You know, it took me a long while to warm up to BB Creams and it wasn’t until I eventually found some that actually worked for me that I actually warmed up to the idea of using them. By that time, CC Creams had come on the scene and I had a headdesk moment. I was going to have to re-learn the whole notion of alphabet creams again!
CC Creams, or Colour Correcting creams claimed to be an improvement on BB Creams. They boasted a lighter texture, and colour correcting pigments instead of mere tint. If you ask me however, barring some truly colour correcting creams that are basically primers to correct sallowness or redness in skintone, there is very little to distinguish BB or CC Creams. So you know what? Don’t bother. Just use whatever you like, whatever it may be called. Even if it be a GG (Glamorously Gorgeous) Cream which isn’t yet invented but which just might be :P Remember however, it is first and foremost a makeup item, not skincare so please clean it off accordingly and please do not attempt to sleep in it.
But because everyone loves labels, I thought I’d share with you 3 CC Creams I’ve tried that I actually like and use pretty often. It might surprise you that a popular CC Cream that was said to have started the whole trend isn’t here in my list, but you know, that’s life :) I just found myself preferring these. So let me quickly share them with you because I’ve never reviewed them individually before this and I’ve got a tip for making these CC Creams work better for me! :D
Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream – Natural Fair RM125/40ml
You might think “Liar! You have reviewed the Clinique CC Cream and you hated it!” Well, yes and no. When I first reviewed the Clinique CC Cream, it was a press sample that was one of the colour correcting primer types. That, I wasn’t impressed with as it didn’t seem to do much of anything for me. However, not very long after, I was browsing the Clinique counter at the airport, when I decided on a whim, to get one of the tinted versions in Natural Fair. Turned out that I liked it a lot!
The tint in Natural Fair was a close match to my skintone and it offered a light coverage, to just even out my skintone quite nicely. It was a nice base to wear on a lazy weekend or while on holiday if I wanted to just have a light base on. The high SPF30/PA+++ rating was a good thing to have as well. The texture is fairly creamy and it isn’t drying nor does it make my skin oily. It doesn’t offer very much coverage, but if what you need is just to even out skintone so it doesn’t look blotchy and you aren’t too concerned about covering up blemishes, pigmentation or marks on skin then this is a nice, lightweight base to have on. I actually used this one quite a lot until the next one in this list came along.
Ingredient list: Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5%, Titanium Dioxide 5.2%, and Zinc Oxide 3.2%; Inactive Ingredients: Water, Squalane, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Trehalose, Caffeine , Glycerin, Linoleic Acid, Lecithin, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sorbitol, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-t-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Xanthan Gum, Silica, Alumina, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tin Oxide, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.
Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream – Light & Light to Medium RM198/50ml
I have to say that of the 3 that I like, this one’s my favourite and I wasn’t even expecting to like it! The Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream contains fairly high sunscreen protection with both Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide and on top of that, is supposed to contain Camu Camu which is said to have 30 times the Vitamin C in oranges. Vitamin C and arbutin help protect and brighten the skin’s complexion while the tint in the product minimizes the appearance of imperfections.
I find that this PTR CC Cream has slightly better coverage than the Clinique CC Cream and a slightly thicker texture. I find that it does a pretty good job at making my skin look good with very minimal effort and that’s something every woman craves, trust me. Not all of us want to take hours to primp in front of the mirror in the early mornings, attempting to make our skins look flawless. Some of us (me actually) actually value our beauty sleep more so a quick fix is often helpful and this is my quick fix.
As you can see, coverage isn’t 100%. Anyone who has pigmentation fights this problem, but I’ve taken a more laid back attitude to it now. It evens out my skintone enough to make me happy to head to work sometimes, but I have a little trick to help it along to make my skin look better.
My tip for making CC Creams work better
This is a simple tip but it requires the help of my magic balls – Guerlain Meteorites. I like to use either 02 Clair (previously Teint Rose) or Medium (previously Teint Beige) for this purpose.
What I do is apply a CC Cream on my skin as base. Then, I buff Meteorites powder all over. The CC Cream base evens out my skintone and offers a slight tint of colour, while the Meteorites pulls the look together and gives it a glow that allows me to fake the effect of a good night’s sleep and clear natural makeup-free skin when neither is true! CC Cream, being of a lighter and sheerer texture than foundation or most BB Creams allow more of the natural skin to come through so it looks more natural. Try it, if you don’t believe me and tell me if it works for you!
Here is the ingredient list for the Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream.
I like the texture of this one, it doesn’t turn oily and it sits well on my skin and looks natural. I have 2 shades. Light is very light as you will see in the swatches below. It is more like a primer that brightens the skin if you have a deeper skintone, and if you are very fair skinned then this may be the shade for you. Light to Medium is fairly deep in the swatch, but when I wear it actually seems fine. I do only wear a thin layer, which you can see in the picture above and I buff it out with Meteorites which actually help brighten the skintone and help it look better.
Olay Total Effects Pore Minimizing CC Cream – Light RM49.90/50g
This one was purchased completely on a whim while out on a jaunt to the local pharmacy. I believe it was on sale when I picked it up and from recollection, there are 3 or 4 shades available. I picked it up in Light.
The first thing I noticed is that it has the signature Olay Total Effects scent. It isn’t unpleasant, but it is there and quite strong. The texture is quite liquid which I found a little unusual compared to the other CC Creams I’ve used that tend to have a slightly thicker texture. As a result, it also has a very light coverage and really, works best for someone who already has fairly good skin.
While I can’t say I noticed any pore minimizing going on, I actually thought this wasn’t too bad, for the price and for the way it performed because it seemed to neutralize redness on my skin fairly well. It did nothing for me in terms of coverage but when I dab on some concealer and use my Guerlain Meteorites trick as I told you above, I get away with a fairly natural base even for work days. That was what I liked. This Olay CC Cream made a good base. If I needed a little more coverage, I’d use a pressed powder (I like the RMK Pressed Powder N) all over, buffed gently into the skin and everything looks natural, almost as if I didn’t have a base on.
Here is the ingredient list for the Olay Total Effects Pore Minimizing CC Cream. I don’t know if it’s the same with the ones sold in the USA or Europe as ours are made in Thailand but if you are based in Asia then this is the one you’d likely get.
Of the 3 featured, this has the lowest sun protection at SPF15 so if you dislike wearing sunscreen and are depending on this to protect your skin (please don’t!) then don’t get this because SPF15 in the tropical sun is far too low.
And finally, here are the swatches of the CC Creams I’ve featured here.
The Clinique CC Cream in Natural Fair and Olay CC Cream in Fair are fairly close in tone. The difference between the two is texture. Clinique’s is thicker while Olay is lighter and more like a lotion than a cream. I also find that Olay offers less coverage and can slip on my skin as the day wears on while Clinique’s doesn’t slip as much. Setting both with some powder definitely helps with coverage and longevity.
The Peter Thomas Roth CC Creams both have a rather warm tone but I like their texture which you can see offers better and smoother coverage. Light, on the extreme right is very light and has less coverage than Light/Medium. I can actually wear both although I definitely use the Meteorites with Light/Medium to brighten the skintone. Funnily enough, it swatches very dark, but as you can see in the FOTD above, it doesn’t make me look orange. It just kinda works!
Have you tried any of these CC Creams? Do you use CC Creams and is there one you like?
Of the 3 brands here, I like the Peter Thomas Roth, followed by Clinique and then Olay. However, I don’t usually wear them for long hours because I keep these for weekends or holidays or off days so I don’t really test them for longevity. As far as light casual bases go, these work for me, but I can’t say they’ll work for everyone out there :)
Paris B
Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF 30/PA+++ Price: 125/40ml Availability: Clinique counters, Sephora stores | Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream SPF30 Complexion Corrector Price: RM198/40ml Availability: Sephora stores | Olay Total Effects Pore Minimizing CC Cream with sunscreen Price: RM49.90/50g Availability: Olay counters at most major pharmacies
I was actually looking at Supergoop and the PTR one. Funny how the swatches all look so orange but not when worn :-) Have you tried the Supergoop CC cream before, Paris?
No I haven’t tried the Supergoop CC Cream (didn’t know they had one!) but I was always quite curious to try the Supergoop sunscreen because of the name. I mean, Supergoop! What a fun name :D
I want me some of that GG cream! :D
Hmm the Clinique one looks rather good actually. And Olay has a CC cream? How could I have missed that? Gosh, I need to make a trip to Guardian one of these days..!
I know right? Someone has to do GG Cream already LOL! (You know, I actually saw ZZ cream once. KID YOU NOT!) I like the Clinique one. It gives a nice natural light tint of coverage. Olay’s is really sheer and the scent is strong but if you don’t ‘mind, I thought it wasn’t bad. I only bought it because I had the same thought you did “Olay has a CC CREAM!?”
I also didn’t expect to like PTR’s CC Cream! I use my Light/Medium everyday now ;) (Light is far too, well, light and orange-y for my skin tone)
Yes, I thought Light was quite pointless even for me! I couldn’t believe I got Light/Medium to work, although I have to brighten it with Meteorites. But I like the whole natural effect.
Nice! I’ve been thinking about the Clinique one, when I finally run out of what I have LOL. I like the Olay one too! It’s great for running around doing errands! Another CC Cream I really like is the Origins one. It feels so nice on!
hahaha you’ll never run out Tracy! I like the Clinique one. But stay away from the primer type colour correcting ones. So pointless! I didn’t try the Origins one but I’ll be sure to bear it in mind! Oh I didn’t know you got the Olay CC too! It’s not bad I thought, but you do need to have fairly good skin to start with for it to actually look like it helps.
I picked up the Olay CC Cream when it was just released and thank goodness I pick up the 20g tube because like you said, the scent is strong. I get so dizzy with the strong scent and it lingers on for half the day. It does nothing in pore minimizing and no coverage at all. Hmmm color correcting maybe just a tiny bit.
Yeah I wish Olay would tone down it’s scents. Some of their stuff are nice but the scent! There was no pore minimizing for me, and although coverage was very light, it reduced the redness and when I topped up with a pressed powder, I could get away with looking like I had no makeup on so that was nice :D
I really love that PTR CC cream, one of my favourite “foundations”.
Yay! You must use Light then Marina :D I was surprised I liked it to be honest!
Glamorously Gorgeous! Very funny Paris. Maybe the cosmetics company will do that one day. Who know? ;)
You look very sweet, pretty and young in the picture above. I envy you for that. Is it long lasting? The CC cream I mean. I use from Etude House and I cannot say I like the finishing touch. Maybe I will try it once again. I still love to put on foundation rather than the CC creams, since it is has a very thin layer and do not cover up my natural bare-face at all :D
You know, I saw a brand had ZZ cream so yes, I think GG Cream isn’t too far away hahaha! Oh and Estee Lauder has EE Cream apparently but not locally I think. Honestly right? Can we stop? :P And thank you for the kind comment Nabihah! I find they are pretty ok if I set them with a powder. So what I do is wear a thin layer and then buff on a pressed powder or Meteorites over and it stays on for most of the day and I dont’ get oily. I haven’t tried Etude House but I have tried Etude House BB Cream many years ago and I hated it :P But like you, my first choice is foundation.
hahahahahaha! GG cream!! Yeah let’s invent some alphabet creams! DD = definitely dreamy (HAHA!), EE = exfoliate & enrich (is there such a thing?!?), FF = Fun & Fresh (sounds like those typical Korean brands, no?).
OK. Enough of nonsense. Yeah I thought the PTR one looks so orange in swatch as well!! I have the Olay CC cream, like 2 weeks old. I thought coverage was too light – almost nothing!! The consistency of it is similar to the Armani second skin foundation (like… whipped cream sort) I’d have to try it with the magic balls tomorrow!! :)
LOL!! You know what? Estee Lauder has an EE CREAM! OMG I nearly died when I found out. But I don’t think they brought it to Asia yet. I’d laugh them out of town :P The PTR one is quite orange and quite scary but for some reason smooths out nicely on my face so I appreciated it! The coverage of Olay is super light, but I liked it because it toned down some redness and made a nice base for me to fake natural naked skin, by just buffing simple pressed powder over or Meteorites. Did it work for you?
The only cc I’ve used is the lancome one and i like it so much i’m on my third tube and i am not even bothering or tempted to try others… ;-) It’s the perfect color match and reliable. The only downside of it is the price. It’s overpriced for a CC cream that i’m actually tempted to try the Clinique or the PTR (however, skeptical about this one after trying the rose gel mask and it did nothing for me) one now upon seeing your post. No Olay for me. I don’t take to the scent at all. I wish they can mellow down the scent quite a bit.
Wow! Ok I didn’t know Lancome had a CC – knock me down with a feather already! Haha Happy to know it works for you and that you like it enough to buy 3 tubes! I actually was surprised I like the PTR one but the shade can be tricky so I’d advise caution. Clinique is more skintone friendly so that might be a better bet although I think the PTR is of better quality. Just IMO although if I were you, I’d stick to Lancome if CC Creams aren’t a everyday thing :D
What a fantastic post! I am a complete bb/cc addict! I have not tried any of them though but am now putting PTR on my to try list! And what a great tip too. Can’t wait to try it! (I happen to have magic balls so will definitely give it a go!)
Haha I liked PTR Tammy and do let me know how it goes when you try your CC/BB Creams with the magic balls! I swear they make everything look better :D
I’ve been curious about that Clinique CC Cream, since it apparently runs light enough for super-fair people. Based on your recommendation, I may have to give it a try.
I surprised myself by liking it. If you can snag some samples, do give it a go :)