The Best Drugstore Foundation We’ve Tried All Year!

Our love of drugstore beauty has reached new heights this year for obvious reasons! So when we heard whispers about a drugstore tinted moisturizer that delivers a radiant, healthy glow while hydrating and replenishing the skin, we were sold. So we rushed to get our hands on the L’Oréal Skin Paradise Water-Infused Tinted Moisturizer, $17, and we’ve got to admit we’re seriously impressed. Here’s our full review…

What it is: A 70% water-based formula that gives light to medium coverage with broad-spectrum SPF 20 to offer light protection against UVA and UVB damage. It’s also infused with a blend of plumping and hydrating ingredients to quench your skin for a radiant, healthy-looking glow.

What it does: The tinted water cream evens out skin tone with a light veil of coverage while hydrating your skin with a cocktail of soothing aloe vera, brightening ginger, and clarifying witch hazel. It’s also designed to protect your skin from sun damage and environmental aggressors like pollution and blue light damage. It even promises 24-hour moisture and will boost levels of hydration by 10.2% in just five days with regular use.

Shade range: While there only 10 shades to choose from, the range goes from fair to deep, and each shade is stretchable and can work for multiple skin tones. For reference, the richest shade matched with our #FauxFilter Skin Finish shade Chocolate Truffle 540G to Ganache 560R, while their lightest shade matched with our Vanilla 120B to Cashew 140G shades.

What we liked: Even though this tinted moisturizer is 70% water-based, as soon as we applied it to our skin, it felt really creamy and luxurious and blended out nicely both with a brush and with fingers. We also didn’t expect it to be particularly long-lasting, but it actually wore really well through the day and remained intact even after wearing a protective face covering.

The formula evened out our skin tone without feeling heavy; in fact, it’s super lightweight and easy to build, so you opt for a barely-there natural skin-tint or layer for a little more coverage. Although we would recommend using concealer to target any areas you prefer extra coverage. The finish looked very natural and healthy without being overly dewy, making it a great option even if you tend to have oily skin.

Often when we wear tinted moisturizers, they’re pretty much non-existent after about four to six hours of wear. However, after wearing this formula all day, we were amazed at how well it held up – even in the Dubai desert sun. It didn’t settle into fine lines and maintained an even, your-skin-but-better glow. We didn’t even need to touch up while wearing a mask throughout the day.

What we didn’t like: We’d love if they expanded their shade range, as although one shade caters to multiple skin tones, we found some of the lighter shades very similar, meaning there’s definitely room for more.

Application tips: For a dewy glow, apply the formula with your fingers and blend with a damp beauty sponge. If you’re looking for more intense coverage, it also blends out smoothly with a brush. Once applying with a brush, lightly bounce a damp makeup sponge on top for a flawless finish.

If you have normal to dry skin, this wears beautifully without setting. However, if you have oily skin or are layering it for higher coverage, we recommend setting it with a fine loose powder (like the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder) to keep it on lock all day.

Finally, while it is an SPF 20 product, don’t forget to apply sunscreen before – you’d have to apply A LOT of product to get the level of protection your skin needs.

Our verdict: This is the ultimate your-skin-but-better formula. It’s super hydrating, long-lasting, and leaves your skin looking healthy and radiant. Hence why it’s going to become our daily WFH staple. However, if you prefer full-coverage or are looking for a full-glam moment, this probably isn’t the foundation for you.

For more amazing drugstore products, check out 7 drugstore skincare products celebs love.

Disclaimer: Every product we review has been independently selected and tested without bias by our editorial team. We never take payment to review products; however, some brands allow affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you purchase a product by clicking on one of our links.