Welcome to the ‘Best Bang for Your Buck‘ series!  Each week for the next few months, I’m going to tackle certain types of beauty products, and list the offerings from popular department store brands and their sizes vs. costs.  At a glance, you’ll be able to see which items are most cost effective in that category, and get a better idea if your money is being well spent, or if you’re being, well – a little ripped off!  Also, if you’re hedging on picking up a certain product because of the cost, this will give you an idea of the true value of the product and if it’s worth your hard earned cash.

Many of the sizes and dollar values of products are taken from online websites; please let me know if anything is listed incorrectly and I’ll be sure to fix it!  Also, for products which we don’t have here in Atlantic Canada, or for items that are more difficult to find overall, I’ll note in green where they’re located for your reference – though I tried to mostly include products relatively accessible as a whole. 

Week Seven: Tinted Moisturizers

Yet another item I’m in the market for, tinted moisturizers are ideal for the warmer Spring and Summer months, and since I’m too tanned now for the two foundations I own, I’m in need of something to even me out a bit.  I’ve been really diligent at testing out the contenders I decided upon (Stila’s and NARS’), though it was hard to narrow it down, as there are several other brands that sound like they also have great formulas!  And as many of the offerings are around the same size and similar price, it made it even tougher.  Thankfully, not even brand makes a tinted moisturizer, and I could only find 20 different versions to showcase, so that helped with the decision.  Check out which formula’s I found:

Worst Value
Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free SPF15 ($64/oz)

Most Product
theBalm Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF18 (2.25oz)

Least Product
*Four-way tie*
UltraFlesh Tinted Moisturizer (1.0 oz)
Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 (1.0 oz)
CoverFX Skin Tint Tinted Moisturizer SPF30 (1.0 oz)
Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer Oil-Free SPF15 (1.0 oz)

Best Picks ($35 or less and 1.7oz or more)
theBalm Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer SPF18 ($32 / 2.25oz)
Urban Decay Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 ($30 / 1.69oz)
Smashbox Sheer Focus Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 ($35 / 1.7oz)

Worthy Splurges ($45+ and 1.7oz or more)
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF30 / PA+++ ($49 / 1.9oz)
Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer ($46 / 1.7oz)
Tarte Smooth Operator Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 ($47 / 1.7oz)
Bobbi Brown Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 ($50 / 1.7oz)

I was surprized at how expensive some tinted moisturizers are – I kind of feel like since they tend to have less coverage, they should be cheaper than your standard foundation, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.  The formulas I wanted to try were all around the same price, so that didn’t help me in whittling down which to investigate.  As well, for the most part many of the products are around the same size – though the few ones that were significantly smaller were essentially eliminated from my selection process.  What DID help was the limited shade selection of some of the brands, which considerably eliminated some of the products I could potentially check out (however, this won’t necessarily help you guys if you’re more fair than I).  I tried the Stila version before I left for Jamaica, which was a bit light (though I think the darker shade, which was too dark then, would be suitable for me now), and liked that it didn’t bother my skin at all and offered just the right amount of sheer coverage.  However, I’ve been trying the NARS version since I’ve returned, in a shade that matchs my tanned skin, and have been quite impressed.  Once I finish my sample as well as the last dregs of my Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer, I’ll be ALL over the Pure Radiant TM – it’s fantastic!

Do you like tinted moisturizers, or prefer a fuller coverage foundation?  What tinted option is YOUR favorite??