theBalm BalmShelter Silky-Smooth Tinted Moisturizer - Lighter than Light

Most of the reviews on this product are actually pretty accurate. I've tried tons of bb's/cc's/tinted moisturizers trying to find the perfect everyday product. I don't like an overly-flawless look where my skin doesn't look like skin, I don't like the feel of heavy foundation, but I DO want my skin tone evened out, redness balanced, blemishes concealed, etc. I'm combination/oily and prone to breakouts, so MANY other products have been too greasy, broken me out, and melted off my face. The only other product that's worked well for me is Garnier miracle perfecting BB, BUT if you have fair skin like me then you know even the "light/medium" shade is too tan/dark to really work. I have to say, I think I found my near-perfect but as-good-as-it's-gonna-get product here. What I like: - lightweight but build-able - pretty decent staying power, I still look pretty good at the end of an 8 hour work day - doesn't break me out (yes!) - pretty good size bottle - color options! Side note, here. It definitely oxidizes quite a bit. When I initially ordered I was debating between the Light and the Light/Medium. I have more yellow undertones so I tend to find the tone of a more medium light is better for me. Considering the oxidizing factor I went with light and boy am I glad. When I put the light on straight out of the bottle it's a near perfect match for me, but throughout the day I start looking pretty tan. Not orangey or odd looking, just tan. Given that the rest of my body is very NOT tan, I decided to order a bottle of "lighter and light" and now I blend the two together for a great match. Lightest light is SUPER pale, pinky peach.. Probably only good for those with that porcelain doll pinkish skin. I attached a pic of the two colors for those who want to reference. Light is on the left and lighter than light on the right. What I don't love: - it definitely has a lot of sunscreen in it. If you have sensitive eyes, this product stings. I keep it away from my eyes and just use concealer in that area, but it wouldn't work well if you are sensitive and want to use it around your eye area. - it can be a little challenging to apply. I found that a beauty blender soaks up way too much product and wastes it. I tried a foundation brush (honestly I suck at using those) and couldn't get rid of streaky brush strokes. I now apply with my fingers and it works. I put a base layer on and then let it dry a bit before smoothing it out. Otherwise I feel like I'm just endlessly pushing the product around my face. - it takes a while to dry. I'm impatient so I pack on a setting powder so I can move forward with the rest of my makeup. Overall I really like the product and think I'll keep buying it! I actually think it's a pretty good value. So happy to have found it!

This is a great tinted moisturizer! I have very light skin, and it is combination to the core (dry cheeks and forehead, oily nose and chin). Right around the time I turned 30, I started becoming more oily in my chin area, and this has caused a lot of breakouts - not a problem I ever had before. I have searched and tried a few different tinted moisturizers without much success... Until I found this one :) The coverage is great. I still use a little concealer because I have very uneven skin tone - but many people could probably go without that (or layer it in certain areas, I'm sure). So far it has not made me break out, but I have only been using it about a week. Will update if that changes! It keeps the oil at bay as well as any product could - I have long since given up on having a shine-free face for more than 10 hours. And now that I think about it, 10 hours is a long time and that desire is actually pretty unrealistic (ha). Anyways. All this to say, I'm a pretty pick person when it comes to oil control and coverage, and this tinted moisturizer is the best that I have found. For a great price too! It does smell a little like sunscreen, but once you rub it in and maybe put a little powder over it, it is no problem :) Oh, also, I'm super fair skinned and most tinted moisturizers or foundations turn my skin orange. I'm lighter than light in this one, and it matches very well.

I love a light tint it sheer coverage foundation. I like my skin to look like skin and not cakey. On first application it looked like I had nothing on my skin. But after 10-30 mins it settles on the skin and looks great. My skin is left feeling and looking healthy.

The color of the BB is perfect for my very fair skin in the Lighter than Light shade. It goes on fairly well and dries very fast with a dryer, matte finish. I wouldn't wear this without moisturizing well first on my older, combination skin. I recently tried this using a primer first--Lanacane--Yes, you heard it correctly, I said Lanacane anti-chafing gel! Based on reviewers comments, I tried and love this as my primer. The only difference between the DHC Velvet primer and plain old Lanacane is the addition of a little cornstarch to the Lanacane anti-chafing gel. It's about a third of the price of the DHC primer and works just as well. It's not irritating at all and goes on smoothly. But enough on that. Back to BalmShelter Tinted Moisturizer...once I used a thin layer of the primer and let it dry 10-15 minutes, it made the BalmShelter go on much more smoothly. Prior to adding the primer, this product kind of sank in and disappeared into my combo skin as the day wore on. BUT, with the primer it lasted all day long and still looked fresh as can be 12 hours later. I was amazed and delighted. The addition of the SPF 18 is a bonus too as I can skip sunscreen if I'm not in direct sun for too long. In summer I'll layer it on top of my sunscreen and primer for added protection. Overall I like this a lot and will likely buy more in the future. Since the tube is a nice amount, I can see this will last a long time especially since it's in a more sanitary tube rather than a jar. Would recommend especially since it comes in such a light color unlike many tinted moisturizers, and the fact that the coverage is close to many foundations but not too heavy. Update: The more I use this Tinted Moisturizer, the better I like it. As mentioned above, with the addition of the primer on top of my moisturizer (and sometimes additional sunscreen), this stuff goes on really smoothly. The most exciting thing is not only how long it lasts (12+ hours), but the coverage. I am finding that it evens out my skin beautifully and I only need to add a little concealer under my eyes and on the sides of my nose. It brightens my face too, a nice bonus. I will continue to order this product as long as they make it and I'm so glad Amazon carries the Lighter than Light shade as I have had trouble finding it in stores (Kohl's). If you are always looking for foundation that is light enough for your pale skin tone, this may be it. And it isn't cakey or overly heavy either. If your skin is on the oily side, this tinted moisturizer may be all you need, but I'd still recommend your favorite primer as your first step for smoother application and a longer lasting finish.

I love this brand! A small drop goes a long way for very nice coverage. No it's not going to hide moles or bad acne, but for someone like me who has a lot of redness, it normalizes my skin tone tremendously! I use lighter than light in the winter months when my summer tan fades, and the next one up in the summer when I get a little tanner. I love how even and not red it makes my skin. I normally hate wearing makeup but this is great, feels just like a cream with some sunscreen in it. Perfect for not looking like a troll on zoom meetings and very suitable for everyday wear. Love this product! Only regret is that I found it at age 33; this would have been a godsend in my teens and 20s.

I love this bomb shelter cream unfortunately they don’t make my color anymore so I can’t use it. I bought as much as I could before. It went out of stock. They only have super orangey dark stuff but if that’s your tone pick it up it’s great. It’s awesome. It goes on last all day. Best product out there and now of course they don’t make it anymore. Go figure.

Finally, a tinted moisturizer that is light enough for those with really light skin! Most tints are too orange, even at their lightest! This has a great texture and feels great. I have it 3 stars because it makes me pretty greasy by the afternoon. I have combination skin, so I use this in the winter.

This stuff is awesome. I like that I can put it on and get coverage and brightness, but not feel like I have sticky or cakey makeup on. It looks very natural, but covers up imperfections of my "natural" skin. I have been trying to get that natural but flawless look forever, and this stuff does the trick for me. Sometimes I will add eyeliner and mascara or a soft gloss to enhance my features and feel more made up. It's great for everyday look or when you know you will be somewhere the heavier makeup will melt or look over done. And my face seems to still feel smoothe after I take it off. It's inexpensive, so I recommend you to try it. I ordered it in two colors just to try them, and I personally love it.

This tinted moisturizer is light and goes on smoothly. Provides good coverage, but this colour is very, very light-almost white! I just bought the next light colour and it is a much better match

The box came all mangled and the tube itself didn't have a seal on it. It looked and felt like it had been used, like it was a returned item that they sold again. Very disapointed as I've read amazing reviews on the product itself.

Love this. Makes my skin happy. Strong smell of sunscreen but personally I don't mind that.

Too thick

I like this stuff, bought it because of YouTube recommendation and I'm not disappointed. Most of all I'm that natural white hair, blue eyes and burns through the window on a sunny day kind of pale and it's LIGHT ENOUGH! SPF could be higher though.