An SPF-free tinted moisturizer?
April 21, 2014 6:23 AM Subscribe
I went all feminist hulk and threw away all of my make up, but now I kind of want some tinted moisturizer as my skin isn't really adjusting to the climate of my new home. (Breakout city!) I need something that is SPF-free, and for a complexion similar to Kerry Washington or Mindy Kaling, and I've never seen tinted moisturizer any darker than something meant for like, Eva Longoria. I'd prefer if it was made from all natural ingredients, was fragrance free, and didn't smudge, and I'm also on a budget- I would like to keep it under $20 if possible. Thanks!
Nars has a broad range of dark shades with different undertones, but contains SPF.
posted by matildaben at 6:34 AM on April 21, 2014
posted by matildaben at 6:34 AM on April 21, 2014
What's the reasoning behind no SPF? Are you already using SPF?
I'd say give an SPF one a try, if you want an all-in-one easy to put on thing. If you're iffy about the SPF kinds you can try a cheap one. ELF has a tinted SPF BB for $6 and a regular for $3 that go into dark shades.
I linked to the cheapest brands because they're good to try and experiment with, however there are literally hundreds of tinted SPF foundations out there.
posted by Crystalinne at 6:45 AM on April 21, 2014
I'd say give an SPF one a try, if you want an all-in-one easy to put on thing. If you're iffy about the SPF kinds you can try a cheap one. ELF has a tinted SPF BB for $6 and a regular for $3 that go into dark shades.
I linked to the cheapest brands because they're good to try and experiment with, however there are literally hundreds of tinted SPF foundations out there.
posted by Crystalinne at 6:45 AM on April 21, 2014
There are lots of dark toned BB and CC creams on the market now, and American BB creams (unlike their Korean brethren) are pretttty much just tinted moisturizer (maybe 10% more coverage, but I doubt most people would be able to tell in a blind feel test). That said, most BB creams do have some kind of sun protection, so it's another unicorn hunt, but at least it widens your scope.
Have you considered just using concealer on the breakouts and then setting it with a loose powder? That's a bit more minimalist and more in keeping with your makeup-hulk-feminist-spree, anyway. Concealer usually does not have SPF and comes in many dark tones.
posted by telegraph at 6:46 AM on April 21, 2014
Have you considered just using concealer on the breakouts and then setting it with a loose powder? That's a bit more minimalist and more in keeping with your makeup-hulk-feminist-spree, anyway. Concealer usually does not have SPF and comes in many dark tones.
posted by telegraph at 6:46 AM on April 21, 2014
Response by poster: Crystalinne- I'm allergic to nearly every type of SPF besides the natural SPF contained in things like shea butter (which I use, but not on my face).
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 6:46 AM on April 21, 2014
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 6:46 AM on April 21, 2014
Is there a Lush near you (or willing to order online)? They have some neat tints that you add to existing moisturizer.
posted by platypus of the universe at 7:06 AM on April 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by platypus of the universe at 7:06 AM on April 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
I love this Ardency Inn color concentrate--you can mix it with a moisturizer without SPF to get the exact coverage you want. It's a great product.
posted by sister nunchaku of love and mercy at 7:10 AM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by sister nunchaku of love and mercy at 7:10 AM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
you might try Bella Mari cosmetics - I tried a bunch of different colored samples of their moisturizing foundation while and found that their colors were mostly darker than the website showed. Some of the product lines have SPF, but they are also pretty good about listing the ingredients so maybe you can avoid what you're allergic to.
while on the hunt for the Perfect Natural Makeup I found a lot of things to try when sorting by the highest rated things on the EWG cosmetics database - although if you haven't been there yet - WARNING, informational vortex, i've lost days in there.
If you have problems finding something specific that you like, here's something you could try: I bought some pigment from makingcosmetics.com and mixed it with a tiny bit of almond oil and kaolin clay to adjust the color to match my skin tone (I found just the pigment itself + oil was too strong). I'm trying it out this week on my breakout-prone face and so far it has a really nice moisturizing + tint effect. I just had the almond oil around that I needed to use up, you could probably use any oil or moisturizer you like. I really like a coconut oil as a facial moisturizer, I might give that a try next.
posted by ghostbikes at 7:21 AM on April 21, 2014
while on the hunt for the Perfect Natural Makeup I found a lot of things to try when sorting by the highest rated things on the EWG cosmetics database - although if you haven't been there yet - WARNING, informational vortex, i've lost days in there.
If you have problems finding something specific that you like, here's something you could try: I bought some pigment from makingcosmetics.com and mixed it with a tiny bit of almond oil and kaolin clay to adjust the color to match my skin tone (I found just the pigment itself + oil was too strong). I'm trying it out this week on my breakout-prone face and so far it has a really nice moisturizing + tint effect. I just had the almond oil around that I needed to use up, you could probably use any oil or moisturizer you like. I really like a coconut oil as a facial moisturizer, I might give that a try next.
posted by ghostbikes at 7:21 AM on April 21, 2014
Iman cosmetics is supposed to be great for darker skin tones, and her liquid makeup line does not have spf, you could combine it with moisturizer for more sheerness. It has a bunch of natural extracts.
She has a BB that does have spf, and a CC cream that does not, but I am not sure that is what you want.
Oh and it is in the drugstore and under $20.
posted by rmless at 7:54 AM on April 21, 2014
She has a BB that does have spf, and a CC cream that does not, but I am not sure that is what you want.
Oh and it is in the drugstore and under $20.
posted by rmless at 7:54 AM on April 21, 2014
i find that concealer blends better with moisturizer than foundation does. maybe you could mix a dark concealer with some moisturizer? Maybe one of these Iman ones for $13?
posted by WeekendJen at 10:45 AM on April 21, 2014
posted by WeekendJen at 10:45 AM on April 21, 2014
Response by poster: I may have been looking for a unicorn, but what a bunch of great suggestions! I live in a part of the world where there is... no make up counter, and no drugstore make up (there are pharmacies but they don't sell any cosmetics), so I'm limited to what I can order online. I'm wondering would a bronzer (either used alone or mixed with moisturizer) have the effect I'm looking for?
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 11:12 AM on April 21, 2014
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 11:12 AM on April 21, 2014
Sure mixing bronzer into your moisturizer works. I do this with Dr. Hauschka's Translucent Bronze Concentrate.
posted by BibiRose at 12:49 PM on April 21, 2014
posted by BibiRose at 12:49 PM on April 21, 2014
FYI, anything with minerals (as recommended above) will probably have some SPF because minerals are refractive. Their reflective properties are what makes you glow but the same function means the light is not getting to your skin, thus, sun protection. (Search for "physical sunscreen," mineral makeup works the same.) Are you allergic to mineral powders too?
posted by epanalepsis at 1:02 PM on April 21, 2014
posted by epanalepsis at 1:02 PM on April 21, 2014
I'm allergic to sunscreen too and the natural mineral stuff is usually white and looks weird so lately I've been using an all natural BB cream with mineral sunblock instead. It is basically a tinted mineral sunblock with some silicone to make it go on smoother. It provides a nice even tone and it's not shiny, because of the mineral base. It's called Tarte but there are a ton of similar ones. What might not work for you is that it's really not very moisturizing. I just put moisturizer under it.
posted by fshgrl at 1:54 PM on April 21, 2014
posted by fshgrl at 1:54 PM on April 21, 2014
Crystalinne- I'm allergic to nearly every type of SPF besides the natural SPF contained in things like shea butter (which I use, but not on my face).
To clarify: are you saying that you are allergic to zinc oxide and titanium dioxide? Because I don't use chemical sunblock because of allergies, but still use mineral ones daily.
posted by semaphore at 3:18 PM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
To clarify: are you saying that you are allergic to zinc oxide and titanium dioxide? Because I don't use chemical sunblock because of allergies, but still use mineral ones daily.
posted by semaphore at 3:18 PM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Haven't tried mineral before, but I will give it a shot. Thanks all.
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 5:53 AM on April 23, 2014
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 5:53 AM on April 23, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
Have you thought about mixing foundation with moisturizer? I used to do this and I really liked the results.
How about Precriptives Traceless Skin Tint? Prescriptives also does custom foundation (go into the makeup counter) This one is $37, so nearly twice your budget.
Mineral makeups might be worth a try as well.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:33 AM on April 21, 2014 [1 favorite]