The Best Face Makeup That Doubles as Skin Care

The no-makeup makeup trend, which celebrates a fresh, natural look, has been popular for more than a decade. Some beauty companies have responded by shifting their focus toward minimalist makeup infused with skin-benefiting ingredients. These products aim to enhance our skin’s health while providing a subtle, natural look regardless of age. In other words, they’re as good for our skin as they look on our skin, and we’re here for it.

If you’re looking to simplify and streamline your beauty routine, you might consider replacing some of your makeup basics with multifunctional products that also offer skin care benefits. This approach will not only reduce the number of products you need, but also save time and money — and counter space!

Here are some standout products that work extra hard to take care of your skin while making you look and feel your best.

Kosas BB Burst Tinted Gel Cream

Fans of the “clean girl aesthetic”k have fallen in love with Kosas because of its natural-looking makeup that’s also good for your skin. The new BB Burst Tinted Gel Cream is kind of like tinted moisturizer and comes in 24 flexible shades. The light-coverage foundation is filled with skin care ingredients such as collagen-supporting copper peptides to plump and firm, and zinc to help reduce redness and soothe sensitive skin. The gel cream provides light, buildable coverage that smooths and hydrates any rough patches.

In her review of the Kosas BB Burst Tinted Gel Cream, beauty influencer Andrea Renee noted that it gives a dewy finish and holds up for hours even without a setting spray. “I don’t know what they put in this, but I like it,” she said.  We agree. 

About-Face The Performer Skin-Focused Foundation

The Performer Skin-Focused Foundation is the newest product in singer-songwriter Halsey’s brand About-Face. Created specifically with skin health in mind, the medium-coverage formula is perfect for everyday use, and it comes in 45 versatile shades to suit all skin tones. The result is a breathable, long-wearing, second-skin finish that lasts up to 12 hours. Among its skin-enhancing ingredients, The Performer boasts wintergreen to soothe acne-prone skin, blue agave for hydration,and vitamin-filled chlorella to balance the skin’s moisture barrier.

How good is Halsey’s new skin-forward foundation? “It’s incredible to now have a product that doesn’t mess with my skin and wears great throughout whatever the day brings, all while still letting me feel like ME when I have it on,” Halsey said on Instagram. Beauty influencer Monica Ravichandran agrees: “I think this might be the foundation of the year.”

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint

Ilia’s ultra-popular Super Serum Skin Tint pampers and protects skin with a range of nourishing ingredients. Along with a mineral SPF 40, this serum-like foundation is packed with niacinamide to brighten skin tone, hyaluronic acid to hydrate and improve skin elasticity, and squalane to lock in hydration and calm skin conditions from acne to eczema. The combination of ingredients delivers a singular product that does triple-duty in providing radiant coverage, ample hydration, and necessary skin protection.

Celebrity makeup artist Alison Christian is a big fan of this serum (though she notes that some people don’t like the scent). She recommended the new cult-favorite on TikTok: “If you’re looking for a clean, healthy product that’s only going to benefit your skin, I would definitely look into Ilia Skin Tint.”

Jones Road Miracle Balm

For dry, mature skin, a product that offers terrific hydration and coverage without caking into fine lines and wrinkles may seem too good to be true, but makeup artist Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road Miracle Balm lives up to its name. For minimal, natural-looking coverage, this creamy balm works on its own as a lightly pigmented, light-reflecting hydrating foundation, but it can also be used under another formula for fuller coverage. Miracle Balm comes in 12 different shades — Pinched Cheeks (a medium rosy pink) and Cocoa Bronze (a deep plummy bronze) were recently added — and is filled with skin-loving ingredients, including jojoba seed oil, which helps smooth dry skin and improve elasticity.

Many reviewers point out the tactile satisfaction of breaking the smooth surface of Jones Road Miracle Balm and warming it between the fingers before application. “I love that you’re supposed to, like, mess it up on purpose,” makeup influencer Chellene Lizette said on TikTok. As for how well it works, Olivia Ancell praised Miracle Balm as “very subtle, but really pretty,” and pointed out that this versatile balm can also be used on lips and eyelids.

Glossier Stretch Fluid Foundation

Glossier’s Stretch Fluid Foundation is the ultimate skin-care-as-makeup product. It’s made up of 89% skin care ingredients, including squalene and glycerin, to support the moisture barrier and nourish the skin, as well as wild rose berry and plankton extract, to boost hydration. Featuring 32 different shades, this foundation features pump-style packaging that makes for easy application of buildable, light-to-medium coverage. It’s also sweat- and transfer-resistant, providing up to 12 hours of all-day wearable coverage.

Beauty influencer Victoria Lyn noted that it pairs well with Glossier’s fan favorite Stretch Concealer, and said, “I would recommend it to anyone who loves a natural, every day foundation.”