This Tower 28 Tinted Balm Will Give You Summer Skin All Year

We put the Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Luminous Tinted Balm to the test after receiving a complimentary sample from the brand. Keep reading for our full product review.

The days are getting darker and colder where I live as winter approaches, but the Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Luminous Tinted Balm has been making waves for giving beauty fans a sun-kissed, beachy glow year-round. Obviously, as a dewy skin fanatic, my interest was piqued. This popular balm is an award-winning product, loved by many for its multitasking abilities and radiant finish. Intended for the lips and cheeks, this product was something I had to check out and decide for myself what I thought.

So does this buzz-worthy Tower 28 tinted balm live up to the hype? Keep scrolling for my honest thoughts.

About My Skin: Acne-prone with dry lips

Since I have acne-prone, sensitive skin, I meticulously follow the skincare routine my dermatologist recommended, but I’m much more experimental with using makeup from different brands that can give me a skin-like finish and soft glow. Right now, I use Tarte's Shape Tape concealer on my dark spots and set it with MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder. On nights out, I wear Armani Beauty's Luminous Silk foundation. When adding color to my cheeks, I switch up the brands, but blushes and bronzers from MAC Cosmetics, LYS Beauty, and Juvia’s Place are in constant rotation. I’ve used cream or gel formulas before, but I use powders more often because I know myself: I'm always rushing when getting ready. Applying powder products is quicker than cream for me, and I worry much less about making sure I blended my product enough. 

When it comes to my lips, they’re constantly dry. I wear one of the dozens of lip balms I have around the clock unless I’m going out. When I wear lipstick, I prefer matte textures, but over the past year or so, I’ve warmed up to creamier, shinier products quite a bit, and the Tower 28 BeachPlease Tinted Balm seemed like a worthy product to try for glowing skin and glossy lips. Putting my favorite cheek products on pause, I used the shade Golden Hour, a stunning vibrant orange, on my cheeks and lips for about a week. I paid close attention to how my skin felt and responded to the product, which is suitable for even the most sensitive skin.

How to Apply: Use fingertips or a brush, blend, and layer if necessary

Tower 28 suggests using your fingers to apply the BeachPlease Tinted Balm: All you have to do is tap the color onto your cheeks and lips, blend, and add an extra layer if you need more color. This was simple enough for my lips, but not so much for my face. I have dark spots on my cheeks, so I knew this method wouldn’t work for me because I could risk wiping my concealer and foundation off while blending the color in with my fingertips. I decided to use a long-haired, fluffy brush instead, lightly patting the bristles into the product. Once I was done gently buffing the color into the apples of my cheeks, I dusted the remaining product on my brush backwards, blending BeachPlease thoroughly. Depending on the look and texture of your skin, using a tool to apply the product may be helpful.

The Results: Dewy cheeks with a natural-looking finish and glossy lips

I love the way my skin looks when I use a cream blush, and I love a monochromatic beauty look even more, so I had pretty high expectations with BeachPlease. When I first brushed the Tower 28 tinted balm onto my skin, the color was so vivid that I questioned whether or not I chose the right shade. After I continued to dust the cream onto my cheeks, the formula blended into my skin and foundation really well, and I knew to apply the product with a lighter hand the next time I used it.

Initially, I was curious about how much time I’d spend buffing the product into my skin and how that would affect my concealer and foundation underneath. Like I mentioned before, I have dark spots on my cheeks, and I didn’t want the product to smudge off my coverage. Surprisingly, I was able to layer Tower 28's BeachPlease Tinted Balm on top of my foundation quickly and smoothly. To be honest, that had more to do with the brush I used. If I used my fingers, my dark spots may have shown because of the friction between my fingers and my cheeks when blending the cream into my skin, and I would have had to spend time reapplying everything. I applied the balm on my lips with my fingers, and that was a simple process every time I wore it. I paired it with a brown lip liner and my lips felt comfortable, hydrated, and had a beautiful shine that screamed summer. 

I went to the movies, grabbed groceries, and had drinks with friends wearing the Tower 28 tinted balm, and I had a dewy, fresh glow without looking oily. The product stayed in place pretty impressively considering the amount of mask-wearing I had to do as well. It came as no surprise to me when some of the balm smudged in specific areas of my face, though. The smudging was closer to my cheekbones, but it was easy enough to pat back into place with my ring fingers. I paid close attention to how my skin felt in comparison to other cream products I’ve used in the past, and I never felt irritation or like my pores were getting clogged.

The Value: Affordable for the amount

At around $20 for 0.16 oz. of product, I think Tower 28's BeachPlease tinted balm is priced appropriately. This multi-use product can replace two or three others in my makeup bag and costs the same amount (or less, let’s be real) as a product I can only use for one purpose. The packaging is functional and minimalist, so you're really paying for the product itself, which could last for several months with daily use. I think Tower 28 successfully managed to strike a solid balance between affordability and a quality product you won’t run out of quickly.

Similar Products: You've got options

Milk Makeup Mini Lip + Cheek: If you give Milk Makeup's lip and cheek tint ($20) a try, you’ll fall in love with it just like I did. Super creamy and easy to use, this product melts into your skin without looking thick or cakey. With eight different shades, this travel-friendly product won’t take up too much space in your makeup bag if you want to have a few different colors. If you need a couple more colors to choose from than Tower 28’s shade range, check this product out.

Danessa Myricks Colorfix 24-Hour Cream Color: In my personal opinion, the 24-Hour Cream Color ($18) from Danessa Myricks runs circles around a ton of multi-use products from other brands. Safe to use on the eyes, face, and lips, this product helps you to bring your creative vision to life with one of the largest selections of colors to pick from. Available in matte, glossy, and metallic finishes, finding a shade you love is a guarantee, but if you need a product that’s a little more straightforward with a smaller pool of shade options, the Tower 28 tinted balm is a better choice. 

e.l.f. Monochromatic Multi Stick: This bestseller from e.l.f. is perfect for eyes, lips, and cheeks at a price that’s unbelievably affordable. The Monochromatic Multi Stick ($4) has a cream-to-powder formula, which is great for oilier skin types or anyone who prefers a finish that’s a little less dewy. If you’re interested in finding an inexpensive product that can be used in several different ways, you can’t go wrong with this.