HOW TO CHOOSE A BB CREAM

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Hands up if you used a BB on your face this morning instead of foundation?

If I could actually see this virtual show of hands I would imagine I’d see about half of you with your hands in the air, waving about madly because you’re still so damn excited that you ever jumped on board the BB train.

About a quarter of you are probably not wearing any makeup (totally ok!) and the rest of you are probably scratching your head and wondering if I’m talking in some kind of secret code.

Let me quickly unlock that not-so-secret code and bring everyone up to speed.

The BB in BB cream stands for Beauty or Blemish Balm. The concept of this formula, which was designed to lighten and brighten skin, originated in Asia. There are plenty of beauty bloggers around who swear by their favourite Asian product. Me? I only jumped on the bandwagon when BB cream first became available for sale two years ago in Australia. That was with Garnier BB Cream – one that to this day is loved and used by many SY readers.

I’ve since tried a BB from Korea (thanks Miss Amy for swinging me that stash), a couple when I was in the US last year and I’ve worked my way through almost 30 BB creams as they’ve arrived on Australian counters and shelves.

Obsessed? Most definitely.

The reason for my obsession harks back to that lazy-girl part of my beauty personality. BB cream is a multi-functioning product. A BB cream is more than a tinted moisturiser because it offers complexion-enhancing and illuminating goodness immediately on application AND over time. So you get cosmetic benefits plus ongoing skin benefits.

The upshot? A BB can make you look all glowy when your skin is far from glowy. Winning.

I have some new BB cream finds to share with you but before I do, I need to talk about CC creams.

I KNOW.

At first I thought the concept of a CC cream was just clever marketing jumping on the BB bandwagon but on closer investigation and trial, that isn’t necessarily the case.

The CC in CC cream stands for Colour Correcting so the formula contains ingredients which work to disguise redness, dullness and uneven skin tone.

Where I think the lines are really blurred is that many of the BB creams I’ve trialled do this anyway.

CCs tend to offer more coverage but I’ve also found that the coverage between BB creams can vary and my favourite BB creams offer as much coverage as the CCs I’ve tried.

Confusing?

You bet.

That’s why I’ve created a bit of a How to Choose a BB Cream – or CC Cream – road map for you.