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Enjoying time in the sun (with SPF, of course) is an amazing way to spend your summer. Whether it’s lunching outdoors with friends, lounging on the beach or relaxing on a float in your pool, you still want any makeup you wear to look in tip-top shape—especially your foundation.
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Foundation is great for concealing redness, covering breakouts and evening out skin tone, but it’s no easy feat to find ones that won’t melt or break up from sweat during summer. This is precisely where lightweight foundations come into play, as they help cover hyperpigmentation and redness—without clogging your pores and breaking you out if you tend to sweat.
1. For a gorgeous glow: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation
This light-coverage foundation from Charlotte Tilbury claims to give a gorgeous, glowy finish with each application. Its line-up of ingredients, including glycerin and squalane, are touted for their ability to smooth, hydrate, blur and brighten. The foundation itself is available in 12 shades, ranging from very light to deep, and it gives sheer enough coverage that the one color may work for multiple skin tones while also concealing redness and blemishes. Infused with SPF 15 from titanium dioxide, it’ll also provide you with some sun protection while you wear it, but it’s best to apply a thick layer of sunscreen underneath any foundation to ensure you’re covered.
One Charlotte Tilbury reviewer raves: “This achieves everything I want and more! It doesn’t sit in lines, it covers evenly (and sparingly) and it’s buildable for greater coverage in certain areas of the face. It has the most beautiful luminosity which makes you feel so confident and it feels like silk, I get complimented daily.[…] It stays put all day and even in warmer weather or during exercise and it barely rubs off onto clothes so you can hug people without fear!”
Get Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation from Nordstrom for $46
2. For medium coverage: Ilia True Skin Serum Foundation
Just one pump of this foundation from Ilia Beauty promises you medium coverage and a pretty, natural-looking finish. It contains several skincare ingredients, including niacinamide and aloe, which work to smooth and reduce uneven texture, soothe redness and calm and hydrate the skin. It claims to blend seamlessly with fingertips or a brush and comes in 30 shade options, ranging from extra light to extra deep.
One Sephora reviewer writes: “[This foundation] has great coverage without feeling heavy on my face. The color match was spot-on—I was surprised how perfect the shade matched my skin. I have combination skin that gets oily with certain foundations, but not with this one. It also holds up well after a long day and wearing masks! This is my new go-to foundation!”
Get Ilia True Skin Medium Coverage Serum Foundation from Sephora for $54
3. For a dewy tinted moisturizer: Saie Slip Tint Dewy Tinted Moisturizer
Created with hyaluronic acid, pansy flower and licorice root extract, this tinted moisturizer claims to help your skin retain moisture, boost hydration and brighten tone. The formula gives sheer coverage and a dewy finish, and it provides mineral SPF 35 protection with zinc oxide. Upon application, you should get enough coverage to hide blemishes, redness and any other imperfections without feeling the weight of a heavy foundation. It’s available in 14 shades, ranging from very light to deep.
A Sephora reviewer claims: “My new summer staple. I’d rather use this than a full coverage foundation because It’s light, has the right amount of coverage and it’s an SPF. I apply it with a brush to spread around my face, then go in with a beauty blender, and it comes out like dewy and natural skin.”
Get Saie Slip Tint Dewy Moisturizer from Sephora for $35
4. For an easy application: Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint
Rhianna’s Fenty Beauty never ceases to amaze fans with its complexion products, and this skin tint is no exception. According to its more than 1,000 reviewers, this lightweight option is made to be buildable as well as humidity-, sweat- and transfer-resistant while providing light to medium coverage. Reviewers also say it’s easy to apply and blends well with a makeup sponge or fingertips. It’s available in 25 shades ranging from light with cool undertones to deep with neutral undertones.
One Sephora reviewer says: “I have a lot of red pigmentation on my skin and this covers it up while making my skin look extra smooth. Not to mention, it literally feels like you’re not wearing anything at all. Even wore it with my mask and it didn’t transfer!”
Get Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint from Sephora for $32
5. For a healthy sheen: Supergoop CC Screen
Looking for a CC cream, i.e., a color-correcting, coverage-providing moisturizer? Try this option from Supergoop. Composed with SPF 50 from zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, its formula contains ingredients like apple and red seaweed extracts, which smooth, brighten and help reduce signs of aging. Aside from that, it provides a luminous finish and buildable coverage that can conceal hyperpigmentation, redness and discoloration without adding heaviness to the skin. It comes in 15 shades that are suitable for many skin tones, ranging from very light with cool undertones to deep with warm undertones.
A Supergoop reviewer says: “I have tried CC creams before but never have I found one like this. The shade is absolutely perfect, the finish leaves me with a glow and it seriously lasts all day. I am ditching the foundation and sticking with this for good!”
Get Supergoop! CC Screen from Dermstore for $42
6. For a great shade match: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation
Many lightweight-feeling foundations don’t come in a large range of shades, as they don’t provide much coverage. This Chanel foundation, on the other hand, has the largest range of shades on this list with 35 options very light to deep with undertones like golden, rosy and red. It claims to provide light to medium coverage that lasts up to 12 hours without the need for reapplication. The formula contains “light-reflecting pigments,” which are intended to smooth and provide a subtle luminosity, as well as antioxidants to protect against damage from free radicals and other pollutants. To apply, the brand recommends using your fingers or a foundation brush and blending from the center of your face outward.
One Ulta reviewer writes: “Such a beautiful foundation. It is very moisturizing and has great coverage. It feels very lightweight.”
Get Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation from Ulta for $60
7. For a matte finish: Erborian BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer
If you’re searching for a BB cream (or a “blemish balm”) that’s lightweight with a matte finish, this one from Erborian is a great bet. It purports matte, buildable coverage that helps minimize the appearance of pores and conceal any blemishes and discoloration. The formula contains ginseng, which is known to moisturize and smooth skin. The only caveat is that it only comes in three shades, although the brand claims they are versatile enough for a whole slew of skin tones, as they only provide sheer coverage. You can choose from “Clair” (described being for very light to light skin tones with pink undertones), Doré (for medium to olive with green, yellow or golden undertones) and Caramel (for tan to deep with red and golden undertones).
One Ulta reviewer writes: “I love this! I have bought many BB [and] CC [creams] and foundations. I was on the hunt to find something that worked for me. I was having issues with my pores showing and absorbing the foundation. I tried many very expensive ones and various ones. This cream has worked the best and it is my holy grail. It’s great because I can use just the cream to cover most of my face without it feeling heavy.”
Get the Erborian BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer from Ulta for $44
8. For long-lasting results: Morphe 2 Hint Hint Skin Tint
After a summer day spent out, the last thing you want to do is head home to touch up your makeup for subsequent plans. Thankfully, this option from Morphe offers 16 hours of coverage while hydrating for 12 hours, so it should have you covered for all the picnics, BBQs and other fun summer activities on your bucket list. Also, the formula is available in 20 shade options, from “Ivory” to “Espresso,” and claims to be weather-, sweat- and transfer-resistant, making it an ideal summer sidekick. Note: It’s lighter in coverage but can be built up with more formula for additional concealing.
One Ulta reviewer claims: “I have tried countless tinted moisturizers because I hate the heavy feeling of foundation and eventually gave up. Then this came out and I decided to give it a try. I don’t struggle with acne, I just have textured skin I would like to lightly cover up. It doesn’t even look like I have makeup on which I love! It’s so natural and beautiful on my skin.”
Get the Morphe 2 Hint Hint Skin Tint from Ulta for $18
9. For a skin-like finish: Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer
The Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer will do just the trick for a natural, skin-like finish. This pick from Rare Beauty— i.e., the brand from Selena Gomez—claims to be “no-makeup makeup” in a bottle. Reviewed’s beauty editor enjoyed the product’s easy-to-blend formula, natural finish and long-wearing result. It’s available in 24 shade options ranging from very light to deep, but the brand says the colors are “flexible,” meaning one shade could work for more than one skin tone.
One Sephora reviewer exclaims: “I wasn’t sure I was going to love this tinted moisturizer as much as I actually do. I instantly noticed how it blurred my large pores instantly without a pore-filling primer. It feels lightweight and the coverage is also very good. I moisturized and applied it with a brush then pressed it in with a sponge. It left a beautiful glow and lasted 6+ hours.”
Get the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer from Sephora for $29
10. For a quick application: Beautyblender Bounce Always On Radiant Skin Tint
Using makeup brushes for application isn’t for everyone, which is precisely where makeup sponges come into play. Thankfully, this Beautyblender skin tint is specifically meant to be applied with—you guessed it—a Beautyblender sponge. It arrives in 20 shade options, ranging from light to deep, and provides just the right amount of light to medium coverage. Its formula contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and other skincare ingredients to seal in moisture, brighten, reduce the appearance of redness and irritation and keep blemishes and pores at bay.
One Sephora reviewer says: “My favorite hydrating skin tint! I’m normal to oily and this leaves me so dewy without looking oily. Also stays in forever! The coverage is also super decent for a skin tint.”
Get the Beautyblender Bounce Always On Radiant Skin Tint from Sephora for $29
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
