The Best Tinted Serums for a No-Makeup Makeup Look

Enhance your skin without looking totally made up.

By Allie Hogan, Associate Beauty Editor · Oct 6, 2022

Sure, full glam is fun, but on the day-to-day, it’s nice to look like yourself, just a bit more polished. The no-makeup makeup look lets your skin shine through and your favorite features stand out. It’s become popular among celebrities from Hailey Bieber to Serena Pitt and has trickled into the mainstream. The foundation for the perfect no-makeup makeup look is lightweight, barely there complexion coverage. These tinted serums will provide a more even tone through light to medium coverage, without making it look like you’re wearing mountains of makeup.

1 / 8

Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops ($68)

This skin care–forward tinted serum features ginseng extract, pomegranate extract, ginger root complex and Tsubaki, sunflower and almond oil. It has light to medium coverage and an ultra-radiant finish. It’s hydrating, firming, and according to 97 percent of study participants, it visibly reduces the appearance of pores on bare skin after two weeks.

2 / 8

Summer Fridays Sheer Skin Tint with Hyaluronic Acid + Squalane ($42)

Summer Fridays’ first foray into complexion is a huge hit. It’s lightweight and adds a wash of sheer color, so it seems like you’re makeup-less, but it grants you a more even, healthy complexion diminishing redness, pores and uneven skin.

3 / 8

L’Oréal True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum ($20)

A beloved drugstore standby, this tinted serum predates the trend altogether. The formula includes hyaluronic acid for hydration and works to instantly brighten skin and even tone.

4 / 8

Yves Saint Laurent Nu Bare Look Tint Hydrating Skin Tint ($39)

This super thin serum goes on like skin care but provides light to medium makeup coverage. It provides that dewy natural glow that’s key to the no-makeup makeup look.

5 / 8

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 ($48)

A fantastic feature of this skin tint is the mineral SPF 40, which allows you to skip a whole step in your routine. The formula is super clean and lightweight with active levels of skin-care ingredients like niacinamide, squalane and hyaluronic acid.

6 / 8

Kosas Tinted Face Oil ($42)

A variety of skin-loving oils, including avocado, red raspberry, meadowfoam, jojoba, camellia seed and rosehip seed, make this product soothing, moisturizing, plumping and brightening. Meanwhile, it also provides light coverage for a more even, healthy-looking complexion.

7 / 8

Caliray Freedreaming Clean Blurring Skin Tint ($39)

This elixir is made from 94.5 percent natural origin ingredients, so you can feel good about putting it on your face. It blurs, regenerates antioxidants and minimizes the look of pores and imperfections—what more could you hope for?