Carte Blanche Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint: Review

I’ve long admitted this about myself, but I am such a lady of convenience. If I had all the money in the world, every single aspect of my life would be automated or outsourced. Alas, I am a mere working gal in the big city, but I do find myself applying the same principles to quite a few of my beauty routines, especially when I do my makeup. Which is exactly why I’ve been using the Carte Blanche Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Mineral SPF 35.

“We felt like there was an opportunity to really raise the standard for what a skincare-makeup hybrid could be with this product,” Carte Blanche co-founder, Geri Hirsch, tells me. “So many of us simply don’t have time to do a full skincare routine in the morning, and we wanted to create something with truly heavy-hitting, clinically proven skincare benefits and a beautiful, immediate makeup payoff.”

The goal for Hirsch and her co-founder Sarah Tallman, who is a product developer by trade, was simple? Take all the steps of their morning beauty routines and condense them into one singular product. Thus, the Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Mineral SPF 35 was born.

I’ve been playing around with the tint for a few weeks now, and TL;DR: I love it. Still, I’m a big fan of a deep dive, so if you want to know everything from the key ingredients to the best way to use it, keep reading.

Carte Blanche Beauty

Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Mineral SPF 35

What Ingredients Are In the Carte Blanche Beauty Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint?

As the name suggests, this is an SPF product at its core, but it does more than just protect your skin from the sun. In fact, this formula is clinically proven to brighten the skin and help visibly reduce sun spots and age spots over time. “For skincare, we use THD Ascorbate, a highly stable form of vitamin C, alongside licorice exosomes, flax stem cells, bakuchiol and squalane,” Hirsch says. “Then there’s 13 percent zinc oxide for a broad-spectrum mineral sun protection factor of 35.”

On top of all of the skin-loving goodness, that glow you’re seeing? It’s not shimmer or sparkle, which, for my acne-prone skin, is a plus. “Sarah developed micro-pearl blends specifically shaded and sized for each of our nine shades,” Hirsch adds. “So you get this beautiful, lit-from-within luminosity without ever seeing glitter in daylight.”

What Does the Carte Blanche Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Feel Like?

I’m someone who likes to smell all my beauty products (is that weird? Don’t judge me, please). So I will say right off the bat that this product smells like a typical mineral sunscreen. But that’s where all the similarities stop. Whereas most mineral formulas typically leave behind a white cast on my skin (that’s just the name of the game, unfortunately), thanks to a rather impressive shade range, this one blends right in and matches my skin tone with no issues. Note that since it’s such a sheer formula, you can likely go up or down one shade depending on whether you want to look more tan or if you get more pale in the winter, and you can play around with your concealer or other makeup placements to adjust for daily use as needed.

As for the texture, it honestly feels like any other sunscreen or moisturiser, and there is no gritty feeling like some SPF formulas. It’s also not a super thick product, so from a sensorial standpoint, you don’t have to spend ages rubbing it in for it to finally sink into your skin. It does leave behind that beautiful glow that Hirsch mentions, so while you can use it alone, you can also use it as a luminous primer before a more full-coverage makeup look.

How Do I Use the Carte Blanche Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint?

The packaging is one of my favorite parts about the product, because it feels so high-end and makes the formula exceptionally easy to use. As with this entire launch, that was also intentional. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted Multi-Hyphenate in glass,” Hirsch said. “So many tinted SPFs come in plastic tubes, and at this point in our lives, we want the things we use every day to not only perform beautifully, but to be beautiful, to feel considered and special.”

This consideration comes in the form of burgundy glass packaging and a pump applicator, which can allow you to apply the product however you want—with your hands, a brush, a sponge, whatever your heart desires, because it behaves like a traditional foundation. I personally like to use two pumps and use my fingers to apply it all over the face, but there’s really no “wrong” way to apply. The ability to choose your own adventure is another reason why this product feels so special to me. “The packaging reflects the same philosophy as the product itself,” Hirsch says. “It’s high-performing, thoughtful, and beautiful enough that you actually want to leave it out on your counter.”

Is the Carte Blanche Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Worth It?

At $68, the Multi-Hyphenate SPF Tint is undoubtedly on the more luxurious side of the makeup spectrum. However, I do believe that it’s worth the cost. As someone who has a rather hectic schedule, I can’t tell you how many times I skip steps in my routine so that I can rush out the door. One product that combines skincare, SPF, and skin prep? In my routine, those products alone would come to over 150 dollars if I totaled their individual costs. On top of that, while I prefer to use this after applying a standalone SPF, this product touting a sun protection factor of 35 is actually really impressive. If you do want to swap it into your routine in place of sunscreen, it’s adequate coverage to actually protect your skin from the sun. (Remember, anything less than SPF 30 is a no-go.)

In short, I honestly am really impressed by this launch and can’t wait to see what else the brand releases in the future. With the Multi-Hyphenate as its hero SKU, I can only imagine that big things are in the future for Carte Blanche Beauty.

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