I’ve tried three tinted moisturizers so far. Hard Candy’s Hint Tint, Stila’s Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, and Kiss My Face’s Tinted Moisturizer.

I’ll start with the bad. I really adore Hard Candy’s glosses and eyeshadows, but the Hint Tint was a total dud for me. I’m wondering if HC has quality control issues because in 65 online user reviews of the product, most people didn’t encounter the problem I’ll describe, but one person did – which leads me to think it’s a QC issue. Regardless, I’m not very interested in purchasing another bottle to find out. The problem – the product simply would not blend for me. It literally rolled right off my face, in “crumbs” instead of spreading out smoothly. I tried it on bare skin, and on a few different daily moisturizers including one billed as a makeup primer, and in all cases it was the same. The product always balled up and wouldn’t smooth out. The resulting effect looked like my skin was peeling off – gross. The other drawback to the product is the scent – it’s heavily scented in a sweet “cookie” scent. On the plus sides, it does feature sunscreen. I can’t recommend the product, due to the possibility of quality issues. I’m thinking of contacting Hard Candy about it, and if I do, I’ll post. This product is $16.50 for 1 oz.

Now on to the good. Stila’s Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer is a new product. It contains SPF 15, a bit of shimmer, and comes in one “fits all” shade. First, the drawbacks. The single shade will work for caucasian skin tones, and probably for a lot of lighter brown tones as well. But, it’s obviously not going to work for everyone. It also doesn’t control oil at all (at least not compared to a powder foundation). My nose is shiny within about two hours of application, and using a loose powder on top doesn’t really help, nor does my oil-control moisturizer. Blotting papers are my friend. On the plus side, the product does give me a wonderfully even complexion, with a nice “glow.” The single shade forms what seems like a mesh on top of the skin, blending with your own skin tone to provide the even coverage. I’ve tried it on a variety of caucasian clients with great success – from super pale to really tanned. Every one of them has been thrilled with the results. Staying power is decent – it survives a work day, although I haven’t tried it outdoors on a hot day. If you want a nice complexion that you can slap on with your fingers and have look fabulous, this is your friend. Just be prepared with the blotting papers if you’re oily. This product is $28 for 1.7 oz.

Last of all is Kiss My Face’s Tinted Moisturizer. I believe they have offered a tinted moisturizer in the past, but this formula is new. This is the heaviest of the three products I’ve tried, with the most coverage. It almost crosses the line into foundation-land in my book, but not quite due to the lotion-like texture and spreading ability. It does have sunscreen. The product goes on smoothly with no streaking, just like Stila’s. I purchased this at Long’s Drugs, and their display had testers on it! (I’ll talk about how much I ADORE Long’s in another post – my nearest store looks a little shabby, but it’s right by my work and has the most entertaining and eclectic product selection of any drugstore around.) So, with the testers I has able to choose the right shade for me, which happened to be the lightest one. It has sunscreen and is oil-free. It has better oil-control than Stila’s, but still isn’t as good as a powder foundation (which is to be expected). I like the finish, and the staying power is good. My only initial complaint was it got a little blotchy around my upper lip area where I tend to perspire – switching to a moisturizer with a makeup primer quality to it fixed this. I’m thinking active outdoor wear (since I sweat A LOT) probably isn’t a good idea, but then I don’t usually wear makeup for outdoor sports. Overall, I’m pleased with this, especially for the price. It’s $10 for 1.4 oz.

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