My skin is slowly getting better but a few weeks ago, it was dry and tight – as well as being extremely uncomfortable after washing I had horrible flakes on my cheeks that stuck to make up.
So I was very relieved to get my hand on this – Bobbi Brown’s Tinted Moisturizing Balm (SPF 25). I am a big fan of all Bobbi Brown base products – I think they are consistently good especially the concealers.
Bobbi Brown’s Tinted Balm is a very unusual product! It comes in a nifty, solid jar, and although their site calls it a ‘lightweight’ foundation I would have to disagree and say its quite a rich and creamy texture.
It contains shea butter and squalane – both great for hydrating but also very rich – this is for DRY skins1 Don’t bother chancing it if you are oily!
Must point out that this balm has a strong smell – its sort of herbal, like what you’d expect an organic face cream to smell like. I quite like it but I would suggest going down to the counter to give it a sniff if you are quite fussy about your scents.
The foundation (its a foundation, but its also called a tinted balm, and its also a moisturiser – its like an all in one!) has a creamy texture. It feels silky on the skin and it does look a little greasy when first applied.
However – it says on their site, apply on dry skin IN PLACE of a regular moisturiser. This means that you don’t have to double up with your normal cream than this on top – its hydrating enough on its own.
When applied on its own, it worked very well for me because my skin needed the hydration.
I found the pigmentation excellent too – with my skin being quite red and needing coverage, I wasn’t sure if a ‘tinted balm’ would cover enough but it seemed to do the trick.
My foundation is in medium/dark. There are a few options here but they are shade options like, Extra Light, Light, Light to Medium, Medium and so on.
Medium to Dark was perfect for me but it seems to be one of those products where it wouldn’t be a disaster if it was a tad lighter or a tad darker.
On the skin – it feels worryingly thick at first but provided you have dry skin, it will just suck up this product:
The finish:
The overall finish is dewy, natural and rather lovely.
I’d completely recommended this base to ladies with dry to very dry skin, and want decent coverage. It also saves time as you don’t need to use a cream over the top.
I would say, make sure you are ok with the smell of the product as its quite strong and I would not recommend this at all if you have oily or spot prone skin.
You can buy it here for £32.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
The smell put me right off! I can smell it on my face when it’s on. I thought it was the SPF making it pong. I’ve had a half written review of this stuck in my drafts for about 3 months, I must get it finished!
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Hi Vex
Yes the smell is STRONG and I’d suggest anyone considering it should make sure they are ok with the herbal scent!
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I played with this at my local counter and really liked it… but just can’t bring myself to buy a foundation whilst I’ve still got so many to get through.
Yeah, thanks for making me want it. *sigh*
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Hi Charlene
So annoying cos I bought 2 more this week (face and body – no thanks to you) and a MAQUillage one. I badly need to blog sale some of my numerous base products
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My Ma has very dry skin and she absolutely swears by this; she loves it. It gives a beautiful finish on her skin too.
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Hi Grace
It is WONDERFUL for sensitive dry skin, so soothing
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