If Every Base Clings to Your Dry Patches, Try This One Instead—I Was Seriously Impressed

I don't have particularly dry skin, but I do experience patches of flakiness and my skin can easily become dehydrated, so I know how frustrating it can be when foundation clings to those dry areas, making them look even more noticeable.

This is part of the reason why I was excited to try the Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm. Made with a 92% skincare base, it promises to hydrate, smooth and visibly firm the skin with collagen peptide, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, while offering sheer, buildable coverage and a natural, skin-like finish. Better still, it claims to boost radiance, leave skin looking plumper and—most importantly—not settle into or exacerbate dry patches.

How We Test

I've been wearing the Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm every day for the past week, putting it through its paces everywhere from working at home to running errands. Throughout my testing, I've been assessing how easy it is to apply, the finish it leaves behind, how well it evens out redness and dark spots, its ability to blur pores, fine lines and uneven texture, and, crucially, how well it holds up over the course of the day.

I've been a beauty editor for more than 20 years, and in that time I've tested well over 100 tinted moisturisers and skin tints. That means I have a good benchmark for what separates a genuinely great formula from one that's simply making big promises—and whether the IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm is actually worth your money.

First Impressions

Coming in a solid balm format, I expected this tinted moisturiser to feel much richer than it does. Instead, the moment my fingertip touched the pan, it melted into a lightweight, serum-like texture that glided effortlessly over the skin. It feels virtually weightless once applied and blends in with minimal effort.

Given that the formula is made up of 92% skincare—and that 91% of participants in the brand's consumer study said their skin felt more comfortable throughout the day after application—I had high expectations when it came to hydration. Happily, it delivered. My skin felt immediately softer, more comfortable and noticeably better moisturised, without ever feeling greasy or heavy. The formula was developed in collaboration with plastic surgeons and dermatologists, and that thoughtful approach is reflected in both the texture and the ingredient lineup, which inspired confidence before I even put it to the test.

It comes in 15 versatile shades that run from Fairest to Deep, with options for Warm, Neutral, or Cool skin tones. I use shade Fairest Neutral FN110, but each of the 15 can adapt and span a spectrum of skin shades. It offers a radiant finish, and skin that still looks like skin. It’s that little bit of added confidence when bare skin just won’t do.

How to Apply

The Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm is so easy to apply, and you can do it with either a brush, beauty blender sponge, or just your fingers. All work well, but I found that a foundation brush works best, as it can move the product across the skin without absorbing much of it. It also leaves the most natural finish on the skin.

You really don’t need much to cover your whole face. IT Cosmetics says the coverage is ‘sheer but buildable’, but I don’t think it is buildable. You can’t get more than sheer coverage with this, as it starts to look unnatural and patchy if you apply too much. It’s meant to be a light veil over the skin rather than something that offers serious coverage.

The Verdict

As I've mentioned, if you're looking for full coverage, this isn't the base for you. The Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm is exactly what it says on the tin: a sheer-coverage complexion product that perfects rather than masks. It subtly evens out skin tone, softens the appearance of redness and pigmentation, and gives the complexion a healthy, blurred finish—but your skin still looks like your skin. If you're after lightweight, glow-enhancing coverage with genuinely impressive skincare benefits, however, I think it's well worth considering.

One thing to note is just how emollient the formula is. It leaves skin feeling deeply nourished and comfortable, which is why I think those with dry or dehydrated skin will get the most out of it. It creates the kind of hydrated, non-cakey base that doesn't cling to flaky patches—a surprisingly difficult quality to find. If you have oily skin, though, you may find it a little too rich for everyday wear.

That said, I have fairly normal skin with the first signs of ageing, and I was still hugely impressed. It stayed looking fresh throughout the day, and my skin felt noticeably softer, plumper and more comfortable from the moment I applied it. In fact, when I removed my makeup that evening, my skin still felt exceptionally soft, suggesting the skincare benefits weren't just superficial. The brand claims the formula provides up to 24 hours of hydration, and based on my experience, that's a claim I can get behind.

I also found that the added hydration helped soften the appearance of the fine lines around my eyes, giving my complexion an overall smoother, fresher look. In the brand's consumer trials, 91% of users said their fine lines appeared minimised and their skin felt firmer after use, and while I can't comment on firmness after just a week of testing, I did notice that my skin looked plumper and my fine lines appeared less noticeable. As for coverage, it took down redness, softened the look of dark spots and made my complexion appear much more even, but it never completely concealed those imperfections—which, for a product like this, is exactly the point.

The 3 main ingredients that provide the IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Tint Face Balm’s moisturising and plumping abilities are biosynthetic collagen peptides, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E. Its emollient benefits come from that vitamin E, while hyaluronic acid plumps the skin and minimises the appearance of fine lines. The biosynthetic collagen peptides are basically short chains of amino acids that act as cell signallers to stimulate collagen and elastin production, as well as wound healing.

I just wish this product contained SPF, as that added benefit would have greatly increased its appeal. When this product is designed to be more skincare than makeup and appeal to those with skincare needs, SPF seems like an obvious first step to me.

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