First of all let me say this: this is NOT a foundation and therefore it will not cover any scars or hyperpigmentation or the like - that's what concealer is for anyway. It seems silly to rate a tinted moisturizer low for not covering up imperfections when the point of a tinted moisturizer is to give sun protection, moisturize skin, and provide a veil of color to even out skin tone - all of which this product does really well. I've used this product for years and gone through probably 5 tubes of 3 or 4 different shades and I always have at least two on hand. Coverage/Application: When I started using this product I didn't have great skin, it was very dry and dehydrated, sensitive, acne prone, and uneven in tone. It was great then to give light medium coverage and even my skin tone and then I would go in with a concealer to cover active acne and scars and then powdered with a powder foundation to increase the coverage and overall I got the coverage of a medium coverage foundation but while using less heavy and occlusive ingredients so my skin could breathe and not break out any worse. Since switching my skincare to Drunk Elephant my skin is looking infinitely better but I still use this tinted moisturizer to make my face match my neck in tone and give a little coverage for the imperfections that are still around, but I no longer find the need to spend 10 minutes spot concealing and I swapped my powder foundation for a translucent powder in my t zone. For people that want to get more coverage out of this, you can! There are some tricks to work with it to give you light-medium coverage instead of sheer: for one, don't use a brush since it just soaks up the product and drags it around and don't use your fingers since it will only give sheer coverage. I like to put dabs all over my face and then with the lightest touch smear it so there is a layer everywhere - I don't blend it in, just drag it to cover all skin. Then I let it set for a minute or two so that the moisture is absorbed by the skin leaving the pigments on top. Then I use a damp sponge and a dabbing motion to blend it in evenly. Usually I still want higher coverage in my t zone so I dab on a bit in the area, drag to cover, let sit 30 seconds, blend in with sponge. This method gets me light to medium coverage which is all I really need. Formula: the formula of this is pretty typical of a tinted moisturizer but I find it has more pigment than other TMs on the market, like Laura Mercier's. It is silicone free, which means the moisturizer doesn't have the "slip" silicones provide. Ingredients: the reason why I started using this and why I use it on a daily basis is because the ingredients in here are phenomenal - the ingredients that cause acne, sensitive skin, and other skin woes are left out entirely (fragrance, silicones, dyes, chemical sunscreen, SLS, essential oils) which makes it the perfect compliment to the Drunk Elephant line and really ideal for acne prone or sensitive skin. It does use SPF 30 physical sunscreen, which is great protection from the sun, but will cause flashback in flash photography. Color Range: the color range is fairly good, albeit confusing. The range initially only had the whole number shades but when it became a best seller it was expanded to have .5 shades, which is very confusing because they added shades where they could squeeze them in which means that shade 4.5 might actually be darker than 5 and shade 7 might be lighter than 6 and so on, so you really should swatch a few shades with your undertone in the store. The undertones are also not entirely as described because 1.5 and 2 are supposed to both be neutral but 1.5 has yellow undertones while 2 looks pink in comparison. Summary: overall this is a great option for someone looking for a tinted moisturizer, light foundation, or a silicone free complexion product. The ingredients are all high quality and devoid of fillers and irritants making it perfect for acne prone or sensitive skin types and people of all ages. The application is fool proof although there are different methods to achieve different amounts of coverage. The shade range can be confusing and the numbers don't tell you how light/dark a shade is, but the number of shades is incredible for a tinted moisturizer. This product repeatedly wins awards, like the Allure Best of Beauty, because it is a great multi purpose face product that protects while it gives coverage. I'd recommend this to anyone, just keep in mind that it does use physical sunscreen so if you are going to be in flash photography pass on this for a SPF free foundation for the night.

In the last month and a half I have bought and tested out five different foundations and that’s just what I’ve tried in the last six weeks. As a makeup artist for the last 15 years I’ve used and tried many, many more!! I keep going back to bareMinerals Complexion Rescue tinted hydrating gel cream, it’s not even technically exactly what you would describe as a foundation but it sure is amazing. I have mature skin, maybe someone who would typically want a full coverage foundation, however this always leaves my skin looking the absolute best. It’s lightweight, great for your skin, and allows your natural glow to shine through while still giving enough coverage to keep the spots you don’t want noticed, unnoticed! All of that and it has a refreshingly inexpensive price point!! Try it and you’ll love it, so will your skin!! Always keeping you look fresh and beautiful.
bareMinerals Complexion Rescue™Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

Just to be clear I know this is not a foundation. I know it’s not a heavy or full coverage item !!! But it was the first tinted moisturizer I have used. I liked it initially or should I say when it was applied to me at the makeup counter , I have dry skin but shine is an issue even after makeup is applied. So i was looking for something that wasn’t drying but matte. I can’t wear full coverage makeup because it doesn’t work well for my face. I’ve tried many high brands and drugstore brands and they just don’t sit well even after a good exfoliate and primer. Anyways I walked out buying this because she made me look bomb dot com. But after using it the next day I was so shiny or “glowing” I should say And I hated it. Even after setting it in i just felt like the product wasn’t for me. Then I realized oh duh she put powder and all the works on my after wards. After trying a few other things I went back and exchanged it for their pressed powder so fingers crossed ! I liked this but I didn’t love it. I rather have a bare face then wear this because it really didn’t make a difference to me and my skin type.

This is a very long review.
I can't make up my mind on this product. I was really excited to try it after reading all of the great reviews. I like the ingredients, and I love that it's cruelty-free. But the first time I applied it I used a flat top kabuki brush (Morphe G7), which is the same brush I use to apply my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. I noticed that it started pilling, so that was no good. The next time I applied it I used my fingers, and it was a no go; I still had pilling problems. I also waited a few hours in between applying regular moisturizer and this product to make sure that the pilling wasn't due to product build-up on my face. After researching online, I read some reviews that said the best way to apply Complexion Rescue was with the BM Smoothing Face Brush which was designed specifically for this product. Normally I would never buy a special brush just for one product, but I decided to invest in it anyway. I dabbed a few drops of Complexion Rescue over my face and gently buffed it in with the Smoothing Face brush, and I didn't have any problems with pilling. It looked fantastic! It covered my redness, left a smooth and natural finish, and looked really healthy. It also didn't leave my t-zone as oily as my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, which was why I bought the BM one in the first place. However, I took off a star because you need to use the BM brush, and that brush is $30. Although it's a one time expense, it's the principle of the matter that I don't like. I wore this product a few more times, loved the way it looked, but noticed it didn't last as long on my skin as the Laura Mericer one does. Oh well, no big deal, I thought, since I usually only wear makeup when I have to go to my one class at 5:30. Since I've started to focus on taking the best care of my skin as possible, I've been trying to wear less makeup. Plus, I'm a second year grad student and don't have the energy to go through my entire makeup routine everyday. This product seems to check off every thing I was looking for, but here's why I took off another star: it broke my skin out. I have combination-dry, extremely sensitive skin that's prone to eczema and dermatitis. Complexion Rescue did not aggravate those problems, but it did leave me with pimple-like bumps on my cheeks, underneath my cheekbones. When I took my makeup off at the end of the day, washed my face, and applied moisturizer before going to bed, I noticed the bumps. When I woke up in the morning, however, they were gone. I didn't think much of this since my skin is so reactive, until it kept happening. On days where I didn't wear this product I didn't have this problem. So I don't know what's up with this. I'm going to return it to Ulta and try another brand. 
I would completely recommend this product, however, because it does look fantastic, it has great ingredients, and most people don't have such temperamental skin like mine, but ONLY if you want to invest in the brush. If not, which is completely understandable, then I'd try to find something else. 

This is my go-to foundation, even though it's a tinted moisturizer.  The plus side of it being a tinted moisturizer is that it's buildable-- you can add another layer of it or you can put it underneath a foundation that gives more coverage.

I have sensitive, combination skin so I often have trouble with foundations pilling and I've had that issue once or twice with this product but I've noticed a couple things: one is that it tends to pill if you're using too much in your first layer so less is more.  The second is that you still definitely should use a moisturizer underneath it if you have combination or dry skin because nothing is going to give you the type of moisture you need like a dedicated, thorough moisturizer.  That being said, I find that this does a great job of continuing to moisturize my skin and make it look even and hide the dry spots.

It won't give you a lot of coverage with one layer.  I have pretty red cheeks that only 100% get covered up by "pancake" foundations but this does a good job of cutting down on it enough to just make me look a bit glowing.  I also have dark circles under my eyes (I know-- I won the genetic lottery on these things, didn't I?) so I will add another foundation or concealer on top when necessary to help give more thorough coverage.  Overall, though, this is a great everyday, light foundation-esque product for when you don't want to necessarily wear a thick foundation or (if you're like me) if your skin just can't tolerate such every day.

As a sidenote, I do use a beauty blender to apply this.  I've never had much luck with brushes with this foundation or any other, which could be user error, but I find that the beauty blender combined with this product is fabulous.

This product is very light, versatile and moisturizing! I use this as a base before applying my concealer and matte powder foundation and I have no complaints! I use the tiniest of amounts - a dot the size of a sprinkle on each cheek, my chin, my nose and my forehead - and blend it into my skin with the BM Smoothing Face brush. I'm amazed at how moisturized this small amount makes my skin feel; one morning I accidentally forgot to put moisturizer on after my shower, which usually leaves my skin feeling tight and dry, but I applied this during my usual makeup application and that feeling was avoided! This goes on pretty sheer, but serves as a great base for a foundation (especially a powder one) OR can be built to provide more substantial coverage white like a liquid foundation. This could also serve on its own as a light facial sunscreen on a trip to the beach with a very natural, no-makeup feel. Love it!

I love complexion rescue! I haven't been using it for very long since i'm new to using prestige brands, but this is my favorite so far. I can usually get it with a discount from the bareMinerals site and I barely have to use any product so it lasts a long time. I have pretty oily skin so it doesn't do anything for keeping the shine down, but it always feels good on my skin and very light. Also I can find it in a light enough shade for my face, which is really hard for me to find. The coverage isn't perfect but it's all I need as long as I have a good concealer for the bad spots on my face, and it typically blends well. I really do love this stuff but recently for some reason it's started to clump on and around my nose. I haven't changed anything in my routine so i'm not sure why it's doing that but I figure my face will work itself out eventually. I'm not giving up on it yet!

Love this! I honestly will use this just as a foundation more often than not because it’s a nice light coverage with awesome buildability (and yes, I realize I just made up that word). I’m a spotted goddess (I have a ton of freckles) and I’ve been working a lot on embracing that because I’ve spent a lot of years really self conscious and convinced that they were ugly. Anyway personal note aside, this foundation shows off my freckles without me just not wearing foundation. A great example of how fun this is to use is that recently I had a pretty bad sunburn on my cheeks and nose, and with a little strategic green/nude concealer and this tinted moisturizer, I was able to entirely cover up my redness, but my freckles still showed on my nose and cheeks! I will say, I don’t really look at this as a moisturizer as much of a lower coverage foundation that seems to be way better for my skin and limits breakouts; I do still use an elf moisturizer for my skincare routine.

I love this product. It goes on so smoothly and is very hydrating. It doesn't expose any of my dry patches and has good coverage. It's obviously not full coverage, but it covers enough and still lets your natural skin come through. It's especially nice in the summer months when you don't want anything heavy on your skin. The product doesn't seem to have much a fragrance, which I like. It also comes in alot of shades and since it is a lighter coverage you aren't stuck to wearing one particular shade. It definitely isn't the cheapest tinted moisturizer out there, but I really do think it's worth the extra money. If you don't want to spend the money on a full size, they frequently have kits you can by that come with a smaller size for you to try as well as a couple more of their products. I see myself using this product for a long time!

I use this everyday. It is THE best tinted moisturizer. It is a hi-bred. Moisturizing, oil free, light coverage (buildable), spf 30...it leaves your skin glowy and hydrated and it can be used as a primer! It works well under the Original foundation and is a must have. He color shades are wide. Lots of options. You don’t need a lot of it, about a pea sized amount will suffice! It makes you look like you have perfect skin and NO makeup! Ha!