Fed Up With Foundation? Here’s 10 Affordable Skin Tints To Try Instead

All your go-tos for light coverage and minimal effort.
These skin tints are a great alternative to foundation.
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These skin tints are a great alternative to foundation.

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Even the biggest fans of full-coverage foundation may question their commitment in the height of summer. These kinds of formulas can mix with sweat and clog pores, as well as taking a little too long to apply. It’s time and effort that you just don’t need to put in when you’re already feeling too hot to function.

Enter, skin tints: the key to perfecting that ‘no makeup’ makeup look. An ultra sheer alternative to heavier products, they’re super lightweight, quick and easy to apply (we’re talking seconds here), and ideal for offering a soft, subtle, natural-looking glow.

They’re the ‘it’ product right now, and there are a hell of a lot of them to choose from. So, to give you a helping hand, we sifted through the options for you and have rounded up a selection of the best skin tints for a range of budgets.

1
This dermatologist approved, budget-friendly tint
For skin that’s lacking that fresh, healthy glow, this is the one. Made with antioxidant complex vitamin E, pro vitamin B5 and aloe vera, it’s ultra hydrating and seriously nourishing. Soaking seamlessly into skin, this silky liquid creates a soft, dewy, natural-looking finish.
2
This gel tint is ideal for that ‘fresh faced’ look
This innovative gel is both cooling and refreshing and feels wonderfully light and breathable. Ultra hydrating, long-lasting and water-resistant, it’s super easy to apply and blends seamlessly into skin. It’s also sensitive skin friendly and free from parabens and fragrance.
3
This luminous serum offers 12 hours of hydration
Available in five super sheer, ultra adaptable shades, this serum evens tone and texture, providing an all-day luminous finish. The non-greasy liquid leaves skin looking soft, smooth and wonderfully bright, complete with a subtle dewy finish.
4
This non-greasy skin tint is oh so nourishing
For glowy skin, this sheer tint, formulated with plant-based oils, is a godsend. Super hydrating, ultra nourishing, and wonderfully brightening, this formula can be worn sheer or built up to create heavier coverage.
5
This formula takes glowing skin to another level
For drier skin types, this tint is a real winner. Packed full of moisture, the formula brightens and perfects, while also offering skin a powerful shot of hydration. Illuminating skin while light-reflective pearl pigments create an effortless radiant glow, this is the ideal summer skin veil.
6
This super hydrating tint is ideal for dry skin types
A personal favourite of mine, this ultra hydrating formula (which my dry skin loves) offers buildable, sheer-to-medium coverage and melts seamlessly into skin. Subtly smoothing skin tone and blurring imperfections, it makes achieving that ‘barely there’ makeup look absolutely effortless.
7
This ultra breathable formula blends like a dream
This tint is a game-changer. It’s unbelievably light, doesn’t highlight dry skin but also doesn't make oily skin greasy, making it ideal for us combination skin babes. It works to brighten and even out skin tone, while also minimising the appearance of pores and blemishes. The soft-focus, dewy finish is addictively glorious.
8
This silky formula is wonderfully lightweight
Another personal go-to, thanks to its super soft-focus effect and light, sheer coverage that subtly transforms skin. It’s also wonderfully easy to blend, with the formula gliding effortlessly onto skin, drying with a matte-look finish. Spiked with hyaluronic acid and coconut extract, the formula works to ensure skin stays supple, smooth and well hydrated all day long.
9
This ultra easy to apply liquid comes in 25 flexible shades
Formulated to be ultra easy to apply, this skin blurring tint evens out your complexion, subtly blurring imperfections. Thanks to innovative ‘HydraBlend Complex’, the formula hydrates, smooths and brightens skin with just a few drops. FYI, the results speak for themselves.
10
For dry skin, this is another winner
A real dry skin hero, this plumping liquid instantly brightens and hydrates skin. Spiked with hyaluronic acid, this bad boy gives skin a strong shot of intense moisture.
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