Life’s a beach – Vincent Longo Tinted Moisturizer
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Create the perfect light canvas with Longo’s cult classic
photo: we heart this
It’s July. It’s 100 degrees. You can’t stand the thought of a full face of makeup but the crazy temperatures have made your skin go berserk. The answer for this sort of predicament is what I like to call “The Beach Face.” A swipe of a nice waterproof cream eye shadow in a nude tone to brighten around the eyes. A thin, tight line of liner if you’re so inclined. Waterproof mascara. A dusting of bronzer. And most importantly: Tinted Moisturizer. One bonus? During the other three seasons of the year, you can translate your “Beach Face” look into your “Too Vain to go to the Gym with out Makeup Face” or “Movie on the Couch Date and you don’t want to look like your trying too hard” Face! (Or wait, maybe that’s just me…)
Enter the Vincent Longo Light Canvas Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 ~ or as it’s known among Longo enthusiasts, the Original ($38). We were super excited to receive this coveted cult classic from the world-renowned, celebrity makeup artist for our wht review team. While Vincent Longo Cosmetics has made a name for itself for trendsetting colors and formulas; it’s this classic we were dying to put to the test.
Ingenious feat #1: The upside down bottle comes with a pump on it so you don’t have to squeeze out or cut the top off the tube. And it won’t explode all over your makeup bag in your checked luggage as another one of my products so recently did.
Ingenious feat #2: King of Complexion products Vincent Longo achieves this amazing “whipped foundation” light, mousse-y feel. Its wonderfully smooth feeling to the touch, which makes it really easy to spread on your face (and I’m the queen of finger application – foundation brushes are such a pain to clean!)
One caveat is that this product is not really one of those that you can layer to achieve a fuller coverage. Not really a bad thing, especially if you want just a light “beach face” but may be a drawback if you want to take it from day to night or bring the product into your autumn makeup rotation.
Ingenious feat #3: most shades have a little bit of mica mixed in to give you a little bit of “summer glow” minus harmful UV rays of the sun or even a tanning bed (the horror!)
I tried out Shade #6, which was slightly too dark for my face since I always cover it up with a hat and shades even if I am laying out in the sun for the rest of my body. And I am one who is ivory and fair in the winter but olive and tans easily in the summer. However, the product can be blended well, and you can’t beat the extra oomph of SPF since it’s a 20 factor (and it seems like most tinted moisturizer products are generally an SPF 15).
Happily, there is no weird metallic scent like some of the bronze-y products on the market and it smells nice and clean, perhaps with a hint of the sunscreen odor, but nothing overpowering. The product is oil-free so it definitely can be used by all skin types, though those with year-round dry skin will definitely not want to skip their regular moisturizer underneath.
For me though, I think I prefer a little bit more coverage, thus I remain an avid devotee of Vincent Longo’s Dew Finish Foundation. Overall, the Light Canvas tinted moisturizer is a solid product and great summer standby. And I’m sure a number of my fellow testers will find this light to medium coverage perfect for the beach, the office and everywhere in between.
we heartsters – are you a devotee of Vincent Longo foundations? Share your favorites in the comments!
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I have only in the past year or two found out that I love a good tinted moisturizer. I hate the feeling of wearing a mask of makeup. So it is a perfect alternative to heavy foundation for evening out my complexion. But I have also found that it is hard to find a tinted moisturizer that I love. I am fast running out of my old Stila. Maybe I should give Vincent Longo a try?
I love tinted moisturizers. The one I have been using is great, but only has a SPF of 15. I’m all for more SPF. I think I may have to try this one out!
Where I live, we’ve had the hottest summer I remember, the kind of crazy oven-baking heat that melts makeup off my face before I even get out of the house. Makeup-wise, I’ve cut down to the bare minimum most days, but still manage to look polished thanks in large part to Vincent Longo!
I also tested this tinted moisturizer in color #6, which is probably two shades darker than what I need. It worked out great, however, due to the product’s amazing blendability! Some fast fingertip blending and my skin looks bright, bronze and even-toned.
As you mentioned, @kate2004rock, the packaging is neat and secure enough to fit safely in my makeup bag for touch-ups. And the added SPF 20 makes skin protection one less thing I have to worry about. I can’t imagine a nicer tinted moisturizer! 5 stars.
This sounds really nice. I’m not a fan of heavy foundations, so tinted moisturizers are ideal for me. This one sounds lovely!
I am familiar with and already a fan of Vincent Longo. (I love his “Water Canvas” Crème-to-powder Travel Compact and have for years) So, when I received the “Light Canvas Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20” in shade #3, which turns out the shade matches my skin tone perfectly. I let out a big, “Hooray!” I was beyond excited to test out its claims. This product is great on many fronts. For starters, it has a handy dandy pump, which I am always glad to see on products, thank-you very much! I do like tinted moisturizers because they are what I call, multi-taskers! If you’re anything like me, on weekends I’m shifting gears and am lower maintenance- bordering on being lazy. So, this product fits the bill, and sure makes for fast and easy application anywhere without fuss or mess. It’s especially nice when you need to be outside or in the public’s eye looking great without going through the hassle of putting on your full makeup.. Another important detection was how its coverage is surprisingly even and the consistency is like whipped cream; leaving my skin surfaces silky smooth while protecting it from harmful sun damage. I use make-up everyday at the office, and let me tell you it’s great to take a break from it and this is the perfect solution to getting that nice light canvas this is known for. Five great big stars from me! *****
3 stars from me. It was good, but it’s not my absolute all time favorite. :( That one is the HydraAction from Starts with C and endds with hristian Dior.
Awesome review, @kate2004rock!
I received this product in the shade #3, which proved to be an almost perfect match for my NC20 skintone. Even though I’m a full-coverage kind of gal, I was excited to try this because I absolutely adore all things Vincent Longo and have used Water Canvas in the past.
I absolutely agree with Katie’s review about wanting something to wear that doesn’t look like you’re trying too hard. Sometimes when I’ve just taken a shower and I want to hang out with the boyfriend on the couch, the no-makeup look can be scary if my skin has more imperfections than usual. So a tinted moisturizer can come in mighty handy for this type of situation.
I agree with everyone else that the packaging is wonderful–the pump is just so nice and convenient. As for coverage, I think it provides me with enough for those “couch moments” but unfortunately I just need more when it comes to leaving my house.
The texture and blendability are excellent, the color of #3 is perfect, and I also like the fragrance as well. If I were a hardcore tinted moisturizer devotee, I think I would absolutely be in heaven with this product.
A solid 4 stars from me.
I tested this in #6 and I was a little disappointed because it just wasn’t the right color for me. But I can’t blame that on the product, I have a heck of a time finding shades that fit me well. But the formula was nice and light with a pleasant smell. It didn’t feel heavy or greasy on my skin, just light and smooth.
I occasionally get hypopigmentation, so the sheer formula wouldn’t work well for me. So with that and the color, it’s be three stars for me. But neither of that is the product’s fault, really, and if I was into tinted moisturizers, this would be a 5 star product. It’s light and smooth and the packaging is great, I wish more products has pumps like that.
So let’s split the difference and call this 4 stars from me!
I also tested the Vincent Longo Light Canvas tinted moisturizer. I love tinted moisturizers and use them almost exclusively instead of foundation. This one has become one of my favorites. I love the lightweight feel of it. Some tinted moisturizers can leave you asking for more, but not this one. It covers what it needs to, evens out my complexion, and keeps me nice and moisturized. My only complaint is the packaging. Now that I’ve gotten to the bottom of the bottle, my product didn’t want to pump out. I had to make sure I found a place to place it upright which is hard because it doesn’t really stand on its own. Once I did this, my product started flowing again. I really do love that it has a pump, just wish I could stand it up on it’s own. 4 stars from me.
@tiffany – I agree! I wish it stood up as well. It takes up a lot of vanity real estate lying down. But I really do like the formula a lot (and tinted moisturizers are all I wear, I never use foundation). I do smell the spf, lightly, but it doesn’t get past my super sniffer. It’s got a great feeling, very silky. A bit heavier than some of the tinted moisturizers I normally wear, so I’ve been reaching for it for night time. But it covers really well, with the heavier feeling comes more coverage which is an ok trade off!
4 stars from me! I only wish Longo was a bit easier to find these days… (between this and BECCA this week, it’s 2 brands I was very sad to see leave Sephora).
I’m a fan of Vincent Longo and am devastated at how hard it has been to find their Water Canvas foundation in my Porcelain shade. That was my all-time favorite and the best match to my skintone I’ve ever found. I’ve been wanting to try their oil-free tinted moisturizer for the longest time and was excited to get to test this. I received shade #3, which was way too dark on me (I’m definitely a #1) and this product was so fantastic, I was sooo bummed that the shade didn’t work. The texture is thickly creamy without being greasy. The tint is very pigmented, so this would definitely cover any flaws, yet it still felt light and not too cakey. Even better, it’s oil-free so it didn’t make me break out! I hate wearing a foundation in the Summer months and tend to gravitate towards tinted moisturizers and this, in my appropriate shade, is definitely being added to my arsenal. 5 stars!