The last thing I want to do when it’s 90+ degrees Fahrenheit outside (at least, besides actually be outside) is put on a full face of foundation. The idea of coating my skin in some gunky formula that is inevitably going to a) melt off and stain my clothes when I start to sweat and b) mix with that sweat and clog my pores makes me want to skip makeup altogether. So when I was recently invited to test the new Maybelline SuperStay Skin Tint ($18) to see how it would stand up to an early-September heat wave, I was unenthused, to say the least.
But! The brand promised that the new formula had 24 hours’ worth of staying power—even in the face of sweat and humidity—so I was eager to see if it would be the exception to my “no foundation on hot days” rule. And, spoiler alert: it is.
Key ingredients: vitamin C
Shades: 18
Pros:
- Long-lasting
- Sweat-, heat-, and humidity-resistant
- Lightweight and non-comedogenic
- Brightens and evens skin tone using vitamin C
- Vegan and suitable for all skin types
- Affordable
Cons:
- Coverage isn’t as full or heavy as other foundations
When Maybelline launched its first skin tint last year, The Green Edition Superdrop Tinted Oil Makeup ($8), I was a fast fan. It felt like a drugstore dupe of the beloved Kosas Tinted Face Oil ($21), and I really liked that it delivered lightweight, skin-tone evening coverage that didn’t feel heavy. That said, I didn’t love the idea of using an oil-based product on sweltering days, so this formula was relegated to my October-through-May collection.
Thankfully, I’ve found its replacement for the sweatiest months of the year in the form of the brand’s SuperStay Skin Tint. It has the same lightweight, skin-tone evening coverage, but feels more like a serum because it uses a water base instead of an oil one. It claims to stand up to sweat, heat, and humidity without dripping or fading, and had already earned quite the reputation on BeautyTok for delivering on these promises before I got my hands on it. (Case in point: Makeup-world It Girl Mikaeyla Noguiera calls it “the skin tint of all skin tints” and says she wore it every day throughout the summer.)
Long-wear foundations typically tend to be more mattifying, but this one is shockingly dewy. It delivers a radiant—almost luminscent—finish, and does so without ever looking (or feeling) greasy or slick. That’s because it gets its glow from mica, which gives it the type of very subtle shimmer that makes you look lit from within (don’t worry, though: this isn’t the type of shimmer that’s going to make you look like Edward Cullen in the sunlight).
The formula instantly makes skin look brighter and more even upon application, and thanks to vitamin C, it also helps deliver those same results over time. As you may already know, vitamin C is a powerhouse antioxidant that dermatologists recommend applying to your skin every morning to fend off the free radical damage that causes visible signs of aging. Additionally, it works to fade discoloration and offers mild exfoliation to help do away with dullness.
What happened when I tried it
Upon application
I typically like to pump foundation on the back of my hand and apply it with a Beautyblender, but because this formula comes with a dropper I decided to take it straight to the face. It didn’t drip the way an oil would, and was easy to blend with my fingers (I did wind up grabbing a Beautyblender sponge to even things out at the end, though).
What struck me the most was just how much coverage this stuff provides. I’m currently dealing with some post-summer discoloration, and a few drops of product made it completely invisible.
After 4 hours
My shirt was covered in sweat stains and my sticky bra entirely slipped off my body while I was walking down 5th Avenue, but my makeup looked weirdly just as good as it did when I first applied it?! Odder still was the fact that even though it felt like a literal oven outside, my face didn’t seem to sweat at all. It was at this point that I began to wonder if this stuff was made of literal magic.
After 12 hours
Though I was forced to show up to two work events with no bra on and my hair frizzed to the high heavens, my makeup continued to look perfect—so here’s hoping people were too focused on my flawless foundation to notice that my nipples were fully visible through my top.
After a full day of sprinting around New York City in nearly triple-digit heat (the temps topped out at 96 degrees), I can confirm that the Maybelline Super Stay Skin Tint looked just as good under the lights of the bodega at 9 p.m. as it did in my makeup mirror when I applied it at 9 a.m. Super Stay, indeed.