I was interested because I've been looking for a nice tinted moisturizer to give me some coverage and a natural look. Also tinted moisturizers are a less-cakey alternative to foundations, and I've always wanted to get up in the morning and throw on some tinted moisturizer on a good skin day and get out the door.
I was also particularly interested in TheBalm's tinted moisturizer over any others because the product looked creamy and had a lot of nice pigmentation to it. It looked just like a foundation when I squirted some out from the tube onto my hand. I was also interested because I love TheBalm products. TheBalm brand is somewhat of a surprise, because it is rarely talked about but has great, effective, and well-priced products, and their packaging is thoughtful, clever, adorable and vintage-y.
Here's the run-down of BalmShelter on Sephora's site.
BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18
What it is:
A Tinted moisturizer with SPF 18.
What it is formulated to do:
A superior formulation that provides long lasting moisture, BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer gives you the perfect polished look while leaving your skin feeling silky.
What else you need to know: BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18 has Broad Spectrum protection, which means it protects skin from both UVA and UVB rays. BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18 is non-comedogenic and will not clog pores.
Size: 2.25 oz
Price: $25
Range: The BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer comes in three colors: light, light/medium, and medium.
My thoughts:
I really didn't care for this product. :( I hate to say that, but I didn't. It's an okay product, and I got some coverage out of it but I didn't get excited when applying or about the after result. The reviews on Sephora gives it a 4.5 stars out of 5 which is a very good rating. Unfortunately I don't feel the way most people seem to. Yes it gave some coverage, and in the sample jar it looks very creamy and promising, but when applied I just didn't care for the texture or the way it spread or even looked for that matter. It's a thin watery-ish texture with a little tackiness to it. I wasn't having a good skin-day the day I photographed the before and after, so my skin was never going to look flawless in the results (nor should it be expected to with a tinted moisturizer) but I just didn't like the product and felt that it didn't do much to improve the look of my skin. The shade also wasn't a great match, it was a bit too orange-y. I think my sample was in medium. Maybe light-medium would have been the way to go. Anyway, it could just be that maybe I'm not a tinted moisturizer girl, which I'm starting to think I'm not. However I would not re-purchase.
The product applied on my hand in three different ways- a stripe, a slightly blended out circle and a dab. First pic is without flash, second pic is with flash.
