Your ultimate ‘no-makeup’ makeup guide to create a natural, healthy look in 2023

Your ultimate ‘no-makeup’ makeup guide to create a natural, healthy look in 2023

Natural look makeup for ‘no-makeup’ makeup is what we live and breathe at Lük Beautifood.

We’ve all been there – searching for that ultimate holy grail lightweight ‘foundation’ that gives us a natural finish and fresh, healthy skin without anyone knowing we are wearing a ‘product’; we want it to fit our modern lifestyle; work in warmer climates; hydrate & nourish our skin; even skin tone; not clog pores or cause breakouts, blur and blend seamlessly; and is really easy to use on-the-go. The list goes on!

When we couldn’t find one, we jumped at the idea of creating a nourishing , glowy skin tint that ticks all our boxes and aligns with Lük’s Clean, Conscious + Credible brand ethos.

Enter Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™, our next generation 100% natural all-in-one skin tint – sheer coverage that cares for your skin with a luminous natural finish!

As a small Australian business, we’re proud to be at the forefront of this new wave of innovation. Just like our lifestyles, colour cosmetic technology has evolved a lot during the last decade. The traditional foundations and tinted moisturisers of yesteryear have given way to a host of new options – from BB creams and CC creams and now, the latest innovations - serum foundations and skin tints - just like our Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™.

So, if like us you’re trying to navigate the best products to give you an effortless ‘no-makeup’ look, then read on for our simple guide to getting that coveted natural looking all-day fresh face and healthy looking skin in 2023.

instant glow tinted complexion balm

What is a skin tint?

Skin tints are the latest innovation in minimal makeup. They have a gorgeous soft and lightweight texture that feels beautiful and is better for your pores, application is quick and easy, and they have just enough pigment to even your skin tone and blur imperfections while still looking totally natural. Unlike old school tinted moisturisers, they usually are packed with active skincare ingredients that deliver benefits far beyond coverage. Big tick!

Skin tints vs tinted moisturiser vs BB creams vs CC creams vs foundations – What’s the difference?

The main difference in the products is the coverage, texture and finished look. Products fall into two main categories – there are heavy duty solid or opaque coverage options like foundation and CC cream, or sheer coverage options like BB creams and traditional tinted moisturisers. Traditional products are usually synthetic with potential toxins, while new products tend to have more natural ingredients, but few are still 100% natural +plant-based (ie synthetic free), cruelty free and vegan, like our Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™.

How is a skin tint different from tinted moisturisers?

Tinted moisturiser is a moisturiser with a small amount of colour added. It offers minimal coverage so most imperfections will still show, is often greasy so even coverage is hard to achieve, and there are no or minimal skincare benefits.

Generally, skin tints have the ability to conceal and blur imperfections due to their sophisticated mineral pigments and active complexes while still giving you that real-skin look that made tinted moisturisers popular when they first hit the shelves. But unlike tinted moisturisers, the best skin tints, like our Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™, will even skin tone, and provide seamless coverage because it’s balmy texture melts into skin, rather than sliding around on top of your skin like a tinted moisturiser. Skin tints are generally not greasy like tinted moisturisers, giving hydration without looking oily - which is perfect for achieving a dewy glow. And there are skincare active ingredients in skin tints that give benefits beyond colour and coverage.

How is a skin tint different from BB creams?

BB creams, beauty balm or blemish balm, give slightly more coverage than a tinted moisturiser, but with a limited selection of shades to choose from making it challenging to match your skin tone and usually leaving an obvious line between your coverage and your real skin. They can gather and sit in fine lines and pores, which unfortunately tends to highlight the very things we’re trying to downplay! Some contain antioxidants, but there are still limited skincare benefits.

Our Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™ blends into skin seamlessly with no obvious line. The next-gen mineral pigments adjust to two or three skin tones and melts into skin, rather than sit on top and pool in any lines and pores.

How is a skin tint different from CC creams and traditional foundations?

Foundation is typically a highly pigmented product with medium to full coverage with a satin or matte, "pancake" style look that hides skin and aims for ‘perfection’. It is often used with contouring products to create a solid, ‘flawless skin’ make up look. It typically feels heavy, sits on skin, blocks pores and can cake and leave an obvious line. It often contains synthetics and there are no skin care benefits. It’s often difficult to find a lightweight foundation and even harder to find a natural look foundation. Foundations are loved by women who want to cover their skin completely and love being seen wearing makeup. It takes time and skill to apply a full coverage foundation as brushes and sponges are typically used. And it takes time to take it off!

CC creams, or colour correcting creams, are lighter in texture than foundations and BB creams, but provide sheer to full coverage more like a foundation. They were made to cover pigmented skin, redness and blemishes. Because they sit on skin, they give a more "pancake" look like foundation and are prone to drying, caking and flaking, making your blemishes more obvious as the day wears on. It can be challenging to find your ideal shade so there is often an obvious line where your CC cream ends, and your real skin starts.

Both are heavy duty products and layer on nice and thick in a hard-working attempt to hide your blemishes and imperfections. The downside is don’t allow your skin to breathe, which can cause you to sweat more, wreaking havoc on your skin, blocking pores and causing more blemishes and irritation that you try harder to cover up. The sweating causes your coverage to slide off, usually unevenly. Disaster on all fronts – especially for your complexion and overall health of your skin, and a total nightmare in warmer climates.

Skin tints are lightweight so they feel barely-there on your skin and the best ones allow your skin to breathe and won’t clog your pores. They’re also typically more hydrating so won’t cake or dry. Our Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™ nourishes and hydrates for all-day dewiness and goes a step further in supporting the health of your skin by re-balancing your skin’s microbiome. We use the native Australian Noni plant in Quora Noni™, which is clinically proven to re-balance the skin’s microbiome, minimise blemishes and the look of pores, flight breakouts and inflammation so it has some serious benefits for those with skin conditions, such as psoriasis, rosacea, acne, atopic dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis, among others.

The finish is also completely different – an effortless natural look for every day, compared to a more formal made-up face. Skin tints are also much quicker and easier to apply – super important if you’re busy and touching up on the run! Skin tints can typically be applied just with your fingers like you would your moisturiser, rather than with brushes and sponges.

If you’re fed up with complex makeup routines and foundations that feel heavy on your skin, or lighter options that don’t perform, then it’s time to take a breather and try something new.

Glow Skin Tint - your skin energised

What makes Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm so special?

Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™ is an ‘all-in-one’ nourishing skin tint with natural finish, it is a completely fresh approach to traditional solid coverage face products like foundation and concealer, and sheer products like tinted moisturisers and BB creams. Our Glow Skin Tint is for the modern woman who wants to feel ‘alive & nourished’ and get more out of her life; she is active and seamlessly transitions from work to play, indoors to out and from bushwalking to balls!

If you’re looking for a glowy, barely-there natural look, Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™, is the best ‘no-makeup’ makeup option. It’s balmy, lightweight, and breathable with a natural finish for a fresh, healthy complexion. Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™ gives a real-skin lit from-within-look with a natural finish and healthy glow. Its coverage is sheer, lightweight and customisable. And it improves your skin with every wear thanks to potent skincare actives. Read more about those here.

Fresh, healthy and energised skin – the secret is in the mineral pigments

We use patented superior natural mineral pigments to even, conceal, blur and blend, minimise redness, pigmentation and the look of pores and fine lines. (In truth, it’s only part of the secret!)

Our proprietary formula contains very small sized (non nano) natural mineral pigments from titanium dioxide, tin oxide and mica. These invisible, ultra-fine lustre crystals have been specially processed with patented technology to add dimension for healthy and energised skin. Their matte transparency combined with intense light changing colour creates a natural complexion without the mask-like look typically achieved with traditional face products. This game-changing innovation creates super natural tones and soft-focus effect with a beautiful luminous finish, that allows each of the six nude shades to adapt to two or three skin tones, while also eliminating a white face flash reaction and ‘orange’ oxidation of the formula.

Want the rest of the secret to luminous, healthy and energised skin? Then read about the potent ingredients in Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™ that improve the health of your skin in our article: 15 amazing skin care ingredients for a fresh, healthy complexion in 2023.

Meet your match Our formula melts into skin seamlessly matching most skin tones thanks to near neutral undertones and our superior mineral pigments. Each shade adjusts to two or three skin tones allowing you to completely customise your coverage. Instead of choosing one “perfect shade” try keeping a couple of tube shades in your makeup kit at any one time to create a real skin, natural look across the seasons and occasion.

To find your shades try our shade selection quiz.

Give it a try

Why not try a few different shades of Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm™ at home by picking up a few of our sample pots.

Instant Glow Tinted Complexion Balm - Samples

TRY NOW

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