Tried and tested: The latest tints, primers and cleansers
From tints to primers to cleansers, puts the latest launches to the test.
SKIN TINT
How fine can makeup get? We’ve had creams from BB to CC, water-weight foundation, cushion compact-serums and now perfecting veils like Airbrush. The formula’s silicone content makes this resemble a tinted primer in hand. It is available in three shades. The lightest is more sand than porcelain but if you match any one of them the tint creates a natural, flaw-blurring finish. The skincare benefits are negligible but it is also irritant-free.
This ‘filter’ also feels like nothing but is somehow high-coverage, skin perfecting and noticeably luminous. It is also water-based and non-absorbent, so will neither clog pores nor dry skin. The applicator is that of a large liquid-concealer: a doe’s foot that picks up very little product. A couple of dabs is all you need to blend out a full-face of makeup. Tilbury calls it a mere “complexion booster” but even with the light weight and texture it performs as well as her foundations.
Glossier describes this tint’s look as “more skin, less makeup” and it does deliver. It will not mask freckles or fill pores, the express aim is to make skin looked toned and dewy. The coverage is sheer and mildly brightening. Glossier’s makeup is all about gentle enhancement and makes a nice gift for a teen or tween. The brand is online-only but if you upload a portrait pic to the ‘Fixer’ page on glossier.com they will provide a shade-match.
This has a similar finish to the Glossier tint (sheer, dewy) but has more flaw-blurring reflective pigment. The 30-shade range allows for perfect colour-matching. The formula is oil-free and best suits normal and combination types. It is long-wearing and contains Vitamin C. SPF15 supports dark spot repair but is inadequate for all-day protection.
OIL PRIMERS
Oils do not work like the more popular silicone-based primers and it is important to align your expectations with their properties to avoid disappointment. They cannot fill pores or wrinkles. The do not curb shine, naturally. At their best, they work as skin conditioners that balance a dry complexion and keep makeup even. The silicones in standard primers, while smoothing, can exacerbate dehydration and prove unhelpful to dry types. An oil primer’s advantage over a bottle of pure plant-oil is their antioxidant blend, though this is undermined by the commercial addition of irritating perfume or essential oils. Hydra Touch is both an excellent blend (almond, safflower, jojoba, etc.) and irritant-free. The pump bottle keeps application neat and the texture is rich but not too greasy. Wear-extension depends on your skin’s condition but this can be peace of mind in a bottle, given that most dry-types fear not fade but crepe.
Drop Shot is pitched as multi-purpose: wear it alone, as a base or mixed with makeup for a dewy look. The same is true of any oil and dewy=greasy if you have oily or combination skin. It looks good, in it’s purple apothecary-style bottle (which happens to keep the air and light-sensitive formula stable), but has more fragrance than I would like. Very dry skin is sometimes less irritated by scent but ideally the risk would not exist.
This primer is a lightweight blend of 15 oils. Some are potent antioxidants and skin-soothers, others are essential oils that smell nice but may irritate skin. It is not ideal to have both, especially at this price. Smashbox’s primer range is strong overall. Their Photo Finish Radiance Primer, €38, is better, as hydrating options go.
Revolution is a vegan brand with some interesting ideas. For example, this primer can be worn alone or mixed with its Baking Powder pigment for an adjustable matte-foundation. This oil blend is mainly grapeseed and olive with a little sunflower. It is very mildly fragranced but should not bother sensitive types. The brand’s suggestion that even oily skin can wear it well is a bit rich.
JELLY CLEANSERS
Korea continues to inspire cute skincare products in the west. Jelly cleansers are oil-gel hybrids that turn milky when diluted. Their appeal lies in comprehensive makeup removal with neither dryness nor residue. This one is makeup-melting, even tackling waterproof mascara with minimal fuss. The texture comes from honey and royal jelly-extracts, which feel luxurious but not greasy. It also contains very noticeable perfume, which can irritate sensitive eyes and skin.
Galacticleanse is glittery, which is dermatologically pointless but perhaps useful if you YouTube your ablutions. It exfoliates with bamboo, a powder rough enough to deplete skin’s natural moisture barrier. It contains a number of soothing antioxidants, most notably sunflower seed-oil, white tea and Vitamin E. It is synthetically perfumed.
This jelly is not rich enough for 1-step makeup removal. On the plus side, the gentile formula (with cleansing agents common to contact lens-solution) leaves skin feeling fresh and soft.
This cleanser is over 30 per cent pure oil, so best suits dry skin. It has an initially gelatinous texture and the diluted milk removes a full-face of makeup fast. The brand’s choice of oils is the biggest draw, they all have soothing and/or reparative benefits. Black cumin, rosehip, organic olive and camellia are a few of the best.
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