BB Cream

Mentholatum Sunplay Skin Aqua Silky BB Cream SPF29 PA++ : A Japan x Korea collaboration

June 20, 2011 Paris B 41 Comments

I’ve said often enough that I’m not that into BB Creams and the wonderful claims they proclaim to live up to. However, what with this brand and that brand available out there, I’m curious. I have since picked out one or two I rather like, but in the main, I’m still a little iffy about the whole BB Cream hype.

mentholatun sunplay skin aqua bb cream

Today we have the Mentholatum Sunplay Skin Aqua Silky BB Cream that is quite readily available at our local pharmacies at a reasonably affordable price. This one comes in one shade as most BB Creams do, but in two different formula – Normal-Oily skin (Silky BB Cream) and Normal Dry skin (Moisture BB Cream). I broke into the Normal-Oily skin one, because from experience I’d realized that BB Creams tend to go on a little oily on my skin. Mentholatum is a Japanese brand, but this particular product was produced in collaboration with a Korean BB Cream company (unnamed).

In terms of texture, I must say that this one agrees with me quite well. It feels light on my skin and spreads quite easily leaving quite a nice finish. Its not very thick nor does it turn oily on my skin. I have to give it that. It actually feels lovely on and does not slide off throughout the day.

MAC hops on the BB wagon with MAC Prep + Prime BB Beauty Balm SPF35 PA+++ : My thoughts

May 20, 2011 Paris B 27 Comments

The BB Cream madness continues. Have you noticed just how many brands now have a BB Cream or another? Sure, they may not always call it a “BB Cream”. MAC for example, calls theirs a Beauty Balm and unless you are familiar with the whole BB thing, you may not realize its supposed to be a member of the BB Cream cult.

mac prep + prime bb beauty balm

Mine came from Changi airport and for now, this is a travel exclusive. But I’m given to understand that that will change soon, so it will be available in MAC stores as well.

The difference I have noticed between Western versions of BB Creams and the Korean/Asian versions, is that the Western versions don’t tout all sorts of miraculous all-in-one capabilities. The recommendation is to apply the MAC Beauty Balm after moisturizer and since it contains SPF35/PA+++, I’d say that the MAC Beauty Balm is actually pretty much a tinted sunscreen cum makeup base.

Regulars will know that I’m not MAC’s biggest cheerleader, so really, how does this one fare then?

A Korean Haul to soothe the shopping Seoul

May 11, 2011 Paris B 65 Comments

Haha… I just know that there are some of you waiting for this post 🙂 Truth be told, I did not buy very much, relatively speaking 🙂 I did stumble on a sale going on at Lotte Department store where I picked up some very lovely winter jackets (down filled!) at 50,000 Won (about RM140 each!) so I’m dying to go on a winter holiday next LOL Otherwise, I wasn’t quite into buying clothes, shoes or accessories.

masks from korea

What I did return with a lot of, was face sheet masks. Everyone who has ever raved about how incredibly cheap face masks are in Korea were not wrong. I picked up different masks from the different Korean brands – Skin Food, TheFaceShop, ElishaCoy, Baviphat… just to name a few. The masks are usually sold in packs of 10 or 20 and I got them for between 10,000-20,000 won (RM14-28) a pack. This was a shared pack, and I took out quite a few for gifts and suchlike. Should have picked up more 😛

The Dior Diorsnow BB Creme is not a figment of my imagination!

April 25, 2011 Paris B 38 Comments

On 1 April, I held a chit-chat session and I showed you a picture of the Diorsnow UV Shield BB Creme with SPF50 PA+++ Apparently, some thought it might be an April Fool’s joke 🙂 Dior coming out with a BB Creme? Not likely right?

However, it wasn’t a joke. Dior did come up with a BB Creme under the Diorsnow skincare range! 😀

dior diorsnow bb creme

Looks like the luxury brands aren’t sparing the BB Cream hype. Dior has placed their BB Cream, or as they would have it “BB Creme” together with their Diorsnow sunscreen range. The regular Diorsnow Sublissime UV sunscreen did not work out for me before, so I was a little worried as to whether I’d break out. I was also worried as to whether it might be too oily, too light/dark and too thick – some of the reasons I dislike using BB Creams.

diorsnow bb creme pump and cap

Sorry for the messy pump, but this is the mechanism of the Diorsnow BB Cream – a pump on a tube. The tube at 30ml is rather small but unlike my problem with Etude House BB Cream, I faced no problems using this pump mechanism. It was smooth and pumped out a sizeable enough amount each time. I only use 1 pump for my face, since BB Creams do look better with a light layer on. I’ve got a colour swatch below, since this product comes in only 1 colour.

BB Cream

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