“Can you recommend me a BB Cream?”
“What BB Creams do you like?”
“Why don’t you talk about BB Creams?”
Just a few questions I get off and on about this mysterious Asian German invention – BB Creams.
BB Creams – Just what are they?
Just quickly, for the uninitiated. BB Creams or Blemish Balm is something that started was popularized in Korea (Update: but started in Germany). It was formulated to be a foundation, sunscreen and moisturizer all in one and was apparently formulated for women who had undergone skin laser treatment.
After undergoing laser treatment, your skin is thinned and need lots of protection from the sun. But these women couldn’t do without their foundation! So, some intrepid skin doctors came up with the idea of having an all in one product they could tout to their patients and thus, Blemish Balms or BB Creams were born.
Many women in Asia swear that it helps them with their acne problems or skin problems. It is also easy – just apply 1 product instead of applying 3.
Yet, I actually also read somewhere (gosh! I forget where!) that they are called Blemish Balms or BB Creams because Koreans find it hard to pronounce “Tinted Moisturizers” which these products essentially are. Don’t shoot the messenger! 😛
BB Creams tend to be too oily
Anyway, I’ve tried BB Creams from Etude House, Missha and Skin79. I didn’t like any because I found all of them too oily. I will have a caveat here. In the tropics where I live, the formula of BB Creams might be a bit heavy because they are formulated for use mainly in Korea where the air is much drier. If I were living in a dry climate, I might like it. As it stands, I’m not much of a fan. Its the same with liquid foundation. I steer clear of liquid foundation that is oil based or have heavy coverage because I just know I’d hate it. There are exceptions of course – some like Ecobeau BB Cream actually feels matte on the skin, and the Lancome BB base too doesn’t feel too oily.
All-in-One : Master of none
Another thing is that I’m not much into the “all-in-one” style of doing things. I don’t find it a hassle to layer my moisturizer, sunscreen and foundation. Its routine for me. So, its no use selling me an “all-in-one” product because it does not appeal to me. Experience also tells me that “all-in-one” products tend to be a jack of all trades and master of none.
So just like shampoo and conditioner, I like keeping my products separate. I believe that specific products targeted at specific needs work better than 1 product that claims to work for everything.
Color Selection
I don’t know many Korean women but I do wonder if the colour selection of BB Creams are targeted at them. Very few Asian women have a grey skin tone and many BB Creams have a grey cast. Its all quite odd. Colour selection is for the most part small so those with darker skin tone will not be able to use BB Creams – but I understand that because in Korea, I don’t think skintones vary by very much there. I have tried some with a yellow tint but those tend to make me look orange. In fact, from my experience, grey tones actually work better than yellow toned BB Creams (for me)
But it must be a good thing – Western brands are getting on the act!
I must admit that although I started out a bit meh about the Lancome BB Cream sunscreen thingy, I now rather like it used as a makeup base. I use it as tinted sunscreen – primarily as sunscreen. It helps even out skin tone a little but then I still layer on my powder foundation as normal. It helps the skin look much smoother. I do find that the texture feels different from the Korean or Asian BB creams. Its not as thick and its not as oily.
MAC Cosmetics too has a BB Cream launched but I haven’t tried that one. And its come to my knowledge that Estee Lauder has a BB Cream too! Both are not available in Malaysia or in many countries (for now) and I’m told the MAC BB Cream is sold primarily at airports or duty free where there is a MAC counter. We might see the Estee Lauder one come in next year – I’ll keep you updated.
The common trend among these 3 based on what I’ve read online and from my experience with the Lancome one, is that the Western brand BB Creams look and behave more like tinted sunscreen. What Lancome and Estee Lauder have done is to put tint into their sunscreen. It will be interesting to try the MAC and Estee Lauder one though. I’ll report if I do 🙂
With 3 big Western brands already riding the bandwagon, I’m not surprised if some of the other brands start hitching a ride. BB Creams look to be here to stay!
Will you change your mind about BB Creams?
Yes. I am woman after all and fickle 😛
3 years down the road, if I’m still blogging, I might pick up my newest Holy Grail BB Cream and think “Did I ever NOT love BB Creams?! The horror!” and I’ll run back here and tell you about it. But its been 3 years since I started blogging, and 3 years since BB Creams entered our radar with a crash boom bang and I’m still not smitten.
Not even tempted.
Not yet.
And this lovelies, is why I don’t talk (much) about BB Creams 🙂 Please feel free to change my mind 🙂
Paris B
Yea same with me. i really dont trust in all in one stuff, just weird. like elisha’s coy’s GOld BB cream supposedly has 17 functions, lightening, brightening, whitening, lefting, firming, sunblock blablablabla. seriously =.=
Haha! I don’t mind if they sell it to me as a tinted moisturizer or sunscreen or as a foundation but to have all those many many benefits? I just don’t buy it.
yup! i just dont buy it, or Buy it, either. =P
the first bb creams were actually started in germany, korea just popularized it
Thanks for the note!
Bonjour Paris 🙂
I actually have been rather tempted but have got held back from a few reasons:
1. if I embrace sth like that, meaning, I am throwing away all my principles on traditional (traditional here means conventional way of doing makeup) products and the idea of layering, which in turn means, throughout all these year all the time and money spent would be down the drain. I am just freaked out at the idea of sth all-in-one would sort out most concerns that one woman has.
2. BB creams only comes in one colour and one colour only. Not much variety and they don’t cater for darker or tanner skin. I hate the idea and the feeling of having a layer of stuff (knowingly) on my face and I hate the usual high coverage of a BB cream.
3. They are not readily available worldwide…they only target the Asia market with the potential customers of: pale/light skin with acne concern and prefer high coverage. I am out of the range and if they don’t appeal to me (regardless being one of the hot products), I don’t see the point of buying.
I still do and will do the same old routine: wash, tone and moisturise. Step by step and all. Call me old fashion but that’s how I am 🙂
P/S: ditto with all-in-one products. I still prefer to have products which only target to one (or maybe at most two) concern.
xxx
I can understand the target being Asia because most Asians are in tune with what their Japanese/Korean/Taiwanese counterparts are using and thus buy into the hype. Also, Asians tend to be more adventurous when it comes to such claims of helping acne prone skin and especially skin whitening. Many people will buy anything that promises to whiten skin which I find a little sad because not everything helps. But that’s another story 🙂
I prefer to stick to the traditional way of layering products too. I reckon if it works for me that way I have no reason to change plus it encourages me to clean off my makeup properly at the end of the day instead of thinking its beneficial to the skin and leaving it on too long.
I was very “Zomg I want to try all!” when BB creams just started to get popular, but after trying 9072049721046210471 samples and have all of them turn me either white or dead, I’m staying away now.
I also found having to remove it with makeup remover every time a hassle for something touted to be skincare-ish. I mean, washing off something that is supposed to be good for your skin.. er.. doesn’t seem right to me.
Heh yeah if its great for the skin, we shouldn’t have to remove it all off right? 😉
I agree with ya on BB creams, it is quite gimmicky and for it to claim to solve like 10-in-1 issues is ridiculous. I tried Skin79, Etude and found them to be extremely oily making my normal skin look worse (and break out). Steering clear of them and sticking to tinted moisturizers especially the HG Laura Mercier.
I guess those of us who haven’t had good experiences with BB Creams aren’t into it, while those who do will rave about it. Its quite interesting how divided people are in their thoughts about BB Creams! 😉
I use Dr Gowonsesang BB cream from Sasa and it’s superb for oil control! It’s quite expensive (RM95 for 60ml), so I rotate between the BB cream and a few foundations, depending on the occasion. 😛 The BB cream has sheerer coverage than my foundation, so I mainly use it on problem areas and blend it outwards. Am still on the fence whether I want to repurchase, because of the price 🙁
That’s not too pricey. Most good foundations retail for RM100+ for just 30ml 🙂
I’m also using Dr Gowonsesang at the moment and I find the oil control is working for me. The price is ok compared to overpriced, over the counter BB creams such as Skin79 (unless you buy them online).
I like using BB cream because it doesn’t cause me to break out in spots – plus I don’t like using sunscreen, they tend to be a little sticky.
Dr Jart also have excellent oil control, but I find it a tad ‘greyish’.
Tried a variety of Skin79, it’s Derma RX is still the best in terms of coverage + color + oil control. The others are indeed oily!
Another happy BB Cream user! I knew we’d weed you all out 😉
I am using dr G BB Cream for a month now and so far, I think the formula is not too thick and it does not make my face oily. I hate liquid foundation too cause it tends to make my face oily after just a few hours so I am happy with this BB cream for now. Good coverage, less sticky than liquid foundation and it comes with sunscreen! Compared to Bobbi Brown compact foundation that I used, I think Dr G BB cream is less oily. But because of the greyish undertone, I will put on Bobbi Brown loose powder on top so that it will give a more natural finish to my skin.
We’ll see how it goes, so far no breakouts for me and my skin look so much smoother. 🙂
i never used BB and was on the hunt of tinted moisturizers in sasa when the SA recommended one for my chin since she noticed i got a few zit scars there. but i was really put off by the grey goo she plop on the back of my hand. i mean, how can grey match anybody’s skin? but that’s just me 😀
i swatched some of TheBalm tinted moisturizer on one half of my cheek and chin and the BB cream on the other, n true enough, BB didnt match me at all AND also too oily for my liking.
I don’t quite get the grey tint too. Some grey tints give me a pink cast while others make me look a little dead. I wonder why they went with grey -_-
LOL All-in-One? I don’t buy it as well
BB creams too oily for me too
I am just as fickle ya know LOL 😀
We’re women! We’re entitled to be fickle 😉
I have been using BB cream from Faceshop for about 1 year plus. i think it works well for me. Am using the green tube, Quick & Clean. Was told it is formulated for acne prone skin. This formula is lighter with very sheer coverage.It’s not that oily too. (The other 1 from Faceshop feels heavier with stronger coverage). I normally top up abit of concealer and dust on some loose powder. Add a dab of blusher and am ready to go. Is much more convi than the normal step by step makeup (which i still do for formal outings, eg, wedding dinners) Oh.. the cream comes out brown and not grey. I am not very fair but the colors is ok for me. Have been getting compliment on how natural it looks. I love it 🙂
Glad to know its working for you. Do you use it as an all in one product i.e in place of sunscreen and moisturizer or do you use it on top of your regular skincare as just sheer foundation?
i use it as sheer foundation. don’t clog pores which is good. i have combination skin, tend to break out. It does not contain sunscreen.
I was tempted to try the quick & clean BB cream but was under the impression that it’s got no sunscreen??
yep. no sunscreen. The other brown package has got sunscreen. That has got thicker texture, more oily but better coverage.
I have several BB Cream in my cupboard too but nowadays I seldom use them.
1st, I think it’s too oily too.
2nd, the tone is not very match with my skin. Although I have fair skin, after I apply, my skintone still look odd.
Anyway, I will still recommend BB Cream to ppl who is lazy to apply too much thing on face.. All-in-one is great (at least for me it is..).
Lucky for you you don’t end up looking orange or like a zombie 🙂 Can’t have good results without putting in a little effort 😉
I’m tanned. BB cream hated me.
I love the feel of baviphat’s bb cream but the lack of shades kinda turn me off.
Well, I faced that with most of the over-the-counter foundations anyway.
I’d stick my neck out and say that BB creams are not catered for those who have meium-dark skintones. Most Korean ladies don’t and hence I guess brands just don’t cater to that market.
I agree with cece.
I have been reading Korean beauty blogs and BB cream is originally made by Dr.chistine Schrammek, Germany, who created Blemish Balm (Schrammek Blemish Balm). That’s why it is called BB cream, not for other reason 🙂
Thanks for the info. Guess Korean marketing is just stronger 😉
I agree! 🙂 I think it is just so popular in Korea, because it is suppose to create ‘Ssaeng Eul’, the look that doesn’t look like it has any makeup on, but still flawless. I don’t mind BB cream actually.. What I do is mix a bit of MAC Strobe lotion or other shimmery base. Or spray Fix + or Shu deep sea water on top and buff it out a bit.. But still.. It doesn’t beat my HG foundations 🙂
So I’m guessing you use it like a foundation? Not as an all in one product as they claim it is? Its a great tip to mix it with other foundations or creams but it sorta defeats the purpose of using it as is right? 🙂
I think i’m lucky because BB cream works well on my skin. I use it as foundation everyday and my skin tone looks very even and smooth after apply it. I don’t have fair skin + a bit yellowish but BB cream can make my skin looks natural. Same with Shannen, i have been getting compliments on the effects too! Cool! 🙂
Great to know that BB creams work for you! Do you use it as skincare or as makeup? I think that’s interesting to know 🙂
Since no one answer to you PB, haha… mmm…I’ve been using BRTC BB cream as my foundation for about 2 years. And since I am using it like foundation I will still put on my moisturizer, suncreen, etc etc before putting the BB cream on….I did not replace all my other skincares with BB cream. Just like what you said, “Most good foundations retail for RM100+ for just 30ml “… therefore, I’ve replaced my foundation with BB cream and lucky for me, I don’t have problem with the shades.
Thanks for the info! I guess if it works for you and doesn’t make you oily or break you out, its a very cost effective foundation. Its quite interesting that you aren’t using it as they claim it can be used i.e. as an all in one – any reason why not? 🙂
PB, for me BB cream is “foundation” with add’l skincare benefits (just like mineral make-up) and so I stick to the old school method to prep my skin first before applying foundation and a lot of Guru on YouTube also advise to apply moisturizer etc before apply BB cream. Then BB Cream suncreen SPF and PA is not very high too, at least not enough for me, so I’ll put my normal suncreen before applying it.
Secondly, I apply BB cream like how you wrote about applying with Clarin foundations, so it goes on very sheer on me…so I guess that’s why it is not oily at all for me.
Thanks for the reply! Even applying it the way I do all foundation, I find BB cream makes me oily regardless. Perhaps as Hsu Jen has noted, it might be the ingredients. Its a bit odd that anyone should recommend that BB creams be applied like foundation over moisturizer and sunscreen, when its already formulated to replace all that 🙂
OK, I was too quick with submitting … I forgot to mention this, but BB creams also give the MOST natural effect — better than concealer — for my undereyes. The purples are neutralised, it’s moist but doesn’t move around, and it’s natural-looking rather than heavy from multiple layers … even if you don’t dig BB creams, you should try them as a concealer.
I think why people apply it over moisturizer and SPF is because of the ‘jack of all trades’ thing … BBs are also getting formulated with a variety of features to suit everyone. I like that they’re in tubes and you can bring them anywhere to touch up on the sly, especially on skin that’s blasted at by air-conditioners. Foundations wouldn’t do much for skin that dry.
My top BB creams are:
– Dr. Jart + BB Cream (excellent coverage, texture, moisturing and oil control, SPF 35, yellow undertones, and gives this ‘airbrushed’ look… long lasting)
– BRTC Jasmine Water BB Cream (medium coverage, jasmine-scented, lightly moisturising with oil control, SPF 30, salmon undertones, natural look)
– L’egere White Multi BB cream (light-medium coverage, no oil control, moisturizing and healing, unknown SPF, rusty undertones)
Thanks for the recs and for mentioning the “undertones” because I now know that anything with a yellow or salmon undertone will likely turn me orange. I’m quite fascinated by the one with rusty undertones though. Perhaps it gives a ruddier look?
I have combination skin and after 1 week of using the Skin79 BB cream, it break me out, quite serious actually. It is a tad oily too and sitcky, difficult to remove. So i hv since stop using and it is now sitting on the closet, looking at me , me looking at it….everyday…..bought it for RM84 at a beauty expo….:-(
I’d heard so much about Skin79 BB Creams but the sample I had did not wow me. Sorry to hear you are left with a useless item in your stash
It is difficult to get hooked on bb cream because you have to try on different brands and version before you find “THE ONE” I am just one of those lucky ones who tried only a few and found “THE ONE!” my favorite is the Skin 79 VIP Gold Caviar because it matches my skin tone and it moisturizes my dry skin and improved my skin condition! 🙂
Hey, that’s awesome to know you found one that worked for you! 🙂 I’d heard a lot about SKin79 which seems to be one of the better ones most people rave about but the little sample I tried wasn’t quite as awe inspiring as everyone said it would be. Still, I guess different products work for different people 😀
I would love to try BB cream one day but I read somewhere that BB creams can easily break you out as it can get difficult to remove hence clogs the pore. Now that’s something I’m not ready to take a chance yet since my mineral makeup works fine on me.
I’m guessing so long as you use cleansing oil, it’ll be alright. I don’t find it hard to remove per se, maybe because I use cleansing oil and double cleanse all the time. But then I do so with normal makeup too 🙂
Will never ever go near BB creams again!
I have friends who have used BB creams and they’ve switched over to it completely instead of using foundation because it works so well for them. So I figured it might be worth trying since so many people cant be wrong. Boy was I wrong!
I tried Skin Food’s Aloe Vera BB cream because it came highly recommended. It was fine for about an hour or so, but after 3 – 5 hours, my face was a complete oil slick! I was shocked! I used primer and set it with loose powder (just like I usually do with foundation), and my face was super oily unlike anything I’ve ever experienced! Worst oil attack ever! I have combination skin and even on days where I just use moisturiser without make up, my skin is never that oily. I had to use 2 blotting papers (I usually use 1 or 1/2)!
I tried 2 other BB cream brands and same oily result! I have no idea what reaction my skin is having to BB creams, but I’m sticking with foundation for sure.
Wow that’s a fast and not a very good result. I do wonder why it makes so many of us oily when we don’t have oily skin to start with? Might it be composition or is it just tailored for a colder, drier climate?
No idea why to be honest. Could it be because of all the different stuff they have to put in BB creams for it to be an all-in-one product? My face literally looked like it was melting. Probably the climate factor too I guess.
I didnt even get that oily when I just used only sunblock on my face when running around on a beach holiday. It’s mind-boggling! Am yet to meet someone who has the same BB problem I do.
Gosh that sounds terrible! I don’t get that oily but I do get oilier than normal which isn’t something I like very much 🙂
I have try several brand of BB cream,The FACESHOP,Skin79,Etude house,Shills,Dr.G,but only Skin79 work for me.Skin79 got many type of BB cream,I try the pink colour before,but it look like no apply anything on my face,the result is only darker my skintone and cannot cover the dark circles.I try the red color and it was triple whitening and it make my skin color look brightening.But the price is more expensive than the pink color.I agree Paris mention above,the color of BB cream have not much choice and some of them really make your skin look dull.The Etude house BB cream make me like snow white,my neck color and face color is totally much different,and the white is not a normal white,it look like vampire,lol……
Gosh I do hear a lot of good things about Skin79 BB Creams. I reckon of all out there this is probably one of the better ones?
Yes,Paris.U gotta try to get the sample from them and try it.The red color BB Cream from Skin79 is really nice………
I am a Korean American and I found the Skin79 BB creams a tad too dark and grey for me. I didn’t find them oily or heavy and I have normal skin (didn’t use any primer, for reference). I wish the color worked out for me because then I would try them again for a longer period of time as sheer foundation (not skincare), because they did give me better coverage than other tinted moisturizers I’ve tried.
After reading your thoughts on all-in-one products, I wondered, if all these features (like UV protection, anti-aging, healing, foundation, etc) can be combined into one product, why didn’t they come up with this before? Is it because it’d be more profitable to sell them separately? Or is there a reason they should be used separately? I’m no dermatologist or scientist to know the details on how cosmetics work, so I’m curious if the way product lines are set up (like toner, moisturizer, then primer, foundation, etc) are really for the consumers’ benefit. Those who are skeptical of all-in-one products and prefer the multi-step skincare + makeup routine (and I think I’m one of them), do you think it’s the action of applying them separately that convinces us more of each product’s benefits? Like, at each step, we’re doing something.. instead of putting on one thing and we’re told it does everything. That seems almost too easy.. Or maybe that’s the way the cosmetics industry wants you to think..? ^^;;
Anyway, I think it’d be great if I can find a BB cream, or some product, that does everything I need it to do but I think it’d be really tough (and expensive) to find one. At least with separate products, you have more control, I think.
Okay, that was very long and not so eloquent. And it’s my first comment here, too. Sorry. The whole all-in-one thing got me thinking.. maybe too much. ^^;;
haha you could be right about it being something for the consumers to make us buy more products? But just taking shampoo as an example, 2 in one shampoo and conditioner do not leave my hair feeling as clean or as conditioned as when I use it separately. So I treat skincare the same way 🙂
I’m not trying to convert you, but I like BB creams compared to foundations because it’s able to give this ‘flawless’, lucent, moist and glowy look that seems so ethereal … foundations are usually more ashy and powdery and don’t adhere together for that utterly smooth look, even if coverage helps even out blemishes and redness.
I use BB instead of foundation and apply a verrrry thin layer because it just looks way better than foundation.
No problems – its open discussion here 🙂 And I guess you are probably one of the lucky ones for whom BB creams work. I get a pretty decent look with some of the liquid foundations I’m using (and less trouble with colour matching) so perhaps its a case of products working differently for different people. 🙂 I might give some of the more popular BB Creams a try if I can get samples and who knows, I might like it 😉