A Tinted Moisturising Balm; I love the idea of it. I love the look of it. I don’t love the smell of it, but hey, that’s personal preference and there are thousands of people who love the cucumber-meets-botanical scent that features across Bobbi Brown skin care. In fact, we in the cucumber-averse community are almost certainly the minority. This Tinted Moisturising Balm is almost the kind of skin-beautifying makeup product I have been dreaming of.
The first time this was applied on my skin it was by a lovely lady at Liberty in London, and it felt cooling and plumping and everything like the tinted moisturiser I’d been searching for. Back before they went all BB and CC when they actually felt like a moisturiser, with tint in it. It didn’t pack a lot of coverage but it was enough to tone down the redness and warm things up from deathly-pale to ‘healthy’. I left looking ‘fresh’ and dewy like someone who has juicy, hydrated skin. Mission. Accomplished.
Unfortunately, when I used it myself the next day, I noticed that irritating ‘pilling’ effect as I rubbed the product in with my hands. “This didn’t happen in the magical beauty halls of Liberty,” I thought. What was I doing wrong? I gave it the benefit of the doubt – maybe it just didn’t work with my moisturiser, maybe I needed an exfoliation, maybe I need to pull out the wondrous Bobbi Brown foundation buffing brush.
Next attempt, same thing. On top of that, it quickly became clear this little tub was breaking my (usually clear) skin out. I would stop using it, the skin would clear, start it again – bam – spots. I like to think that aversion to the cucumber scent was my skin’s way of telling me something in here just isn’t for me. For someone else, sure. The body has an amazing way of teaching us what it likes, wants and needs – we just have to listen.
Now full disclosure; I decided to test out the standard Bobbi Brown moisturiser – the Vitamin Enriched Face Base, which is loved by many and touted as a great primer for makeup. Beautiful consistency but it has that same scent, love it or hate it, and what do you know, my skin hates it. Cue the tears of a Bobbi Brown loyalist. Clearly, there is an ingredient here that just doesn’t sit well on my skin, which was truly disappointing for a Bobbi Brown devotee like me. Will it deter me from the many other BB products that make up my favourites list? Not at all.
For many of you this face tint may be a wondrous product. It’s the perfect sort of no-makeup makeup that enhances your face and makes everything look even-toned, plump and youthful – you know, just…better. The way makeup should be.