Etude House BB Magic Cream SPF 30 and Foundation Review
Update! Look for Etude House, especially the BB Magic Cream on COSME-DE.COM. There isn’t a lot there, but there but there are a couple of COSME-DE.COM
(who also usually has free shipping) shopping boxes at the end of this post, along with a few Amazon links.
Etude House is a South Korean cosmetics brand that sells out of stores fashioned as adorable princess type houses. If you are able to get it at regular price, the Etude House line is one of the best bets out there for very affordable quality. Unfortunately, however, it is pretty hard to get Etude House outside of Korea and a few other Asian countries. You can purchase the brand from several excellent Ebay sellers, but will have to pay a markup. I actually think it is still of such quality that it is worth that markup, but still, it would be nice to be able to get their items at a better price.
I recently gave a number of Etude House items a try. Today’s review looks at the popular Etude House BB Magic Cream and their foundation.
Etude House Magic Cream is essentially a makeup primer. The BB in Magic Cream stands for blemish balm, which is meant as a soothing treatment balm that also covers redness and blemishes, but it is not really an acne treatment. The Blemish Balm is lightly tinted so as to provide a bit of coverage and evening of the skin tone, but it also provides a good base for foundation. Overall, this is one of the better and more interesting makeup primers that I have used. I provides a nice base, and I particularly find that it works well as a light primer for mineral makeup or powder foundations. Between the tint in the blemish balm and that in the makeup, it covers my areas of redness and melasma very well without making me look way too overly made up.
Etude House’s regular Blemish Balm formulation is a bit on the oily side. I have had no problems with it breaking me out, but if you have oily skin, you might prefer one of their formulations for that skin type. The added SPF 30 to the product is a big bonus, and actually is what I think makes it seem initially oily because the oily feeling goes away after it absorbs.
There are a couple of downsides to the Etude House Magic Cream. First, it has a pump tube, which I really don’t care for all that much. Those tend to either break or they leave too much unused product when the tube gets low. Second, although labeled as a blemish balm, Magic Cream doesn’t really conceal quite enough to be used alone. It is better as an overall tinted base for foundation or powder unless you want particularly sheer coverage. Etude House does make a heavier blemish Etudbalm though that covers more.
Etude House Dream On Foundation is wonderful stuff and is my new favorite in the area of liquid foundations. Etude House foundation has a moisturizing feel to it, but it is not at all oily. I wear it just fine on my currently oily skin. It sits on the skin quite well, without sinking into pores, which makes me wonder if it has some silicone in it—something that I love in a foundation. Because they are in Korean, I can’t read the ingredients to tell, but it feels like it does. Coverage is sheer-medium. Use the blemish balm under it, or a mineral powder over it for a bit more coverage. Use it alone for the most natural look if you are lucky (I’m not so lucky) and don’t have pigmentation to cover.
Right now Ebay is one way to get Etude House outside of a few Asian countries, but Cosme-De, linked above can be a good option. They also are a great source for asian beauty products in general.On Ebay, I have purchased from both iabsolutefashions and rumistyle. Both gave great service and included some samples with my package, which was nice.
I will be reviewing more Etude House makeup items in the future as I purchased quite a bit in order to maximize on shipping costs. So far, I love everything that I have ordered!
At Amazon:
ETUDE HOUSE BB Magic Cream
ETUDE HOUSE VIP Dear Darling Lips PK007
Another Update: Also look at Etude House USA for items. They are rather new and I have not purchased from them, but they seem to have a decent selection.
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marge | Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
i am so envying australia for having the etude house in their country. we only have the face shop, skinfood, and elianto to give us our bb cream fix in the Philippines. luckily there are multiply users that import etude.
does it rub off easily? does it last all day? do you set it with mineral foundatio or does a setting finishing powder be ok or enough.
thank you for this review, now i can’t wait for my own etude bb
Bernadine | Jun 27, 2009 | Reply
I’ve also been eyeing etude cosmetics for quite sometime now and I really want to try their products but it’s not available here in the Philippines but i heard that they are going to open a branch here soon so I’m very excited!
Jenny | Jun 27, 2009 | Reply
http://www.etudehouseusa.com has pretty good prices.
Carleenp | Jun 28, 2009 | Reply
Jenny, thanks for that info! It is good to finally see an easy way to purchase this brand!
Melissa | Oct 30, 2009 | Reply
[To: Marge]
Hi there,
As quoted from your comment “i am so envying australia for having the etude house in their country.”
Í’m living in Perth,Australia. But I don’t see any Etude house items being sold anywhere.
Can you please tell me where can I find them?? Thanks!!! (:
Ebay is too expensive!!
Carleenp | Oct 31, 2009 | Reply
Melissa, you might check if the USA seller ships to Australia. It would still likely be cheaper than eBay: http://etudehouseusa.com/
daisy | Nov 19, 2009 | Reply
Hi I hve read the goodness of the BB cream
sold in Etude House, but are unable to find
the locations of Etude in Kuala Lumour/
Selangor. Wld appreciate if you can give
me the addresses.
Lauren | Dec 23, 2009 | Reply
I just bought the Etude BB Cream with SPF 30 and you’re right about the oiliness. I haven’t tried it with my mineral foundation yet, which is supposed to have oil-control properties. Hopefully, it will suppress some of the shine.
I can’t believe Amazon is selling the BB cream for $27 though! I only got mine for about $14.
Carleenp | Dec 23, 2009 | Reply
Lauren, when I use a Purely Cosmetics oil absorbing mineral foundation over the blemish balm it does seem to help with the oil issue. I agree that $27 is a bit steep. Unfortunately though, most online sources charge a premium. If you are in an Asian country with a store, it will be much cheaper. It can also be found on Ebay at times for less. Also check Etude House USA, which has a website.
ivy | Jan 11, 2010 | Reply
Hi
Ran into your site while shifting through etude house’s bb magic cream. Do you know if you could leave it on your face like a cream or do you wash it off at the end of the day like make up?
Thanks!
Carleenp | Jan 11, 2010 | Reply
Hi Ivy! Definitely wash the BB cream off at the end of the day. It is really more of a primer and blemish cover than it is a treatment type of product. So you wouldn’t want to sleep in it.