My Spin Instructor Shared Her Secret to Flawless Makeup During Sweaty Workouts — and I Use It Now, Too

This may be TMI, but I don’t think I’ve ever sweat as much as I have this summer. Between the ever-rising temperatures and stagnant air in the subway platforms, my pores have been leaking like it’s their job. And yet, my face makeup never moves because of this PEOPLE-approved CC cream that my spin instructor, who sweats for a living, swears by. 

While I would walk out of the cycle studio red-faced and slick, she always has a poreless, even-toned complexion that stays, even after teaching back-to-back classes — and it’s all thanks to the It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream. It had been on my radar for a while, but nothing prompted me to try it as much as when my instructor told me this was her sweat-defying makeup secret.

“As a full-time fitness trainer, this product has been the biggest game changer,” says Lissa Smith, trainer in New York City at Life Time Fitness. “I can teach extremely intense fitness classes, from cycling to HIIT to boxing, and then film fitness classes at a production studio with high-quality cameras, and it lasts.”

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream

With this information in mind, I reached for the brand’s new matte formula earlier this summer. And months later, it’s become my go-to for steamy commutes, dressy events, beach vacations, and more. 

The hydrating, color-correcting product is a full-coverage tinted moisturizer that’s somewhere between a skin-perfecting foundation and a nourishing face cream. It’s a great choice for anyone with dry skin, hyperpigmentation, or redness, plus it comes with SPF 40, making this a one-stop shop for your face base.

It Cosmetics CC+ Cream Natural Matte Foundation

The formula is ultra-creamy yet easy to blend and feels barely there on your skin, though it’s working hard to moisturize with a balancing serum comprised of hyaluronic acid and lentil seed extract. One small pump packs a punch of pigmentation, and this formula comes in a whopping 30 shades — from fair with neutral undertones to deep with cool undertones. 

As someone who experiences rosacea and seasonally dry skin, this cream has become a permanent substitute for the high-end foundations that once littered my makeup drawer. It effectively covers my redness and smoothes my dry patches, all while keeping my shine at bay because of its soft-blurring matte finish and humidity-proof formula with 16-hour oil control.

That’s not to say that this product is an antiperspirant, because the sweat still pours when you’re out in the sun. But with this cream, my makeup doesn’t drip off my face as it has with past foundations, rather it absorbs, controls my shine, and keeps my redness in check.

But don’t just take it from me and my spin instructor: Try her favorite It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream or my go-to mattifying version and save your summer sweat. While you’re at it, check out a few other tinted moisturizers below, including one used on Martha Stewart.

Neutrogena Clear Coverage Flawless Matte CC Cream

L’Oreal Paris Makeup True Match Lumi Glotion, $11 with coupon

PÜR Beauty 4-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer With SPF 20