Colorpop Tinted Moisturizer (Pretty Fresh) Review – 2022
Alyssia Chang
- Published
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
- Editor’s Rating: 4
- Price Range:
- USD: $14.00
- CAD: $18.75
- 1.45 fl, oz / 43ml
- Made in the U.S.A.
Product Story
Pretty Fresh is a soft oil-free, sheer to medium buildable coverage tinted moisturizer. The gorgeous and minimal branding packaging gives a clear direction on what your skin will look like after using this skin tint. It leaves your skin feeling hydrated, fresh, and healthy looking. It uses uplifting ingredients such as coconut water and hyaluronic acid.
Benefits and Claims
Benefits
- Evens out the skin tone
- Leaves skin looking fresh and healthy
- Supports skin hydration without added oils
- Works for all skin types
- Works for all makeup styles
- Makes the skin soft
- Fragrance-free
Claims
- Vegan
- Dermatologist Tested
- Oil-Free
- Gluten-Free
- Paraben-Free
- Cruelty-Free
- Natural Finish
- Lightweight
- Works well over any Primer, Sunscreen, or Moisturizer
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The colour matched perfectly on my skin tone! It also dried down without any cakey-mess.
- My skin did feel more hydrated.
- The formula is easy to dispense and use.
- The packaging was minimal and useful.
- I like that the price is super reasonable and the fact that you get 43ml’s is A LOT.
- The buildable coverage is great to control how I want my skin to look, plus it is nice that it can be layered with other coverage-based face products.
- I never broke out. My skin was happy wearing this product.
Cons
- The product lid cannot be twisted off to access the last bit of liquid tinted moisturizer in the tube.
- The cap doesn’t have a click secure top. It stays on from tightness that might wear over time.
- On its own it doesn’t last very long on the skin.
- It won’t even your skin tone if it is very pigmented. So, it really depends on your skin and how you define what evening out your skin means (coverage wise).
Good Ingredients
Emollients: Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Dimethicone, Silica Silylate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Juice, Tribehenin, Caprylyl Glycol
Moisturizing: Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Juice, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin
Not So Good Ingredients
Emulsifying and/or Solvent: Cetearyl Alcohol and Hexylene Glycol
Colourpop’s tinted moisturizer is a skin makeup product that made my face and neck feel moisturized and soft with a hint of coverage. I have always loved tinted moisturizers for my skin during the “lazy” days or when I’m craving a light, day makeup look.
Colourpop’s featured ingredient of hyaluronic acid makes a great first impression with not only the feeling, but the functionality and formula.
With that being said, here is the results of me testing out the claims, benefits, and more!
A little history about my skin before we begin:
- My Skin Type: Combination
- Skin Colour: Olive
- Sensitivity: Mild
Smell:
One of the best features about this product that isn’t talked about a lot is that Colourpop’s skin tint has NO SMELL to it! The worst thing is when you have something super strong applied to the face (yes, even fragrance-free products can have a weird smell) and the smell lingers. When I put my nose against the liquid, all I smell is nothing!
Texture:
The texture when you apply the tinted moisturizer onto the skin is firm, not too thick, and blends really well. It is a liquid formula, but it is not runny or super wet. Another great feature is that it isn’t oily at all and absorbs quickly into the skin.
Quality:
It is an amazing quality product! From the feeling on the skin, to the packaging, the product performance delivers great control and meets all of the standards you would want to have in a skin tinted moisturizer.
Packaging:
The boxed packaging is gorgeously minimal, clean, and simple. Written on the packaging is an easy breakdown of everything you needed to know about the product, expectations, and ingredients. The same simplicity is matched on the tube-pump product.
The lid has a tight-fitted cap, it doesn’t click with a “lock on” sound at the base of the head but it feels pretty secure for traveling. The pump nozzle has a firm and controlled way of dispensing product out onto the back of the hand or applicator.
How much do you need to cover the face?
A little goes a LONGGG way. I covered the back of my hand (which is about the size of your cheek) with the tiniest little dot. For the whole face and neck, half a pump was perfect.
Did it make my skin feel more hydrated?
Yes! My skin felt softer and more hydrated, although it was not by much. If you have dry skin, I advise to use your daily moisturizer before using this product so that your skin get’s the moisture it needs. Think of this product as a bonus hydrator for your skin with a bit of coverage to even out the skin.
Was it hard finding the right colour shade match?
I thought that it would be super hard to find the perfect colour match as the website’s button for matching by your old foundation brand/name didn’t have a bunch of brands to choose from like most makeup websites I’ve used. Instead, I chose to use the other button: “find your shade” program and to use the skin swatches photo above with it.
When the Colourpop Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer came in the mail and I tried it on my skin and it was a PERFECT match! I feel confident that anyone can do it and you don’t need to be a makeup artist to find the right shade online with Colourpop.
Did the product last all day?
Without a face primer the tinted colour lasted for about 4 hours, then started fading. When I used powder to set it after applying Colourpop’s Tinted Moistuizer, that helped it a lot to stay on longer for 6 hours. With a face primer and powder, it lasted for 12 hours!
Was your skin tone more even?
My skin tone with this product was a lot more even when using a brush. When I used my fingers and a sponge, it was not as even or noticeably covered. If you want a very sheer quick look then use your fingers. If you want to use an almost medium coverage, then use a foundation makeup brush to apply this product.
Is Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer Worth it?
If you are looking to use a makeup skin product that is natural, light, and has sheer buildable coverage, then you definitely need to try this product. As soon as you read the name on the packaging, the first words you see are: Pretty, Fresh, and Hyaluronic. All amazing words to have if you need extra moisture and clean looking skin.
I would consider my face skin to be pretty even in complexion, so using something like this for a day look is perfect. It is fast, easy, and delivers what it says it does.
Remember that it is okay to use this with other products in your routine. One day I used this with concealer, then with my foundation on top, and then layered it with my usual blush, highlighter, contour products. The final look was great!
My final thought: if you don’t have a natural, sheer face product that moisturizes while providing a bit of coverage, you should try this hyaluronic tinted moisturizer. It might take some time to get used to if you are used to having a full coverage look, but it is so nice to have the extra option in your beauty kit!
Would I purchase this again?
A 100%, yes. This product delivered on the expectations that the brand established as well as what I would need in a skin tint. It hydrates, makes my skin look naturally pretty, and feels like I’m wearing nothing on my face.
Colorpop the Brand
ColourPop Cosmetics was founded in 2014 by Laura and John Nelson through their beauty incubator brand SEED Beauty. ColourPop creates many affordable, cruelty-free makeup products that are made, developed, and distributed all in one building. These two siblings grew up in California, USA and their company is located in Los Angeles.
The Nelson family founded Spatz Laboratories, a B2B (Business-to-Business) brand that used to be Estee Lauder’s and L’Oreal’s biggest partners. With over 60 years experience in developing, creating, and manufacturing packaging and formulations for beauty products, Spatz Labs is where they learned to be inspired to create a company of their own.
SEED Beauty started from the siblings in the same year as ColourPop in 2014. They helped bring to life Kylie Cosmetics, KKW Beauty, and have under their umbrella other sister brands such as Fourth Ray Beauty (affordable skincare) and Sol Body.
Common Q&A’s
Does Colourpop Tinted Moisturizer have SPF?
Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer does not contain any SPF ingredients.
What skin type do I need for Colourpop Tinted Moisturizer?
You can have ANY skin type for this product to work on your face. Just make sure to use other skincare or face makeup products that will tend to your skin types needs for maximum efficiency.
Do you need Foundation with Tinted Moisturizer?
You do not need foundation with tinted moisturizer, unless you would like more coverage. You can always apply medium to full coverage foundation on top of the tinted moisturizer to cover your skin more.
What’s the difference between BB Cream and Tinted Moisturizer?
The main difference between BB creams and Tinted Moisturizers is that BB Creams are formulated to be like “super” foundations that are formulated to have three main focusses: maintaining a lightweight texture, offering medium to full coverage like foundation, and acting like a skin-evening primer to adhere the rest of your face makeup.
Tinted Moisturizers are often built to hydrate the skin while offering sheer coverage for that natural, face look. Depending on the company that creates this product, you may have other benefits and features added to these main qualities.
How do I choose a Tinted Moisturizer colour?
The wonderful thing about finding the perfect tinted moisturizer shade/colour is that the shades can be quite flexible due to the sheer coverage-based colours. The best thing to do is use the shade matcher that most websites have a colour match to your previously owned foundation. If the brand doesn’t have that, then use the brand website photo of arm swatches to best match a swatch of foundation that you already own.
Does Colourpop Tinted Moisturizer have SPF?
Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer does not contain any SPF ingredients.
How do I use Tinted Moisturizer?
It depends on what finished look you want. You can use the fingers to give you a quick, sheer coverage look. Using a beauty blender will be even more sheer as it sucks up liquid products (like a sponge… because it is a sponge), and a foundation brush will give you the most coverage as it evenly deposits the product on the face.
When applying tinted moisturizers, if you use it alone by itself, it will be quite natural. Depending on your skin type and what you want your skin to look like, you might want to layer concealer and foundation on top of it for a more coverage look. Setting the tinted moisturizer will also help the product to last long and control oil production.
Is Tinted Moisturizer better than Foundation?
Tinted Moisturizer isn’t better or worse than foundation, it is purely based on personal preference and what you want your skin to look like. Both are made with different coverage levels, have different skin benefits, and claims. If your skin is on the dry side, you’re minimal when it comes to application, and you like your skin to look natural, you might like tinted moisturizer more. OR you might want to have both foundation and tinted moisturizer in your makeup kit so that you can change up your look depending on the day, season, or occasion.
How Long does Colourpop Tinted Moisturizer last for?
Without a face primer the tinted colour lasted for about 4 hours, then started fading. When I used powder to set it after applying Colourpop’s Tinted Moistuizer, that helped it a lot to stay on longer for 6 hours. With a face primer and powder, it lasted for 12 hours!
Do I need primer before Tinted Moisturizer?
You do not need a primer before applying your tinted moisturizer but it will help to make your tinted moisturizer last all day, especially if your skin is oily and if you live an active lifestyle
Do I put concealer on before or after Tinted Moisturizer?
If you want to know when to use and apply concealer with your tinted moisturizer, it all depends on your concealer coverage and what you are using the concealer for. If you have dark circles or a prominent blemish, you might want to use concealer before AND after (I call it “sandwiching” concealer to get the best coverage possible). If it is just to cover up a little bit of redness around the nose and to even out the skin, and the colour of the concealer matches well, you can apply the concealer after the tinted moisturizer.
Some people like to use tinted moisturizer to blend concealer into the skin, if that’s the case then use concealer first then the tinted moisturizer after!
Thank you for taking the time to read this review and checking out my product test findings.
I would love to know your experience with tinted moisturizers and/or ColourPop’s Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer, comment down below if you use them and your thoughts!
If you have any questions about my experience, please comment and I’ll respond to you as soon as possible.
