Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Review: CG Smoothers Aqua Tinted Moisturizer

After being a strictly powder foundation kind of gal for the last 5 years or so, I decided to try tinted moisturizer for the first time about 2 weeks ago.  After hearing so many great things about ELF Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20, I went ahead and bought it.  There were lots and lots of great things about it!  It was lightweight, blended well with and evened out my skin tone, had built-in sunscreen, smelled good, and  worked great with my combination skin.  Unfortunately, after about one week of use, I had more zits than I've ever gotten all at once in years.  It just didn't work with my chemistry.  As much as I wanted to love it, I had to kiss it goodbye.

This is a dramatization.  If I actually looked like that, I don't think I'd be smiling.

I'm not talking bad about ELF, they're one of my top 5 favorite cosmetic companies.  However, no product line is without flaws and I need to be honest about what works for me and what doesn't.

I wasn't going to give up on tinted moisturizers.  I'm hooked on how healthy, hydrated, and great-looking my complexion is when I use it.  I've mentioned before that I have bad combination skin: dry and flaky in some parts, and oily in others.  So when using a tinted moisturizer in conjunction with a translucent powder, I solve the combination skin problem.  I did some more research and found that CG Smoothers Aqua Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, by CoverGirl, was very highly recommended, even more so than the ELF brand.  I picked up a tube in Light to Medium from my local Target for about $6.50.  More than twice the price of ELF, but not expensive by any means.



While there, I also picked up an ELF Essential Foundation Brush for $1.


I used to have a foundation brush awhile ago, but it went missing somehow.  I forgot what a great way it was to apply foundation!  No waste from being soaked up in a sponge, efficient because I can squeeze product from the tube right onto the brush, AND I get to keep my hands clean! :D  Wheeeeeee!


I finished by applying ELF Studio Translucent Matifying Powder with the ELF Studio Kabuki Brush.  This is what I can say about CG Smoothers Aqua Tinted Moisturizer so far:

1. lightweight
2. blends well with and evens out skin tone
3. fragrance-free
4. built in SPF 15

Most importantly, it's advertised as non-comedogenic.  That's right, it does not clog pores!  This is essential to pimple prevention.  I've been using it for about 3-4 days now and have not even experienced a shadow of a zit.  With the ELF brand, I got one after about 2 days and 3 more after a week.  I think this is it for me, yay!

Also, while it's about $3-$4 more than ELF, you actually get more product per tube.  When I do the math, ELF tinted moisturizer comes out to $4.29 per ounce.  CG's tinted moisturizer comes out to about $4.85 per ounce...not that much of a difference, really.  Love it!  If all goes well, I'm going to be using this stuff FOREVER!

2 comments:

  1. Great review! I'm always nervous about trying new foundations since I'm prone to get acne...I think I'm going to pass on the ELF one but the CG one sounds pretty good!

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  2. Thanks Amanda! So far so good, it's been about a week now and I haven't run into any problems. If anything does come up, I'd be sure to post an update. :)

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