Hung Vanngo's Foundation Ended My Skin Tint Era

For someone who spends a lot of time talking about how makeup should be fun, I’ve come to a slightly embarrassing realization: I might be a clean girl after all. Somewhere over the past few years, without even noticing it, I became a skin tint person — and it’s not just me. With the rise of barely-there bases, complexion sticks, and tinted SPFs, full-coverage girls are starting to feel few and far between.

In my defense, I never stopped appreciating a good foundation. I just started treating it more like special-occasion makeup: something I only pull out when I know there are going to be photos taken at an event. So, when Hung Vanngo Beauty launched its Red Carpet Skin Serum Foundation — a full-coverage formula promising a soft-matte finish — I wasn’t expecting to find my new everyday base. If anything, the name alone suggested it belonged in the same category as the rest of my going-out glam: reserved for nights when a skin tint simply won’t do.

For my first test, I gave it exactly that kind of assignment: partying at Surf Lodge during a hot, humid Hamptons weekend. What I didn’t anticipate was that I would keep reaching for it after I got back home. Keep reading for my full review of Hung Vanngo Beauty’s new Red Carpet Skin Serum Foundation.

Fast Facts

• Price: $46
• Best for: Full coverage with a soft-matte finish and neutral undertones.
• Rating: 4.6/5
• What I like: It blurs my pores and evens out any redness, but still looks like skin.
• What I don’t like: It’s not totally transfer-proof, and finding the right shade can be tricky.

Hung Vanngo’s Serum Foundation

If anyone knows how to make skin look flawless under unforgiving lighting, it’s Hung Vanngo. The celebrity makeup artist is behind some of Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, and Scarlett Johansson’s most memorable red carpet looks, so naturally, his foundation is all about recreating that same airbrushed complexion at home.

Despite its weightless texture, the Red Carpet Skin Serum Foundation offers surprisingly buildable medium-to-full coverage. It promises a blurred finish that still looks hydrated and skin-like, thanks to a blend of skin-forward ingredients. Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid and vitamin E add hydration, while microspheres create a soft-focus effect over pores. Niacinamide and licorice extract help brighten and even out the complexion, and a patented polymer technology creates a lightweight film over the skin to help extend wear.

The foundation is available in an impressive 38 shades, but there’s an interesting twist: Every single one is neutral, with some shades skewing slightly peachy or golden. At a time when TikTok’s color-theory girls have everyone analyzing whether they have warm, cool, or olive undertones, it’s a refreshingly streamlined approach. The packaging follows suit. Instead of a bulky glass bottle and pump, it comes in a slim, rectangular squeeze bottle that takes up barely any room in your makeup bag.

My Review

Two of my longtime favorite foundations are Armani’s Luminous Silk and Rare Beauty’s True To Myself, so clearly, the blurred, airbrushed effect just does it for me. That’s probably because it pairs so well with my oily T-zone, which needs a product that keeps the shine in check. Hung Vanngo Beauty’s latest drop does exactly that, while somehow still feeling more lightweight than anything else in my foundation rotation.

I first put it to the test during a weekend in the Hamptons on a night out at Surf Lodge, because apparently I believe in trial by fire. Not only was it hot and humid, but a thunderstorm seemed determined to ruin my makeup that night. Thankfully, this foundation had other plans. After giving the bottle a good shake, as recommended, I applied about a dime-sized amount with a damp beauty blender, which was more than enough for my entire face. The serum texture spread easily without being watery, and it immediately blurred my pores — yet it didn’t dry down so quickly that I had to race to blend it before it set.

On the medium-to-full coverage spectrum, it definitely leaned more full, which I didn’t mind given the occasion. One layer was plenty to even out any redness, and the soft-matte finish was still radiant enough to keep my face from looking flat. My cream bronzer, blush, and highlighter blended seamlessly on top, and after hours of dancing in the heat, I was surprised by how put-together my makeup still looked.

The one caveat? Without powder, this foundation isn’t totally transfer-proof. By the end of the night, some of it had ended up on my boyfriend’s shirt, even though it still looked pretty great on my face.

The next day, I decided to take it out on the town. Since lounging on the beach doesn’t exactly call for full coverage, I mixed the foundation half-and-half with Rhode’s Glazing Milk to sheer it out — and that combination might actually be my favorite way to wear it. It makes the finish a bit more luminous and very “your skin but better.” Not that the foundation looks cakey on its own — I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t cling to any dry patches or emphasize the texture on my forehead. Sheering it out just made the coverage feel a bit more casual.

As someone who usually wears skin tints during the workweek, I’ve been reaching for this more than I expected since getting back to the city — mostly because of how well it wears throughout the day. My biggest litmus test for foundations is whether the formula settles into the pores on my cheeks, and this one never did. In fact, it’s one of the few I’ve tried that actually looked good before I even reached for setting powder. With powder, the blurring effect got even better. Apart from some separation on my forehead, eight hours later, my base still looked smooth, and my T-zone had minimal shine. Better yet, I made it through the entire day without needing to touch up my powder once (unheard of for me, TBH).

The Verdict

For $46, this foundation feels like a worthwhile investment — especially considering how little you need with each application. If you like a blurred, perfected complexion but still want your skin to look like skin, this delivers. I think oily and combination skin types will appreciate the shine control most, but I wouldn’t count it out if you’re on the drier side. The soft-matte finish still catches the light, and the hydrating ingredients kept it from ever feeling tight or drying throughout my wear tests.

That said, there are a couple of things worth noting. First, I would swatch it in person before selecting your shade if possible. It’s not that the neutral-only range inherently makes shade matching more difficult — actually, it made it easier for me. (Plus, once I found my shade, I didn’t notice any oxidation throughout the day.) Oddly, though, the shades look different online than they do IRL — my shade 17, for example, looked much lighter in person.

Second, if you plan on getting close to anyone wearing white, set your entire face. I learned the hard way that this formula is not transfer-proof. But after testing Hung Vanngo’s Red Carpet Skin Serum Foundation everywhere from Surf Lodge to the office, I’d argue the “red carpet” part is totally optional. Against all odds, it’s officially earned a spot in my everyday routine.