BB Creams: Quick Comparison VII

***Please click on the Label "BB Cream Quick Comparison Series" to read my other BB Cream posts***

As promised here are the other 6 BB Creams I wanted to review.
Most of this batch don't work for me because either the color or texture doesn't suit me.


1: Hanskin Water Action BB Cream SPF27 PA++ 43.5g:


This BB Cream doesn't work for me for several reasons.
First it's so thin and sheer it's totally useless. If I use BB Cream I want some coverage and the new Hanskin BB Cream doesn't provide anything but super sheer coverage.
The other reason is that even though it's super sheer it manages to make my face look orange and weird.
A big nay from me.
The texture is very lightweight thus probably more suitable for oilier skin-types. This carries a light scent and cost me about 22000 Won if I remember correctly.

2: Skin79 Dream Girls BB SPF30 PA++ 43.5g:


Lightweight O/W formula suitable more for oilier skin-types. Offers UVA and UVB protection.
Contains Papaya extract and licorice.
This lightly scented BB Cream is supposed to be formulated for younger girls who need little coverage and more oil control.
Even though the cream looks very pale on the swatch it oxidizes quickly to a darker brown color (you can see it on the bottom of the swatch) so it's not working for me.
Definitely don't like this because of sheer coverage and bad color match.
I purchased this as a special set containing 2 of the BB Creams and a Crystal Pact (which also is too dark for me). all cost me 22000 Won so it was an utter waste of money.

3: BRTC Jasmin Water BB Cream SPF30 40ml:


I had this on my Gmarket wishlist for about 2 months now and just never ordered it because 39000 Won seemed a bit pricey for a BB Cream.
Anyway, I finally caved and ordered it as it came with a free lipgloss (1 color, out of 3, randomly selected) and I had tried a sample of this before and liked it.
First this comes in a very pretty pearly lavender squeeze tube and has the prettiest scent of all BB Creams. The soft Jasmin scent is very pleasant and calming.
The BB Cream contains 5% Jasmin water and has the added benefits of whitening, reducing wrinkles and sun protection (no PA listed though).
I actually am not sure yet if this BB Cream works for me. While it's quite light-toned it has rather strong orange tones I feel get a bit obvious on my skin. The medium coverage and beautiful softly dewy finish is very pretty and you notice that this is a high-quality thus pricier BB Cream but I am just not sure if the color is really right.
This feels very moisturizing but not sticky or heavy.
I paid 39000 Won for the BB Cream and a gloss (sure they sent me the clear gloss which is something I never use anyway *sigh*)

4: Zamian Magic Cacao Whitening BB Cream Shining Water 43.5g:


I never heard of this brand before and stumbled across their BB Cream more on coincidence.
I ordered the BB Cream for 18000 Won and it also came with a huge tube of Gold Cacao face mask, a big tube of cleansing foam and 2 bars of hand made soap. Quite worthwhile.
However the BB Cream is the most disappointing item of the lot as it's just downright too orange for me, even though it looks lighter in the swatch.
The BB Cream has a very faint scent which is quite pleasant among the rows of heavily fragranced BB Creams.
The finish of this is satiny, not really dewy nor matte.

5: Begin My Pride BB Sun Blemish Balm SPF46 PA++ 50ml:


I ordered couple of kits from Begin My Pride, a brand I had never heard of before. I have to say their lipglosses and mascara are great and their powder is good, too.
However the BB Cream totally fails for me as it's too dark.
Since it's so dark I washed it off right away so can't say much about its qualities.
It's lightly fragranced and offers medium coverage if I remember right.
I paid 29000 Won and the BB Cream came with another full size BB Cream, a volume mascara (quite good), a loose highlighter and a little puff and brush.
(Btw the design reminds me of Elisha Coy! Especially the logo!)

6: Enprani Super Aqua BB SPF27 PA++:


I reviewed this already here.
It looks very pale and I can wear this, at least as makeup base but it's very sheer and I prefer BB Creams offering more coverage.
I will keep this and try using it up but definitely won't repurchase.

If you have very dry or mature skin I might suggest you try out Enprani S,Claa Revive Blemish Recover. It's a super rich thick moisturizing BB Cream with medium coverage. It was way too rich for my skin but if you're seriously dry this would be a good choice.
I have one sample sachet I can mail to someone who's interested. Just email me at lotuspalace@gawab.com.

BB Creams: Quick comparison II

I already did a post on 7 BB creams and here is my 2nd part presenting you another 10 mini reviews and swatches.


If you're new to BB Creams please click on the link above where I explain what are the benefits and purposes of BB Creams.


1: Etude BB Bright Cream:


Comes in a cute pink squeeze tube with black pump dispenser. Has a light herbal scent and contains 60ml. I honestly can't say much about how this performs as it's downright too dark for me so I haven't really worn this. Medium thick cream feels smooth upon application. Offers sheer-medium coverage.
Not sure about retail, probably somewhere around 10000-15000 Won

2: Dodo Club BB Cream:


This is a 4-in-1 product:
-Essential Cream
-Sun Care
-Makeup Base
-Foundation
Oddly I don't see a sunscreen level listed at all. This looks quite pale at first but oxidizes to a dark orange pink which is not very flattering on me.
Can't say more about how this performs as obviously I didn't wear it really.
This was quite cheap from sasa.com (I think around US$12 for 60ml). Dodo Club is a brand I will skip from now on. I tried several items and all were crap.
Thick creamy texture with a slightly sticky feeling and a bit hard to blend.
Has a light fragrance and comes in a simple (and ugly) squeeze-tube.

3: Skin79 Derma RX Beblesh Balm SPF15:


Contains Co-Enzyme Q10 (against free radicals), Arbutin (whitening) and SPF15. The box says it's antimicrobial so it's good to use on acne and irritated skin.
I didn't really test-drive this as again it's too dark for me. Smells slightly medicinal and is probably a good choice for women with a slightly tanner skin-tone.
Contains 43.5g and retails for 35000 Won (it runs usually much cheaper on ebay, skin79's website and Gmarket). I got mine as a part of a set of 3 products for 22000 Won for all 3.
Comes in a simple squeeze-tube.

4: Skin79 Super+ Beblesh Balm BB Triple Functions SPF25 PA++:


I already reviewed this here and compared it to the golden version.

5: Skin79 Diamond Collection The Prestige Beblesh Balm SPF25 PA++:


I already reviewed this here along with the rest of the Diamond Collection so please click to read more.

6: Skin79 Intense Classic Balm UV SPF20 PA++:


This is a very basic BB cream with a short list of ingredients.
The box claims this is
-UV protecting (SPF20 PA++)
-Calming
-Concealing, creating an even skin tone and texture
-Protects against free radicals and harmful environment
Now this might sound odd but this is my favorite BB Cream from Skin79 and one of my favorites altogether. It's quite thick and offers really good coverage, better than most of the other BB Creams. Furthermore it's one of the palest BB Creams so it's a good color match.
Contains 43.5g and retails for 28000 Won even though it's usually selling for less than half on Gmarket. Mine was a free gift with the purchase of the diamond collection.
Comes in a hygienic simple squeeze-tube and has a pleasant light scent.

7: Lioele Beyond The Solution BB Cream:


While this has a really pleasant light silky texture and blends really well I have come to the conclusion that this is a bit too dark for me. I can wear it but it's not the best color-match and will be unwearable for me in winter when my skin is even paler.
It's a shame as this is an excellent product otherwise.
You can read more about it here.

8: Banila Co Let Me Finish Multiple BB Cream SPF27 PA++:


I was actually quite sure that this would be too dark as the other items I tried (Mineral Pact and the concealer in the lightest color) are way too dark for me. To my surprise the BB Cream is quite light and a very good color match for me. I chose the version with sunscreen which is more expensive but I just prefer to have the sun screen in the BB cream so I can skip 1 step in the morning.
Comes in a pretty squeeze-tube with pump dispenser and has the typical light Banila Co fragrance added. The texture of this is rather lightweight and the coverage is sheer. Overall a pretty good BB Cream.
The tube contains only 35 ml and retails for 25000 Won which is a lot for the small amount.

9: Innisfree Trouble Care BB Cream SPF 27 PA++:


This is one of the cheapest BB Creams (retail price, not what I paid) I have as it retails for only 10000 Won. Furthermore it comes in one of the prettiest tubes with pump dispenser.
Contains Tea Tree Oil, Lily Extract and some other plant stuff so it smells slightly herbal. I had a sample of this and the color match and soft feeling skin convinced me that I needed the full-size.
I read somewhere that this is not recommended for normal-dry but only for combination-oily skin-types. I don't see why as my skin tolerates the cream very well without any problems and feels moisturized all the time when wearing it.
The coverage it offers is sheer-medium.
Contains 35ml but for 10000 Won that's fair.

10: Hanskin Magic BB Cream:


I just reviewed this yesterday so please click here to read.
I want to add that this is the palest BB Cream of the lot and the best color match beside Missha M Perfect Cover in #21.

All in all I have now a wide variety of BB Creams that match my skin-tone and type. Most are on the thicker side and quite emollient and moisturizing.

My top 5 would be:
-Missha M Perfect Cover #21
-Hanskin Magic BB Cream
-Skin79 Intense Classic Balm UV
-Innisfree Trouble Care BB Cream
-Banila Co Let Me Finish BB Cream
(the next 3 would be the golden and pink ones from Skin79 and the Diamond Prestige BB Cream)

I have tried samples of a few more BB Creams. I want to add that BRTC Jasmin Water BB Cream is a very good pale choice, too, and smells lovely due to the Jasmin added.
I also tried Missha M Vita BB Cream but it was too dark.

Hanskin Magic BB Cream, Magic BB Sun Powder SPF 22 PA++ Pact and Gloss & Highlight Duo

I am a sucker for value kits (as I stated in another post lol)... and the Korean companies release really bang-for-the-buck-sets where you can save lots of Won (or US$ or whatever currency lol).

When I was browsing Hanskin's shop on Gmarket I found a very interesting kit which contains a BB Cream, BB Pact and a gloss/highlighter duo stick all for only 27000 Won (about US$27).


The only thing I had from Hanskin until today was a deluxe sample-sized tube (I got a trio set on ebay) of the Super BB Magic Cream which is ok but not my favorite. I also have tried a sample of the Gold Caviar BB Cream and both BB creams are quite pale so I was having high hopes that the Magic BB Cream and the Magic BB Sun Powder Pact in the kit would come in shades that work for me.

And I was proven right =D Both the Magic BB Cream as well as the Magic BB Sun Powder Pact are very pale and best suitable for fair-light skin-tones or they might look ashy.
I know that BB creams are a hard game for anyone darker than NC20-25 as most colors turn out very pale or too pink but I am lucky as they mostly work for me. I wish more Korean brands would release their BB creams in at least 2 or 3 colors but so far the standard is 1 color only =(

Magic BB Cream:


Hanskin claims that this product is:
-not irritating skin
-detoxes
-moisturizes
-contains vitamins and minerals (e.g. Vitamin E)
-calms redness


(Please note that the skin on the back of my hand is about a shade darker than my face)
This is a thick cream but I feel it's lighter and not suffocating my skin like the Super Magic BB Cream. Though it should be noted that the weather is turning cooler now so I might enjoy using the Super BB cream more now in fall and coming winter as it's more emollient.
The coverage is medium I'd say. I think it's not fragranced. At least I can't detect any perfume when I sniff it.
My skin feels very soft when I wear this and the finish is a light sheen, not matte but not dewy either.
As I noted above it's a pretty pale color most suitable for fair-light skin-tones.
It's a pretty good BB Cream as far as I can tell.
The only thing I don't like is the ugly tube. It's white with silver and orange font and in my opinion it looks cheap.
Contains 50ml and retails for 27000 Won (this is as much as the whole set cost me!)

Magic BB Sun Powder Pact SPF22 PA++:


A constant problem I have with Korean powder pacts is that many of them are a tad too yellow for my slightly pink skin-tone.
The pics of the BB Sun Powder Pact looked like it would be very yellow so I was a bit nervous about it.


To my delight this is a pretty neutral very pale powder that melts into my skin perfectly and offers sheer-medium coverage, too.
Furthermore it doesn't dry my skin out like some other powders so it's a great item to use together with the BB Cream to set it and mattify the skin a bit.
The powder feels almost slightly creamy to the touch and patting it on with the enclosed puff gives a flawless result that doesn't look cakey or chalky at all.


As far as I can say from the website this contains various plant extracts but it's all written in Korean so I can't say which ones exactly.
13g retail for 28000 Won.

Gloss & Highlight:


This is a nifty little item to carry in the purse. It contains a translucent red lip gloss on one side and a pearly pink face highlighter on the other.
The gloss is very sheer but has enough color to make me look awake and give me pretty flushed lips. It's a medium-thick gloss with a light fruity flavour that's very pleasant to wear with medium lastability (I wore mine for 2 hours now and still can feel it).
I feel it does moisturize nicely so I am not seduced to chew on my lips like it happens to me with drying and goopy glosses.
The highlighter side gives a soft pearly pink highlight to any area of your face you want (suggested especially for the T-Zone and brow-bones). I can wear this on top of the Powder pact without problems.


Contains 6g of gloss and 4g of highlighter and retails for 25000 Won (currently available on Gmarket for 10000 Won)

All in all a very worthwhile kit as I can just add mascara, brow powder and a bit blush to achieve a simple and polished look.

And paying only 27000 Won instead of 80000 RRP is always a great thing, too.
The kit comes with a simple clear plastic pouch and I received a pack of sample sachets, too.

More Gmarket Haul pics --->

Just finished taking pics (took me over 2 hours to take, edit and upload everything).
Here are some of the haul pics for your viewing pleasure =P

The haul:


Cathy Cat Colorist:


Etude House:


Hanskin:


Skin79:

My 2nd Gmarket order =)

Today I received my 2nd Gmarket order and I am really thrilled. This time I ordered from 4 sellers so it took a bit longer till all the items arrived in the Gmarket headquarters to be packed for international shipping but today everything came in the morning and I am really happy with the stuff I picked. I love paying retail (+actual shipping) and receiving great GWPs from the sellers (Etude House was very generous!).

Here's a first pic of some of the stuff. More pics/reviews will follow later.

Hanskin BB One Step Cleanser and Facial Natural Green Tea Cooling Pack

So far the only product I tried from Korean brand Hanskin was their Super Magic BB Cream SPF30 PA++ which is a fine BB Cream but not my fave so far.

Along with my latest purchase I received 2 Hanskin items as extras from the seller:
BB One Stop Cleanser and Facial Natural Green Tea Cooling Pack.


BB One Stop Cleanser:
The box says that this is the only step needed to cleanse the face and that this contains herbal extracts.
It's a pleasant slightly foaming gel with a soft gentle scent and leaves my skin clean without leaving it feeling tight.
However I have to say that one stop doesn't do all. This doesn't quite remove my makeup and leave my face clean so the usual step of Cleansing Oil and the BB One Step Cleanser afterwards is needed.
This contains about 40ml and I am not sure if this is full-size.
Comes in a practical hygienic pump bottle.



Facial Natural Green Tea Cooling Pack:
This is a cooling face mask with Green Tea and other plant extracts. It's an amber-colored thick gel with small pieces of tea leaves.
Just apply this to your face and let it work for 15-20 mins. The mask dries to a slightly sticky layer but feels really cooling for the first minutes and I haven't experienced any irritation from this.
I have to say my skin doesn't feel super soft and moisturized after the mask but refreshed and toned so it's a nice little mask for the summer.
The green squeeze tube contains 40ml.

BB Creams: Quick comparison

I have accumulated 7 BB creams now (and have a few more in sample sachets waiting to be used) and I tried all out so I wanna give a short review on each of them.


For those who are unaware of BB creams I'll give a short introduction to the world of BB creams (BB stands for Blemish Balm or Beblesh Balm depending on the company producing it).

BB cream is the newest hit originated in Korea but already very popular in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Japan. It's a cream that combines the benefits of healing ingredients (as it was developed for post-laser-surgery-skin), skin care and light-medium skin coverage in 1 product. Furthermore most BB creams contain a sunscreen (both UVA and UVB) and have other properties like whitening or anti-aging. It's supposed to be your all-in-one skincare, makeup and sunscreen.
It's a quite convenient product similar to Tinted Moisturizer but with more benefits.

What I really like is that in the morning I just have to wash my face and then apply the BB cream and my skin is really wonderfully evened out. I might apply my full makeup later on top of it or I might just wear BB cream but my skin always looks good.
I am someone with very sensitive skin and constantly get red bumps on my cheeks. I find that with daily use of BB cream those bumps almost disappeared making my skin look clearer.
My main problem with all tinted products (no matter if makeup, powder or concealer) is finding a good color match. Most BB creams come in 1 shade only so it's a bit of luck to find a perfect match. Out of the 7 BB creams I purchased 4 are very good matches, 1 is fine and 2 are just too dark. Supposedly BB cream can adjust to any skin tone but I didn't find this to be true.


1: Skin Food Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream SPF20 PA+:
This comes in 2 colors. Naturally I got the lighter one and it matches ok but is a tad bit pink and a little dark. It can blend into my skin tone but it's not the most perfect color out there. This has a light scent I am not too fond of. It's a rather thick cream probably suited best for winter. This has additional whitening and anti-aging ingredients. Medium coverage.
Squeeze tube contains 50g.


2: MISSHA M Shiny BB Cream SPF27 PA++:
I already did a thorough review for this item. Has a soft pleasant scent and contains ingredients like pearl powder, amethyst powder and others to give a slight sheen to the skin. Gives medium coverage and a light dewy finish. The cream is a bit thick so I don't like to wear this on very hot sweaty days.
The color match of this is really good, it's quite pale.
Squeeze tube contains 50ml


3: MISSHA M Watery BB Cream SPF27 PA++:
Has a light consistency but is unfortunately way too dark for me. It gives a pretty matte light coverage and makes skin quite soft. I am quite sure it irritated my skin though as I found some red bumps after washing this off that weren't there before. Gives a really refreshing cool feeling upon application. I think this is better suited for normal-oily or combination skin-types.
Squeeze tube contains 50ml.


4: MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42 PA+++:
This has by far the highest SPF and PA. This comes in 2 colors: #21 and 23. I purchased the lighter 21 and am very pleased with the color match. The coverage of this product is quite good and the cream feels slightly thick but not overly heavy or sticky. Has a light pleasant scent. The finish is rather dewy and natural.
Has whitening and anti-aging ingredients.
Comes in a squeeze tube with a hygienic pump dispenser. Contains 50ml.


5: Etude House Magic BB cream (version for dry skin):
I don't see a SPF listed on the box. This smells a bit herbal but I didn't get too far with this cream as it's just too dark. The funny thing is that it doesn't look really dark when I squeeze it out of the tube but when I spread it it gets a nasty orangey color). It's a thick but not too heavy cream with decent coverage abilities.
Unfortunately the tube is printed in Korean only so I can't say which ingredients this has.
Squeeze tube with pump dispenser that contains only 35g.


6: Skin79 Super+ BB Gold Label (VIP Gold collection) SPF25 PA++: This is my favorite BB cream of the lot. It offers an almost perfect color match and feels lighter than the other BB creams. It has a very faint scent and gives me a good sheer-medium coverage. The color match is almost perfect for my porcelain complexion. This contains some fancy ingredients like caviar extract, gold, adenosine, arbutin (both whitening and anti-aging ingreds) osmopur (ivy, rice bran, mined sunflower) phyto complex etc.
I have to say the bottle this comes in is the best! It's a big bulky posh looking pump dispenser containing 40g. There is also a pink version available with some different ingredients but it's definitely the next BB cream I would get.


7: Hanskin Super Magic BB Cream SPF30 PA++:
This also is a good color match and seems to be the only cream that's not scented. This is probably the most expensive cream out of the lot and is a good color match for me.
What I don't like about this BB cream is the slightly sticky feeling it leaves. The majority of BB creams seems to be slightly thick but this one really sits on my skin. The coverage is good and the result is pretty but I just don't like the feeling that much.
I got 3 sample squeeze tubes with 9ml each. I think the full size contains 40g.


All the BB creams I tried are in the US$18-25 range online (and less in Korea) and I would highly recommend the Skin79 or Perfect Cover BB creams.