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Sensitive to Sunscreen? Let Me Help You With That.

June 26, 2015March 5, 2020 by whoorl

If you are (un)lucky enough to follow my Facebook page, you probably noticed me ~~bitching about~~ discussing my never-ending search for a safe, non-chemical sunscreen that doesn’t melt my family’s faces off.

Sunscreen is a huge issue during the warmer months, given a hefty dose of Irish running through 3/4ths of us. A few weeks ago, I had my third basal cell carcinoma removed from my body, so it’s important that I protect as much of my skin from the sun as possible. You know, besides cloaking myself in a full-body muumuu. (Is that how you spell “muumuu?” Quick aside…writing the word “muumuu” triggered this mental cascade: Muumuu -> Hawaii -> The incredibly hot Hawaiian actor who played Khal Drogo on the Game of Thrones. I love him and his scary eye makeup and the ponytail thingy and his beard. The end.)

p.s. – I just recently started watching Game of Thrones, and seriously, what is up with the gruesome violence? How do you people watch that without wincing/dry heaving/sobbing? I think I witnessed 1,267 beheadings in the first 10 minutes of the the first episode. Oh, I know, I know, THE WRITING IS SOOO GOOD.

p.p.s. – Please, no spoilers. I’m only on Season 2.

p.p.p.s. – Wait. Was this post about sunscreen?

Sunscreen. Here’s the gist. I can’t wear chemical sunscreens – they absolutely torch my skin. Some common chemical sunscreens are Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, and Oxybenzone. Look at the sunscreens lying around your house; chances are they contain one or all of the above.

Let me take a step back and explain the difference between chemical and physical sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens contain special ingredients that act as filters and reduce ultraviolet radiation penetration to the skin. These sunscreens often are colorless and maintain a thin visible film on the skin, but can also penetrate. These sunscreens usually contain UVB absorbing chemicals and more recently contain UVA absorbers as well.

Physical Sunscreens, most often referred to as sunblocks, are products containing ingredients such a Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide which physically block ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Sunblocks provide broad protection against both UVB and UVA light, and they don’t readily absorb into the skin like their chemical counterparts. They can be thicker to apply, but it is an easy trade-off for my family, personally.

A few weeks ago, I was ~~forced~~ asked to send my kids to camp with a spray sunscreen. (Please, if you are using aerosol spray sunscreens, stop right now. They are horrible for many reasons.) Being the rule follower I am, I obeyed and began an extremely robust search for a spray sunscreen that was relatively less harmful for my kiddos. I chose a spray due to its decent rating on the EWG’s Sunscreen Report, and, well, sprayed and prayed, basically.

This was the result.

This was Day 3 of The Great Spray Sunscreen Rash of 2015, and it stuck around for almost a week, despite a strong prescription antihistamine. Poor guy, right? His eyes were practically swollen shut on a few of those days.

Turns out the spray had a few chemical sunscreens in it, and my son’s face did not approve of that juncture. At all.

Back to the drawing board. Knowing that my skin has always responded well to Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide (physical sunblocks), I cut out any option that included chemical sunscreens.

I think this is a good time to point out that chemical sunscreens work well for many people. If you wear a chemical sunscreen and it doesn’t produce an allergic reaction, by all means, continue to wear it. There are reports that chemical sunscreens can cause harm, but I’ll let you make that decision. However, this post is really meant for those of us who can’t tolerate the chemicals on our skin.

I have used a few physical blocks in the past with decent success, but have found the holy grail and wanted to tell you all about it. Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30. It is fantastic – the active ingredient is 19% Zinc Oxide, and the lightweight, water-resistant formula blends into skin without leaving white streaks or a weird smell. I also love the Mineral Sunscreen Stick (for the face!) AND the Mineral Sunscreen Mist, as it’s not an aerosol spray – it’s air-powered. #fistbump

Additionally, I used to wonder if SPF 30 was enough for my children, but now that it’s been proven that super high SPFs are a marketing ploy, I feel extremely comfortable using SPF 30 on my entire family’s skin.

Love these sunscreens from Beautycounter, and while we’re talking Beautycounter, here’s my a no-fail, daily Beautycounter face.

Skin: Tint Skin in Linen. (Although I use Sand in the summer.) A light dusting of Radiant Bronzer in Cabana on my temples, forehead, and bridge of nose.

Cheeks: Satin Powder Blusher in Guava or Cream Blusher in Hibiscus.

Eyes: Velvet Eyeshadow Palette in Romantic

Lips: Lip Sheer in Lily topped with Lip Gloss in Peony. (You can see most of the color swatches on me here.)

*And if I want to add a little sumthin’ sumthin’ for a night out, I will line the inner rims of my eyes with the black pencil and switch to the Color Intense Lipstick in Twilight.

So, there you go. A sunscreen post that morphed into an everyday look tutorial with a side of Game of Thrones. Multi-tasking FTW.

Love,

Your Faithful (and Sun-Protected!) Beauty Enabler

Winter Capsule Wrap-Up (And Spring Preview!)

March 25, 2015May 1, 2021 by whoorl

Hi ho, here we go. I am officially transitioning into my Spring capsule (full capsule will be on the blog next week!), but, in the meantime, I’d like to share my official thoughts on my first capsule wardrobe go-around.

Let’s start with some of the issues.

When Weather Rules Your Life

You guys, Oklahoma weather is insane. Completely unpredictable and a real pain in the ass when it comes to choosing from a limited amount of clothing picked for a particular season. If I were still living in Southern California, wearing a capsule would be a total breeze, so you ladies out there, I don’t want to hear any complaints, you hear? Take a gander for yourself.

Depicted here is a random week of weather in March. In Newport Beach, it’s basically sunny and 70 every day. Multiply that by 49 and you have the entire year of weather in Southern California. (I subtracted 3 weeks for those random times when it rains for 5 minutes or the Santa Ana winds blow, which by the way, have nothing on the winds sweeping down the plain, believe you me.)

Now, let’s take a gander at Oklahoma City’s weather. As you can see here, it was freezing and snowing and gusting wind, however, never fear, the weather quickly warmed up to 64 and sunny within a few days. The problem? Well, next week was freezing again. And then it was hot. And then it was cold. Followed by some more hot and cold and rain and wind. You see, Oklahoma has four seasons WITHIN EACH SEASON. I, without a doubt, experienced Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall during the last three months.

This poses a bit of a problem when it comes to wearing a capsule, as you can imagine, and from what I’ve heard, Spring is just as tricky here. (It’s 75 and sunny right now, with wind gusting so hard my trash can just flew down the street.) I somehow will need to prepare myself for every kind of weather imaginable for the next 3 months. It’s gonna be fun.

When Rule-Following Becomes Generalized Stupidity

I had a moment a few weeks ago. I was standing in my closet, getting ready for an event in one of my very few evening/night out options, and remembered I had the Perfect Pair of Shoes for the ensemble I was wearing. That Perfect Pair was sitting in the very back of my closet with the other shoes not deemed worthy of my winter capsule, and I knew they were exactly what I needed to wear.

I owned them. They were within 5 feet of my person. They were the perfect choice. Yet I couldn’t wear them.

At that moment, I believe I said (with great force), “THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT.”

Because, you guys, it kind of is. I am down with so much of the capsule mentality, but come on now, if you already own a pair of shoes that you really want to wear, then by all means, WEAR THEM.

(I didn’t wear them for I am a Rule Follower. In fact, I never broke the the rules, except for snow and rain boots.)

When Two Weeks Is Simply Not Enough Time To Plan/Purchase For The Next Capsule

Another geography-related issue, living in a city that doesn’t have, how do I phrase this, the best shopping, when I wanted to find a couple of new items for my capsule, I had to do all my shopping online.

Sourcing items + Shipping times + My Newfound Appreciation For Making Sure The Item I Buy Is EXACTLY What I Need = A Lot Of Receiving And Returning

For example, when I finally retired my decade-old trench coat, I wanted to make sure my new one would last another decade. This involved a lot of back-and-forth with retailers, and two weeks just didn’t hack it. (I’m still waiting on a few transactions to go through…anyway, I don’t know how to remedy that exactly but wanted to put it out there. I guess the remedy is to never buy anything again, which, ahem, will not be the path I take.)

When The Laundry Never Seems to Stop

Ladies, you have to stay ON TOP of your laundry. When I had 100+ items of clothing, it was easy to find something to wear, but when you wear the same white button-up and chambray button-up for what seems to be eternity, those puppies are constantly needing to be laundered. Just a thought.

When You Really Think You’ll Wear An Item But Never Do

This is understandable – I mean, one of the best reasons to start a capsule wardrobe is to hone your own unique style, and it obviously takes some time, but it sucks when one of your 37 items gathers dust. My item was a plaid dress. Poor lonely dress. Listen, I like dresses in certain seasons, but I’m not really a dress or skirt wearer in the winter. Yet, I thought it would be downright ridiculous not to include a dress or skirt of some sort for an entire season. Come on. Would I really wear pants every day of the winter season? Why, yes, I did.

Moral of the story – don’t think you need to include an item just to include it. If your capsule seems like it doesn’t have everything it should based on other capsules, don’t fret. Stick with what feels right.

So, yes, there were some issues. Enough to make me bid adieu to the capsule wardrobe concept?

Hell to the no! And here’s why.

1. I still love everything in my closet. (Well, except for the dress.) Am I ready to retire some pieces? Hell yes. But I’ll definitely wear them again when the appropriate season rolls back around.

2. While I definitely struggled with wanting to wear something new once in awhile, I still felt completely put-together and stylish while wearing my capsule outfits. Every day.

3. Getting ready for the morning has become the easiest part of my day. SO simple.

4. Wearing a capsule wardrobe is a great conversation piece. I have had so many discussions about capsule wardrobes with friends and new acquaintances over the past three months.

5. Impulse buying is completely eliminated. First off, you can’t shop for the majority of the challenge, and when time comes to purchase a few items (if need be), you get mega critical about what items deserve your moolah. What a difference, you guys.

6. Like any challenge, seeing it through feels great. Hooray!

So, are you planning a capsule wardrobe or have you been wearing one? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and if you are wearing a capsule and blogging/Instagramming it, leave me a link so I can check it out!

The Best Styling Tool in All the Land

March 9, 2015May 1, 2021 by whoorl

This post is sponsored by Sally Beauty. Thanks for supporting this site!

black fedora by rag & bone

I am frequently asked about how I achieve the undone waves featured in the above photo. Well, my love for the Ion Titanium Pro Multi Styler from Sally Beauty knows no bounds. It started with this tutorial from a few months ago – I had just recently started using the multi-styler, and I knew I liked it, but had no idea that it would pretty much replace every other styling tool I owned. (Well, except for my hair dryer, of course.) This baby does it all. It straightens (even stubborn, cowlicky bangs), waves, curls, flips, you name it.

As many of you know, I only wash and style my hair twice a week, so this iron is a workhorse on those days. I usually blow dry and then create the messy waves I demonstrated in the tutorial, but I also can’t live without it to help manage completely rogue bang sections on the other days when I wake up, walk to the bathroom, and take a gander at something similar to this. (Good ol’ R Pat can rock it, but not so much over here.)

The key to the iron is the small surface area that makes it easy to work with short hair like bangs, but also the shape of the iron. As you can see in the above photo the iron curves all the way around, and it heats up on the sides as well, not just the plates in the middle. That way, you get a full curl, instead of the usual flat iron curled-yet-crimped look. It’s pretty cool.

Also, it heats anywhere between 0 and 450 degrees to accommodate most hair types. I like to keep the heat around 350.

To keep things fair, thought, I do I have one beef. If I had to choose one thing I didn’t adore about the iron, it would be the color. I much prefer simple black, but if blurple is your thing, you will love it. (Obviously not an issue that affects the performance of the iron…I’m just a nitpicky lady.)

What’s your favorite styling tool? Sally Beauty is featuring tons of favorites over the month of March as part of their Beautiful Finds at Beautiful Prices campaign. Some of the categories featured are Best Selling, Blogger Faves, Cult Faves, New Finds, Stylist Picks and Top Pinned. If you are looking for a new tool, I highly recommend checking it out!

My (Whittled Down & Much Safer) Makeup Collection

December 10, 2014August 24, 2021 by whoorl

Alright, ladies. I did it. I examined and completely overhauled my makeup collection.

If you didn’t see this post from November, this was my makeup collection.

And above is my much improved makeup collection. Yes, that’s all of it. Every last bit. I’m not going to lie – I reeeaaallly wanted to cheat and keep some of my favorites, such as many, many NARS and Chanel products, but I persevered. I got rid of every product that contained an ingredient that scored a 4 or above on the EWG Skin Deep website. (And about 60% of my cosmetics weren’t listed, so I had to painstakingly go through every ingredient of every product. Hello, time consuming.)

Saying goodbye to beloved (toxic) makeup: the struggle is real, yo.

But after bidding adieu, I can’t even tell you how good (not to mention organized and refreshing!) it feels to get rid of all that crap. No more staring down a crazy, cluttered makeup drawer in hopes of using a “new” product that’s been sitting there for months. You all, I highly recommend it.

However, that was only the first step – I had to educate myself on cosmetic ingredients and then experiment with the available options. Some were great and some downright sucked.

If you are wanting to start fresh or just replace a couple of products here and there, I’ve compiled everything I’m (happily) using to help you with the process. None of these cosmetics (except for a few of the MUFE ones) were provided to me by the companies – I paid for them myself. Let’s get started.

FACE

From left to right:

Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder, $36 – This powder is lightweight and slightly mattifies my skin without looking too powdery. I love it.

Beautycounter Touchup Skin Concealer Pen, $28 – This concealer replaced my beloved Clinique Airbrush Concealer that I’ve used for years. (And, ahem, Clinique is one of the worst companies when it comes to disclosing what is in their products. I spent an entire afternoon trying to track down ingredients – it was crazy. Food for thought.) This product works just as well, and I like the color match better.

Make Up For Ever Kabuki Brush, $52 – Great brush for applying the pressed powder.

Tarte BB Tinted Moisturizer, $36 – I have both this tinted moisturizer and the Beautycounter one to the right. When I originally did the Tinted Moisturizer Face Off, I accidentally sampled the Tarte BB Primer instead of the Moisturizer and promptly hated it. (Thank you to the reader that pointed that out to me. What would I do without you guys?) Anyway, once I got my hands on the moisturizer, I was so much happier. Creamy, moisturizing, good coverage. And it has SPF 20, which is a huge bonus.

Beautycounter Tint Skin, $38 – I have to say, I can’t pick a favorite between the two tinted moisturizers. I love the Tint Skin coverage (it’s more like a lightweight foundation and really covers my redness), and the Linen shade is an almost perfect match on my skin. The only downside? No SPF. BOO HISS. (But I now use Beautycounter’s Protect Face SPF 30 before applying the Tint Skin and I love it. It doesn’t sting my skin AT ALL, which is huge for sunscreens.)

CHEEKS

You guys know I love my blush, so this is a huge section for me. From left to right, kind of:

Make Up for Ever HD Blush in Cool Pink (#210), $26 – This is my new go-to cream blush. I love these blushes by MUFE – they apply creamy, but quickly dry down to a powder-like consistency. Great lasting power.

Beautycounter Satin Powder Blush in Nectar and Guava, $36 – This is what I wear on most days.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Adored, $26 – This color has been discontinued, but I’ve used it for a year or two and love the cool pink shade.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Fearless, $26 – This is a newer color and it has a bit more warmth and peachiness to it. Great color for all seasons and most skintones.

Beautycounter Bronzer, $39 – Fantastic bronzer. Not a bit of orange, and great for contouring cheekbones. Gives a lovely warmth to the skin without looking too “tan.”

Beautycounter Powder Brush, $36 – Applies blush without it looking too heavy-handed, and blends well. The individual hairs don’t fall out either, which is a must.

EYES

I ditched all my eyeshadows and bought this palette from Tarte. Run, don’t walk. You would never need another color.

Sephora Eyelash Curler, $17 – Great curler, lasts forever. Enough said.

Beautycounter Color Shade Eye Duo in Oyster/Amethyst, $30 – I really like these two colors together for an easy daytime look. The amethyst would look great on green, hazel, or brown eyes.

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara, $20 – I was a little freaked out about my mascara options, considering all the ones I’ve loved score a 7 or higher on EWG. But I want to scream from the mountaintops in regards to this one. I LOVE IT. It is super volumizing, doesn’t clump or flake, and washes off easily. It’s a dream, basically.

Beautycounter Color Outline Eye Pencil in Violet, $20 – I love the shade of this pencil, but I do feel like I have to tug a little bit. However, it is great for tight-lining or wearing in the inner rim.

Tarte Skinny SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Moonstone Brown, $19 – I adore these liners because they are creamy and slide across the eyelid easily. They are great for blending, but probably not the best if you want a precise, super skinny line. I love them though, because they are incredibly easy to apply and blend. This brown is very dark – almost black – but without the harshness of a true black.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown, $21 – I finally found a brow pencil for brunettes that doesn’t go too warm or chestnut. Hooray!

Tarte Skinny SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Sunstone Bronze, $19 – Perfect liner for a bronze smoky eye.

Laura Mercier Flat Eye Liner Brush, $22.50 – Great brush when you want to use eye shadow as a liner. (On sale right now.)

MAC 217 Brush, $24 – This is the best brush known to (wo)man. I’ve used it for years and love it more than words can say. Perfect for applying eye shadow to the crease and blending everywhere.

Sonia Kashuk Eyebrow Brush, $2.99 – Cheap and works. Great for getting mascara clumps out.

Beautycounter All Over Eye Brush, $24 – I use this to apply a neutral shade all over my eyelid.

LIPS

S.W Basics of Brooklyn Peppermint Lip Balm, $4 – Every family memeber needs one of these balms. I can’t stand the waxy feel of most twist-up lip balms, and this one is super moisturizing. It’s downright creamy compared to other hard, waxy balms. (Look for my upcoming post on this brand – great skincare!)

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, $26 – Okay, folks. All of this dry, windy weather in Oklahoma has taken its toll on my face, especially my lips and around my mouth (dry! cracky! peely!). This lip mask is THE BOMB. I put it on before bed and it stays on all night. It’s thick, guys. It’s serious. It doesn’t mess around. But if you want soft, moisturized lips, BUY IT. Trust Sarah on this one.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Innocent – Most of the Tarte Lip Tints pictured above are from the Kiss and Belle LipSurgence Set. I couldn’t decide on what shade(s) I wanted, so I got the set which was a perfect move. (Also, sets are a great way to go if you are looking to replace many items for less money.) I absolutely love these pencils. Some are matte, some are shiny …but they are all so great. Innocent is my no-fail warm nude shade that goes with me everywhere.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Dreamy – From the set – this is a bright and punchy pink.

Tarte Matte Lip Tint in Alluring – Again, from the set – I mean, you guys just need to buy it. A $100 value for $34! You won’t regret it.

Beautycounter Lip Shine, $26 – I wear this on top of my lip color if I’m looking for more shine.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in Visionary – A really pretty apricot gloss – great for the warmer months.

Tarte Matte Lip Tint in Fiery, $24 – This one is not included in the set, and it’s a gorgeous strawberry red. This color has replaced my beloved NARS Flamenco. (A moment of silence for Flamenco, please.)

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Romantic – A lovely, peachy nude. Great for day.

Beautycounter Lip Calendula Lip Conditioner, $18 – This is a good lip balm for warmer months, but in my opinion, doesn’t hack it in the dry winter. Perfect for summer, though.

Beautycounter Lip Sheers, $28 – You know how much I love these sheers. They are so creamy and moisturizing – I tried all 8 shades in this post.

Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss in Belle – A raspberry gloss from the lip set. So pretty.

Tarte Amazonian Lip Butter in Plummy Rose, $16 – Another subtle color for the day. Also perfect with a smoky eye for a night out.

There you have it. As you can see, my collection is very heavy on Tarte and Beautycounter products, as I am extremely impressed with both companies.

Any questions? Leave ’em in the comments. Up next? My new skincare regimen. Hot damn.

It’s All Going By Too Fast

November 20, 2014July 3, 2015 by whoorl

This post is sponsored by OneDay. Thanks for supporting the site!

How many photos do you think you’ve taken of your kids? I mean, technology has really upped the ante when it comes to documenting (and sharing) our lives. And it’s pretty crazy how a photo can bring back a flood of memories. For instance, this one:

This photo was shot on Mother’s Day several years ago, approximately 3 hours before I came down with the Worst Stomach Bug Ever. Like, sleeping-on-the-bathroom-floor-next-the-toilet-kind-of-stomach-bug. Ahhhh, the memories.

The thing is, though…it doesn’t seem that long ago, yet look at my babies. Wita was just that, a BABY. And now she’s singing Taylor Swift at the top of her lungs and honing her sassy remarks. Wito, who wasn’t even a thought when I started this blog 9 years ago, is now reading Harry Potter.

Time just needs to slow down. Except that, it’s not going to. It’s gaining speed as each week, month, and year passes.

So we take the photos. We try to freeze each moment in time, so that we never forget those rosy, post-nap cheeks and deliriously happy baths.

I love taking photos of my kids, and will cherish them forever, but I really love videos of my little ones. Just being able to see the little quirks in their personalities and hear their sweet voices…it just can’t be beat.

A few years ago, I bought a book of questions to ask Wito at bedtime. His answers have been pretty adorable, so when I was recently introduced to the OneDay app, which provides questions for your family to be captured on video, I was intrigued.

The super cool thing about the OneDay app (besides being free!) is in the app’s simplicity. There is no editing, and no thinking required. You literally do not need to possess any editing or video skills to make a video – you just point your smart phone camera at your kids, ask the question on the screen, record their answer, and the app does the rest. It is ridiculous how easy it is! I have found myself filming a lot lately during short periods of downtime.

Check it out for yourself.

Oh, I’m sorry. Did you hear what she said at the end of the “best pal” question? HEART MELTING.

Of course, I feel the need to show you one of Wito too.

I like Target too, buddy.

Okay, okay, just ONE more and I’ll promise I’ll stop.

I could seriously make these little gems all day, and I know we’ll watch them as a family now, as well as when the kids are much older. You should definitely check out the app – it’s such a fun and easy way to document periods of your family’s lives.

This post is sponsored by OneDay. Thanks for supporting the site!

A (EWG-Approved) Tinted Moisturizer and BB/CC Cream Face Off

October 20, 2014May 1, 2021 by whoorl

Okay folks, after reading through all of your tinted moisturizer and BB/CC cream recommendations, I decided to try out a few myself. The only caveat? The formulas had to score a 3 or lower on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website. Trust me, that designation cuts out A LOT. As you know, I have spent an enormous amount of time cleaning up my act over the past decade. (My household cleaner post started it all 7 years ago…can you believe that post was SEVEN years ago?) I’ve completely overhauled what we use to clean our house, our medicine cabinet, cooking tools, the food we put in our bellies…everything.

Except beauty products.

When I sit down and think about the fact that I’ve turned a blind eye to everything I put on my skin, it’s kind of ridiculous. I mean, our skin is our largest organ…yet I continually apply lotions and cleansers and sunscreens and cosmetics without any consideration to the ingredients. Well, things are changing around here. Big time. (And I apologize in advance for forthcoming posts on the subject if you aren’t very interested, but I am in the process of replacing ALL of my beauty products. Just wait until you see the before and after photos of my bathroom cabinet. I easily got rid of 85% of my products. Not going to lie, my attempts to rationalize holding onto lipsticks chock full of horrible chemicals were pretty entertaining. I did chuck them, though!)

Anyway. Back to the current subject matter. Tinted moisturizers and BB/CC creams. These days, mama needs to put a little something on her face before stepping out. I don’t know if it’s my age or what, but GOODNESS GRACIOUS, I just can’t go out and about with a bare face anymore. It is not right, people. I took Wita to get her bangs trimmed last week without anything on my face, took a gander at myself in the stylist’s mirror, and audibly gasped at the situation before me. Dark circles, redness around my nose and mouth, hyperpigmentation…I mean, gahhhhhhhhhhhh.

So. Yes. Bring on the tinted moisturizers. I love tinted moisturizers because they create a natural, healthy look while “buffering” some imperfections. They don’t cover the imperfections completely, but that’s okay with me…I’m not looking for a mask.

After doing research on the safest ones for skin, I chose three to try out. Tarte BB Tinted Moisturizer, and Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream, and Beauty Counter Tint Skin.

Aren’t the color variations crazy?

Here are the results. Get ready to look at lots of closeups of my mug. Sorry about that.

Here I am, au naturale and au blotchy.

The first product I tried is Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer in Light, $35.

This tinted moisturizer boasts all the benefits of a BB cream in an ultralight formula. I like the coverage and how it evens out my complexion, but unfortunately, I couldn’t deal with the feel of the product. Let me explain – I prefer to use products that feel hydrating on my skin and leave me feeling dewy. This formulation is velvety smooth and super lightweight – it practically disappears on the skin immediately after applying. My skin in no way felt moisturized or hydrated after application – in fact, I had to put moisturizer on over it because my skin felt like it might crack off.

However, let me say, people LOVE this BB cream. (Just read the comments!) If you have oily areas or get shiny very easily, you will probably love this product. Younger ladies would probably enjoy it too. However, if you have dry skin or don’t like a velvety dry finish, I would hesitate. This tinted moisturizer scores a 2 on Skin Deep, comes in 5 shades and has an SPF of 20. It was also the longest-lasting of the three products.

Next up, Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream in Light/Medium, $37.

This is a hydrating, dewy moisturizer that feels very moisturizing on the skin. This CC cream comes in 8 shades, and unfortunately I was sent home from Sephora with the wrong color sample. As you can see, it’s a bit too dark for my complexion, so I think the Light or Natural shade would have worked better for me. This one was the thickest of all the three, and I felt like it was sitting on top of my skin a little bit. However, it did give a really nice glow. I’d like to check out the lighter shades, because it could be a great option during the drier winter months. I love that the product is SPF 30, and it scores a 3 on Skin Deep.

The last product I tried is Beautycounter Tint Skin in Linen, $38.

I love the way this product feels. It’s creamy, super easy to blend, and feels very hydrating. I used the color “linen,” which I think was a touch too pale for my skin tone at the time of these photos. I had a little bit of color left from summer when I shot these, but the linen shade works really well on me now. This tinted moisturizer has a EWG score of 2, and comes in 7 shades.

The only bummer about this product is that it doesn’t contain sunscreen. I love it though, and if Beautycounter comes out with a version with sunscreen, it will be my holy grail product.

By the way, many of you asked about my makeup in the photo below from a previous tutorial, and it was predominantly from Beautycounter.

I have recently started using Beautycounter skin care, lip sheers, blush, and eye shadow. Shampoo, conditioner, and the kids’ personal care items are on the way to me right now and I’ll report back. I am completely enamored with the brand, especially their mission to get safe products into the hands of all consumers. More on this later, but if you are interested in learning more, check out all the products here or shoot me an email. I have LOTS to say.

So, for me, Beautycounter Tint Skin wins the face off. I’ve been wearing it for about a month now and love it, plus I’m not scaring folks on my morning grocery store runs anymore. Bonus.