An Ode to Tinted Moisturizer

As a woman of a certain "age", evening out my skin tone has become a necessity as part of my daily beauty routine. I've used a number of products, but tinted moisturizer is my current favorite. Why? It is goof-proof. Since I'm pale yellow olive, finding matching foundation shades is a real challenge (I've yet to find a truly great drugstore product, although L'Oreal has such a wide range of shades in their True Match Line I need to give them another try).

Moisturizer is meant to enhance the skin, not cover it completely-- therefore, if the color isn't completely perfect, it's still okay, as long as the undertones of the tint are correct (more on that later).

Tinted moisturizer comes at all price points now. I remember a day when this product was a luxury-- something you could only find at a department store counter. Now, even Cover Girl and Wet N' Wild offer tinted moisturizers as part of their product line.

Tinted moisturizer is "skin friendly". A lot of these products seem to offer skin enhancing ingredients (Neutrogena comes to mind, with products that include otc retinols and salicylic acids.) Most have some form of sunscreen, although it isn't truly protective (my favorite has spf 20).

Tinted moisturizer suits today's "natural" aesthetic. I don't like a lot of makeup on my face, and I don't like to look like I'm wearing a "mask" at the end of the day. An extra pop of moisturizer-- as opposed to powder foundation or mineral powder-- seems to make me look "younger" and "fresher" without being overly made up. I also like that it's quick to apply and quick to remove. There's definitely no need to double-cleanse with a product like this.

So what's my current favorite? Laura Mercier, in the oil free formula for spring/summer and the regular formula for autumn/winter. Laura Mercier's shades suit yellow toned skin like mine (as does Bobbi Brown-- try Dior or Clinique, in my experience, if you're pink-toned). The LM has sunscreen but just tint in the formulas I use (no extra illuminating particles, although that's also an option).

While the product is more expensive than many others at $42.00, I don't experience any irritation (a fun part of getting older), it looks natural, and it's still on my face at the end of the day. Laura Mercier products are available at many department stores, Sephora, and on-line at a number of locations including the company's own web site.