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Now that the “sweata weatha” is over, we’re on the lookout for makeup that looks and feels summery. And nothing says summery like makeup that works with warmth. The best cream makeup products thrive in heat as they melt into your skin. It means that sweat and humidity are actually working for you for once and not against you.
Unlike powder formulas, cream makeup is incredibly beginner-friendly. This simple change in formula redefines your whole makeup game and suddenly, you don’t need to be a makeup artist anymore to create that dreamy look.
Your eyeshadow looks creamy, your foundation looks dewy, your blush looks youthful, and your bronzer looks glowy. It all looks so effortless. The advantages of cream makeup don’t end there.
Cream makeup products are great for dry skin as they’re mostly, well, cream-based that nourish and moisturize. No more of that makeup that separates and looks patchy.
They’re also great for oily skin because cream products don’t look flat or overly done. If you find cream formulas too oily or shiny, you can always go for cream-to-powder formulas that apply like a cream but have a velvety, matte finish.
Last but not least, cream products are also great for mature skin as they don’t accentuate wrinkles or settle in them. And when all is said and done, cream products have major French girl vibes, don’t you agree?
After all, you don’t even need makeup brushes to apply them. Your fingers are the best applicators. You just tap, dab, and swipe. And you can always get creative with your products and multi-purpose them to use on the entire face.
But here’s the thing, not all cream makeup products deliver dewy skin. And if you’ve tried them before and didn’t like them, the problem is probably your picks.
The best cream makeup products melt into your skin. They start to feel liquidy when you dab your finger into the pot.
If the product needs too much rubbing under room temperature, it’s practically garbage. If it feels like a balm that just won’t soften, it won’t work.
It won’t spread on your skin. That’s how you separate good cream makeup from bad cream makeup, it needs to melt! Obviously, I left out the bad and kept the good.
Below are the best cream makeup products for fresh, glowing skin.
Best Base
BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer
Most of us have made peace with the idea of foundation-free makeup. Full-coverage foundations don’t always feel comfortable and are hard to play with and don’t look natural or skin-like. That’s why this tinted moisturizer is the best for sheer coverage in the most natural way.
It’s a makeup-skincare hybrid. It’s oil-free and hydrates with squalane and hyaluronic acid and protects with mineral sunscreen. It has a radiant finish that’s absolutely addictive. Your skin looks healthy and dewy, which makes this cream makeup base the perfect replacement for your foundation.
Shades: 20
Finish: Natural
Size: 1.18 oz/35 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, vegan
How To Apply
After you do your skincare routine, apply the tinted moisturizer just like you’d apply a regular moisturizer. The best part about this foundation alternative is that you don’t need perfection. Don’t focus on coverage. Just spread it out and give it a few minutes until your skin fully absorbs and your base looks even.
If you need a little more coverage than that, you can always build it up or utilize sponges or brushes and treat it like a foundation. You can bring concealer into the mix if you’re not feeling the no-makeup makeup look. But honestly, you really don’t need to.
Best Blush
Glossier Cloud Paint
This cream blush is the best when you want full control over how natural or dramatic you want to go with your makeup. You can either fake a post-workout flush or build the pigment up to a really deep blush on the cheeks.
Either way, the feather-light formula is super easy to use and looks incredibly natural. It’s like water-coloring your face in the easiest way, which does not require any artistic skills at all. Whether you have a dark skin tone or a fair one, there’s a shade for everyone.
Shades: 8
Finish: Natural
Size: 0.33 oz/10 ml
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, cruelty-free
How To Apply
To apply your cream blush, squeeze out a tiny bit of the blush onto your fingers. And put a dot onto the apples of your cheeks. From then on, just dab the color upward and outward to blur out the edges.
Take the color towards the temples and add more color as you go along to amplify your look. Once you’re done, press what’s left on your fingertips onto the bridge of the nose and a little bit on the sides as well to create a more natural flush of color.
Best Bronzer
Milk Makeup Matte Cream Bronzer
If you’re a person who uses both blush and bronzer, you might want to go matte with one of those. Instead of letting them fight it out, which might look messy, you let one of the products pop.
And for that, this cream bronzer is perfect. The matte finish looks natural and feels creamy enough to create that sun-kissed look. But it’s not buttery to the extent that it makes the skin looks greasy. Plus, among cream bronzers, this one is pretty affordable.
Shades: 5
Finish: Matte
Size: 0.19 oz/5.7 gr
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
How To Apply
If you’re using your cream bronzer over foundation, it’s best to not directly apply the stick. Because depending on the texture of your foundation, your bronzer may move it around. To play it safe, dab your finger onto the stick so that the bronzer melts a bit.
Then dab your fingers onto your cheekbones and across the forehead. If you don’t wear foundation, you can go ahead and swipe the stick onto the cheeks to contour or tap it on for a more natural look.
Best Highlighter
Tower 28 Beauty SuperDew Shimmer-Free Highlight Balm
It’s very difficult to go wrong with a highlighter unless it’s all glitter. But the latest trend, which I personally find way more natural and flattering, is highlighting without shimmer. This way, you get the ultimate glass-skin look. It gives you dewy, wet skin, which looks amazing on bare skin too.
It’s like a lip balm but for the cheeks. Unlike traditional highlighting, which is one big swipe across the cheeks we see on full-face glams, this glossy highlighter gives you the advantage of looking and feeling great with bare skin. It instantly freshens up your skin with the help of moisturizing oils and hydrating botanicals.
You can also use it on the eyelids to create a glossy look without the need for color or use it on the lips to turn your lipstick into a gloss. You can also apply it over a matte bronzer to make it dewy. It’s a true multi-tasker.
Finish: Radiant
Size: 0.158 oz/4.5 gr
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
How To Apply
There is no right or wrong way to apply cream makeup products. Because they’re not supposed to stay in place. They’re supposed to move around. That’s why they look so natural and skin-like. And let’s be honest. If you’re not a Youtuber for a living, you probably don’t know how to scale your face and find the perfect spot to apply that highlighter.
To be honest, I don’t think they know either. That spot is imaginary. So don’t worry about the perfect way to do things. Put some on the brow bones to define fluffy eyebrows, or on the inner corners of the eyes. Put a little onto the highest point of your cheeks. Apply wherever feels right for you.
Best Eyeshadow
Smashbox Always On Cream Shadow
If you have oily eyelids and your eyeshadow tends to collect forming a straight line right on the lids, this cream eyeshadow is perfect for you. Because it has the most elegant and sophisticated matte finish.
There’s no shimmer here, but just the most amazing velvety look. And even though there are neutral shades to create everyday looks, there are also more cheerful colors to jazz up your complexion.
Shades: 14
Finish: Matte
Size: 0.34 oz/10 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow
This cream eyeshadow with a shimmery finish gives you that highlighter effect on the eye area. The cream glides on the eyelids and gives you the most subtle wet look.
It makes the eyes look awake, fresh, and youthful. Use the shade Champagne for a luminizer effect or the shade Amber Gold for bronzy eye makeup.
Shades: 12
Finish: Shimmery
Size: 0.23 oz/7 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
How To Apply
When you’re using a powder eyeshadow, you usually need a brush. And when you’re a beginner, you can easily carry dark shades towards the outer corners of the eyes, which is not how it’s supposed to be. It’s a common mistake. The shades need to fade out.
And you can’t easily undo it because you end up either smudging or adding more color. The beauty of cream eyeshadows is that you apply them with your fingers. One swipe across the lids and that’s it. If the color is too intense, use another clean finger, which works like an eraser, to simply remove the color.
Best Lip Balm
Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balm
Formulated with avocado oil, this lip balm can be used simply to eliminate dry lips. The pigments are versatile and you can always build up the colors to intensify your look. After all, no dewy look is complete without glossy lips.
The drugstore balm is perfect for on-the-go touch-ups to freshen up the lips and moisturize them. You don’t need to perfectly define the lips. This one is as natural as it gets.
Shades: 7
Size: 0.141 oz/4 gr
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, vegan
How To Apply
As there’s no deep pigment that can look messy, there’s no wrong way to apply a tinted lip balm. Tap the balm onto the center of the lips first and smudge it out using your fingers.
This is not red lipstick. The worst thing that can happen is you have gradient lips, which can look like you’ve been sipping wine. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Cheers!
Best Cream Makeup Palette
RMS Beauty Signature Set Mod Collection
If you want to give cream makeup a go and want a no-muss no-fuss way to do it, you can try palettes. They’re all-in-one goodies that bring all the essentials together. RMS has already nailed it with its one-and-done products and multi-purpose tints. So this set makes all the sense in the world and is the best cream makeup palette.
Even though there is another palette with more popping colors, I’d say the colors in this set are more universal and more suitable for everyday use. You have your lip & cheek tints, your bronzer, and lip balm, and all of them can be used practically anywhere on the entire face.
Shades: 2
Finish: Radiant
Good To Know: Cruelty-free
How To Apply
A cream makeup palette is a perfect playground for experimenting. You can pick one color and apply it on the eyelids, cheeks, and lips. This will give you a flawless monochromatic look. Everything looks soft, natural, and put together.
You can also mix and match. Use the pink shade as eyeshadow and lipstick and sculpt your face with the brown shade. The possibilities are truly endless.
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