Ever since our phones stopped auto-deleting the extra "makeup" from "no-makeup makeup," many of us accepted the phrase as not only a much-discussed trend, but also a lifestyle choice. And it's one that most of us fully embrace — if only on rushed mornings. It makes sense: Skin is always in, but when dealing with the skin on your face, your options for showing your best barefaced look tend to rely on some amount of foundation or concealer, which, as you know, can feel heavy to some and require time to apply. So what are you to do if you hate foundation, or just don't have the time, but still want some coverage?
Lucky for all of us, there is plenty of face makeup out there made by like-minded brands that understand our mutual hatred and frustration with heavy foundation. But the best part of our favorite lightweight face products? They're all able to be applied with your (clean) fingers.
Culled from both the drugstore and luxury beauty counters alike, all in varying degrees of coverage, the options ahead will become staples in your makeup bag. We promise there are no complex techniques to confuse you here, just foolproof makeup that looks like anything but. After all, a truly solid no-makeup makeup routine begins (and basically ends) with the complexion.
Intensity Level: 3
Finish: Semi-matte
If you’re going for the no-makeup makeup look, why not pick one cleverly named after the trend? Dr. Perricone’s line of skin care masquerading as makeup offers the ideal product for the skin care obsessed. This serum/makeup hybrid incorporates the brand's go-to anti-aging ingredients, like neuropeptides, alpha lipoic acid, and vitamin C, to help minimize fine lines, correct uneven pigmentation, and nourish your skin with antioxidants, all while cleverly and naturally disguising any uneven tone or dullness as soon as you smear it on. With UV protection, to boot, this easily makes our trapped-on-a-desert-island list.
Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum SPF 30, $60, available at Sephora.
Intensity Level: 3
Finish: Matte
Sheer and matte don't often go hand-in-hand — until now. Nars' Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and Radiant Concealer are already cult favorites, but now the brand has released a velvet matte skin tint — in a similar spirit as its popular velvet matte lip crayons. The suede-like texture offers medium-to-full coverage, depending on how much you layer it. Oil-free with blurring powders, this skin tint helps control shine all day and gives your skin a pillowy, soft appearance. You’ll rejoice at how it doesn’t feel greasy or cakey like many skin tints with heavier coverage — and you don't even need powder.
Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint SPF 30, $44, available at Nars.
Intensity Level: 3
Finish: Velvet/Dewy
You may be asking yourself how one product can have eight benefits, but Maybelline's Skin Perfector actually tops our list of multitasking face products. Why? Smooth it on to blur imperfections, brighten, even skin tone, and hydrate. Consider it makeup for a flawless face on a budget. It offers light coverage that most noticeably serves as a tinted moisturizer, giving your skin a natural fresh finish that reads more velvet than dewy. You can liken it to Maybelline’s Baby Lips, but in the form of a BB cream — which means you can expect hydration and suppleness with just the right amount of dew. We're on board.
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Skin Perfector SPF 30, $8.99, available at Ulta.
Intensity Level: 3
Finish: Natural
The name of this light foundation from Eve Lom tells it all. Its sheer formula is buildable, so you can use a pinch or a dollop to give you a wash of color that evens out your skin tone with a natural finish that delivers what it promises: radiant skin. You’re left looking softly glowing, served up by a silky texture rather than shimmer bits that purport dewiness, but often end up portraying YA fictional vampires in sunlight.
Eve Lom Sheer Radiance Oil-Free Foundation, $50, available at SpaceNK.
Intensity Level: 2
Finish: Radiant
For the highlighter-obsessed, this illuminating tinted moisturizer brings a natural glow into the day. How? This sheer, buildable tint has micro-particles of shimmer for a luminous, blurred effect that diffuses light to make your skin look like something out of a magazine spread, but still natural in bright light.
Let us explain: When we say micro particles, we mean micro — barely visible in the formula, but when applied, you can see the reflective properties that are inexplicably like liquid light, giving you a literal lit-from-within appearance. On first smear, don’t be surprised if you involuntarily utter a “whoa.” We did, too.
Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20, $45, available at Laura Mercier.
Intensity Level: 2
Finish: Slight radiance
A drugstore favorite for sensitive skin, Aveeno’s tinted moisturizer offers SPF 30 in a sheer, brightening formula specked with barely visible light-reflecting minerals that offer a subtle blurring effect. This means your skin still looks like your skin, which is kind of the point, isn’t it? The lightweight coverage is noncomedogenic and hypoallergenic, so you won’t have to fuss in case you’re worried about exacerbating any redness. The best part? Since it’s oil-free, you’re spared the midday shine potentially made doubly blinged-out from its already “light-reflecting” nature.
Aveeno Positively Radiant CC Cream Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30, $16.99, available at Drugstore.com.
Intensity Level: 4
Finish: Natural
A favorite in the BB cushion world, Laneige’s BB Cushion Compact offers a much wider range of shades than many Korean beauty brands, plus it’s easier to find stateside — just go to your local Target, its exclusive U.S. distributor. The light-to-medium coverage is buildable, depending on how much you pat on with the cushion. Like most BB creams, this compact contains skin-care elements to help combat pigmentation, so you can cover up and treat simultaneously. The cushion makes this idiot-proof to apply and reapply throughout the day to control shine or dullness. And with SPF 50, this one offers the most protection of the bunch.
Laneige BB Cushion, $34, available at Target.
Intensity Level: 1
Finish: Natural
A healthy glow doesn’t come cheap, especially when it’s from Chanel. This luxury favorite is the equivalent of a barely there delicate gold chain adorning your décolletage, except on your face and in the form of makeup. The fluid tint feels like barely anything on, but you definitely notice that you’re wearing it, since your skin has a nice, filtered glow. You can, however, consider this a facial embellishment, since the formula is so sheer, adding just a wash of hydrating tint. Translation: It's just a touch of color, perfect for everyday wear.
Chanel Les Beiges All-in-one Healthy Glow Fluid SPF 15, $45, available at Nordstrom.
Intensity Level: 2
Finish: Natural Semi-matte
A primer and BB cream in one, this skin tint takes to task the responsibility of evening out your skin tone, protecting your skin from harmful UV rays, and setting your canvas for whatever comes next (blush, concealer, or foundation). The fluid-like formula is quite sheer. but its primer-like performance means it masks pores, fills in fine lines, and primes blemishes to be dabbed with concealer. But the best part is you can wear this alone for a light tint, or layer on proper foundation, concealer, and makeup, just in case you ever decide to hate foundation a little less. Since it’s a primer, the way it appears upon application is the way it’ll appear right before you wash your face at night. Translation: It lasts all day.
Bare Minerals Prime Time BB Primer-Cream SPF 30, $26, available at Ulta.
Intensity Level: 5
Finish: Dewy
Missha arguably makes the best BB creams available in the Korean market, and certainly the most popular in an affordable range. This medium-to-full coverage BB cream looks and feels velvety on the skin and helps to disguise blemishes and even out your skin tone. Other than all-day staying power, this BB cream also offers anti-aging and skin brightening benefits for a little skin-care/makeup combo. Since it’s so hydrating, you won’t have to worry about it settling into fine lines or around flaky bits — in fact, it helps to treat those as it cleverly disguises them.
Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42, $22, available at Soko Glam.
Intensity Level: 3
Finish: Natural
This sheer foundation from natural beauty heavyweight SheaMoisture offers an impressive range of shades in an agilely buildable formula, despite its "sheer" moniker. It’s formulated with shea butter (naturally), vitamin E, and aloe to pamper those with dry skin and take care of some anti-aging concerns while it’s at it. It’s a workhorse of a foundation, but still good for everyday use, offering light-to-full, buildable coverage without getting cakey or greasy looking. Plus, it’s so hydrating, you may even want to skip moisturizer underneath, especially if you have oily skin.
SheaMoisture Sheer Foundation, $14.99, available at Target.
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