Hi Everyone!
Hope you all are well :)
This week I'm back with another review that is the first of its kind here on the blog. Today I am reviewing a BB cream! For the last couple of years BB creams have been all the rage among almost everyone except for me. Not because I didn't like BB creams more so because I had never tried one, nope not a single one. Despite the hype I had never been curious enough to try a BB, CC, DD, FF or whatever the latest cream craze was. For the most part, when a product is extremely hyped up I tend to stay away until the buzz has died down. Last month though, I decided to delve into the world of BB creams to finally see what all the fuss was about. I had heard so much about the Garnier one and the one from Maybelline but I thought I'd try out something different, and I settled on the Physicians Formula Super BB All In One Beauty Balm Compact Cream. I hadn't heard anything at all about this particular product, it was actually the packaging that lured me in...guilty.
The box displays a tonne of information in relation to the product in terms of directions, ingredients etc. The product itself is encased within this circular plastic compact. As you know I adore the packaging, its simple but the addition of the holographic BB text on the front adds a little glam. I also quite like the way there is a swatch on the front of the compact, displaying the colour of the product inside.
There are two compartments in this compact, one section contains the product and the other flips up to reveal a mirror and a sponge for application purposes. Despite having the two sections the compact isn't bulky, it fits in the palm of my hand so it's suitable to pop in your bag if you want to use it on the go.
The first problem I encountered before I even used the product itself was in terms of the shade range. The BB Cream comes in two shades, 'Light' and 'Light/Medium'. I couldn't get my hands on the lightest shade so I went for the only other option available. Judging by the colour of this shade, If you are quite pale like myself and want to try out the product, I can imagine even the lightest shade being far too dark. I had a small bit of Cocoa Brown on when I was testing out the cream, as I still had a hint of colour to my skin I was able to match the product up with the rest of my body quite easily.
Even though I knew this was a cream product I was a bit surprised by the texture when I swatched it at first. I'm no stranger to cream products, my all time favourite foundation to wear when I'm tanned is the Max Factor Miracle Touch foundation but this just felt different.
Imagine swirling your finger in a tin of vaseline, that is pretty much what it felt like. From the swatch above you can even see just how, I suppose 'greasy' the product is. I placed the cream on the back of my hand to get a better look at the colour and then I began to work it into the skin. It seemed to blend out very easily on my hand but as always, I knew it would be a different story when it came to the face. Between the colour and how it felt on the skin it reminded me of the very first base product I used, a Vichy tinted moisturiser that my mam bought me when I was around 13. That in itself was nearly enough to make me run for the hills haha but I decided to persevere.
I tend to use a painter style foundation brush when working with cream foundations as I find it to be the most effective way of applying the product, it gives me the most coverage too. However, with this product it didn't matter what brush I used I just couldn't work the cream into my skin. I decided then to just use my fingers, which I never ever do when but it worked like a charm. The warmth of my fingers really helped me work the product into my skin. I did find it hard to apply the BB Cream evenly, you can very easily get a streaky appearance with the product so you need to take the time to really blend it into the skin.
My skin can be very dry and dehydrated at times so I knew something like this would suit my skin. Despite my skin type I like to wear full coverage products along with powder too, I love a matte finish but I wanted to try out something a little different. I can't see this cream working for anyone with an oily skin type, the cream is very 'dewy' and I just couldn't see it lasting well on the skin. It is definitely more suitable for those with dry or dehydrated skin types. I tend to get very dry around my nose and suffer from flakiness on my nose. I suffer with eczema across my forehead from time to time so after that has calmed down, that area can be left quite dry. The cream didn't settle into my dry matches, at least not as much as other products so I found that was a plus.
The cream claims to be:
- Hypoallergenic
- Fragrance Free
- Paraben Free
- Gluten Free
- Dermatologist Approved
- Non Comedogenic
My skin is highly sensitive and I didn't find that the product irritated my skin in any way. I also didn't suffer any additional breakout's during the time I was trialling the product that I could say for definite, were due to the product. I have acne prone skin so I spot here and there isn't unusual for me. Taking this into consideration I would be inclined to agree with Physicians Formula's claims.
Coverage wise you can achieve a sheer or medium coverage depending on how you apply the product, the cream is definitely buildable. In the above photo I applied a sheer to medium coverage, I didn't build it up too much as you can see there are still some blemishes and redness visible but nothing too striking. You can also see the nice sheen it gives to the high points of my face, on the tops of my cheekbones, tip of the nose, and above the arch of the brow.
As I mentioned I like my skin to appear quite matte so I decided to set the product in place to see what the finish would be like. I never thought I would say this but I actually prefer the product on its own, without the use of a powder on top.
Another problem I encountered was that regardless of if the product was set in place with a powder or not, it transferred. If I touched my face the product would slide right off and I'd be left with a patch. I had to make a conscious effort not to touch my face in order to ensure the cream lasted on my skin. Until I trialled out this cream I never knew how many times I touched my face throughout the day without realising haha. Lasting power wise, I found I got almost 6 hours out of the cream before I felt the product had faded and I needed to reapply. It felt really nice to wear on the skin, I felt like I wasn't wearing any makeup at all. My skin felt silky soft to the touch, kind of like if I had of applied Benefit's Porefessional Face Primer to my entire face.
The BB Cream retails for €19.90 so not the cheapest on the market by any means. I'm a bit on the fence about the product to be honest, its an ok product but I don't think I would repurchase, I think it is quite expensive for what it is and I'm also a sucker for a full coverage finish. Usually when I'm a little uncertain I like to break it down into a list of pro's and con's.
Pro's
- Contains SPF 30
- Light weight on the skin
- Coverage is buildable
- Lasting power is quite good
Con's
- Expensive
- Only two shades available
- Can leave a streaky appearance to the skin
- Transfers very easily
Have you tried the Physicians Formula BB Cream? What are your thoughts?
If you haven't tried it and are curious, Physicians Formula products are available from pharmacies nationwide :)
Chat soon!
Eimear x
No comments :
Post a Comment