Can tinted sunscreens replace foundations?

Tinted Sunscreen

I’ve never tried a tinted sunscreen until recently when I tested the sample from Marie-Veronique Organics and I’m hooked! It worked so nicely as a makeup base in place of a liquid foundation, giving me an almost flawless finishing after applying my powder! Going forward, I’m definitely going to order the tinted version of this sunscreen as it only cost a dollar more.

Ingredients for Marie-Veronique Creme De Soleil Tinted
Marie Veronique Creme De Soleil Tinted SPF 30+ smells and feels exactly like the untinted version. Besides the 20% non-micronized zinc oxide, it contains the same ingredients – green tea*, neroli hydrosol, non-micronized zinc oxide, oils of apricot kernel, calendula-infused jojoba*, sunflower & meadow foam seed, Vitamin E, MVO botanical anti-oxidant glycerite, aloe vera gel*, potassium sorbate, red palm oil*, mica, pearl powder, allantoin, xantham gum, oils of emu, sea buckthorn*, red raspberry seed & acai, non-GMO lecithin, honeysuckle, essential oils of carrot seed, cistus, lavender & helichrysum, iron oxides (for tint). *ORGANIC

Iron oxide provides the tinted shade
The iron oxide is the ingredient that provides the tint and I remember now that the UV Natural Sunscreen I used also has this ingredient listed last.  The color was slightly beige and it sat rather nicely under my powder makeup too.  

Tinted sunscreen a good replacement for liquid foundation
As you can see from the picture, the Marie-Veronique tinted sunscreen at the top was thinner and darker than my usual liquid foundation at the bottom but I assure you that it was perfect when worn together with my mineral foundation.  So if you’re tired of layering your skin with a moisturizer, a sunscreen and a foundation, you might want to consider using a tinted sunscreen or perhaps a tinted moisturizer that contains SPF if you’re only getting casual sun exposure.  

Not advisable to mix your foundation and sunscreen
Some ladies I know mix their foundation with their sunscreen to achieve this.  However, this is not encouraged as when you mix anything with a sunscreen, you are likely changing the protective factor of the sunscreen.  Perhaps mixing with a mineral foundation might work better since it isn’t liquid but personally, I’ll rather go with a readily formulated tinted sunscreen than try the DIY approach since we can’t be sure if the ingredients within the mineral foundation will be compatible with a sunscreen.

Comments

  1. AtelierGal says:

    Tinted moisturizer & sunscreens are more for the convenient. It took me a while to find my HG moisturizer so I’m not considering any tinted products though it will minus extra makeup time.

  2. sesame says:

    That’s true too. If you’re happy with your current routine, there’s no need for change. But for some ladies wanting more convenience and hating the idea of slathering too much products, this maybe something to consider.

  3. AtelierGal says:

    By the way, I went to True Beauty last week. The customer service was good ?

  4. stella says:

    maybe i’m just paranoid but i’ll always take a good sunscreen over any moisturiser with spf product even if i’m getting casual sun exposure

  5. Tine says:

    I use tinted sunscreens during the day and foundation in the evenings. I don’t need that much of a coverage during the day anyway. Normally I’d just dust some loose powder over the sunscreen and I’m out the door. If I need slightly more coverage, I’d just sweep some two-way foundation on. Easy peasy ?

  6. sesame says:

    No, you’re not being paranoid. I’m the same. But I know of some who dislike wearing sunscreens because they complain about the textures or the sunscreens break them out. So for this group, moisturizers with SPF is their best bet.

  7. sesame says:

    My makeup for day and night is almost the same! ? Oh, okay, I skip the sunscreen at night. Hee…

  8. The Undercover Gypsy says:

    That was an interesting question – yes, I use tinted moisturiser frequently – also Marie Veronique (thanks again, for the series of reviews you did on MV in the last couple of months!). I used to use The Body Shop’s Vitamin E tinted moisturiser under a sunscreen, or Bobbi Brown’s TM with SPF. It really is convenient, especially in our humid climate.
    On an unrelated note, have you seen the new Revlon matte collection at Watsons? very pretty!

  9. hippo says:

    I am totally with you on this! I also use Marie Veronique, and whenever I use the tinted version, people compliment my skin. It is indeed like foundation, and although I normally do not do makeup, whenever I feel I need, I go for this sunscreen. Since the shade is a bit too dark and pink for my skin tone, I also add some drops of untinted version – and this makes a perfect and natural look!

  10. sesame says:

    No, I haven’t seen it. I don’t usually pay much attention to Revlon but I’ll take a look the next time.

    Are you using Marie Veronique too? Do you like it?

  11. sesame says:

    Yes, I was so surprised how much better my makeup looked. I noticed the photos turn out nicer too. ?

  12. Dee says:

    I like tinted moisturizers since sometimes foundation feels too heavy for me. I only wear an extra later of sunscreen when I know I’ll be outside a little longer than I usually would. When I’m not exposed as much, I wear something that has 42 PA+++ or around that. I’m those type of girls who hate to slather on layers.

  13. Joanna says:

    I just ordered the Creme de Jour from MV (non tinted version). Now that I finally see the colour, the tinted version does look very pink and dark brown to me.. Does it really look natural on your skin?

    What is ur view on mixing the tinted and untinted version? That sounds like a very good idea for me to get rid of the white cast :p My only concern is the shelf life of the product, as i would have two open at the same time (how long do they last for after opening? do you know?)

  14. sesame says:

    I can totally understand why you don’t want to slather on layers. I find that when I use too much stuff, my makeup turns streaky after a few hours!

    For me, I now take Heliocare so I’m not so worried about being out a little longer.

  15. sesame says:

    Shelf life is a year maximum because most of the stuff are organic and natural. Keeping in the fridge may extend a bit longer but don’t take my words for it. If you want to keep it in the fridge, I suggest you write to MV and find out if this is okay cos I know some products should not be kept in there.

    The tinted one actually blend in quite well into my skin and I’m fair. I was surprised too considering it’s dark, like what you said. As for mixing both versions, it’s okay because the ingredients are the same except for the iron oxide.

  16. The Undercover Gypsy says:

    Reg. the question above, yes, I discovered Marie Veronique after you reviewed the best sun protection products. I use the creme de jour (tinted) and I love it! ?
    I’m severely allergic to chemical sunscreens and had almost resigned myself to the whitish cast of most physical sunblocks until I tried the Marie Veronique products, so this face and body sunscreen actually isn’t as bad as some of the other physical facial sunblocks I’ve come across.

  17. sesame says:

    Oh that’s great! I was also happy to find more reviews of the product on Makeup Alley. I can’t remember if it was for Creme de Jour or Creme de Soliel but one in particular mentioned that she burns quite easily and was happy that the MV one really protected her. I don’t have the link now, but if you google for MV sunscreen reviews, you should find it.

  18. spanishbeauty says:

    I currently use a tinted natural sunscreen and find it much better and appears more smooth ;)but With foundation mixed with non tinted sun cream looks a bit thick once applied on, and if i wear the non tinted alone it makes my skin too pale and is messy to mix it up! =)

  19. Jackie says:

    I like to use tinted moisturizer, especially in the summer. It’s way easier than the whole foundation process, and with the tinted moisturizer I get the coverage I need with that little bit of color. I personally happen to really like Lauren Hutton’s tinted moisturizer.

  20. sesame says:

    Do you put a powder on top of the tinted sunscreen. It should turn out quite nice.

  21. Jyoan says:

    Think this is a really good idea if I do decide to wear foundation in future. Currently, I only use loose powder over the sunscreen. And I used to wonder what is the point of tinted sunscreens or moisturizers… … lol.

  22. Grace says:

    Hi Sesame,

    Thanks for the great post on MV sunscreens. I’m currently using Heliocare gel spf50, which is supposed to be good for oily skin, but I feel it makes my skin greasy.

    I’m considering between the non-tinted and tinted versions of the MV Creme de Soleil, thus can I ask how fair you are? Maybe in terms of MAC foundation colors? I’m an NC15 or lighter, so I’m a little worried about how dark the tinted version looks.

    Thanks! ?

  23. pf1123 says:

    Oh no sesame, I’m now worried that the LRP sunscreen I’m using cannot help me with my pigmentation. 2 more dots appear near my eye area. Would this MV one help?

  24. sesame says:

    Me too! I never really understood the need for tinted. With physical sunscreens, I guess the reason was to avoid the whitecast but other than that, I didn’t think it could do more.

  25. sesame says:

    I’m very fair. I don’t use MAC foundation so don’t know what shade I belong to. You can look at my About page which has my pic.

  26. sesame says:

    Do you apply your sunscreen around your eye area? If you don’t, that could be the reason. The MV one is good for me and I also feel good that a lady at Makeupally who burns easily mentioned that it didn’t make her burn.

    What about the LRP Anthelois XL? The PPD for that one is much higher and the texture is also good. I also recommend that one for chemical sunscreen.

  27. loveless says:

    hi,
    you got me sold on the MV tinted sunscreen, unfortunately i am cash-tight at the moment. can i ask how do you get your MV sunscreen shipped to you? i know you previously posted that you got your friend in the states to send to you, but what would you suggest to someone in singapore who can’t find a shopping spree for this, has no friend residing in the states and would like to get this in the most economical way possible and is new to online shopping?
    thanks.

  28. sesame says:

    You might want to try puresha.com. I was told by Marie-Veronique who provides to them that they provide international shipping.

  29. FG says:

    I’ve never tried tinted sunscreen..

  30. pf1123 says:

    I tired the tinted version of that before. I don’t really like that texture on my face.

    I dont apply it directly on my eyes. More of a sweep over. Maybe I shld do it deliberately.

    I was out on a date on Mon and my date told me that my face looks oily! I was using Eucerin matte sun fluid. Arrgghh!

  31. sesame says:

    Huh? Was it your first date with this person? Mentioning your face is oily is a bit…impolite for the first time. ?

    Oily could be because it’s already at the end of the day and you didn’t have a chance to refresh? Mine is also oily by 3pm!

  32. pf1123 says:

    Yes! The guy is an idiot. The first time we met, he said my arms are fat! I thought he meant no harm and subsequently we went on a date and he said my face looked oily.

    So, after that I told him game over. Hahaha…

    Its not oily. Its the sunscreen. Even if I apply LRP one, it wld look shiny.

  33. sesame says:

    Good for you PF! This fellow is overly critical and not good for girls as a whole! I’ll like to step on his foot! Haha…

  34. gem85 says:

    Hi,
    Wana to try out this product..
    Can i know where to purchase the MV tinted sunscreen ? =)
    Thanks..

  35. sesame says:

    You can buy it online – http://www.marieveronique.com

    Okay to add on, I realized that you’re from Singapore – in this case, you can get this from puresha.com as MV does not ship here.

  36. gem85 says:

    Hi, Thank You..
    First time ordering online..

  37. sesame says:

    You ordered from Puresha? If you don’t mind, let me know when you receive it and how was the experience. I order from Marie Veroniques Organic but get someone in US to ship over. If Puresha is good, I’ll order direct from them next time.

  38. gem85 says:

    I nv order thing from online b4.. Might nid to ask my fren for help.. =)
    By the way, is Australia selling this brand ??

  39. sesame says:

    No, not that I know.

  40. Siew Ying says:

    Would ordering via VPOST be a good option? I’m not sure of the charges by VPOST though

  41. Sesame says:

    It depends. I’ve had okay experiences with them but my friend had a mix. Sometimes reliable and sometimes not.

  42. Abélia says:

    I’ve never liked the feel of foundation on my face. So I’m very much curious to see if tinted sunscreen can replace foundation. It’s interesting to know that iron oxide is the ingredient that provides the tint in the sunscreen. I will definitely avoid mixing sunscreen and foundation. Thanks for sharing!

  43. Sesame says:

    Tinted moisturizer feels like moisturizer but the color is closer to your skin tone. It can’t replace foundation but it should provide some sort of base.

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