How’s your second day of the week treating you so far? It sure is sunny on this side of the world. Summer, at last! Are you all geared up with your short shorts, sassy vest, flip flops, summer-inspired pedi/mani, sunglasses and suncream? Or you’ve already opted for the all-in-one BB Cream or CC Cream?
The beauty world these days is fast evolving, that it’s almost impossible to keep up with all these products (just like smart phones!). For instance, the BB Creams and CC Creams are popping out like mushrooms, which, personally, at this point is now becoming ridiculous and other brands are just singing along the tune of the alphabet.
When it comes to these type of facial coverage, they all have one thing in common in my opinion, to give you that flawless look. Cover, enhance, perfect. And I believe that’s what brought foundation to existence in the first place.
Even though we’re always on the look out for ‘the next best thing’, are these actually worth our pennies, beauties?
Let’s find out the difference between BB and CC Creams below.
Type/Function | Coverage | Skin Benefits | SPF |
Foundation | Comes in many shades (Sheer, Light, Medium, Full) (I’m pretty sure you know your foundation chart 😉 | N/A (Mineral-based foundation pressed or liquid type are said to let the skin breathe and less pore clogging) | √ |
BB Creams Other names: Blemish Balm Beblesh Balm Beauty Balm | Light/Natural (Asian BB Creams tend to have grey undertones, but you will find ones with yellow/beige/peach undertones too Very minimal coverage that comes as either matte, silky, or dewy finish and sometimes may have shimmers1 in them ex. Missha is a great example for BB creams with grey undertones, Skin79‘s range mixture of the above. Etude House1 select BB creams from this brand will have the ‘shimmer’ feature to create that ‘glowy’ effect or BB creams that double up as ‘highlighter’ | Whitening properties Anti-wrinkle benefits Hydrating properties Sebum-control Soothing effects Several contain hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C | √ |
CC Creams Other names: Color Control Color Correcting | Asian CC Creams: Light2 (very limited hues! — see more details below) Western CC Creams: between 4-6 shades, lighter texture | Asian CC: features the ‘skincare + makeup ideology Skin-whitening tops the list Includes ingredients to treat acne, blemishes or troubled skinWestern CC: Skin-whitening not on the list (for most brands) Highlights ‘hydration’ ie Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream | Reputed to have higher SPF√ |
BB Creams came to life in Germany for one sole purpose — to protect the patient’s skin after surgery — and later on were developed and produced in South Korea and Japan. Now, it’s everywhere and comes in many forms to cater to everyone’s skin tones and needs. Sometimes it feels like a foundation dupe or renamed tinted moisturiser.
2You will notice that the majority of Asian BB Creams will have skin-whitening properties, SPF, and are formulated to oxidize on skin contact to match the user’s skin tone, which will explain the limited hues in the Asian market.
Asian CC Creams have retained this characteristic too, something that you will see in my full review of Mizon CC Cream. It’s stored in this tight-sealed capsule to prevent from oxidizing. It has a light texture, runny consistency and a white hue that blends with my skin tone when applied. An aspect that L’Oreal Paris Nude Magique CC Cream SPF 12 has.
But take a look for yourself how Mizon and L’Oreal compares:
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There are brands that definitely intrigued me, and you might have tried them already, such as Rachel K SPF 35 (2 shades), Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF 30 (comes in 6 shades), Olay CC Cream SPF 15 (3 shades), Innisfree CC Cream SPF30 (1 shade), and ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream SPF 30 (1 shade).
2013 was foretold to be the rise of CC Creams and everyone was anticipating for its arrival. Some were impressed, others were confused and a few of us are bummed out with money not well-spent. And it’s no surprise because although BB Creams or CC Creams are called your multi-tasker, if you’re looking for full or heavy coverage, then you might want to look somewhere else, or stick with your foundation. But hey, if you want to try something new, then treating yourself for a tube or two, won’t be such a bad idea! 🙂
P.S. … and yes, DD Creams have been released!
Q: Where do you fall? A BB, CC or even a DD Cream user? Tempted to try their formulas? Share your thoughts!