Product Review: BB Creams

You clearly value our opinions, why else would you be reading this blog so loyally? So, in the interest of full disclosure, we welcome this opportunity to share with you our feelings on the newest of beauty crazes: BB Cream.

A few weeks ago we caught wind of the latest beauty product to trickle over from the sophisticated reaches of the Far East to our less enlightened lands: Beauty Balm, Blemish Balm, Blemish Base, Beauty Benefit Cream or whatever you want to call it (we have come to learn that BB is an acronym for something of which we are still not certain). Naturally we decided to visit every Sephora and cosmetic counter in a 5 km radius to see what the buzz was all about and it is no wonder people are obsessed: these creams promise to act as foundation, concealer, sunblock and moisturizer all in one nifty little package (i.e. basically tinted moisturizers with skin care ingredients and SPF).

Everyone we spoke to told us that there was a new one slated to migrate north this Spring/Summer and we were urged to place our names on numerous waiting lists for such brands as Clinique, Dior and Boscia. Though they are rare, some cosmetic brands have already introduced BB creams and are available in Canada. We were able to get our grubby little hands on four samples and opted to test 2 BB creams and 2 comparable tinted moisturizers.

Our Thoughts Are In!

Disclaimer: We both have very different skin: Lauren is rocking a smooth alabaster-like complexion and stays far away from the sun (pretty sure she would simply burst into flames if left unattended in direct sunlight). Caitlin, on the other foot, barely leaves her single dwelling home unless in hot pursuit of a tan and needs to remove oil from her face approximately twice an hour.

Estée Lauder BB Multi-Perfecting Beauty Benefit Cream Available at The Bay, waiting list required, $38 Caitlin's thoughts: This one is the most like a foundation and since I don't wear foundation, I wasn't terribly enthused. PLUS it is smelly, like as in scented. I think this is wildly unnecessary in a makeup. The coverage was good, but the formula felt too thick. 3 out of 5 eye bags Lauren's thoughts: Agree with Caitlin on the aroma front. I also still needed to moisturize with this one prior to applying. I did however, feel like it evened out my complexion and acted the most like a primer. My makeup application looked the most even with this cream and I didn't wear foundation on the days I utilized it. 3 out of 5 eye bags
Two Faced Tinted Beauty Balm with SPF 20 Available at Sephora, $32 Caitlin's thoughts: This product felt nice and moisturizing, so didn't need to apply any moisturizer like I normally would in the morning. If you can get over the sparkles (!) and the ugly packaging, I would recommend this BB cream for it's coverage and skin nourishing properties. 5 out of 5 eye bags Lauren's thoughts: This was first product I used and yes, I was surprised when everyone didn't instantly tell me how radiant I looked, but felt pretty confident with the coverage regardless. It was light, in my opinion gave the skin a healthy glow, my skin felt really moisturized and contrary to my counterparts concerns enjoyed the sparkles for a night out. On the second day I didn't have to use my own moisturizer prior to applying the product. 4 out of 5 eye bags
Mac Studio Moisture Tint with SPF 15 Available at The Bay and Mac Stores, $30 Caitlin's thoughts: My skin felt oily throughout the day with this one. However, the Mac lady gave us a generous sample so I will be using this for months! 3 out of 5 eye bags Lauren's thoughts: This was the only product, of the four that I felt confident wearing without concealer or makeup. I recently took it with me on what I will call a no-sleep work trip and used it as a quick fix during busy mornings. It definitely brightened up my drab, tired looking skin and fared well in the hot, southern climate of Georgia. 5 out of 5 eye bags
Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 30 Available at The Bay, $42 Caitlin's thoughts: This one felt nice and light on my face, however, the colour was a little off. Coverage was decent and didn't make my face too oily. The sample was too small, so didn't get to try this properly. Nars, learn from Mac, bigger samples equal happier customers! 3 out of 5 eye bags Lauren's thoughts: The lightest available shade, Finland still felt a little too dark for my skin tone and didn't blend well with the fair shades of make-up I wear. This turned me off, so I admittedly only used this product twice. 3 out of 5 eye bags

In sum: as the warm weather approaches and you find yourself doing everything you can to protect your lovely skin from those pesky UV Rays and fend off the stinky film of sweat accompanying you wherever you go, consider BB Cream as your go-to sweat proof, sunshine friendly makeup!

Glowingly,
Us