Is it officially Summer? It feels like it is where I live! It’s already in the 100’s which means people are looking for lighter options in makeup and I’m right there with you guys. I had a request to test out tinted moisturizers for the summer season and one that got the most requests was Tower 28 Beauty’s SunnyDays Tinted Moisturizer. I’ll get to the others in future posts.
About the brand
I’ve purchased Tower 28 products before and find it to be a fun brand and designed with sensitive skin in mind. They are vegan and cruelty-free, and avoid a list of questionable ingredients like all fragrances, phthalates, BPAs, nanoparticles, SLS, and resorcinol, among a few notable others. Why do I mention this? Because some of these ingredients have been identified to cause irritation or are known endocrine disruptors. And these days, I prefer to choose products and brands that make a conscious effort in choosing ingredients.
Let’s get to the breakdown and review of this two-in-one product. SunnyDays is a tinted moisturizer that also offers mineral-based SPF protection and at a decent level (SPF30). It comes in 14 shades that provide light-medium buildable coverage and a natural finish.
My experience with SunnyDays
I went with the shade Mulholland (light with neutral undertones) and I perceive it to be an almost perfect match for my skin tone. I decided to buy mine from Sephora in case I needed a quick shade swap but never write off the potential deals you can get by shopping on the brand’s site directly. I was just too impatient to bother!
The product comes in an easy-to-apply squeezy tube with a fine point needle tip dispenser. I actually like this more than a pump style since I can control the amount used better. I applied this in a variety of ways to my face and honestly, using hands first seems to be the best. Then I follow with a brush or dampened sponge to really have it melt into the skin.
SunnyDays applies pretty dewy when first applied. If that scares you, just wait. It does dry down to a natural finish eventually, however, when I was visiting Florida I found it to stay a bit dewier from the humidity. I like to increase dewiness when I can, so I use dewy setting sprays and make sure to load up on hydrating skincare so my complexion is good to go.
Does it hold up?
I got no sunburns the entire time I was in Florida using this and it stayed pretty well with the help of Urban Decays’ new vitamin C All Nighter setting spray. I also didn’t experience any stinging eyes as my face sweated because it uses zinc oxide as its sunscreen, a great choice if you have sensitive skin. I can handle chemical-based sunscreens as well, just not around my eyes. The bonus of using a mineral-based sunscreen is that it works IMMEDIATELY since it’s a physical blocker and doesn’t need to absorb into the skin and absorb UV rays to work.
Some other added bonuses are the skin-loving ingredients like aloe vera (soothing), prickly pear extract (reparative, softening), and white sage (anti-inflammatory).
Where to buy
Shop at: Sephora Tower 28 Beauty Kohls
Compared to similar products
I am a fan of the finish of this product. I think It looks great on my 40-year-old skin and the price point is reasonable in my opinion for a complexion product ($30). Some similar products that I could compare this to would be:
Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint. It has more coverage than this, but the feel of the product is almost the same. Just slightly thicker. Very slightly. Less drag though. And less SPF coverage. Ilia offers SPF40 and Tower 28 is SPF 30.
Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer has less coverage than SunnyDays as well. The product applies/feels about the same but Dew Skin vanishes more into the skin. SunnyDays offers more SPF production than my Beautycounter option. Dew Skin has a higher price point, but you get more product.
Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint is more difficult to apply because it feels thicker to me. They both offer the same amount of SPF coverage, but Sunshine Skin is dewier to me. It’s also more expensive but has a refill system which is appealing.
I hope this helps in determining if this product is for you. I will be sharing about the others I purchased in the coming weeks so stay tuned!
Do you use tinted moisturizers? Would this be one you might choose?
I think I might pick this up. Your description sounds just right for me.