I have oily skin that’s prone to breakouts, but this skin tint leaves my skin looking even, fresh *and* radiant

These days, time is very much of the essence when it comes to my everyday routine. If a product can’t be applied in mere seconds with my fingertips, and preferably without a mirror, then I’m not interested. However, although I want my beauty routine to be fast, I want to see visible results too. That means cream blushers that actually add colour to my cheeks, brow gels that tame unruly hairs into place, and tinted balms that make lips feel hydrated and look more polished. As for my base products? Whether it’s a tinted moisturiser or a concealer, I want something that’s going to provide actual coverage.

Sure, most of us have moved away from full-coverage foundations and are embracing products that allow our skin to shine through—and I’m all for a more natural-looking approach to make-up. But when you have oily skin that’s prone to pretty hefty hormonal breakouts like me then to feel my best I really do want a product that’s going to minimise redness, even skin tone and diffuse the appearance of any big spots. And the reason that I have been on the fence about skin tints for such a long time is because I have tried so many that promise brighter, more even, healthier looking skin only to make literally no difference once applied. That was, until, I came across the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint.

Made with 78% skincare ingredients, I truly didn’t expect much from this lightweight formula—it’s so thin it almost feels like water—but the way that it melts into skin to deliver hydration, coverage and a satin-like radiance is truly unparalleled. In fact, it’s pretty much the only base product that I reach for on a daily basis now (as my empty bottle will testify to). So, what makes it so damn brilliant?

The formula

I’ll admit that when I first scanned the ingredients list for the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint, I was convinced that this wouldn’t be a product for me. Like many skin tints, the first ingredient on the list is water—key with skin tints and different from liquid foundations or tinted moisturisers which tend to have a little more viscosity and opacity of pigment. And while water creates a lovely lightweight texture, it often means that a product doesn’t provide much in the way of coverage.

The thing that really sets this skin tint apart from others on the market though, is its skincare ingredient-heavy INCI list. There’s moisturising glycerin, hydrating squalane, soothing prickly pear oil, plumping sunflower seed oil and coco capryalte which helps to soften dry skin. All of this will greatly appeal to dry or mature skin types, but as someone with oily and spot-prone skin I was concerned that it would leave my skin too shiny and slick, and even potentially exacerbate breakouts.

Thankfully, I had no cause for concern. Yes, the formula is beautifully hydrating, but this only helps it to sink effortlessly into skin to deliver that bright, natural effect. Plus, oily skin can be dehydrated too, and now that I’m 35 I often find that a little extra hydration is exactly what my skin needs to look plump and juicy. And if you find that your foundation and concealer can get a bit cakey throughout the day, then there’s no worry about that happening with this product. Even better, along with all of those soothing, skin-strengthening ingredients, there are blurring pigments which help to diffuse fine lines, minimise the appearance of pores and generally make your skin tone look a whole lot more even. I was hugely impressed with the coverage of this skin tint—it’s much more like a lightweight foundation in terms of covering redness and blurring over blemishes, but with none of the heaviness.

The results

The fact that I have gone through an entire bottle of the Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint speaks volumes as to how good I think this is. I reach for it every single morning—whether I’m heading out for the school run or I’m hopping on a Zoom call for work—because I am so obsessed with how instantly it livens up my skin and acts as the perfect canvas for the rest of my hastily applied make-up. Plus, I’ve applied it with my fingers, make-up sponges and brushes, and it plays nice no matter what your desired technique.

I’m having a particularly painful breakout around my chin currently, and as you can see in the photos, while this skin tint won’t totally eradicate all signs of blemishes, I’m happy with the way that it’s dialled down the redness and just softened how inflamed that area of my face looks. If you have excessively oily skin then you might want to set the skin tint in place with a little setting powder to improve its longevity, but I often go without and am pretty impressed with the staying power. Because the finish is velvety rather than overtly glowy, it actually lasts really well on the skin and when it does start to fade it does so evenly rather than clinging to dry patches and looking cakey. If you’re after a quick-fix base product that can transform the most tired of skin into something that looks fresh and awake then I truly can't recommend it enough.