I tried Fenty Beauty's new tinted moisturiser and my skin now loves me more for it

When it comes to makeup, I only have a keen interest in a few looks.

And in the two decades that I’ve been wearing makeup, it has been my sole mission to perfect these three looks — the perfect winged eyeliner (done), a smoky eye that will rival a rock star (also done), and the ever-elusive no-makeup makeup look (still working on it!).

Since the prior two makeup looks usually called for bigger or more dressed up events, I have since stripped down my makeup routine into something a lot more pared down.

If I was heading out, I would only opt for concealer, brow powder, neutral eyeshadow for some definition, eyeliner and a swipe of mascara. I could get my face done in 20 minutes or less. I loved it.

So when “skinimalism” was slowly hailed as the next big beauty trend of 2021, I was intrigued, but more importantly, confused. How was this different from the no-makeup makeup look?

And if it was supposed to be even more pared-down than that, should we just be… not wearing any makeup altogether?

If you — like me — were unfamiliar with the term prior to this, then let me explain what the trend entails.

While most natural makeup looks combine a variety of makeup products that emphasis your natural features as well as hide your flaws, skinimalism is all about marrying both makeup and skincare to create a look that showcases what your skin’s actual texture looks like.

Yes, this means not hiding your pores, discolouration, blemishes and other issues you might be insecure about.

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Clearly it still falls within the tangent of a “less is more” approach when it comes to beauty, but this time, it’s all about enhancing what you have rather than covering up.

While minimalist makeup is definitely not a novel concept, there seems to be a direct correlation between the rise of skinimalism and the constant pressure to achieve perfect, poreless skin that seems unattainable without the help of filters.

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It seems like people are tired of having to live up to unrealistic beauty standards that are near impossible to reach — unless you had J.Lo’s beauty budget (I mean, did any of us really believe she looks that good thanks to olive oil?) or a professional Kardashian photo retoucher on retainer.

Since I had neither, I figured it was better (and way cheaper) to go with a beauty trend that seemed to be much more healthier for my self-esteem.

So when the Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint ($45) was launched, I immediately requested to try it, eager to see if it would be the holy grail in my new minimalist beauty regime.

First Impressions

As promised, Eaze Drop is a hybrid makeup-skincare product and is meant to hydrate and “blur” your skin without leaving you with a cakey finish.

The product is also buildable, so on areas where I had discolouration due to some scars leftover from period pimples, I layered on a bit more for a consistent skin tone.

As with most tinted moisturisers, the formula was thinner and more diluted than a regular foundation, which I have to admit, did make me feel a little bit doubtful on the coverage.

While I don’t usually go for a full coverage foundation with a matte finish, I didn’t want a base makeup product that was essentially a glorified moisturiser.

But as I tested the product first on my hand and then on my face, I realised my panic was premature.

The product also comes in 25 shades encompassing light, medium and dark skin tones which you can shade match according to you Pro Filt’r Foundation shade.

The Eight hour test

To put the product to the text, I decided to use the Eaze Drop in shade 2 for a full work day to see how well the product fared.

As mentioned earlier, I’m not a fan of heavy coverage foundation so I usually stick to light to medium coverage. The Eaze Drop however, blew my mind to how sheer it was. By hour two, I had forgotten that I had makeup on my face — that’s how lightweight it was.

When I went to the bathroom and caught my reflection in the mirror, I was wondering why did my skin looked so clear that day, only to remember that I had applied the Eaze Drop on my face in the morning.

The skin tint also left a dewy, radiant finish on my face, giving me a fresh, beauty glow-up that was perfect for a day filled with video calls. It was also really easy to apply and I used my fingers to slowly dab and blend the product into my skin.

While you can use a sponge, during a makeup master class with Fenty Beauty’s Global Make-up Artist, Priscilla Ono, she recommended against it as it might soak up the tint.

However, if you happen to have oily skin, you might want to touch up with some powder on top of the tint.

I don’t switch on the air-conditioner when I WFH (hey man, I’m a pragmatic Singaporean and I’ve been conditioned to think that using the air-conditioner in the day will drive your bills up), and by mid-day, the tint had left a sheen on my face.

I wasn’t really too fussed about it since I was at home but I would definitely feel the need to blot my face every couple of hours if I was out and about.

The verdict

So, is this a good base makeup product? Personally for me it was, but I would have to say it would also depend on your skin condition.

As the coverage is pretty light, this should not be your go-to product if you’re looking to cover up more obvious blemishes.

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All it does is “blurs” your skin and gives you a “my skin but better” effect, so I do feel I would have the confidence to use this product only on days where my skin is really clear. I definitely could still see myself using a concealer first on fresh acne scars and dark circles.

It also works best if you prep your skin properly with a moituriser beforehand for added hydration, I personally used Fenty Skin’s Hydra Vizor Invisible Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen Moisturizer ($54).

In conclusion, if you’re the fuss-free sort that wants a product that’s effortless, easy to use, and will hold up in the humidity, then the Eaze Drop definitely lives up to its name.

If you’re interested in what else I used on my face to create my skinamlism look here’s the breakdown:

1. Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zings Pro Palette
2. Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Girl Next Door and Chic Phreak
3. Tarte Sea Color Splash Lipstick in Sunkissed
4. Heroine Makeup Volume and Curl Mascara
5, Cloud Paint in Dusk
6. Koji Curving Eyelash Curler

This article was first published in Herworld.