Photo courtesy of Beautycounter

Ask Jean: Tinted Moisturizer?
Foundation? BB? CC? …?

We want to answer your most pressing questions—or, you know, just the things that you’re curious about. Please keep them coming to [email protected]. Below, a q for our beauty director, Jean Godfrey-June.

Dear Jean, I’d like my skin to look nice—smooth, even, fresh, like I’m not wearing makeup—and I need daily sun protection. Do I want a tinted moisturizer? BB cream? CC cream? I know I don’t want traditional foundation, which is too heavy for me, and I know I need more than just moisturizer. What’s the right move? —Stephanie R.

Dear Stephanie, I’ve seen BB creams thicker and pastier than the most grandma-brand foundations, and I’ve seen tinted moisturizers so sheer they might as well be invisible. The problem with all makeup is that whatever “thicker lashes” or “plump” or “sheer” means to you, well—it might mean something entirely different to the people at a cosmetics company.

1. So, as with finding the perfect-fitting pair of jeans, make room for a certain amount of trial and error—and remember that even when you find the perfect pair of jeans, sometimes, a month later, you’re like, Why did I think these were so perfect?!

   That said, I bet the ultimate airy-textured, pretty, skin-perfecting daily SPF 20 for you is Beautycounter Dew Skin. It makes practically every person look and feel better.

2. 
   
   Beautycounter
   Dew Skin
   Tinted Moisturizer
   goop, $50

   SHOP NOW

I discovered its miraculous works-for-everyone-ness when I worked at one of our OG goop pop-up shops in San Francisco. I hung out in the beauty area, soaking up the curvy, groovy atmosphere (the space resembled a miniature Guggenheim).

Everybody, it seemed, was looking for tinted moisturizer/foundation/BB/CC advice. But as I took people over to the mirrors, I’m not kidding that 9 times out of 10, Dew Skin turned out to be the perfect match, not just in terms of color but also in terms of texture and coverage level. (There are few things as happy-making as being able to help a person get exactly what they’re looking for; both the finder and the seeker emerge triumphant.)

The many triumphs, of course, convinced me, too. I’d been clinging to a not-clean tinted moisturizer. (True: It was the last conventional product I ever used.) But I started wearing Dew Skin on days when I didn’t have any appointments, dates, or other reasons I had to look good. On every one of those “off” days, someone in the office would invariably exclaim, “Your skin looks amazing today. What is it?”

Since then, I have unsurprisingly worn Dew Skin and only Dew Skin. And I was terrified, recently, to hear it was changing. But the brilliant, flattering-on-every-skin formula hasn’t changed at all. The shade range has gotten more inclusive, and the bottle has become both wildly chic and recyclable. The only thing longtime fans need to know is that you might have moved up a shade: I, for example, was a No. 2, and I’m now a No. 3. What’s great, as always, is that each shade looks beautiful on a remarkably wide range of skin tones, so it’s harder to go wrong than with most tinted moisturizers.

When something makes your skin look this good, you want to optimize. Here’s what I do.

1. 1.

   I wake up and smooth on this glow-inducing, people-will-notice, miracle-working vitamin C and hyaluronic acid serum.

   
   

   goop Beauty
   GOOPGLOW 20% Vitamin C +
   Hyaluronic Acid Glow Serum
   goop, $125/$112 with subscription

   SHOP NOW

2. 2.

   As I wait a few minutes for the vitamin C to really go to work, I do this lip mask. As the beloved skin whisperer Jess Bowers says, “Treat your lips right and your entire face looks more youthful.” My friend makes this mask in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and it’s incredibly moisturizing. It sinks in while I get ready, awaiting lip color (which is always my last step).

   
   

   Alpyn Beauty
   Willow & Sweet Agave
   Plumping Lip Mask
   goop, $28

   SHOP NOW

3. 3.

   I smooth in this face oil—it feels and smells so fantastic, it’s kind of hard to believe. And it leaves the best glow.

   
   

   Le Prunier
   Plum Beauty Oil
   goop, $72

   SHOP NOW

4. 4.

   All makeup artists dab on a bit of eye cream before tinted moisturizer or concealer; this one is amazing—it helps firm and smooth the look of crow’s-feet, lines, puffiness, and dark circles.

   
   

   goop Beauty
   GOOPGENES All-in-One
   Nourishing Eye Cream
   goop, $55/$50 with subscription

   SHOP NOW

5. 5.

   Now that I’ve got all the glowifying layers in place, I spend 5 to 10 minutes smoothing my face (especially under my eyes) in upward motions with this vibrating T-bar to accomplish two things: It visibly lifts (!), an effect that lasts the entire day. It also helps push all the amazing ingredients from the serum, oil, and eye cream deeper into my skin.

   
   

   Jillian Dempsey
   Gold Sculpting Bar
   goop, $195

   SHOP NOW

6.

1. Dew Skin time. I do my whole face to get the SPF benefit and, of course, the amazing-skin benefit.

2. 
   
   Beautycounter
   Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer
   goop, $50

   SHOP NOW

1. 
   
   RMS Beauty
   “Un” Cover-Up
   goop, $36

   SHOP NOW

2. 
   
   Westman Atelier
   Spot Check Brush
   goop, $38

   SHOP NOW

1. 8.

   You think liquid eyeliner’s only for a bold, going-out moment, but if you ever find yourself applying many extra coats of mascara, try this: Use this sleek, felt-tipped pen to ink in its blackest black in between your lashes, along the top outer half of your lash line. Sweep away any smudging with a Q-tip and your eyes will look wide-awake all day with only a single coat of mascara.

   
   

   ILIA
   Clean Liquid Liner
   goop, $28

   SHOP NOW

2. 9.

   Made with powerful ingredients typically found in clean hair care, this mascara conditions deeply, so each swipe doubles as a treatment for glossy, healthy, feathery-soft lashes.

   
   

   Kosas
   The Big Clean
   Mascara
   goop, $26

   SHOP NOW

10.

1. Last touch: I put on this looks-good-on-practically-everyone lipstick and then, with my fingers, swipe a little of the color from my lips and dab it on my cheekbones. I cannot tell you how many times people have asked me, “Did you get your makeup done?” after I did this one thing.

2. 
   
   Kosas
   Weightless Lip Color
   goop, $28

   SHOP NOW

OUT-THE-DOOR FLOURISHES

1. Have you ever seen a cuter tube of sunscreen? I put a little dot on the back of one hand, blend with the back of my other hand, and throw the tube in my bag (you never know when you’re going to desperately need sunscreen, and we wash our hands so often that you need it reapplied to the backs of your hands several times a day).

   
   

   Grown Alchemist
   Natural Hydrating
   Sunscreen SPF 30
   goop, $39

   SHOP NOW

2. This is my favorite perfume. There’s hibiscus, pomelo, lemon zest, starfruit, mandarin leaves, ginger root, and Virginia cedar, mixed for a pure, bright, breath-of-fresh-air sexiness that I can never get enough of.

   
   

   The Maker
   Libertine Eau
   de Parfum
   goop, $160

   SHOP NOW