BB Cream | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Oct 29, 2012

Makeup Wars: Best BB Cream

October 29, 2012 By Carleenp 11 Comments

I love BB creams and have a number of favorites. Currently, I often find myself wearing Skin 79 products, in part because I got a kit with samples of 4 of their different creams. At $15 for this sample kit, it is a great value way to try a few quality BB creams. I got my kit at YesStyle, which is my absolute favorite store for Asian makeup and fashion (they are awesome for cool handbags and shoes too)!

The BB creams in the kit are:

Skin 79 Super BB (VIP Gold): Formulated for anti-aging.

Super BB Plus (Hot Pink): formulated for skin brightening and hyperpigmentation.

BB Diamond Prestige: A BB cream formulated for oily skin.

BB Diamond Pearl. Another good one for oily skin with light illuminators.

Skin 79 is a Korean company and these BB creams are the real deal, as opposed to the many drugstore brands popping up that claim BB in their title, but really are just tinted moisturizers. A real BB cream will be thicker and can often be worn alone in place of foundation with fairly decent coverage. It normally will also include treatment actives to address various skin concerns. The idea is to have a multi-function product all in one package.

Skin79’s products are tinted and they blend well, making it easy match your skin if you are in the fair to light range. Basically, once blended, they tend to look OK across several skin tone ranges. Where this brand it doesn’t work well though is for those with darker skin. The Asian companies have not done a lot to cater to that unfortunately. The US companies have done a bit better with that, but their products are often inferior. Look at the Bobbi Brown BB cream as an option for medium to dark skin (although they still lack a very dark shade) . The creams wear OK with my oily skin, but I do often apply a mattifier first, even with the creams that are meant for oily skin, as they still tend to leave me shiny at times.

Below are Skin79 swatches in the following order: Super BB (VIP Gold), Super BB Plus (Hot Pink), BB Diamond Prestige, and BB Diamond Pearl. All of these blend to match my skin pretty well despite looking different right out of the tube.

For example, here it is after I blended my arm. I was left with a smooth, skin tone matching surface. Coverage is quite good from them too.

Here is a goofy self portrait. I’m wearing BB Diamond Pearl, which is the lightest of the four. I put powder over it, which mattes it up more, but I think if you can avoid the powder (ie you have normal or dry skin), you can get a better look from it.

Want to see more beauty blogger favorite BB creams? Click on through the links below!

Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

Filed Under: Foundation, Makeup, Makeup Wars, Skin Care Tagged With: BB Cream, Makeup Wars, Skin79, Swatches

Sep 27, 2012

L’Oreal Youth Code BB Cream Review

September 27, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

L’Oreal Youth Code BB Cream Illuminator is a new BB Cream type of product from L’Oreal. I was sent a tube for review, and it does a pretty nice job of moisturizing, covering, and illuminating.

Youth Code BB cream is a multi-tasker. It provides moisturizing coverage, while also including SPF protection and various skin nourishing ingredients. If you want a sheer makeup look, you can use this in place of your foundation. Coverage on it is more than the average tinted moisturizer, but still on the sheer side. I tend to like medium coverage, so I paired it a couple of times with a tinted mineral powder to get a bit more coverage in areas where I have some skin discoloration.

Below is a swatch of L’Oreal Youth Code BB Cream in the light shade. I didn’t blend this in so you can see the shade a bit better. I felt that the light shade matched me quite well.

The cream applies well and feels good. It is moisturizing, but not oily. I had no issues using it on my oily and acne prone skin. Overall, I am impressed with the product. It is probably the first BB cream type of product from a brand available at your local drugstore that I felt could really live up to the BB Cream name.

You can find L’Oreal Youth Code BB Cream Illuminator at your local drugstore or big box retailer.

Brand Statement: Youth Code BB Cream Illuminator instantly evens, illuminates, perfects, moisturizes, and protects skin. In one week, tone and texture are improved and skin is healthier looking.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by L’Oreal Paris via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of L’Oreal Paris.

Filed Under: Makeup, Skin Care Tagged With: BB Cream, L'Oreal, Swatches

May 19, 2012

Choosing and Using Makeup Primer

May 19, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

Makeup primer is the foundation to a fresh face for hours of the day. As Cindy Ingalls of Prime Beauty notes:

“Primers are your new best friends. A good face primer will fill in wrinkles, fine lines, make pores appear smaller and even color correct your complexion! There are formulas available for all skin types and issues.”

In order to select the appropriate makeup primer for your skin, first the type of primer desired must be determined. There are numerous types of primers available from many different manufacturers. Different skin types will react in different ways to the primer selected. Once the desired type of primer is determined and purchased, tackling the application is the next step. After applying the primer correctly, your face will be a canvass for artistic makeup design.

30 Days of Beauty, Day 18, Fundamentals of Selecting and Using the Correct Makeup Primer

Selecting a Primer

Decide whether a corrective, tinted, or oil-free makeup primer is desired. These decisions will often be determined by the type of skin and its needs. A corrective primer will be a good choice if trying to disguise dark spots, acne scars, or other blemishes. These primers help to camouflage these imperfections in the skin to make it flawless. If a tinted primer is desired the look of foundation will be enhanced. Tinted primer will provide more facial color and a flawless finish. Oil-free makeup primers are ideal for the candidate with sensitive skin that is often irritated by cosmetics. This style of primer will work to keep skin at a healthy, workable state.

While there are products developed specifically as primers, other items that do double duty can also work. Heather Walczuk from Beauty Unbiased notes the following: “Depending on the level of coverage needed, you can achieve a sheer, barely there look with tinted moisturizer; moderate, luminizing color with beauty balm (BB cream).”

When it comes to products labeled specifically as primer, silcone based primers will often fill in lines nicely. But Heather Adessa: *Gloss & Tell, Makeup By Heather A. suggests a different route:

“Use a primer (or foundation) with Matrixyl rather than silicone is better for your skin. Matrixyl stimules collagen growth which will decrease the amount of lines and wrinkles. So over time, your skin actually is turning back time. Silicone fills in the lines, but that is all. It doesn't make any long-term changes.”

Applying the Primer

Applying primer effectively is an art in and of itself. Many use a liquid primer application, while there are some that prefer the spray type. This all comes down to personal preference. When applying a makeup primer, it is key to warm the primer up by putting some in your hands and rubbing them together. The heat of the primer will allow more to be absorbed into the skin to set the foundation.

To apply, don't wipe the primer from the hands directly to the face. This will cause the spread of oils and can cause alterations to the primer's role. Use a sponge to apply the primer evenly. Many prefer to mix makeup primer with a moisturizer to provide more coverage and conditioning of the skin before applying makeup. After applying the primer, allow time for the primer to fully dry before applying foundation. This will make for a flawless face.

Makeup Primer Tips

Tip #1: Select a primer with vitamin E to provide your face with a extra nutrients for a easy glow.

Tip #2: Don't buy a primer solely because of its price, do your research and make the investment if the primer has everything you need. It will be worth it in the long run!

Tip #3: When applying a primer, make sure your face is freshly cleaned with no makeup residue present.

Tip #4: A little primer goes a long way. Do not load up on primer, instead start with a small amount and add more later if it is needed.

Tip#5: Love double duty products? Try a BB cream for priming, coverage, and treatment! (click here for U.S. BB creams and Tinted Moisturizers)

Favorite Primers

Here at Beauty and Fashion Tech, we love the following primers:

Smashbox Photo Finish with Dermaxyl and SPF (read our Smashbox and DHC Review)

DHC Velvet Skin Coat

Per-fekt Beauty (read our Per-fekt Review)

We also love BB Creams, especially the Asian brands (Missha and Hanskin area couple of our top favorites).

Want something more affordable? Laura Yoder from 24-7 Style recommends this affordable primer:

Rimmel's Fix and Perfect Primer I think primer is a must if you wear foundation. I was willing to pay big bucks for anything to help conceal my pores and make my makeup last just a little bit longer. When Rimmel came out with this though, on a whim I bought it (thinking it would be inferior to anything I had). It actually is the best I've ever used...everything you would expect a primer to do for the lowest price I've ever paid!

Shop the Beauty.com list of Primers

Tomorrow, Day 19, Choosing and Using Foundation