A complexion makeup category is gaining popularity—just don’t call it foundation. Or BB cream. Or tinted moisturizer. New solid complexion balms come in easy-to-apply formats like sticks and compacts, blurring perceived imperfections with a filter-like veil that allows signature freckles or a postgym flush to come through. Neither radiant nor fully matte, these all-in-one balms sound like makeup enigmas, leaving skin fresh and even without calling attention. They also come with added skin-care ingredients.
Our Top Picks
“One thing I learned from teaching all over the world is that there’s one texture people are never afraid of and it is a balm,” says makeup artist Danessa Myricks, whose 2022 launch of Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder ignited a fervor among makeup artists and influencers. “I think through the pandemic, people became more aware of their face and appreciated their skin more. Balms appeal to them because they are so easy and skinlike.”
The benefit to a 38-year-old like myself—the sleepy, dehydrated mother of an eight-month-old—is sheer simplicity. The baked-in skin-care ingredients give extra hydration and soft, blendable application, so once you’ve got the right shade, it’s just dot, dot, dot and pat, pat, pat—no brushes required. And the travel-friendly solid format makes it perfect for a purse.
While other formulas in the category vary in application, staying power, and skin-care benefits, solid complexion balms share a common goal: to impart a skinlike, natural matte finish, which I attribute to a pendulum swing away from the hyper-radiant formulas that took over the market the past 5 to 10 years. You may, like me, find this refreshing. With light-medium to medium-full coverage, the pigments are suspended within the balmy base for a translucency that allows light through yet diffuses discoloration—like looking through multiple layers of mesh. If you want full, opaque coverage, these won’t be your bag, and as a heads up, know that you’ll typically need to touch up if you’re going out after work.