The Best Tinted Moisturisers For A Next-Level Glow

A classic for good reason, Nars’ tinted moisturiser is the one I personally reach for most mornings. It’s satiny yet luminous, and offers just the right amount of coverage to mask the melasma on my cheeks and redness around my nose. The finish isn’t so sheeny it’ll be all over your white collar by lunchtime, but it’s not drying on skin either: the perfect middle ground.

Already huge news in its native South Africa, Amanda du-Pont's Lelive is the botanical-based, community-informed beauty brand to know this year. Every product is tested by the brand's supremely diverse network of consumers and made using a combination of traditional African ingredients and science-backed extracts.

A stand-out, this wonder product is your moisturiser, skin tint and mineral SPF all in one: the single-shade pigment offers a glow, rather than colour, so works to light up every single skin tone.

I've been impressed by everything I've tried from this New York-based brand, and while the Glowy Super Skin foundation is my personal favourite, this tinted moisturiser comes in at a close second.

It’s lighter than most high-factor formulas, and imparts just a hint of coverage that looks great alone, but can be beefed up with a strategic swipe of concealer if you’ve got blemishes you want to keep under wraps.

This supremely practical base ticks all the boxes: it’ll be your moisturiser, sunscreen and foundation. The white cream contains broad-spectrum SPF 30 as well as encapsulated balls of pigment, which burst once you start massaging it in, releasing a translucent tint that covers blemishes without looking cakey.

Australia has the strictest sunscreen regulations in the world, which is why it’s the birthplace of so many brilliant SPF brands. A current fave, Ultra Violette offers a whole line-up of stellar sun-protection products. The tinted SPF, Daydream Screen, combines moderate coverage with major protection, and comes in plenty of shades to satisfy us all.

Kosas is known for its ultra-light and glowy approach to base products, so it should come as little surprise to hear this barely there BB cream is a winner. It's light on the coverage and works brilliantly on skin that simply needs a little boost in the radiance stakes. If you're oily or acne-prone, it'll be a hit.

Dr. Jart is no stranger to a cult complexion product (if you’re rosacea-prone, jump on the Cicapair Color Correcting Treatment immediately) and now there’s a new tube to get to know.

The brand’s BB Cream contains niacinamide to control excess oil production, and heaps of good old glycerin to ensure it grabs onto moisture and stays looking dewy all day. The shades are ideal for anyone with cool undertones, but if you’re very warm, I'd suggest trying the one above instead.

This one is priced to sit firmly in the luxury stable, but it's a cult classic for good reason. Worth every penny, Chantecaille's long-loved tinted moisturiser works like a dream on dry and dehydrated skin types, offering moisture that lasts alongside just enough colour to make you look put-together (not caked in make-up). Ignore the tokenistic SPF15 and get a good face SPF on underneath, and you're ready for the day.

This one likely needs little introduction. The original CC cream (which is marketing jargon for ‘tinted moisturiser’), Your Skin But Better delivers coverage to rival your favourite foundation, with none of the dryness that often emerges after a few hours. It’s heavily hydrating, properly tone-unifying, and offers high SPF protection. An all-round delight.

This one is technically a tinted serum, rather than a moisturiser, but it hydrates so well even the driest of skins will be impressed. The oil-rich base is packed with pigment, yet stays looking dewy for as long as you're wearing it. There's good reason it's the number-one selling base product in Sephora stateside.

You might be familiar with Iconic London's illuminating hero products, but the brand's Skin Tint swaps the signature shimmer for a hydrating and blurring formula that gives a satin-matte, filter-like finish.

Extensive colour matching has been put into the range with 18 shades that cover fair, light, medium, tan, deep, and rich skin tones, so it's easy to find your perfect fit.

Ok, so what this one lacks in sex appeal it more than makes up for in effectivity. Boring but absolutely brilliant, Rosalique's redness-balancing moisturiser is something everyone with rosacea needs to try.

It's tinted green (stay with me) but transforms into a skin-matching tint once applied to the skin, knocking back glowing redness and making your complexion look beautifully balanced. Apply less than you think you'll need (or the colour will look off) and massage it in with fingers for the best result.

Sensitive types will likely already know (and love) Bareminerals: when it comes to gentle base products, the brand cannot be beaten. For something lighter than the original powder, consider this gel-like tinted moisturiser. It’s light enough to keep breakout-prone skin happy, but delivers a surprising level of pigment that’ll cover red patches with ease.

One of many viral hits from Selena Gomez’s make-up brand, Positive Light is one of the subtler tints we’ve tried. If you’re after a rich, comforting moisturiser, skip to the next option, but anyone with oily skin that wants a light, breathable base will love this.

Another long-loved formula Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturiser ranks high in the coverage stakes, so it’s ideal for anyone nervous about relegating the foundation. It’s heavily moisturising too, so never turns cakey or highlights pores.