If you believe TikTok, skin tints are the new foundation. But we believe skin tint and foundation serve distinct purposes in your beauty routine. Skin tints brilliantly bridge the gap between your skincare routine and your makeup routine with glowy goodness and bonus skincare benefits. Meanwhile, foundation is a quintessential staple for creating a seamless, even base for ultra-glam looks.
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel Tint falls into the first category. Since its launch in early 2025, this first-of-its-kind skin tint has won a seriously impressive collection of awards, including a Cosmopolitan Holy Grail Beauty Award, Byrdie Beauty Award, and Real Simple Smart Beauty Award.
But what makes skin tints so special? And more specifically, what makes Hydro Grip Gel Tint the best skin tint in the game? Ahead, we’ll delve into what exactly a skin tint is and what sets it apart from other complexion products.
What is a skin tint?Skin tint combines the sheer, dewy coverage of a lightweight liquid foundation or BB cream with the skincare benefits of a facial serum (and occasionally sunscreen). In other words, skin tint is kind of like a long-lasting tinted moisturizer. “Some days, you want [your base] to be dewy and light—that's our skin tint’s cue,” says Sara Wren, Milk Makeup’s Global Director of Artistry. Hydro Grip Gel Tint comes in 15 flexible shades, and has a weightless gel texture and a natural-looking dewy finish. Its light, buildable coverage diminishes the appearance of redness, hyperpigmentation, and uneven skin tone without creasing, fading, or setting into fine lines—all while staying put up to 12 hours. And thanks to that natural dewy finish, Hydro Grip Gel Tint looks like you just put it on, even at the end of the day. |
Even better: Our skin tint is packed with ingredients that are clinically proven to boost hydration by 24%, making it a dream for those with dry skin and even sensitive skin. Triluronic Acid, a triple-powered hyaluronic acid, ensures your skin looks and feels bouncy and deeply hydrated, while aloe water and squalane add major moisture to keep your skin looking ultra-smooth. Hydro Grip Gel Tint also features niacinamide to give it extra brightening, soothing, and hydrating properties.
Have oily or acne-prone skin? Hydro Grip Gel Tint is non-comedogenic and water-based, so it won’t clog your pores. In fact, these hydrating ingredients will even help balance out your skin. Plus, our hydrating skin tint is part of the Hydro Grip family, so it’s infused with blue agave extract that grips makeup regardless of what skin type it’s working with, including oily skin.
Skin tint vs. foundation
Foundation generally provides more opaque coverage than skin tint and contains fewer skincare ingredients, Sara explains. Most foundations have a matte finish, with medium to full coverage that can feel heavy or thick on the skin. Foundation is also more suitable for events when you’re going all out with your glam, such as weddings, parties, or any occasion involving flash photography.
Skin tint, on the other hand, is an incredible complexion product for everyday, no-makeup makeup looks. Its light to medium coverage is designed to let your skin shine through and enhance your natural glow while giving it a hint of skin-evening pigment. However, like foundation, our skin tint is long-lasting, so you don’t have to worry about midday touchups.
How to use skin tint
As if its sheer coverage and skincare benefits weren’t enough, Hydro Grip Gel Tint also applies easily with just about every tool. “It even looks great applied with fingers,” Sara says.
If you want more medium coverage, the makeup artist recommends blending it onto your skin with the Milk Makeup Buff Brush, starting at the center of your face and buffing it out toward your hairline.
For sheer coverage, Sara recommends reaching for a damp makeup sponge or simply using your fingers. “Fingers are always a great option for applying cream and liquid products because they warm up the formula and allow for a super natural finish and coverage,” she explains.
Whichever tool you choose, though, don’t forget to prep your skin before applying skin tint. Sara always layers on SPF and Hydro Grip Face Primer for a super-secure base with sun protection and a next-level smooth finish.
After letting the primer dry down for 60 seconds, Sara likes to add some of the Hydro Grip Gel tint to the back of her hand or a makeup palette before dabbing the Buff Brush in it. This technique gives you better control of the amount of skin tint and the coverage you’re working with. You’ll also be able to build up layers of coverage more seamlessly. Then, you can add a little more product to any areas that need more coverage. The same steps work well if you prefer using a sponge or your fingers.
Although the glow is one of our favorite things about our skin tint, you can mattify areas that may be leaning too shiny with a dusting of Milk Makeup’s Pore Eclipse Matte Translucent Setting Powder, Sara says. Then, seal it all in by spritzing on a setting spray, like our Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Spray.
Another pro tip from Sara: On days when your skin needs extra help due to dark circles, redness, or blemishes, “I love using any full coverage concealers under Hydro Grip Gel Tint for a super seamless coverage, [like] underpainting,” she says. You’ll get a more full-coverage look but with the same long-lasting, dewy finish of our best skin tint.
To finish your no-makeup makeup look, you can add some bronzer, lip tint, mascara, or whatever your heart desires. No matter what other steps your makeup routine includes, your skin is sure to look glowy, fresh, and natural throughout the day.
Meet the Expert:
Sara Wren (she/her)is the Director of Artistry at Milk Makeup. In her role, she does all the makeup artistry and direction for our Milk Makeup global campaigns, educates the staff and field team on application methods, stars in the brand’s social media videos, and travels to different markets spreading Milk Makeup’s good vibes. When she’s not on set, Sara loves experimenting with DIY hair colors, eating tacos, watching basketball, and scouring for vintage cosmetics to add to her impressive collection.
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