Makeup Tip: Liven your face by tinting your lotion.

A part of the morning routine for many women includes applying daytime skin care cream or moisturizing lotion, and then applying makeup on top of it. One possible way to simplify this process is to tint your lotion so that you would need to apply less or no makeup on top of it.

The simplest approach is to mix some of your favorite face powder into your lotion (or into your sunscreen if you plan to be outside). Or you can go for a bit more complicated but healthier alternative. Some skin-friendly antioxidants are colored and may act as both skin care and makeup ingredients. For example, lycopene, a carotenoid from tomatoes, is a potent antioxidant, excellent coloring agent (red) and even acts as a sunscreen (albeit a weak one, with SPF of only about 3). See our article for more on lycopene. Other skin-friendly, natural antioxidants with makeup compatible colors include Sea Buckthorn Oil and pomegranate extract. Unfortunately, the choice of coloring agents that are both skin-healthy and produce acceptable tint is rather limited, so if you are looking for a very specific tint, you may have to use your favorite face powder after all.