I Hated Wearing Face Makeup Until I Tried This bareMinerals Tinted Moisturizer

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 19/20
• Ease of Use: 18/20
• Aesthetics: 18/20
• Blendability: 20/20
• TOTAL: 92/100

Ever since the sixth grade, I’ve had a love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with foundations, tinted moisturizers and bb creams. Their complexion perfecting, skin tone evening effects? Totally great. Their orangey residue and chalky, stiff feeling on my skin? Not so great.

Which is why by tenth grade, I swore off face makeup completely—save for some bronzer and highlighter. I’m blessed with pretty clear skin, so I stuck with the bare-faced approach until a lucky break a few years ago.

A friend was doing my makeup for a night out (remember those?) and somehow convinced me to let her slather some of bareMinerals’ Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer as a base. Though resistant, I had to admit I was a little impressed by the way it neutralized the perpetual redness on my cheeks and forehead.

Still, I was pretty sure I’d be dying to take a makeup remover wipe to my face as soon as that familiar cakey feeling started to set in after an hour or two. But surprisingly, it never came. The Complexion Rescue felt so comfortable, I forgot I was even wearing it—until I glanced in the mirror and saw how good my skin looked.

When I made it home after a long night without a single orange streak or smudge, I pulled out my laptop and ordered my own bottle right then and there. Since I’m pretty fair, I went with the Birch 1.5 shade. But bareMinerals offers this hydrating gel cream in 20 different warm and cool shades to accommodate a wide variety of skin tones.

My first time wearing the tinted moisturizer during the daytime went just as smoothly. After dabbing some onto my bare face and blending it in with my fingers, I was relieved to see what looked like my natural skin, but better. I’d describe the coverage as light, but buildable: You could still see my freckles and the birthmark on my forehead, but my redness totally disappeared after I applied a little extra around my nose. After brushing on a little bronzer and blush, I was good to go—no powder or setting spray necessary.

Whenever I touched my face throughout the day, I couldn’t even tell that I had makeup on. If anything, my face just felt softer and more moisturized than usual. That’s thanks to the formula’s combination of plant-derived squalane and mineral electrolytes, which work to hydrate your skin while you wear it.

So, obviously, I made it a staple in my beauty routine and renounced my anti-face makeup stance. And as it turns out, I’m not the only one who’s a fan. Complexion Rescue has racked up almost 2,000 five-star reviews on Sephora praising its sun protection (it's formulated with SPF 30, BTW), lightweight coverage and glowy effect.

If it were up to me, the only thing I’d change is how the formula goes on slightly wet, which has led to more shirt stains than I’d like to admit. But at the same time, it allows for really smooth application, so I’ve just learned to be careful.

Before you completely write off face makeup like I did, give bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer a try. It just might change your mind.