CC Cream

Makeup Artist Tips on how to wear Bobbi Brown Nude Glow collection and Sneak Peeks of Bobbi Brown Spring/Summer 2014

February 12, 2014 Paris B 42 Comments

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take a behind the scenes peek at a Bobbi Brown makeup training class with Kai Vinson, Bobbi Brown Director of Artistry and Education Asia Pacific. It is rather like an intense reality show, as their training is held over a few days where the makeup artists have to familiarise themselves with new looks, products and how to achieve a particular look and they are even graded on it!

You know, quite often as consumers, we are a little rough on the makeup artists at the counters without realising just how much training some of them have to go through. For me, it was an eye opening experience and while it won’t stop me being critical (I’m sorry BB, your foundation bases are still a bit too yellow for my skintone no matter what your makeup artists tell me! 😛 ) it does help me understand that they ARE trained, but sometimes people have a bad day or just maybe didn’t pay attention in class, for which they have no excuse really, coz the training is top notch! 😛

Image courtesy of Bobbi Brown Malaysia

I did have the opportunity to have Kai show us how to wear the Nude Glow Collection which you will find at counters now. It is a very light collection which I will tell you off hand won’t attract many people but done right, it gives an almost barely there, ethereal look that in my words made me look like Galadriel from Lord of the Rings. Who doesn’t want that Elven glow, you tell me! 😀 I’ll share some tips Kai taught to make this collection wearable and the tips are applicable for other brands and products too of course 😉

I’ll also show you a couple of previews of upcoming collections and you can get all excited about those, because I can tell you a couple of them excited me a lot! Onwards!

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Rachel K CC Cream in Original and Neutral: Pioneering and leading the Wild West of CC Creams

August 14, 2013 Paris B 33 Comments

A couple of years back, I picked up rumblings of a CC Cream. This was way before the Chanel and Clinique CC Creams came into existence. I remember laughing about it. CC Creams! Haah! Well, CC Creams are now the new normal.

But the pioneer in the CC Cream department is the Rachel K CC Cream. I remember, because I laughed about them which was a little unfortunate because it is quite a good product, all said and done.

Rachel K is Rachel Kum, a former Miss Singapore Universe beauty queen, who went and created the next generation Blemish Balm or BB Cream, calling it the CC Cream. Little did she guess I suppose, that so many brands would follow suit over the years. I received these some time last year. I couldn’t quite get my head around them which explains why you’re only hearing about them now from me. I’ve finally “got it” as it were. Slow learner eh? 😛

The Rachel K CC Cream comes in 2 formulas – Original in a black tube which is tinted pink and suited to people with pink skintones and Neutral in the pink tube suited to people with a neutral to yellow base. I can wear both, which might surprise you since I’m always banging on about using a pink toned base, but I use them for different purposes.

What Rachel K says her CC Cream is, is a more refined and improved version of a BB Cream. Her CC Cream has 10 in 1 benefits claiming both cosmetic and skincare benefits while controlling oil and protecting skin with SPF35 PA++ The Original version has a pink tint while the Neutral version is more tinted to look more like a light foundation.

These have been available in Singapore and Malaysia for a while and now also, worldwide so I’m very sure many of you would have tried it, and I’m curious to know how you liked it or if you did 🙂 There is one niggling fly in the ointment for me, which I’ll tell you about below.

Can Clinique’s CC Cream Correct Colour and Cover Colourless Complexion Conveniently?

May 20, 2013 Paris B 33 Comments

I happened to be at a mall on the weekend, when I noticed the promo images for the Clinique CC Cream had gone up at the Clinique counter. Probably a good time then, for me to let you know what I think about this 🙂 Yes, Clinique too has taken a gander at the CC Cream. Has anyone not done so? 😛

I have to tell you I was quite interested in it because you see, I can’t use the Clinique BB Cream. The shade is too dark for me and a sample left my skin looking dull. So, when I saw that the Clinique CC Cream comes not only in skintone shades but also in illuminating shades, and furthermore, comes under the Moisture Surge category, my interest was a bit more piqued.

What Clinique was keen to impress on me, as I am to impress on you, is that the CC Cream is a Colour Correcting Cream. What this means is that isn’t a foundation, nor does it try to be one. It instead, serves to correct and neutralize your skintone to reduce sallowness and to give you a brighter, more natural glow to your skin. Think of it rather more like a colour correcting makeup base than a foundation or foundation substitute and you will be less disappointed. Because, if you don’t, you might be.

Just Sampling: Chanel CC Cream – A Complete Correction Cream With 5-in-1 Benefits

January 21, 2013 Paris B 55 Comments

We’ve had our fair share of BB Creams around that started out in Asia and have now exploded worldwide. It seems like every year brings a new brand with a new BB Cream. This year, Clarins will be joining in the fun. And yet, for some brands, BB (Blemish Balm) just isn’t enough. They differentiate themselves by having CC creams instead. CC Cream, according to our good friend, Wikipedia, means “Color Control” creams and is supposed to be a more refined version of BB Cream with higher SPF, better coverage and a less oily texture. Think BB Cream V2.0 – everything you did not like in a BB Cream improved.

The brand that first popularized CC Creams was Rachel K back in 2011 – you can see it in Watson’s stores locally and I will share my thoughts on the brand soon. I had seen it popping up on blogs back then and I’d seen it while browsing Watson’s stores in Singapore but never bothered to try because I still don’t do the whole all-in-one thing, the same way I don’t buy into BB Creams. Then last year, rumblings surfaced of Chanel doing a CC Cream for the Asian market.

My personal prejudices aside, I recently received a flyer in the mail to inform that the Chanel CC Cream was available here in Malaysia and that I could hop down to pick up a sample. So I did.

chanel cc cream

Suffice to say, I had a terrible experience at the Chanel counter, where a big song and dance was made about the fact I didn’t bring the flyer to collect the sample. It was interesting because there were no instructions to bring the flyer along, as was insisted. So we started off on a bad foot, Chanel and I.

That aside, I ended up with a 1ml sachet of CC Cream after standing my ground and telling them to check the system where my records are, and having provided personal details. What this means is if you don’t have the flyer, you couldn’t get a sample. Makes a lot of sense to me, Chanel! Anyway, I roadtested it for a day so this isn’t a comprehensive review by any means. It is my “Just Sampling” review to reflect the sampling bit and just to share my perceptions on texture, mostly.

CC Cream

The fun and previews happen on Instagram @parisbmws