STILA: Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 Oil Free
I love the idea of tinted moisturizers, which give the coverage of a light foundation plus the protection of a sunscreen. But I’ve never been able to find one that works for me. I’m also skeptical about the product’s ability to protect my skin from the sun. Consumers are supposed to apply one ounce or two tablespoons of sunscreen to get adequate protection. That’s a lot of Tinted Moisturizer and personally, I’m very lighthanded with makeup. So perhaps it’s a good thing that Stila, which has long had a popular tinted moisturizer with an SPF of 15, recently added a TM with an SPF of 30.
Stila’s SPF 30 TM is basically a physical sunscreen composed of zinc oxide (the SPF 15 version is a chemical sunscreen). The benefit of zinc oxide is it provides the full spectrum of UVA and UVB coverage. That protection comes at a cost for some women. Zinc Oxide can look greasy on some people – it usually leaves my face looking like an oil slick. The use of a primer or mattifier should counteract that effect, however. Stila usually has a great selection of shades for a wide variety of women, but I found this product lacking. The Tan, Dark 1, looks like it would best work for women with cafe au lait-colored skin. The next darkest shade available in this product, Warm, Dark 2 happens to also be the product’s darkest shade, which means it has to work for women ranging from caramel colored to dark chocolate. That’s a wide range for one shade to cover.
Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Zinc oxide 5.0%, Oxybenzone 4.0%
Inactive Ingredients: Purified Water (aqua), Diethylhexyl Carbonate, Diisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilinoleate, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Magnesium Sulfate, Cetyl Dimethicone, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Hexyl Laurate, Cetyl PEG/PPG- 10/1 Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Poterium Officinale (Burnet) Root Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia (Cinnamon) Bark Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Silk Amino Acids, Glycerin, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Benzoic Acid. May contain: Titanium Dioxide (ci 77891), Iron Oxides (ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499) <iln c71051>
Cost: $36
CoverGirl: Simply Ageless
CoverGirl Simply Ageless
This is the latest (and most affordable version) of the new group of foundations being released that also contain anti-aging serums. Having this kind of product combination seems like a good idea for women who find it time consuming or difficult to apply a foundation and facial serum separately. But I do wonder if a using a foundation with serum will provide the same level of protection against aging that applying a serum and then a foundation does.
Covergirl’s serum partner is Olay, a company whose anti-aging products have been shown in studies to be more or just as effective as serums several times its cost. If you don’t have sensitivities to Talc or Titanium Dioxide this should work well. For whatever reason, Olay’s anti-aging products with Niacinamide have always broken me out. As for shades, this comes in the same ones as all the other Covergirl foundations. There’s a wide range for women across the skin color spectrum. But, as usual, the foundation makes a huge jump from Tawny and Toasted Almond to the much darker Sable. Plus, the darker shades have an orange undertone typical of drugstore cosmetics.
Active Ingredient: Titanium Dioxide
Other Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Isotridecyl Isononanoate, Ozokerite, Acetyl Glucosamine, Silica, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Sorbitan Isostearate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Panthenol, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Stearic Acid, Methicone, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate. May Contain: Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide
Cost: $15.99
CLINIQUE: Superfit Makeup
Clinique Superfit Makeup
I knew Clinique was going through a huge transition with its foundations when it became harder to find some of its old stalwarts. Superfit makeup was one of those Clinique perennials; the company relaunched it last year. The foundation is supposed to be a long-wearing one that withstands humidity and the oily onslaught of your T-zone area. Unfortunately, this foundation contains Isostearyl Palmitate, which can irritate skin with repeated use. It would be wise to start using it in an unobtrusive area before applying it to your face.
One thing that always horrified me about Clinique’s makeup is how unnatural some of the shades look, particularly the ones for women of color. The company seemed to rectify matters when it launched the Perfectly Real line. Superfit doesn’t provide the wide range of shades that Perfectly Real does, but at least Clinique is acknowledging women of color. There are three shades in the olive/dark range: Nutmeg, Toffee Brown and Spicy. Unfortunately, the Nutmeg looks extremely orange. Fair-skinned women are also complaining that the lightest shade is too dark for them. Clinique could probably do a lot more business if it began offering products that work for women at the extreme ends of the skin shade spectrum.
Ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Nylon-12, Bis-Peg/Ppg-14/14 Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Isostearyl Palmitate, Triethylhexanoin, Magnesium Stearate, Silk Powder\Serica\Poudre De Soie, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Bisabolol, Cetyl Peg/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, C9-15 Fluoroalcohol Phosphate, Hexyl Laurate, Laureth-7, Nylon-6, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polyurethane-9, Polyethylene, Hydroxyapatite, Dimethicone, Alumina, Silica, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin, [+/- Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Mica]
Cost: $20.50
MultiFACEted Cosmetics 