After reading Paula Begoun’s Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me, I couldn’t help but wonder if her own products, Paula’s Choice, are really that good. She highlights most, if not all, of them as Paula’s Picks. Maybe it’s just me, but I find that a little unethical, to be promoting her own stuff in the book that reviews beauty products. I have to wonder if the reviews she gave the other brands of beauty products were subjective.

Anyway, just to test it out, I purchased a couple of items from the Paula’s Choice website. An item that caught my eye was the Barely There Sheer Matte Tint. I originally purchased a sample sachet of it to try out. In the end, I was so impressed by it that I ended up buying a full-sized tube a month later.

Description:

Five soft, sheer natural-looking shades
Broad-spectrum UVA & UVB sun protection
100% fragrance-free
Salicylate-free for those with fibromyalgia

Ingredients:
Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 5%; Zinc Oxide 5% (mineral-based sunscreens). Other Ingredients: Purified Water, Cyclomethicone (silicone slip agent), Propylene Glycol (water-binding agent), PEG/PPG-/18-Dimethicone (silicone-based emulsifier), Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate (thickener), Talc (absorbent), Dimethicone (silicone slip agent), Phytantriol (water-binding agent), Tocopherol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (antioxidants vitamin E and C), Boron Nitride (absorbent), Glycerin (slip agent), Palmitic Acid (thickener), Dextrin Palmitate (emulsifier), Sodium Hyaluronate (water-binding agent), Sodium Chloride (stabilizer), Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben (all preservatives).

May Contain: Iron Oxides, Ultramarines (FDA-approved cosmetic pigments).

What I noticed about Paula’s Choice products, is that they come in no-nonsense, no-frills packaging. Looking at the tube of the Sheer Matte Tint, all you’ll see are the drug facts, uses, warnings, directions of use, ingredients, and other relevant information. There’s no mention of what fantastic technology and gizmo were used to create this product. What you see is what you get.

The Barely There Sheer Matte Tint is essentially a tinted moisturiser. As the weather is dry here in Melbourne, I do not skip the moisturiser prior to this. The one which suited my skin tone was Sheer Ivory.

As I have a very oily T-zone, I find that this tinted moisturiser suited my skin very well. It did not leave an oily residue, even after hours of application.

The texture is lighter and less oily than Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser, although the coverage is the same. It evens out the skin tone well, but does not give full coverage.

This is suitable for all skin types, but I’d recommend this to those with oily skin, as it isn’t heavy at all. With its added SPF 20, it also gives sufficient protection from harmful sun rays. I used a lot of it during the days with scorching heat, and I had to be out of doors. The tinted moisturiser on my skin surprisingly didn’t melt then.

So yeah, I think Paula was right about this one. I’ve been using this for months, and I’m very satisfied.

Paula’s Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 20 comes in four shades. Its RRP is AU$43.25, but member’s price is AU$30.25. I joined the Member’s Program for AU$10, because even after adding that into the member’s price, it’s still cheaper than the RRP.

I’m not sure if Paula’s Choice products are available at stores, but I got mine on the website. This is also available on the Paula’s Choice Malaysia website, at the discounted price (at the time of writing) of RM57.

Would I repurchase this? Definitely, once my current tube runs out.

What I like about it: Light texture for oily skin, contains SPF 20, gives medium coverage

What I did not like about it: Nothing