Verdict: Balm Is Beating Foundation for Everyday Glow
Luxury balm products are hybrid formulas that combine skincare ingredients with lightweight, soft-focus pigment to create face balm radiance and soft matte finishes in place of traditional heavy foundations. From a reviewer’s point of view, the bottom line is clear: if you want ‘your skin but better’ with minimal effort, modern balms outperform most everyday bases. They trade opaque coverage for breathable, transfer-resistant wear and weightless textures that suit busy routines and changing skin needs. For dry or mature complexions, they blur rather than cling; for oily and combination types, they even out tone without clogging or dulling. If you still love full glam, these are not your main-event products—but as daily staples, the best editor tested balms deliver more comfort and believable radiance than classic foundation ever did.
IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Skin Tint Face Balm: Skin Care in Disguise
On skin, the IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Skin Tint Face Balm is the clearest sign that base makeup is moving away from full-coverage foundations toward lighter, glowing alternatives. It sits between a skin tint, moisturiser and serum, with deliberately light, sheer coverage that allows real skin to show through while still toning down redness and uneven patches. The formula is packed with 92% skincare ingredients designed to boost radiance over time, including collagen peptide, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to hydrate, smooth and leave skin healthy and luminous. In testing, the finish lands precisely between matte and dewy, sinking into the skin rather than sitting on top, which softens fine lines and blurs pores without looking greasy. Longevity is strong too; even without powder, it stayed fresh through a heatwave, with the tester’s usually oily T-zone still bright and healthy by evening.
Pros
- ‘Your skin but better’ radiance with a balanced finish between matte and dewy that looks soft and healthy on the face balm radiance spectrum.
- Skincare-rich formula (92% skincare ingredients) that hydrates, smooths and improves texture over time.
- Strong all-day wear without powder; stays looking fresh even in heat and on oily T-zones.
Cons
- Packaging feels basic and not particularly elevated to one beauty editor, with comparisons to older mousse foundations.
- Texture feels unusual and buttery at first, which may worry users with oily skin before it sets down.
Hourglass Phantom Blur Balm: Soft-Matte Luxury for Lips
While the IT balm focuses on complexion, Hourglass Phantom Blur Balm shows how luxury balm products can reinvent lip colour. The collection adds five Blur Balm shades that promise the comfort of a nourishing balm with a modern soft-matte finish, ideal for those who want an understated, classy look rather than a high-shine gloss. The soft and silky formula relies on a blend of hyaluronic acid, conditioning oils and emollients that feels more like a treatment than a traditional matte lipstick, yet still delivers rich colour with a refined, soft-focus finish that lasts for hours. These high-performance balms come in sleek, matte metallic tubes that look and feel luxurious in the hand, and the £36 price reflects that positioning. According to brand founder Carisa Janes, the aim was to reimagine the modern matte lip with a blurring, cashmere-soft texture that avoids heaviness and dryness.
| Spec | IT Face Balm | Hourglass Blur Balm |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Tinted face balm for base makeup | Soft matte finish balm for lips with rich colour |
| Key Benefits | Light coverage plus 92% skincare ingredients for lasting radiance and smoother texture | Nourishing comfort, blurring soft-focus finish, and long-lasting wear on lips |
| Texture & Finish | Melts from buttery to slightly powdery, sitting between matte and dewy on skin | Soft, silky balm that feels like a treatment yet sets to a modern soft-matte lip |
| Packaging | Glass pot that some find underwhelming and not elevated | Sleek matte metallic tube that looks and feels luxurious |
| Price Mentioned | Not specified in sources | £36 per balm in the Blur range |
Why Balms Are Replacing Heavy Coverage in Editor Makeup Bags
From the test notes, the appeal of editor tested balms is not mystery; it is a response to how skin and preferences change. One reviewer, now in her 30s, moved away from heavy-duty glamour and found that full-coverage foundations highlighted fine lines, settled into pores and left skin looking clogged and dull instead of fresh. She had already gravitated toward skin tints, but the face balm format pushed things further: coverage stays sheer and strategic, so concealer can handle individual breakouts while the balm keeps the rest of the face even and natural. In practice, these balms act as real-world filters—blurring texture, plumping cheeks, evening tone—without masking features or requiring powder to set. On lips, the Hourglass soft matte finish balm gives similar benefits: rich colour, great staying power and hydration for hours, but without the dryness and transfer of classic matte lipstick.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Skin Tint Face Balm if you want everyday ‘your skin but better’ radiance and prefer light, sheer coverage over heavy foundation.
- Skip the IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Skin Tint Face Balm if you need full-coverage base that hides significant discolouration without extra concealer or corrector.
- Buy the IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Skin Tint Face Balm if you have mature or texture-prone skin and want a balm that softens fine lines and blurs pores without caking.
- Skip the IT Cosmetics Do It All Sheer Skin Tint Face Balm if you dislike jar packaging or expect a more elevated-looking compact for your base products.
- Buy the Hourglass Phantom Blur Balm if you love a soft matte finish balm on lips with rich colour, long staying power and a hydrating, treatment-like feel.
- Skip the Hourglass Phantom Blur Balm if you prefer high-shine, glossy lip textures or are unwilling to pay £36 for a single luxury balm product.
