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What a difference a year makes in the availability of this product. Drugstore brands are springing up each day. (Much to my dermatologists delight). As an ode to joys of spring I'm doing an update to my very popular article about tinted moisturizer. Click here to read the original article.
Been using the Body Shops' tinted moisturizer w/ spf since I wrote the original article. I buy a new tube every 6 months or so. When I went to my local Body Shop to get my early spring fix, I was aghast, it was discontinued. I got the "it's being discontinued and reformulated and will be coming back out again real soon" speech.(Funny, over a year ago that's what the folks at Shisedo told me about their product, which at this date still hasn't been reformulated and reissued.)
I must have looked like the dog stole my ice cream cone, because the nice gal at the Body Shop gave me a "barely used" tested hidden deep under the display case. That's right, I got something for FREE. Alas, it was too dark a color for using in early spring, but it was free and it made my day. Thanks Body Shop, thanks for my first beauty Freebie.
But what to do until it warmed up enough to use a "tan & tawny shade"? As I have in other moments of inner turmoil I turned to my local drugstore.
For some reason I've never been keen on the Olay line, none of it, not at all, not the makeup, not the moisturizers, none of it. Seems I am not the only one, after a splashy retail roll out of it's makeup a year ago, it seems Olay was getting away from makeup, or at least my local CVS was dumping the stuff. I was able to get a tube of tinted moisturizer w/ spf for half price, around 5 bucks. Woowwee.
Currently I am using the Olay version which may also be discontinued but once it's used up I have another discontinued item to use! I'm planning ahead, it may seem like hoarding, but a gals' gotta do what a gals gotta do.
(OK so I do hoard H&BA's, not makeup but shampoo, toothpaste, dental floss, and the like...when they are on sale I snap them up as I know I'll use them. Gratefully, my roommate stopped hoarding bowling balls.)
I pay through the nose for health insurance, and am not afraid to go to use it. At a recent visit to my dermatologist he was tickled to hear I am a fan of tinted moisturizers with sunscreen. Like always, he gave me scads of fun size freebies and was disappointed he didn't have any more samples of Neutragena's tinted moisturizer with spf 30. As far as untinted products he praised Eurcerin's spf 30 moisturizer, (though it felt a bit too emollient for my greasy ol head.)
He did offer for sale a full size tube of a tinted moisturizer w/spf that had his private label on it, but for $30 I told him I wanted to try Chanel's first.(Sorta weird, like what's in that tube? Where did it come from, it looked like sawed off tube of toothpaste with an address label stuck on it)
I'm glad drugstore brands are carrying this product and with the rising rates of melanoma (a type of skin cancer that can disfigure and KILL you) I hope they continue to carry them. I want to try Neutragena's since at spf 30, it's just about as high an spf as you can get. I am not a fan of Cover Girl's skin products so I may skip their tepid foray into the category with sheer makeup w/ spf.
Olay Complete Radiance
cost $12?
colors good range, all based in reality
spf 15
status no longer carried at CVs, perhaps still available
verdict
smelled sorta like baby products (ack), went on smoothly, didn't seem to promote
breakouts, if it's still available may be a good replacement for my fave Body
Shop product.
Eucerin FACE Protective Moisture Lotion
cost $10 or so for big bottle
colors untinted, no color at all
spf 25
status available at drugstores
verdict
smells sort of like sunscreen with a the texture of Cetaphil cleanser, doctor
recommended! a bit greasy for my oily skin for everyday, I use it when exercising
outdoors, dreamy if you've got dry skin (or are sun or wind burnt)
Body Shop
cost $12+
colors good range
spf 15
status being reformulated, so no longer for sale
verdict
smells OK, goes on well, works very well for what it does, my pick for colors,
spf, cost and performance.
Neutragena
cost $16+
colors light, medium, dark (not a great range)
spf 30
status available at drugstores
verdict
haven't tried it yet, doctor did recommend it, hope it's still for sale when
I need more.
Product Reviews Old (click here for entire old article)
Shishedo
cost $26+
colors good range, all based in reality
spf 8 or 10 (can't recall)
verdict
smelled great, went on like a dream, was discontinued, but maybe it'll be
reintroduced...one day..maybe...say all the breezy Shishedo gals
Guerlain
cost $28+
colors 2 (orange and fake tan)
spf 4
verdict
smelled funny, awfully greasy, felt like an old lady using it, but spent so
much on it couldn't bear to throw it away, avoid it
Body Shop
cost $12+
colors good range
spf 15
verdict
smells OK, goes on well, works very well for what it does, doesn't say to
shake before using, but I found it needs it sometimes, I'm on my 3rd tube.