5 People Test: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil-Free Natural Skin Perfector SPF20

It’s finally summer, and you know what that means? Yes: sun, floaty linen dresses and Aperol spritzes. But it’s also the time of year when you swap out your heavier foundation for something more lightweight and breathable. That soft, imperfection-blurring tinted moisturiser that gives you an authentic, natural glow.

Laura Mercier is pretty much the OG of ‘no makeup-makeup’, so when we heard it was relaunching its Tinted Moisturiser, we knew we had to be among the first to try it.

Launched more than 20 years ago, the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free is the secret to healthy, glowy skin, without that caked-on look. The iconic product (and we don’t use the word ‘iconic’ lightly around here) is being relaunched with an expanded shade lineup – 20 in total – to cater to all skin tones, ensuring there’s a perfect match for everyone. The formula is oil-free, so it's ideal for those of us looking for a glowy effect – controlling shine with oil-absorbing powders – in the warmer weather.

Speaking of which, the product also contains SPF20 and protects against environmental aggressors. This stuff is basically skincare and makeup combined, and that’s exactly the kind of beauty wizardry that sends the GLAMOUR team into a bit of a frenzy.

But what did we really think of the new Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free? Spoiler alert: it’s called iconic for a reason…

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free, £36, John Lewis

Serena Connolly, GLAMOUR Editorial Manager & Executive Assistant to Editor-in-Chief
Shade: 2N1 Nude

The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free is brilliant. The product is quite thick, but feels lightweight when applied and instantly gave me a flawless and smooth complexion. It's definitely more glowy than matte, but if you're wanting a matte look then a little powder or bronzer on top works well. It's easy and quick to apply and smells great, too. Another benefit is that it doesn't cover your natural skin too much like a foundation, but also gives you enough coverage like some other tinted moisturisers don't. Most other tinted moisturisers wear off by the end of the day, but Laura Mercier's really did stay on from morning to night. A very useful product that I would highly recommend.

Jessica Lam, Condé Nast Digital Project Manager
Shade: 4W1 Tawny

I absolutely love tinted moisturisers as I hate the cakey, heavy feeling you sometimes get with foundations. And I love the 'no-makeup-makeup' look. I've been using the original Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser for ages and it's my holy grail. However in the summer months, I tend to find my face is a lot oilier, so I jumped at the chance to try the new oil-free version. The coverage was incredible – it lasted all day and without any greasiness or shine towards the end of the day.

What I also love about this is the added SPF within the product meaning my face looks good, but is also protected too – a win-win situation!

Luca Wetherby-Matthews, GLAMOUR Social Media Assistant
Shade: 3W1 Bisque

As a result of dealing with very temperamental skin issues (spots, dark spots, redness) I haven’t used a tinted moisturiser in years, because I always felt like it’d never do the job I wanted it to. So, I initially approached the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free with slight caution. But it does exactly what it says on the tin – perfects skin. The coverage hits the nail on the head with its no-makeup-makeup effect, enough to cover any of my redness and dark spots, but not too much that I felt like I’d lost all dimension in my face. The oil-free formula is perfect for my combination skin type too, and didn’t leave me feeling overly shiny by the end of the day.

It’s the perfect, effortless base for when I want a little something, but don’t want to commit to a full face. And now that the sun is (hopefully) starting to peek out again, I feel extra protected knowing it has SPF20.

Celia Gómez, GLAMOUR Video Editor
Shade: 1W1 Porcelain

As a person without many spots who doesn’t enjoy having a full face of makeup, this is a great product. The effect of this tinted moisturiser is incredible, it makes my skin look smoother and diffuses the areas where I usually have some redness, around my nose and cheeks. I was really happy to see that it tints those areas instead of completely covering them, which is something I’m not that fond of as it doesn’t look natural. The coverage is light and buildable, so I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone looking to cover red spots or dark under-eyes.

I’m quite pale so I went for the shade 1W1 Porcelain. It’s not uncommon for me to find that even the lightest foundations and tinted products are still too dark for me, but I was delighted to see that this shade matched my skin perfectly. The consistency is creamy and really easy to apply with my fingers. I also love that this product contains SPF20 as it makes it really simple to smooth the look of my skin and protect it at the same time, without greasiness.

I’m the biggest fan of the natural, no-makeup look, and Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free is a great option to achieve it.

Shei Mamona, GLAMOUR Beauty & Entertainment Assistant
Shade: 6W1 Ganache

When we’re talking base, I want natural-looking texture with an effortless, flawless finish. I like a multitasker too, something that works hard with skincare benefits, controlling oil and shine (especially in hot temperatures) while staying put all day long. SPF is a bonus, but I most importantly look for a base product that complements my dark skin, with warm/golden undertones – no ash in sight. And that’s when things get tricky.

To my surprise, this tinted moisturiser ticked all of those boxes. I tried it out in the shade 6W1 Ganache and boy was it a match. So much so that in my half-and-half picture, it’s honestly hard to tell the difference — had it not been for my odd blemishes here and there. This is the type of product that lets your skin look like skin, all while providing strong coverage without letting things get cakey.

I could tell from the first swipe down my cheek that I was going to like it. With minimal movement and no oxidising it stayed on all day long, even allowing me to look together in the two days or so we’ve had of hot weather this summer. Cries in rainy weather

After I popped it on, I didn't even feel like applying concealer or any powder over it. It really just felt like it was enough and I loved that about it. This is the perfect addition to your summer beauty wardrobe. It’s a resounding Simon Cowell ‘YES’ from me!

*The five participants have half a face with the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free on, and half bare faced.

Laura Mercier’s iconic skin-perfecting secret is now in 20 shades and with new improved packaging. Get your hands on Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser Oil Free here.

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