One of the most popular beauty trends right now is “no-makeup” makeup. This look is all about clear, smooth, and dewy skin, which means that cakey-looking foundation is unacceptable.

Products like tinted moisturizer or BB cream can deliver this no-makeup look. These two products provide light, buildable coverage that you can use to smooth out the appearance of your skin without the thick, mask-like coverage of a traditional foundation. 

Follow along to learn more about these two products and their differences.

What Is BB Cream?

BB cream is a good middle ground if you’re ready to take a step down from full-coverage foundation but aren’t quite ready to embrace sheer coverage.

Also known as a beauty balm, BB creams often also include skincare ingredients designed to help support a clear and smooth appearance. For instance, you might see niacinamide, vitamin C, or hyaluronic acid in the ingredients list of a BB cream. These ingredients can help tackle the appearance of blemishes, soothe irritated skin, fade the appearance of dark spots, and even provide hydration.

Many BB creams even contain SPF, although it typically isn’t the generally recommended SPF 30. Instead, you may find BB creams with SPF 20 or 25.

What Is Tinted Moisturizer?

Tinted moisturizers also combine the benefits of beauty with skincare, but they emphasize more on skincare. These products often focus on the moisturizing properties of the formula, and their pigment comes second to their hydrating abilities.

Tinted moisturizers are simply moisturizers with a bit of pigment added to them to create sheer coverage. These products can replace your morning moisturizer and help your skin feel nourished and hydrated while you go about your day.

For instance, The SUPER Tinted Hydrator uses ingredients like hyaluronic acid, shea butter, avocado oil, and purified oat extract to provide up to 48 hours of sustained moisture. At the same time, pure mineral pigments provide up to 11 different shades, and each shade can seamlessly fit up to three skin tones.

The benefits don’t stop there, though. This formula also contains heavy-hitting ingredients like squalane, stabilized vitamins C and E, and AHAs to support skin that feels smooth, soft, and firm.

How Can You Use Tinted Moisturizer?

If you want to build a makeup look using tinted moisturizer but aren’t sure where to start, we have a guide to help. Here’s a sample makeup routine to help you achieve an effortless look.

Add Eye Makeup

The first thing you’ll want to do is add eye makeup. This way, if your eyeshadow has any fallout below your eye, you can easily wipe it away without ruining your concealer application.

Depending on how you do your eye makeup, tinted moisturizer can easily be dressed up for a date night or toned down for a quick run to the grocery store.

For instance, if you want a glam nighttime look, try a smokey eye with some eyeliner. If you want a more everyday, barely-there look, simply apply a single layer of neutral eyeshadow and a couple of swipes of mascara. 

Moisturize

Once your eye look is solidified, it’s time to work on the rest of your face. Apply a small amount of tinted moisturizer like The SUPER Tinted Hydrator to a beauty sponge or brush and apply it to your face. 

If you’re using a beauty sponge, make sure to dab it gently on your skin. If you’re using a brush, avoid using a brushing motion, as this might leave behind streaks. Let the tinted moisturizer dry, then apply another layer. The SUPER Tinted is designed to be buildable, for a custom level of coverage. 

Conceal

Next, you may want to add some concealer to specific areas that need a little extra coverage. For instance, you might apply concealer to your under eyes to help hide the appearance of dark circles.

You can also apply concealer to any blemishes, dark spots, or areas of discoloration you might have. 

Add Lip Color

For the final touch, apply a dose of color with a lip product. You have several options: lip stain, lip gloss, lip plumper, or lipstick. The primary difference between these products is their respective finishes.

Lip stain simply leaves behind color without texture, while lip gloss and lip plumper both have a glossy finish. Lipstick often leaves behind a matte texture, and you’ll often need to use lip liner to ensure the look comes out correctly.

A lip plumper like The PLASMA Lip Compound is no ordinary lip gloss. It leverages high-performance ingredients like peptides and ceramides to plump lips with a natural-looking enhancement.

Unlike traditional lip plumpers, The PLASMA doesn’t use irritating ingredients like cayenne to plump the lips—instead, it focuses on boosting hydration, strengthening the moisture barrier, smoothing the texture of the lips, and diminishing the appearance of fine lines on the lips.

The PLASMA compound features ingredients like peptides, salicylic acid, and ceramides to promote lip-nourishing benefits that last long after the product comes off. On the other hand, regular lip plumpers have effects that only last for a short time after application. 

While effects are noticeable immediately, it can take up to four weeks to see peak contouring and plumping effects from The PLASMA. You can use the compound as much as you’d like, but we generally recommend applying it twice a day for the best results.

Conclusion

BB cream is a thicker beauty cream that provides light to medium coverage. BB creams are also often formulated with skincare ingredients that specifically tackle the appearance of breakouts.

On the other hand, tinted moisturizers are essentially moisturizers that contain sheer pigment. These products focus first on hydration before coverage. You can build a tinted moisturizer up to medium coverage with time and a couple of layers of product.

At U Beauty, our goal is to create products that help streamline your skincare routine with cutting-edge science. The SUPER Tinted Hydrator is just one example of this—you can further streamline your routine with our Resurfacing Compound, which acts as a vitamin C serum, hyaluronic acid serum, toner, retinol, AHA exfoliant, and more. 

To learn more about how skincare can complement beauty, visit the U Beauty blog.

Sources:

Sunscreen FAQs | AAD

Dual Effects of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids on the Skin | PMC

Should You Apply Eye Makeup or Face Makeup First? | Real Simple

How to Apply Tinted Moisturizer: 3 Tips for Tinted Moisturizer - 2024 | MasterClass