Josie Maran Argan Tinted Moisturizer- Fair

Since beginning Accutane, I have had to abandon all of the foundations in my beauty arsenal because I felt nothing looked or felt good on my dry, sensitive skin. Because my skin was/is very red, I didn't want to completely forgo color correction, so I turned to tinted moisturizers.  The few I tried definitely weren't for me, and then on a very desperately dry and red day, I found Josie Maran's Argan Tinted Moisturizer. This is my review. (cue Law and Order sound effect)

PRODUCT: Josie Maran's Argan Tinted Moisturizer (let's call it ATM for short) seems to be more of a foundation with a broad-spectrum sunscreen than simply a tinted moisturizer. It has a thick consistency, and I recommend either putting this on immediately after washing/towel drying your face OR wear over a bit of moisturizer. Using this just on a dry face made it really difficult to blend out. Yes, this does moisturize your skin, but I think the oil in it makes it more difficult to distribute the product without something to help it. 

Upon initial application, my face was pretty shiny; however, after a few minutes the product sunk in and I was left with a natural, semi glowy complexion. I usually prefer a matte face (which isn't an option right now because of how dry my skin is), but I really like the finish of ATM! Also, despite this being a thick texture and having decent sun protection, the product never felt like I was wearing a mask.

A kind of big downside is that when my skin is driest, over the course of the day my foundation will pool in my pores. Using a separate moisturizer usually helps with this, but not always. (to re-distribute the ATM, I'll either press and roll my clean fingers against my skin, or I'll do the same motion with the sponge from my powder compact. Note: these methods don't always work  depending on how dry my skin is.)

Left: my bare skin Center: ATM blended out (I left some streaks so you could really tell the difference) Right: ATM not really blended.  

PIGMENTATION: ATM is medium coverage.  Corrected my general redness pretty well, but I still need concealer for old acne marks and what not. The shade "Fair" has a warm undertone, so if you are cool-toned, this may not work for your coloring.

PACKAGING: The squeeze tube ATM comes in has an easy flip top cap. No frills-- which is great when I'm rushing to get ready in the morning.

PRICE: $38 for 1.7 oz

All in all, Josie Maran's Argan Tinted Moisturizer is definitely more like a decently pigmented moisturizer. It has become what I use when I A. barely have any time to get ready B. am not going anywhere fancy but want to look polished. Yes, this covers 95% of my life. If you have super oily skin, I would say to proceed with caution.  Thinking back to my oily days, considering I was a constant oil slick, I think this might have felt gross on my skin and not dried down.  HOWEVER, if you are combination, normal, or dry, check it out. 

You don't have to take my word for it! Josie Maran's Argan Tinted Moisturizer is available now at Sephora.

Review: Urban Decay Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer

It seems tinted moisturizers are a must-have item for a lot of ladies, especially in the summer time, but I never paid much attention to them since I need heavy-duty coverage on my face due to acne scarring and uneven skintone.  When I tried Urban Decay's Urban Defense tinted moisturizer, I started paying attention!

PIGMENTATION: Urban Defense has enough pigmentation to even out my skin tone, but not cover my scars (as a tinted moisturizer, I wasn't expecting it to, but you can check out how I use it to suit my needs here).  I have this in the lightest shade Sephora offers, Halo, and I think it's an excellent match for my skin tone.

PERFORMANCE:  This has an almost mousse-like texture, and goes on very easily and evenly.  I love how it has a built-in sun protection (SPF 20), so i don't need a separate sunscreen.  My qualm with it is that it feels a bit heavy on my face, as if i was wearing a heavy-duty foundation, and that I've had to be more vigilant with the blotting sheets when wearing this.

PACKAGING: It's a simple squeeze tube-- super easy to use.

PRICE: $30.

Warning: here are some before and after shots of me.

No makeup whatsoever.  

With UD's Urban Defense (PS: I learned all my awesome posing skills from America's Next Top Model. just kidding. sort of.)

Since Urban Defense takes two steps out of my makeup routine, it's a bit of a lifesaver.  If you're lucky enough to not have scars, and need something to moisturize + protect your skin + even out our skintone when you've got 6 seconds before you run out the door, I highly recommend this.

You don't have to take my word for it, Urban Defense is available at Sephora.