a product that has SPF.
THE PROCESS
I decided to only test 1 product per day because testing too much at one time can irritate my skin and I RECOMMEND THIS METHOD TO ANYONE ALSO TRYING TO FIND THE PERFECT LIGHTWEIGHT FACE PRODUCT OR OTHER SKINCARE PRODUCTS! I ordered a couple to test then realized that not all of them had SPF (hello, pregnancy brain!) so I asked YOU on Insta for some of YOUR favorite lightweight products and y’all didn’t disappoint!
Initially, I was looking for a tinted moisturizer but ended up testing out a mix of tinted moisturizers, sunscreens, BB creams and CC creams. Right below is a table that lays out the most important details including the name, price, SPF, available shades, coverage (blur means no actual coverage, sheer means you can very much still see my skin but there’s a little coverage and light means there is color correction or that it minimizes the sight of blemishes) and anything other details that are worth knowing.
Scroll down for my thoughts on each of these products!
A SNAPSHOT OF THE TESTERS
| Name | Price | SPF? | Shades Available | Coverage Blur, Sheer or Light? | Anything Else? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erborian BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer | $39 for 1.5oz or $22 for .5oz (medium shade only) | Broad Spectrum SPF 20 w/Octinoxate 3%, Titanium dioxide 6% and Zinc oxide 1.9% | 3 | Light | Contains ginseng to moisturize and made without the bad stuff |
| Burt’s Bees Goodness Glows Tinted Moisturizer | $12 for 1oz. | None | 3 | Sheer | Contains antioxidants – not sure what ones though?! |
| ColourPop Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer | $14 for 1.45oz. | None | 21 | Sheer | Hyaloronic Acid keeps skin moisturized all day |
| Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer | $25 for 2.5oz. | Broad Spectrum SPF 18 w/Avobenzone 3% | 7 | Sheer | Amazon Prime |
| SUPERGOOP! CC Cream Daily Correct | $36 for 1.6oz. | Broad Spectrum SPF 35 w/ Titanium dioxide 2% and Zinc oxide 20% | 4 | Light | Protects against UVA and UVB rays with 100% mineral actives and made without the bad stuff |
| bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCUE™ Tinted Moisturizer | $33 for 1.18oz. | Broad Spectrum SPF 30 w/ Titanium dioxide 6.2% | 20 | Light | Offers hydration and it’s made without the bad stuff |
| Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protections Face Shield | $39 for 1.8oz. | Broad Spectrum SPF 50 w/ Zinc oxide 12% | 1 but there is also a “glow” version that illuminates and a “bronze” that gives a sun-kissed glow | Blur | UVA protection rating: PA+++ UVB protection rating: SPF 50 Water resistant and and made without the bad stuff |
MY THOUGHTS ON EACH PRODUCT
Erborian BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer
I loved this one and it was in my top 3. This BB cream provides the best coverage out of all of my testers but the bummer is there are only 3 shades available. Outside of that, I don’t have complaints because it blended super easily, lasted all day and had quality ingredients. I wore shade “Dore” for medium skin tones. It was a little dark but it could work for my summer color!
Burt’s Bees Goodness Glows Tinted Moisturizer
Looking for affordability and just a little coverage? This is a good one for you at only $12! It went on easily and stayed on all day. The one box it didn’t check is a big one for me and that’s sun protection. I wore shade “Natural Beige”.
ColourPop Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer
This tinted moisturizer is another affordable option at only $14! It has more coverage than the Burt’s Bees tinted moisturizer and has a tacky finish, which is great for holding onto anything you layer with it. I wore shade “Light 6 W”.
Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer
Who can pass up an Amazon Prime option?? NOT ME! Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer has a 4.5 star ratings with 900 reviews so it’s obviously loved. This one has sheer coverage and the shade Light/Medium matched me pretty well.
SUPERGOOP! CC Cream Daily Correct
Hellooooo SUPERGOOP! This CC cream has more coverage than a tinted moisturizer but less than a foundation. The SUPERGOOP! team is big on sun protection and this cream offers Broad Spectrum SPF 35 with 2 percent Titanium dioxide and 20 percent Zinc oxide. The downside? They only offer 4 shades. I tried out Light/Medium and that is a bit dark for me right now.
bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCUE™ Tinted Moisturizer
Y’all loved this one and I can see why. bareMinerals makes their products without all the bad stuff so it’s gentle on your skin. The mineral-based sunscreen blends naturally into skin, gives great coverage and has Broad Spectrum SPF 30 with 6.2 percent Titanium dioxide. I tried out the shade Buttercream and that ended up being a perfect match!
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield
This sunscreen offers the best sun protection at a great price. The mineral formula has Broad Spectrum SPF 50 protection with 20 percent Zinc oxide, a 100 percent chemical-free active ingredient. While this sunscreen doesn’t offer coverage, it blurs your skin and blends invisibly with no white residue. Choose their Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Glow for an illuminated finish and Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Bronze for a sun-kissed glow.
Other Products Y’all Suggested on Insta
- Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
- Tula Face Filter Blurring & Moisturizing Primer
- Dr. Jart Beauty Balm
- Drunk Elephant Bronzing Drops
- Jentry Kelley Tinted Primer
MY FAVORITE & RUNNER-UPS
I went into this wanting to find the perfect lightweight face product to save time, save money and save my skin. The product that checks the most boxes for me is SUPERGOOP! CC Cream Daily Correct and here’s why. The skin protection was amazing with 20 percent Zinc oxide and 2 percent Titanium dioxide and the formula covered my blemishes well while leaving me with a little glow. It was over my initial budget but I’m willing to spend a little more for quality ingredients and skin protection.
My next two favorites were bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCUE™ Tinted Moisturizer and Erborian BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer. The main thing that made me choose SUPERGOOP! CC Cream Daily Correct over those two was the skin protection since we’re headed into summer. It also comes with a smidge more product in the bottle so you get a little more bang for your buck.
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield was also great but it just didn’t have the coverage I was looking for. Whenever vacations are allowed again, I think I’ll grab the Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Bronze for any beach days!
The Amazon choice, Balm Shelter tinted moisturizer, was another top option but what I didn’t know then and know now is that not all SPFs are made the same. Did you know that Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are the only ingredients approved as sunscreen by the FDA? Yeah, I didn’t know that either! I’m by no means an expert on anything and have actually learned more about sun protection this week than I ever have. If you’re a newbie at this like me and want to learn more, start with this article for general information on skin protection, then read this one for information on ingredients and then read this one for information on the rating systems!
Well, this got longer than expected but I hope you found it helpful if you made it this far. Reach out if you have any other questions!
