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Most Overrated & Underrated Tinted Moisturizer
Over & Under: Most Overrated & Underrated Tinted Moisturizers
There are always products that receive endless raves, but they don’t always live up to our expectations or work out as well as they do for others. Share your picks for most overrated and underrated TINTED MOISTURIZERS. Don’t forget to share your whats and whys as to your choices!
- Most Overrated: [answer]
- Most Underrated: [answer]
My Picks
- Most Overrated: Not sure – I think Laura Mercier’s is very popular, and when I tried it, the shade was so off I couldn’t wear it out of the house, so I didn’t get to test it in full.
- Most Underrated: I love Kiehl’s – simple, to the point, and works well.
overrated – Benefit’s You Rebel lite
It’s really not particularly light in color… plus it’s greassy and nasty and gooey
underrated – Becca’s luminous skin color
So much hate for this product because of how sheer it is… but that’s what it’s meant to do! It’s supposed to enhance your natural skin (which it does impeccably!!!) and then you’re supposed to go back in with a concealer and take care of problem areas.
Overrated – not sure, I love Laura Mercier’s – probably because I have a FANTASTIC color match.
Underrated – making your own with moisturizer and a favorite foundation (I like MUFE HD + CeraVe PM).
ITA on the “DIY”. Honestly, it’s the best way to get a color match, and you know it will work for your skin. I also use foundations that aren’t quite the best color, as a way to get some use from them.
Overrated – I used to like Tarte’s Smooth Operator but the last time I put it on I ended up with my face three shades darker than my neck. I don’t know if it oxidized on me or what, but I’m very, very wary of wearing it again.
Underrated – Laura Mercier is really popular but it’s for a reason. I have the creme compact, and I love it so much I want to buy the regular TM because I figure it’s got to be equally as good. (Can anyone tell me whether the regular or oil-free is better for normal to combo skin?)
Most Overrated: I’m just going to say Laura Mercier, simply because I don’t think it’s the best out there. I do love it though and wear it often
Most Underrated: I’m obsessed with the NARS tinted moisturizer. It goes on so smoothly and feels very hydrating. It also has better coverage than the Laura Mercier.
I love the Bobbi Brown Oil-free TM! Wonderful for oily skin, kept me matte/oil-free all day. It held up really well through a very hot day/sweat-resistant! The Extra Light shade is a perfect match for my “N17” skin.
But I’m dying to try the Nars one. Has anyone tried it? How does it compare to the Laura Mercier Oil-free version? Thank you for your help!
Hi Luciana –
I’ve tried Laura Mercier and Nars, and Nars is by far better for my combination, sensitive skin. The LM one was really mask-y and made my skin look unnatural, whereas the Nars one disappeared on my skin and proved sheer but real coverage for a flawless finish (I promise I don’t work for Nars). Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for taking the time to help me, Ellen! I’ll definitely get my hands on the Nars TM!! :o)
The NARS TM is amazing. The coverage is invisible but it really evens out my skin tone and covers redness. I’m pretty fair and thought the lightest shade would be too yellow for me but, it blends in and looks great. A salesperson at my Sephora gave me a really generous sample to try and I haven’t purchased yet because I’m waiting to see the Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation before I decide.
Overrated: Laura Mercier – I can’t get a shade remotely close to my skin colour and it’s rather mediocre.
Underrated: NARS – I don’t know if it is underrated, but the coverage and finish are really nice. Colour isn’t perfect for me either, but I can go out of the house with it on ;0)
I really miss the old Tarte TM which was my HG foundation/tm for years!!! They discontinued and then created a new formula with a very limited colour choice.. boo!!!!
Doh, brain fart.. that was STILA TM..not Tarte. Late night and not enough sleep 🙁
Most overrated tinted moisturizer : Benefit You Rebel lite, it’s too greasy and not really pretty, compared to other Benefit products ( I love Benefit but not that product )
Most underrated : Nars, it’s a very good formula, nice coverage as well and not greasy nor heavy. To me it’s the best formula ever.
Overrated: The Lancome tinted moisturizer. It doesn’t hold up well through a hot day.
Underrated: I absolutely love the Nars tinted moisturizer. It has a very nice finish, lasts all day and smells great!
I am NOT a fan of Laura Mercier’s TM – it was so oily on me (even though I bought the oil-free one) and it was mask-like. Not the look I was going for!
I think all tinted moisturizers are over rated. Complete waste of money. No pigmentation, sheer, and expensive. Mix lotion with foundation and save some money!
I agree!
Most over rated I tried was Laura Mercier, I had a few samples to TRY and find a match for my fair olive/yellow skin tone. Everything is too pink, or sallow yellow :/
Most under-rated for me was a amazing discovery! Wet and Wild has a amazing little tinted moisturizer… Oddly though the Sun kissed shade was just right for me this summer. For 3.99 or around there I couldn’t beat the price, nor the coverage 🙂
Most Overrated: [answer] Laura Mercier for me too, I’m afraid. I do think it’s a nice product (I used the regular version), just not THAT epic. I thought it would give more coverage because many people say it’s a step up in terms of coverage from most TMs. I also noticed it kind of stayed sticky and never completely dried on me. (Could be that I was slapping on too much though.)
Most Underrated: [answer] The now discontinued Dior HydrAction. Hands down the best I’ve ever tried – moisturizing, sets to a satin finish, light coverage (but it does cover!), SPF 20, shade #1 was very light and neutral-ish. Sadly, it’s replacement Hydra Life doesn’t have such a light shade – #1 is now about medium and quite orange on me.
Overrated: Laura Mercier
Underrated: TheBalm!
Overrated: LM for sure – this thing is overpriced and lasts 1 – 2 months tops.
Finally one of these I have an opinion on! haha
Most Underrated: MAC Studio Moisture Tint, good coverage (for a TM), natural looking and broad shade range actually an effective moisturiser!
Most Overrated: Laura Mercier (I’ve tried the Oil Free version). Sticky, slimy and crappy colours.
Overrated: Laura M. This felt like it wouldn’t set…
Underrated: Urban Decay’s. This one isn’t too dewey for my combo skin and looks like there is nothing on, just beautiful shin.
Overrated: Estee Lauder tinted moisterizer. Ugh!
Underrated: Clinique almost makeup, which they discontinued!!! This was my absolute staple. 🙁
I agree. Laura Mercier is over-rated. My old favorite is actually Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer.
I can’t really say, I’ve only bought one – Tarte’s Smooth Operator. It is very good but I would be willing to try others. I did try a few other brands when searching for tinted moisturizers, but Tarte had the best shade match for my pale skin tone.
Overrated: Benefits – way too yellow for most skin tones, the fair shade is way off
underrated: high end is AmorePacific, people don’t buy it and hate on it because of the price but it truly is a 2 in 1 its good skin care and most people don’t mind paying for skin care and you really do get amazing coverage
For drugstore brands it has to be Nuance by Salma Hayek. Its sheer coverage but feels amazing on the skin, they don’t test on animals and use good for your skin ingredients. I think the whole brand is underrated because they are a little pricey for a drugstore brand but IMO the quality rivals high end brands so its a steal
Most Overrated: I’m gonna go with Laura Mercier’s… it’s WILDLY popular but it’s also REALLY hard to color match. IF you can get a shade to work for you it’s really nice though!
Most Underrated: Ugh. Honestly I really like MAC’s (do they even still make it?! LOL) but I’ve always been one to just mix regular foundation with moisturizer… BLAMO! Tinted Moisturizer! 🙂
I love the MAC TM! Some stores/counters still have it – I finally found it at the 3rd store I went to yesterday. One of the stores told me it was being discontinued, but the others said MAC was just reformulating it.
The first time I used MAC’s I was actually surprised… I thought I wouldn’t like it but it’s actually really nice AND I never really hear people talk about it much 🙂
Overrated: Laura Mercier….I can’t seem to find a good color match with the LM tinted moisturizers or foundations.
Underrated: Bobbi Brown….their whole skin line is amazing and there isn’t a formula I’ve tried that I haven’t liked.
Overated – in my opinion it is Laura Mercier, just because I don’t think it covers enough.
Underrated – Bobbi Brown Extra tinted moisturizing balm – it is what gets me through winter!
Overrated: Not sure. I would never buy a HE tinted moisturizer, as it makes much more sense to mix HE foundation with a moisturizer of my choice.
Underrated: I surprised myself by liking ELF’s. It has decent coverage, moderately moisturizing without being greasy & has SPF. The only thing I don’t love about it is the shade selection, but, for $3, I got more than I was expecting.
So funny most everyone says Laura Mercier. I just a sample tube from Neiman Marcus beauty event in my bag….I just wear moisturizer…no need to add color to my face.
Overrated: I haven’t tried HE, so I don’t really have an answer.
Underrated: Garnier B.B. Cream, hands down. Perfect color, and it hydrates without making my skin greasy or dry. The only “negative” I would have, is the low SPF, as I prefer a minimum of 30. Lately, I’ve been using Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear, SPF 50, now that it’s Summer. However, I believe the PF has been DC’d, so I guess this is truly the most underrated.
I LOVE Garnier BB cream! I found Clinique’s to be a little heavy. I also liked Nars, but for the price point you can’t beat Garnier.
I have a PERFECT colour match with my Laura Mercier TM, and it makes my skin look better than with some high-end foundations, so I can’t really say anything bad about it. But I’m lucky enough to have my shade in the 1oz tubes that cost $24 here in Canada — I would not pay $55 for 1.5oz. So for its price point, it should work miracles, and it doesn’t, so I get it that many would find it overrated.
As for an underrated TM, I got a No.7 TM (Soft and Sheer), now discontinued, and I like it. It’s not the best, and I find that the colour Fair (02) is a little too dark for me, but I can get away with it because it’s just a TM, not a foundation. However, for $6.80, I’m really pleased with what I got.
Overrated (i guess): I used Laura Mercier and I loved it. I bought some when I was pregnant and didn’t want to spend a bunch of time doing my makeup every day. It was quick and easy and still gave good coverage with a much lighter feeling than foundation (it was definitely noticeable when I switched back to foundation)
I stopped using it when I went back to school full time because it just didn’t last all day on my face. Now I use LM’s foundation. However, I really want to go buy another tinted moisturizer for summer and days where I’m running errands for a few hours and don’t want a full face of makeup that will last 8+ hours.
Underrated: Kiehls and Nars. I’m probably going to try these before I buy another tube of LM because I’ve heard good things about both.
Overrated: Laura Mercier. It dried out my skin like crazy, and even the lightest shade was too dark. ELF is also awful. When I first put it on, it looked fine. But after about an hour, my face was orange. I looked like an Oompa Loompa.
Underrated: MAC Studio Moisture Tint is my absolute favorite. It has a really nice finish and doesn’t make my combination skin more oily.
overrated – not sure
underrated – josie maran
Josie Maran is great! I absolutely love it and recommend it highly!
Overrated- Laura mercier TM
Underrated- Amore Pacific tinted moisturizer. Absolutely amazing. Good coverage with great skincare benefits
I haven’t tried very many, but I love OCC’s tinted moisturiser!
I tried the LM TM many years ago. I didn’t like it. I found it left me too oily.
I love the BB Oil free TM. I find it gives great coverage (maybe more than some would want from a TM) and it lasts really well all day. I do need to blot by lunchtime, but I need to do that no matter what I use.
Over rated: Laura Mercier, I don’t know why people say it’s good coverage, it’s not, even for a TM.
Under rated: Clinique, their’s is actually ment to be able to cover rosacea, so it has great coverage. I also love using the Mark get a tint.
overrated: LM tinted moisturizer. It was extremely oily and sticky even though I got the oil-free version. Plus it provides absolutely zero coverage. Smells sunscreen and you can actually smell it throughout the day.
underrated: Nars tinted moisturizer. Good coverage, lasts all day when set with a powder, looks very natural, is very hydrating and smells fresh and clean
Most Overrated: Laura Mercier. I know everyone raves and love this product, but it didn’t live up to the hype for me and didn’t last well on my oily skin.
Most Underrated: Do BB creams count? Because in my opinion they’re tinted moisturizes with a different name slapped on the bottle. Well Clinique’s BB Cream is AMAZING! I didn’t think it would work well with my oily skin, but it looks so natural, covers what I need, and lasts all day. Love this stuff!
Even though I do have a TM that I pull out every now and then, I just want to say that I think tinted moisturizer is overrated in general. If I’m going to the trouble of putting makeup on my face, I want some coverage.
overrated: Laura Mercier! I have combo skin, leaning more on the dry side, but I still get a moderately oily T-zone. The LM gave me a weird cakey looking coverage and accentuated my dry patches. Was not smooth or moisturizing at all. Color match wasn’t that great either. OVERPRICED crap.
underrated: Sonia Kashuk! my HG. just the right amount of coverage, moisturizing but not oily, totally evens out my skin with a smooth finish and lasts all day. affordable.
for days when I don’t care, I still never leave the house w/out a layer of the CoverGirl CG Smoothers TM – has less coverage but still evens out my skin and very moisturizing – best for dry skin – super cheap! have been using for almost a decade! never breaks me out. i use this to mix w/foundation for a DIY TM.
Most overrated for me is Laura Mercier. I have dry skin (but a few years ago very oily) and it’s never worked for me. I just don’t see the point of it, I’d rather use a real moisturizer and foundation on top or for a sheer look mix the two.
Most underrated for me is Origins VitaZing. Love the smell and feel and color. A little bit dark for me but it works, just have to blend. But evens out skin tone and makes me glow.