A Word on BB Creams

I've been putting off this post for a while now for many reasons, one being that I think most product reviews require a lot more background on the individual reviewing them than the actual product itself.  There are a lot of factors involved that could make a product favorable or not in the eye of the user.

I'm new the to BB Cream arena.  I'm actually quite new to the tinted moisturizer/foundation world in general.  I'm more of a 'spot treatment' kind of facial makeup girl.  Some under the eyes, some to cover blemishes, some as eyeshadow primer.  Not sure if my makeup was meant to multitask like I ask it to, but what the hell, I'm a firm believer in multi-use products.  Why buy a curling iron when a flat iron can achieve the same look but also straighten hair as well, right?

Back to BB Creams.  After years of googling "best tinted moisturizer for Asian skin," somehow I finally stumbled upon this article that explained a brand new product I had never heard of.  Primer, foundation, blemish corrector and SPF?  Helloooo!

via Amazon (as sold by seoulglamor)

Being the product junkie that I am, I was beyond excited.  When it arrived in an adorable red box all the way from Seoul (and quickly, I might add!), I rushed to the mirror to try it out.  I should have gotten a sample really, but it was cheap (or at least cheaper than most foundations bought locally) and so I figured what's the harm?  Most reviewers on Amazon had commented that while the product went on light, it oxidized within ten minutes to the perfect shade of your face.  I was hopeful, but also nervous.

Why?  Because I am tan.  I was born tan.  I am Japanese but I was born and raised on the beaches of Waikiki.  No matter how much I try to stay sun-free, I will never be as light as Asian models.  Okay, let's be real.  I love the sun, I love being tan.  When I read anything that talks about "whitening skin," my anti-Eurocentric beauty alarm goes off and I go find a sunny spot to read a book.  My skin tone is somewhere between Golden Medium and Golden Tan in Bare Minerals, depending on the season and where I'm living.  

pictures via Amazon

So, hope as I might, after a full hour of wishing and waiting and wondering why I ever thought my definition of "tan" might fit that darn reviewer on Amazon who assured me that even tan Asian girls could wear it, I accepted the reality that my purchase was a bust.

Most BB Creams lighten blemishes by whitening skin (yeah, I compromised on this one) and to achieve the whitening affect have a gray-toned base.  The biggest pitfall of BB Creams however is that they don't offer a very broad range of colors.  You just have to pray to God that your skin tone matches your cream.  Seems counter intuitive to me but perhaps my thinking is a little too American.  Fit me, I say!

There's so much to love about this particular BB Cream:  Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in Natural Beige (#23).
Pros

•  The smell (which some call grandma-ish?) is delicate and lovely to me.  It's a light floral scent that is at the same slightly medicinal, which sounds like the ideal cocktail for old-woman smell, but I love it.  Call me crazy.
• My skin actual seems to love it too.  My blemishes are noticeably lighter after about a month of usage.
• It is fool-proof to apply.  Clean hands (my favorite tool!):  I squeeze a little on the back of my hand and use my ring finger to dab it on.  

Cons

• It is a heavy coverage BB Cream, which is more than I like
• It doesn't have a dewy finish in my opinion.

Thankfully, the cons were a pretty easy fix.  I decided to try a thinned out version of the BB Cream and see if it would blend better as a tinted moisturizer.  I added a pea size of equal parts BB Cream and moisturizer.

via Amazon

My weapon of choice is LUSH's Imperialis.  I absolutely love this product.  I was using Philosophy's Hope in a Jar and ran out and the product junkie in me wanted something new to play with, so I went to LUSH.  I love everything about LUSH, from their simple black tubs to their natural products to those little stickers that tell you who made what.  Granted, I'm not a huge fan of all their products, but I absolutely adore Imperialis.  Growing up in Hawai'i, I never really understood the need for moisturizer until I went to college in the Midwest.  Most of me still tries to deny that I need it, but in all truth, I think that from the harshness of hard water to our evolving bathing habits to the collection of chemicals that are being added to our daily routine, moisturizer is just one of those necessary evils.  Our skin needs a little help.  My combination skin needs a lot of help and Imperialis helps keep my oily parts in check and gives my dry parts a healthy swallow of moisture.

So, half BB Cream, half Imperialis and voila!  A near-perfect tinted moisturizer.  For the summer months, I'll probably end up blending in a bit of darker tinted moisturizer as well for added color, but as my summer skin fades, this is perfect for the fall and winter.  Also, dust with a bit of bronzer if the gray-ness of the BB Cream is too much.

I hope that's at least a bit helpful.  I know I've been trying to recklessly navigate the waters on my own and using tidbits of knowledge where they come in handy.  Thanks for listening!

Yours,
Edi