You know the kind of compliment that instantly lifts you up – the one that gives you an immediate confidence boost and sets the tone for the day? As a beauty journalist who’s always strived to achieve the glowiest skin possible, nothing can cheer me up more than a good ol’ compliment about my complexion.
As someone who has PCOS and mild rosacea, I’m all too familiar with flare-ups, uneven texture and unexpected breakouts followed by dark spots. Needless to say, my skin and I have been in an uphill battle, which inevitably contributed to my ever-fluctuating confidence.
To no one’s surprise, I’ve never really gravitated towards skin tints or tinted moisturisers: some delivered little-to-no coverage, others felt too greasy on the skin, and some were plain underwhelming altogether. Don’t get me wrong: on paper, this product category sounds perfect for me: a skincare-infused formula? Check. Lightweight coverage that effortlessly evens out skin tone? Check. Buttery consistency that seamlessly melts into the skin? You guessed it – check. Yet, despite all my efforts to find my perfect formula, I never really settled on one that ticks off every box.
That is, until a certain product from one of my favourite beauty brands caught my attention earlier this year. Enter: the Clarins Skin Illusion Tinted Moisturiser, a glow-boosting formula that promises serious skincare benefits and natural-looking coverage. What’s not to love, right? Having had my fair share of tinted-moisturiser-related mishaps, my expectations weren’t too high.
Infused with SPF 25 and an anti-pollution complex, this clever formula is filled to the brim with skin-loving ingredients that help plump and firm up your skin over time. In fact, it claims to deliver up to 24 hours’ worth of hydration, blurring the lines between skincare and makeup that much further. To say I was intrigued would be an understatement.
(Image credit: Future)
Clarins
Skin Illusion Tinted Moisturiser SPF 25
Having opted for the lightest shade in the range (01, to be exact), I applied the product all over using my hands, just as I would with any tinted moisturiser. The warmth of my fingers helped the formula melt into my skin effortlessly, leaving behind a subtle veil of coverage and a natural, radiant (but not at all greasy) glow.
Full disclosure: this product won’t mimic the power of a heavy-duty foundation, meaning it won’t do a stellar job of completely concealing and covering up your dark spots, hyperpigmentation and acne. However, in its defence, it’s not exactly trying to, nor is it supposed to deliver the same kind of results. Rather, it’s formulated to further enhance your natural complexion without acting as a perfect canvas. I loved that it managed to diffuse the redness around my cheeks and even out my skin tone while still letting my freckles peek through. Sure, my imperfections didn’t, by any means, disappear, but they were far less noticeable.
Above all, I appreciated the dewy finish—the kind that perfectly nails the balance between that healthy-looking, radiant look and an overly oily finish. In fact, later in the day, one of my friends asked whether I’d just had an expensive facial, and one of my beauty editor colleagues quizzed me on my skincare routine. Safe to say, the first impressions were largely positive.
That said, as is the case with any complexion product, the ultimate test is seeing how it layers with the rest of the makeup and how it performs throughout the day. I’m pleased to report that it didn’t result in any pilling or patchiness, particularly when I was setting my T-zone with setting powder. Everything blended in seamlessly, and the dewy base worked magic with my cream blushers and bronzers, delivering that holiday-ready glow.
Again, longevity-wise, it doesn’t quite match up to a foundation. However, it easily got me through my regular nine-hour work day without any issues. Above all, I loved the comfortable feel that, at times, made me forget I was wearing makeup to begin with. The skincare-packed formula helped keep my skin nice and hydrated, which is always a welcome perk in a windy city like London.
Truth be told, this tinted moisturiser is easily one of my best beauty discoveries of 2025. Although it didn’t end up covering my acne scars and dark spots as well as my go-to foundation, its ability to enhance my skin tone and improve my skin texture helped me feel my most confident within my own skin (which is an achievement in itself). Today, it’s a mainstay in my everyday makeup routine and a product that’s already earned a spot on my shelf of all-time favourites.