The Selena Gomex x Rare Beauty Tinted Moisturizer jumps aboard the natural makeup bandwagon! How does it measure up to all its predecessors?

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These days? Tinted moisturizer is as much a staple in any beauty routine as mascara.

And gone are the days when Laura Mercier has a chokehold on the market. No, no. Nay, nay! It’s actually become a rather crowded landscape with every brand under the sun releasing their variation of the beauty must-have.

The latest to jump on the bandwagon? Selena Gomez and crew with the new Rare Beauty Positive Light tinted moisturizer. It arrives as a very seamless expansion of a line that embraces the philosophy that makeup should enhance everyone’s innate, natural beauty. Ms. Gomez herself has shared that she much prefers to spot treat her complexion rather than piling foundation on everywhere.

Up to this point – Rare Beauty has a hit or miss history for me. They’ve produced products I LOVE — like their creamy bronzer sticks and must-have mascara. On the flip side, they’ve also released products I think you can safely pass on (like the loose powder). Where does the Rare Beauty tinted moisturizer fall on the spectrum? That’s a question I needed to know the answer to so I picked up the shade 26W and have been playing with it for several weeks.

Find out below how well we are (or are not) getting along!

Rare Beauty Tinted Moisturizer

24 Shades Available

First things first! It’s great to see that the Rare Beauty tinted moisturizer has a nice shade selection available — with varying undertones to suit those of all skintones. These are also stretchable shades, which was very useful when initially purchasing for review as I did need to go with a warm instead of neutral undertone as the most optimal shade match for me was sold out.

Formulated with Vitamin E and SPF

I was actually surprised to see there weren’t more skin-loving ingredients included in the formula as tinted moisturizers are theoretically a form of skincare. Nonetheless, I was pleased to see that the product does include Vitamin E — which is very effective at hydrating the skin and healing blemishes or discoloration. I’m also always happy to apply additional sun protection to my complexion so the SPF 20 is appreciated.

Light Coverage with Radiant Finish

The Rare Beauty tinted moisturizer promised light, breathable coverage with a radiant finish and I’d have to agree. The coverage is light and features (like my freckles) definitely shine through but it leaves your skin with an appealing, subtle glow.

How to Apply?

While testing this out, I played around by applying the product with my hands, a brush and beauty sponge. Selena Gomez’s preferred method is to use her fingers and I concur. It’s nice to massage this into your skin like you would a moisturizer while but however you prefer will do!

How Does it Wear?

The Rare Beauty tinted moisturizer applies very comfortably to the skin and I’m happy to say continues to feel light throughout the day as opposed to some foundations that can start to feel heavy as the day wears on. That said, I was pretty disappointed to see that after the product fully sets — it clings to dry patches and blemishes. As the day rolls on, I also noticed fine lines and pores becoming more noticeable. Despite having dimethicone among the ingredients, there really isn’t any “blurring” to the skin as promised.

Price? $29

Though the price tag of $29 isn’t the highest out there on the market, it does lean on the pricier said compared to other Rare Beauty products — which was surprising to me. There’s not much to the formula or performance that really justifies the price either when great products like Wet n Wild’s Skin Tint have more skin nourishing ingredients included like hyaluronic acid AND squalane but at a remarkably low price of under $7.

Where to Shop

Rare Beauty Tinted Moisturizer Review I DreaminLace.com #makeupaddict #crueltyfreebeauty #summermakeup — Shop at Sephora ($29)

Rare Beauty Tinted Moisturizer Rundown

The Pros

Light, buildable coverage
Radiant, natural finish
Contains SPF 20
Includes Vitamin E to soften and nourish
Vegan and cruelty-free formula
Comfortable to wear
Nice color selection with 24 shades to meet every skintone

The Cons

Clings to dry patches or blemishes
Settles in fine lines
Moderate wear time before getting clingy and settling into lines
Formulated with talc — which can be irritating to the skin

Overall Grade: B-

While I do love the immediate performance of Rare Beauty’s tinted moisturizer, I was pretty disappointed to see how much it does cling to any dry patches and finds its way settling in lines throughout the day. There also aren’t as many beneficial ingredients included that I really love to see in a tinted moisturizer or BB cream. There’s no hyaluronic acid or niacinimide. Surprisingly, the ingredients also includes talc which can be very irritating and increase inflammation in the skin.

With all the many many alternative tinted moisturizers out there, I don’t anticipate that I’ll be purchasing this one again as there are many others I enjoy more. All in all — I’d say this is a decent but pretty mediocre product.