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Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer Review

Rare Beauty launched a tinted moisturizer in time for summer

Selena Gomez holding the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20. Credit: Reviewed / Rare Beauty

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  1. Product image of Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

    Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

    Pros

    • Blends easily into skin

    • Natural-looking finish

    • Wears well throughout day

    Cons

    • Requires a lot of formula for medium coverage

    Buy now at Rare Beauty

Back in 2020, actress-singer Selena Gomez delighted her fans and beauty enthusiasts alike with the launch of her makeup brand Rare Beauty. The well-received celebrity line has continued rolling out products every few months and its latest addition, the Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20, is sure to please with summer coming up. As Reviewed’s beauty editor—and a lover of complexion products that provide coverage and a smooth-but-natural-looking finish—I was excited to give the new launch a try.

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What is the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer?

Two bottles of Rare Beauty.
Credit: Reviewed / Rare Beauty

The Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 promises lightweight coverage.

Rare Beauty’s $30 Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer aims to be “no makeup makeup in a bottle”—meaning it’s “easy to throw on with just your fingers” and has a “super comfortable, breathable tinted formula [that] blends like moisturizer.” It claims to provide light to medium coverage with a “naturally radiant” finish and blur the look of fine lines and pores. Because of its lighter coverage, the 24 shades—compared to the brand’s Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation’s range of 48—are described as “flexible” with each one able to fit a few skin tones. The shades range from light to deep with neutral, warm, and cool undertones.

The SPF 20 is a combination of chemical sunscreen (homosalate) and mineral sunscreen (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) ingredients. The tinted moisturizer also contains vitamin E to moisturize and a blend of lotus, gardenia, and white water lily to soothe the skin.

To use it, the brand recommends shaking the bottle then massaging a few drops into the skin using your fingertips, a brush, or a sponge. If you blend it out and want extra coverage, you may layer on more formula.

What I like about the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer

Close up of a woman trying out the product.
Credit: Reviewed / Jessica Kasparian

The Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer leaves my skin looking natural and wears well throughout the day.

It blends easily into the skin

After shaking the 1-ounce bottle in the shade 14W—the third shade from the lightest described as “light with warm golden undertone”—I squeezed a nickel-sized amount onto the back of my palm, dipped my finger into it, and swatched it on my cheeks, forehead, and chin. I’m not a fan of using my fingers for blending in foundation or concealer products, so I opted for the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush on one side of my face to see how that worked and my Original Beautyblender Makeup Sponge on the other. Both techniques spread the tinted moisturizer out quickly and smoothly, providing an even veil to disguise my skin’s redness.

The finish looks natural

Once blended into my skin, the tinted moisturizer looks natural both in texture and luminosity. It doesn’t call attention to dry patches or highlight the texture of my acne scars, nor does the finish look too matte or shiny. It looks like my skin, just more even in tone. The shade 14W works well with my very light, neutral skin tone, though I could see it also blending nicely for skin a shade lighter or darker, as the coverage is as sheer as it claims to be—something that also contributes to the non-makeup-y appearance.

It wears well throughout the day

Regardless of what I layered underneath or on top of this tinted moisturizer, it wore well on my skin, lasting several hours with minimal fading. My skin tends to look dry or patchy after a full day wearing foundation, but Positive Light looked smooth and not dry or shiny at the end of the day. The entire time I wear this, it feels like I have nothing on my skin, too. It looks great and feels comfortable—what more could I ask for?

What I don’t like about the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer

Close-up of the product in front of a background.
Credit: Reviewed / Real Techniques / Rare Beauty

To build up the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer to medium coverage, you’ll need to use a lot of formula.

You need a lot of formula to build up coverage

I can’t say there’s anything I actively dislike about the Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer. It’s a solid option for anyone looking to add some coverage to their skin without much fuss. But if I were to pinpoint one con, it’s that you’ll need a lot of product to build up to medium coverage. This may not be a bad thing, as you need a thick layer of formula to reach the SPF claim on any sunscreen-containing product. But even if you use a thick layer to get medium coverage, I recommend wearing a sunscreen underneath, as the SPF in makeup often isn’t enough to adequately protect your skin from the sun.

Getting back to the coverage: The first time I used this, I thought I applied too much to my face, but I was surprised to see it sheer out and leave me with light coverage that made me want to reach back for more formula. Layering on the tinted moisturizer is easy, but you may run through the 1-ounce bottle quicker than you’d think if you’re looking for the medium end of the purported light to medium coverage. (That said, the bottle is opaque so you can’t tell exactly how much product remains after each use.)

Is the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer worth it?

Close up of three arms of different skin colors in front of a background.
Credit: Reviewed / Rare Beauty

If you want a lightweight foundation, you’ll love the Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20.

Yes, if you actually want light coverage

Look no further if you want an easy to use, long-wearing, comfortable tinted moisturizer that provides light coverage to your skin. This will exceed your expectations if those are the attributes you’re seeking. If you want medium coverage, you’ll still like this, but you may run through the $30 bottle at a rapid pace, particularly if you reach for this daily. In that case, it’s up to you whether that price is steep. If you ask me, this is worth a try, especially for the summer months when you may want a complexion product without the heaviness of a full-coverage foundation.

Knowing that you should apply sunscreen before your tinted moisturizer to get the best protection, you might consider using a tinted moisturizer that provides similar coverage to this without the SPF claims or the $30 price. For this, I recommend the $4, 0.91-ounce Wet n Wild Tinted Hydrator Tinted Skin Veil. Like Positive Light, it offers light to medium coverage in a lightweight, moisturizing formula that’s easy to use—minus the SPF.

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