We Wore e.l.f.'s New SPF Skin Tint In A Heatwave — & It Seriously Impressed Us

Refinery29

17-06-2025

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There has never been a better time to shop for a skin tint. A slew of new options have hit the shelves recently, each promising to impart a natural, 'your skin, but better' finish without any streakiness. Some feature buzzy ingredients with skincare benefits (MILK Makeup Hydro Grip Gel Tint, which contains brightening niacinamide, comes to mind). Others, like Merit's The Uniform, pull double duty by offering SPF protection, guarding the skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. The latest to join this ever-expanding product category? e.l.f. Cosmetics' Halo Glow Skin Tint SPF 50, £18.
If you're familiar with e.l.f. Cosmetics, you've probably already heard of the brand's Halo Glow Liquid Filter Foundation, £15. This bestseller has cultivated a dedicated following as a more affordable alternative to Charlotte Tilbury's Hollywood Flawless Filter Foundation, £39. Now, the brand promises to bring the same glow-boosting benefits in a featherlight format which also includes SPF 50 protection.
After wearing this new skin tint over several hot summer days, our editors share their honest thoughts on whether it lives up to its glowy promises.
Jacqueline Kilikita, beauty director
'Sound the klaxon! I think I've found the best skin tint for girlies with light olive skin. Most shades lean too yellow or too pink for me, but 6 Light Cool is just right. It makes me look fresh and alive. Texture-wise, it applies more like a light-coverage foundation than a typical tint, which in my experience tends to be a bit more watery. This one's got more substance; it easily covers breakouts and acne scars, yet still feels like minimal makeup. I blend it in with a fluffy brush in seconds, and my skin just drinks it up. So much so, I actually look forward to using it every morning. I love the finish too: matte and glowy in all the right places. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I check my makeup in the lift mirror at the end of the day — it's still perfectly intact, with hardly any movement or creasing. I already know I'm going to use this down to the last drop. In fact, I've shelved or given away every other tint in my makeup bag. This is the one.'
L'Oréal Blackett, Unbothered UK Editor
'I now have a lovely collection of skin tints, after years of not quite trusting the shade match of many tints on the market. They've now replaced my foundations as the makeup I wear daily, so e.l.f. Cosmetics' new skin tint had a lot to live up to. This is a very light formula but with buildable coverage. It's sheer enough to feel lightweight on the skin but helps to even out the skin tone. My skin tone is gradually shifting to its summer shade, so if you're my 'shade twin', I would pick a few shades darker. The result isn't my perfect match — but close — and I feel good that there were plenty of other options for me in the shade range, from 'tan' to 'deep' with options of cool, neutral and warm undertones (this amount of choice is always a win for an affordable brand). The formula is sheer enough to blend into my skin and look undetectable. It feels just like skin. All in all, this is a great skin tint at an accessible price point — and a handy one to pack in your hand luggage for your next holiday.'
Venus Wong, senior writer
'Let's start with the positives: I'm very impressed by the formula, which melts right into the skin and casts a healthy, glowy filter. I wore shade 8 Medium Neutral to a party and got non-stop compliments about how lovely my skin looked. I attribute this to niacinamide, an ingredient that helps brighten the skin and reduce oil production. The coverage is sufficient enough to blur some of the spots around my temples and even out patches of discolouration without feeling like an oil slick, which is always a bonus when I barely feel like wearing makeup in the summer. It has a slightly thick texture, so the application looked far more natural when I stippled the product with a foundation brush, compared to just using my fingers (this is worth keeping in mind if you prefer using your hands). The one letdown for me has to do with the shade: For some reason, Light Cool was far too fair on my skin, while Medium Neutral appeared almost orange. I've seen creators like Golloria and The Lipstick Lesbians discuss their struggles with the shade range, saying that the product can oxidise and appear more orange on the skin. Medium Neutral looked great after I mixed it with my go-to highlighter drops (Glow Recipe's Watermelon Hue Drops in Rosy Glow), but I definitely think the brand can benefit from a shade expansion.'
'Many skin tints and foundations claim to have a skin-like finish, but e.l.f.'s Halo Glow Skin Tint has exceeded my expectations with flying colours. It's truly undetectable on skin, even when I build up coverage. While anything with 'glow' in the product name tends to read as greasy on my oily skin, this stuff miraculously looks incredible. It has a filter-like finish that blurs imperfections but looks like I don't have any makeup on. I mix shades 5 and 7 to get a perfect match, but I could definitely use either one alone based on the time of year and how tanned I am. The fact that it has SPF 50 protection (it's mineral, but doesn't appear ashy on my skin) easily makes this my new go-to complexion product for summer. If it came in a Costco-sized jug, I'd be the first in line to buy.'