BB Cream: Hottest Foundation Trend in Korea + Taiwan
...and slowly taking over the world. I think it's only really been advertised in East asian countries (mainly korea) so I don't known if many members have heard of this? BB cream is apparently the secret to a lot of the "makeup less" (but still flawless skin) photographs of Korean stars. I was wondering if any members here use bb cream? Recommendations? I was really excited when I heard about this product because apparently it actually works really well. I asked my aunt in Taiwan to buy me a bottle of BRTC.
Information:
B.B Cream , also known as Blemish Balm, started off as a soothing treatment balm dermatologists + surgeons used on patients who underwent laser skin treatment. It helps to shield\protect and regenerate delicate skin. Korean actresses and stars soon started using this cream and it sparked off a huge craze in Korea due to its excellent results.
Beauty brands in Korea have since developed BB cream and made it more suitable for Asian skin.
By far, many brands have come out with their own BB cream of various different functions.
BB cream is a foundation that soothes and regenerates the skin, meanwhile acting as a good foundation with excellent coverage. It can cover dark rings, acne marks and uneven skin tone naturally, giving your skin a natural glow. It also has good oil control power without conprimising your skin's moisture level.
BRTC is the best brand of BB cream (or so it seems from what I've read) followed by Dr. Jart. Other brands that sells bb cream: Missha, Skin Food, Etude, etc.
So I really looked over the ingredient list of some of these products and found that many of them have actually pore clogging ingredients that might break people out more. Has anyone expereienced this? They seem to contain a lot of oils.
Soft Peachy is a legitimate site, but apparently it's a complete RIPOFF! Apparently they jack up the shipping prices so the complete cost of a bottle of BRTC + shipping is 100USD. A bottle of BRTC in Taiwan/Korea actually costs about 30USD. BRTC has the best brand of BB cream, I've heard Perfect Blemish Balm is absolutely fabulous...pretty good oil control, good coverage, and skin is noticeably clearer after about 1 months use. BRTC Perfect Recover Balm is also very similar to Perfect Blemish Balm as well, except it's thicker and the oil control is ever better (apparently, you're face stays matte the entire day). I heard Dr. Jart is the best after BRTC. If you are looking for coverage Hanskin Super Magic BB cream has the highest coverage, but it's only suitable for light skin tones. The more popular *cheaper* brands are Skinfood (Aloe) and Missha.
OH!!! And please remember that bb cream IS still a make up product, so you still have to wash it off your face at night.
Found some review/testee thing:
DoDo: Bumps experienced by sensitive skin (contains mineral oil)
Dr Jart Black Label: Good coverage on scars & other imperfection, oil control, some whitening effect, SPF25
Missha: Bumps experienced by sensitive skin (maybe because it contains mineral oil), chalky texture hard to blend, sheer-medium coverage, medium blendability, better oil control than Skinfood, cheapest Skin79 Dermax: SPF15, smooth liquid texture, sheer-medium coverage, natural look, no fragrance, not as glowy compared to rest but still bright, skincare properties, nano tech for arbutin (whitening ingredient) to be absorbed, some users find skin appear better after removing, some users paired with it foundation as glow can be radiant
Skinfood Ginkgo: Makes skin healthier, shrink pores abit, glowy for dry skin, skin appear oilier (for oily skin type), bumps & itchiness experienced by sensitive skin,
pimples experienced by oily skin, hard to blend, sheer coverage, shade #1 is yellow tone; #2 is pink tone, more suitable for normal skin
The Face Shop: Clogged pores, skin becomes coarser
I recently bought the ICS BB Cream at a Korean cosmetics counter. I wanted to try the Dr. Jart or the BRTC but they only carried the ICS one. I was really hesitant to buy it cuz the color has a grayish cast to it and it was $58. But the SA assured me that the cream blends into the skin really well and conforms to your skin color.
She was right. I love this cream. I have been searching for the "perfect" foundation/tinted moisturizer/concealer for YEARS. Up until now I've been using the Shiseido stick foundation and their Powdery Foundation compact both in O60. I would never stray from the Powdery Foundation cuz I haven't found anything better but I wasn't completely satisfied w/the foundation.
Anyway, the cream really does blend well, it's not heavy yet it does a good job of covering imperfections w/out the help of a concealer (I have slight acne scars, the occasional zit, and a little redness around the nose area) and I can wear it alone or w/a light brush of my Shiseido powder for a very matte, airbrushed look. When I wear it alone, it gives me a nice glowy look but not greasy. And it keeps my face matte so I don't have to touch up through out the day. It also doesn't oxidize so the color stays the same.
This is def. a make-up product, not a face cream. I recommend you use it in place of your foundation/tinted moisturizer. The SA told me I don't need to moisturize since this should take care of it but I have very dry skin so I still used my day cream.
Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to share this w/everyone. I highly recommend trying a bb cream.
^^
Thank you for the info. I assume the shades are pretty light as most of the Asian market (where these are from) is considered to be light....I'm really fair so maybe I'll look into these. Usually I have to stay away from one-size-fits-all shades because they tend to be too dark on my fair skin but this might be an exception.
And about the comment about shades of bb cream. I think you put it on and sometimes it will be too light or whatever, but it's made to match your skin tone (for those with lighter skin tones, of course if you have really dark skin I doubt the bb cream with match). I read somewhere that Dr. Jart takes up to 20 minutes to settle with your skin tone, but BRTC does it it immediately. Sorry if I sound a bit bias (reporting only on Dr. Jart and BRTC, but those were the only ones I was interested in buying after reading multiple reviews. haha). Apparently the BEST bb creams cannot be found on the web, rather, you have to go to Korea to buy them in shops.