ShannonLeiMUA

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PLEASE NOTE: The BB creams featured in this post are western, drugstore brands only, not Asian BB creams. Please note that it also isn’t possible for me to try every BB cream on the market so not every BB cream available will be featured in this post.

I have included swatches of each BB cream in this post. They are all in the lightest shade of each brand so that you can compare the formulas and the colours, please be aware though that the camera can wash out the colour a little so some shades may be darker then they appear.

BB creams are a product which have taken the beauty world by storm, they.are.EVERYWHERE.  Are they really that great? or are they just tinted moisturisers repackaged? What are BB creams?

* Nivea Daily Essentials BB Cream SPF 15

As a beauty blogger I am constantly trying out products, from the good to the bad and I can easily say this product was the later, bad. Very bad, atrocious even. For me this just didn’t work. I must ask Nivea what they were thinking and whether they even tested it before they put it on the market because that light shade really isn’t light. It is far, far, far to dark for those with a lighter skin tone (I would say the light shade is equivalent to a MAC NC35, maybe even darker) this BB cream is also extremely thick, uneven and hard to blend. It gives a little more coverage then most BB creams but I found it clung to my dry spots and accentuated the appearance of my break outs. Even if I could get past those cons the scent was the deal breaker for me. It’s got an extremely strong sunscreen scent that would probably irritate those with very sensitive skin. It has a matte finish which would be good for those with oily skin, but those of you with dry skin will really want to give this a miss as I found it dried out my skin further. (Australians: this product will not be available until February)

Garnier Mircale Skin Perfecter BB cream SPF 15

Garniers BB cream was one of the first to hit the western market and many people loved it, I’m not one of them. I was pretty keen to see what all the fuss is about but to be frank I do not get the hype. This BB cream is very dark and has an unnatural orange tone to it which I can’t imagine would be flattering on too many people. The BB cream is also very thick, feels heavy on the skin, hard to blend and applies unevenly. It gives a light coverage to the skin and is moisturising, but almost too moisturising as it can give a greasy effect on all skin types, not just oily. To me the scent is too over powering and artificial which is something that I’m not a fan of.

LO’real Studio Secrets Magic BB Cream SPF 12 (Nude Magique BB Cream)

Don’t get me wrong LO’real do some great products, but in my opinion this isn’t one of them. Snaps to LO’real for trying to come up with something new and be original with the smart pigments formula which is meant to “magically adapt to your skin-tone” but I didn’t like it. To me the little pigments almost feel like you are exfoliating your skin/rubbing sand on it which isn’t pleasent. If you have fair skin the end result is going to be orange - not a true match like they claim. The coverage of this is quite sheer and because of the smart pigments it cannot be layered as this will result in a darker, uneven colour. This BB cream claims to provide 24 hour hydration, I don’t think I can even say that it produces one second of hydration. This felt really dry on my skin, and it was so matte that it enhanced my dry patches and left my skin looks unhealthy and dull. This BB cream also has a shimmer in it which doesn’t look all that pleasant on the skin, in short it makes you look like a disco ball. The other issue with this BB cream was that it really highly irritated my skin. After about 30 minutes my entire skin was itching, after removing it my skin was bright red, allergic reactions do happen from time to time and as I have sensitive skin not everyone will have the same reaction. (This swatch is blended in as the product is a colour changing product)

Rimmel BB Cream SPF 25

Rimmel is a brand that I wouldn’t of expected to come out with a BB cream but they sure did. This BB cream claims 9 benefits which to be honest, I probably couldn’t agree with even if I tried. It’s meant to prime, moisturise, minimize pores, conceal, cover, smooth, mattify, brighten and protect. Instead I would describe it as dark, uneven, drying, thick, patchy and in short a hot mess. The formula is not blended together well so each time you use it the shade results in a different colour. If you have a light to medium skin tone you may be able to get this to match on the grounds that you use excessive blending. It’s no where near as dark as Nivea’s (in comparison it’s actually light) but still not a match for those with fair skin. It’s easy to blend into the skin but you have to be fast as it sets onto the skin really quick. It gives a decent coverage and hides redness well but does cling to dry spots so if you have dry skin this isn’t the product for you.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream SPF 30

If you’ve heard of this BB cream, I’m not surprised, for some it’s the best product they’ve tried, for others it’s a waste of money but it sure has got a lot of hype. Maybellines BB cream isn’t bad, but it’s not the best product on the market either. It gives a natural coverage, feels light on the skin and because of the liquid type formula it blends into the skin well! Some people may find that it makes them a bit greasy/shiny (even I did with my dry skin) but that can easily be overcome with some setting powder. It doesn’t cling onto dry spots which makes it good for those with dry skin and it has decent hydration. However like 90% of BB creams on the market this is too dark for fair skin tones. If you have a fair skin tone you will find this too dark and because of the orange undertone it has to it you may find that you resemble snooki. There is a scent in the product which isn’t the nicest smelling thing I’ve smelt but it’s bearable compared to Nivea. This is a BB Cream with a higher sun protection then most which is fantastic as I hate having to use another sunscreen underneath.

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beautywithshannon:

Where to apply: On the bottom waterline, preferably on the outer 2/3 not going all the way to the tearduct.

What it does and why you’d love it: Gives an illusion of larger eyes, reduces the appearance of redness around/in your eye area, makes you look more awake!

When to use it: When your eyes look a bit tired or red, when using dark or light eyeshadow (doesn’t matter!), or whenever you’d like!

Why not white eyeliner?: White looks unnatural compared to peach. Your natural waterline is already a peachy pink color, so you’d want to use peach to give a more brightened effect.

My favorite: Stila Kajal Eyeliner in Topaz ($18)

From the drugstore: Maybelline Cooling Effects Shadow/Liner in Peach Daiquiri (discontinued, found on eBay or Amazon)

Where to apply: On the bottom waterline, preferably on the outer 2/3 not going all the way to the tearduct.

What it does and why you’d love it: Gives an illusion of larger eyes, reduces the appearance of redness around/in your eye area, makes you look more awake!

When to use it: When your eyes look a bit tired or red, when using dark or light eyeshadow (doesn’t matter!), or whenever you’d like!

Why not white eyeliner?: White looks unnatural compared to peach. Your natural waterline is already a peachy pink color, so you’d want to use peach to give a more brightened effect.

My favorite: Stila Kajal Eyeliner in Topaz ($18)

From the drugstore (update 3/11/13): Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal eyeliner in Nude