Simone Gannon: Full coverage make-up is out and light, glow-inducing tints are in - here are four of the best

Skin tints and lighter base products are having a moment, and is it any wonder? Skincare meets makeup in low-maintenance, ultra-light formulas that deliver a wash of colour and a luminous, sheer finish in record time.

Whether you prefer a matt finish, a show-stopping glow, or a tint-sunscreen hybrid, here are four of the best to help you perfect your no-makeup makeup look.

Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Instant Soft-Focus Beauty Glow Primer

Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Face Primer (€49 from charlottetilbury.com) is unsurprisingly excellent under foundation. It provides a smooth, grippy base that helps to hold your complexion product in place for several hours. Where it also excels, however, is as a stand-alone, everyday skin corrector for dull, tired skin. Lightweight and very blendable, Wonderglow is the product to reach for on no makeup days (or whenever your skin needs perking up). It instantly brightens, adds a bit of colour and leaves what can only be described as a candlelight-like glow on the skin. A beautiful, versatile product.

Sculpted by Aimee HydraTint Moisturising Tinted Serum

One of my most worn bases in 2023, Sculpted by Aimee HydraTint (€25 from sculptedbyaimee.com), is the quick, easy, apply-in-the-dark-and-still-look-good base we all deserve. Beautifully light on the skin, this delivers all the benefits of a decent calming, hydrating serum, thanks to an infusion of hyaluronic acid, ceramides and vitamin E, among others, and the coverage of a tinted moisturiser. It’s just enough to reduce redness, cover blemishes and leave your skin looking fresh and even-toned. The finish is a barely detectable soft matt. The brand describes it as a “sheer veil of cover”, and that’s it in a nutshell: glorious, pocket-sized perfection (and available in 20 shades).

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Trinny London BFF De-Stress Tinted Serum

If a dewy finish is more your thing, let me recommend Trinny London BFF De-Stress Tinted Serum (€48 from trinnylondon.com). It’s worth noting that the formula looks nothing like a serum when you pump it out of the tube – it’s pretty thick and not at all fluid but as soon as it hits the skin, it’s a different story. It blends exceptionally fast, almost melting into the skin, lightly covering blemishes and reducing redness, and the finish is radiant and glossy. Wear time is long and very comfortable, too. It’s formulated with hyaluronic acid and, more interestingly, neurophroline – a plant-based ingredient that breaks down stress-related hormones and calms the skin. Available in 12 shades.

Colourscience Flex Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF50

Not your typical base product but rather a mineral sunscreen that adjusts to match your natural skin tone. Colourscience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex (€48 from drlauraclinic.ie) is a fluid, lightweight formula that beautifully enhances the skin. It is fluid and light and applies like regular sunscreen, but adapts to complement your natural skin tone within two minutes of application. The result is a smooth, glowy, even base that looks so natural, you’d be forgiven for thinking you applied nothing at all. An excellent sunscreen and base option in one (with SPF50 protection). Available in four shades: fair, medium, tan and deep.

This week I’m loving ...

Color Wow Style On Steroids Texture Spray

A friend sent me a video of Color Wow Style on Steroids Performance Enhancing Texture + Finishing Spray (€24.99 from heavenlyhair.ie) in action, and I ordered it less than a minute later. I’ve never used a product quite like it. It adds enormous, dry touch volume without weighing down the hair, and the hairspray-like effect lingers for several days. If you’re a big hair lover like me, give it a go.