Sheer Coverage Bases including BECCA, Le Metier, RBR and Erborian

I've had this particular post in draft for months now. I'd already taken the accompanying photographs but my collection has grown since then, so I decided it was time to take some more pictures. For a lot of people, these are brands that are available online only so I hope the swatches and overview will be useful.

L-R: Second skin, PV in shade 01, RBR 041 Adansonia, Erborian, BECCA Sand and Illamasqua Light Liquid foundation in 135

With flash. L-R: Second skin, PV in shade 01, RBR 041 Adansonia, Erborian, BECCA Sand and Illamasqua Light Liquid foundation in 135

I've included Max Factor's Second Skin, as although it is a foundation, it has quite a sheer and dewy quality to it. It evens skin tone without giving detecable coverage. When swatched, it has quite pinky undertone but it it seems to react with skin to give a good match.

Le Metier Peau Vierge is probably best described as tinted anti-ageing skincare. It contains retinol with a patented delivery system and also has an SPF of 20. I have this in the new Shade 01 and as you can see from the swatch it is quite apricot hued. I find this provides enough coverage on it's own and this was the only base I took on holiday with me. For those of you in the States and have access to Le Metier, I believe they recently launched a full skincare range which also contains the patented Syntoc Actif system. It's an expensive line but I've heard good reports from people that ordinarily suffer with skin reactions to certain active ingredients.

I bought the Rouge Bunny Rouge Sketches on Water Tinted Moisturiser from a sales site last year. I have it in the lightest shade, Adansonia. I think it has quite a neutral undertone. I find it a touch pale on my skin but it's workable as it is a sheer coverage. I wonder if the shade Quercus might be a better match when I re-purchase. I have almost finished this tube and I think this really is my most favourite tinted moisturiser. It doesn't provide a lot of colour but it's enough on it's own for me on good skin days. It feels beautiful on the skin and, like Peau Vierge, it has skincare benefits as well as offering coverage. My success with the tinted moisturiser has made me even more tempted to try their Milk Aquarelle foundation.

BB Creams have been big news this year and I snapped up this Erborian BB Crème in a blog sale. Erborian comes in only two shades, Natural and Golden. This is the shade Natural. I have swatched all of these products on the underside of my arm where my skin is very fair. With age and sun damage, the skin on my face is not as pale. I would describe myself as fair but not porcelain and this just doesn't work on my summer skin. It has a pinky blue, almost grey tinge to it and when applied this gives my face a ghostly cast. So, unfortunately I can't give any thoughts on how this works as a base. I'm hoping that I can make it work for me in the cooler months.

I have spoken about the BECCA Luminous Skin Colour tinted moisturiser before. I like this as a base, it is very sheer though and I will sometimes use it with foundation layered over areas where I need more coverage. It gives quite a dewy finish and I find Sand to be a good match for me. However, I have found that I can't wear this everyday as seems to irritate my skin slightly if I wear it continuously. I really like the fact that it has an SPF of 25+ but it's possible that the sunscreens in it are the source of my skin reaction.

I was very kindly sent this small sample of Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation by Mizz Worthy. This is in the shade 135, which the website describes as a match for light skin with golden undertones. Although this is a light foundation, it still contains quite a lot of pigment and offers more coverage than a tinted moisturiser. Like Skin Base, I find that this foundation tends to sit in my pores. It also requires more care in application than some of the other bases I have mentioned here.

I hope the comparison and overview was useful. If you want any more detailed information about any of the products or other colour comparisons, please feel free to ask. Do you have a favourite sheer coverage foundation or tinted moisturiser? I know My Lips But Better has me intrigued by the Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser and that is on my list to investigate.


Disclosure: Second Skin, Peau Vierge and Luminous Skin Colour were received as PR Samples. These are my honest thoughts about all of these products, irrespective of their provenance. There are no affiliate links in this post and the links are provided for information only.