Urban Decay Beauty Balm

I have been sort of ignoring the new beauty balm formulas for the past few months, I am very fond of tinted moisturizers and have found several formulas that I really love.  I never saw the difference between the product and tinted moisturizer and have never really read any reviews that talked about how they differed.  Beauty Balm was a product that I was somewhat interested in but always put off buying and using.  What finally changed my mind?  I think that the major factor that finally changed my mind and persuaded me to buy one is that Urban Decay has introduced a version of this product with their spring collection and I can almost never avoid a new product or formula from this company because I love their makeup so much.  So I now own and have been using my first Beauty Balm formula for the past few days...

Beauty Balm is supposed to be a more advanced version of a tinted moisturizer, it contains a small amount of foundation suspended in a hydrating base along with SPF and special ingredients to improve the overall appearance of small flaws on the face.  I still think that this formula is so similar to a tinted moisturizer formula that you might not need both.  Also...now a CC Cream exists?!  What is next?

I have been using this product for the past few days and I will say that it took me several uses to decide what I really think of it.  I started by using it as I use tinted moisturizer however I learn through trial and error that there are better ways to use this product.  First we are going to look at the product description from the Sephora website then we will talk about how I used to the fullest advantage and then my overall thoughts and how it compares to a tinted moisturizer.

"A five-in-one beauty balm that minimizes the appearance of pores, lines, wrinkles, and redness instantly for skin that looks firmer in eight weeks.  Blur flaws in seconds and get serious anti aging benefits in just eight weeks. This lightweight, velvety, oil-free miracle works instantly and over the long term. Naked Skin Beauty Balm is invisible on your skin (zero rub-off): the universal shade glides on and dries down to a translucent, flawless finish that works on most skintones. While many beauty balms are tinted to provide coverage, Naked Skin diffuses light with high-tech pigments to give you amazing, natural, naked-looking skin that keeps getting better every week. Unlike a lot of beauty balms, Naked Skin delivers measurable anti aging benefits—and the claims to prove it."

"The multitasking Naked Skin is like an instant retoucher in a tube. Optical blurring pigments instantly even out skintone and minimize the appearance of pores, lines, wrinkles, and redness. SPF 20 shields skin from sun damage and Pepha®-Protect helps inhibit DNA damage. Vitasource™ and Glyage® improve the appearance of skin's firmness and elasticity, and provide measurable anti aging benefits, while the extremely blendable formula creates a smooth finish, so makeup goes on beautifully and stays put. Moisturizing but never greasy, it hydrates skin instantly and improves hydration over time."

The clinical results from product use...

"In a clinical study, immediately after use:
- 65% of participants’ complexion looked significantly improved
- 59% of participants’ skin looked significantly lifted
- 68% of participants’ skin hydration improved significantly"

"After eight weeks of use:
- 93% of participants had significantly firmer-, more lifted-looking skin
- 90% had significantly more radiant-looking skin
- 84% had a significant improvement in the appearance of fine lines
- Over 84% had skin that looked significantly smoother and more hydrated"

When I looked at how to use this product, I noticed immediately that it is not made to be used exactly as tinted moisturizer is and can be used several different ways for best results.  I first tried using it just as I would a tinted moisturizer, right on bare skin.  I didn't really like it this way, it wasn't hydrating enough and didn't spread and blend well enough for me.  I then tried it over moisturizer (one of the suggested methods of usage) and I liked it much better.  My skin felt much better hydrated and then since I could blend it better, my skin was much improved in tone and redness and other flaws were reduced.  After using it in this fashion, I was much happier with the product.  My skin is just too dry to use a light lotion on it and think that it will remain hydrated throughout the day.  I then tried to use this product another way the next morning, I applied face lotion as usual and then a small dab of primer to my skin before using the Beauty Balm, this is my favorite way to apply it.  When I use all three products, the finish and coverage are much more similar to foundation and allow me to use a very small bit of concealer and loose powder to top off my look for the day.

This formula of Beauty Balm reminds me more of a very light coverage foundation, it is best used with other products and not on its own.  With the combination of products, this product produces a smooth finish for my skin with a great amount of redness and flaw reduction.  It lasts pretty well throughout the day and I don't see any residue on my white collars.  I will follow up if I get the long term results from this product that were seen in the clinical trials but I bought it for coverage and not for anti-aging benefits.  I do need to treat this product more as a foundation and I cannot use it by itself (unlike tinted moisturizer).  I am looking forward to using this product in the summertime with primer and bronzer to create a very natural tan glow.  I have a feeling that there will be more information to come as I use this product and similar formulas more often.

photo courtesy of Sephora