Sunday, 27 January 2013

10 moments when I like to use a bb cream



I feel so self conscious about the skin on my face (hyperpigmentation, red lumps and bumps, big pores and now visible signs of ageing) that you will probably never see me out and about, in broad daylight without a generous coat of the fullest coverage foundation I own. Asking me to step out of the house without some sort of foundation on my face is the same as asking me to venture out without my teeth brushed and deodorant. I basically could only do it if my house was on fire.


At the same time, I am a massive fan of bb creams and it just doesn't make sense. After all, bb creams are just a tinted moisturiser with a bunch of extra skincare properties. Why would I opt for something with such low coverage when I would usually go for the heaviest foundation I can lay my hands on? Well, you'd be surprised.


I wanted to share with you 10 moments when I want to reach out of my items of my beloved bb cream collection.


bb cream moments


1)
Going to the gym. There are lots of people out there who like to give you grief if they notice you're wearing foundation at the gym. You shouldn't have to care about what people (and mainly strangers) think about you, but if you're already feeling self conscious about your level of extreme unfitness, I find that wearing a bb cream helps with confidence and gives you one less thing people could give you grief about.

2) Strenuous-ish activities outdoor, for example a day to the mountain, walking pretty much all day. If you're anything like me, you won't enjoy outdoor activities much. One it's always cold outside, even in 'summer' and two, everybody is walking faster like you, like they have some sort of train to catch. The last thing you want is to appear like some sort of high maintenance girl, with layers of cakey foundation and who will cry if they break one nail. Just wearing a bit of bb cream on will make people think 'aww, she's clearly useless at walking, but she's not wearing any makeup, how refreshing for a girl who I thought was so obsessed with makeup.’

3) Beach. It is very unlikely I am going to put my head under water at the beach. I can't even swim. As people would laugh at me if I was wearing foundation at the beach, I find that bb creams are just perfect. And if people catch you re-applying bb cream more often than you should, you could always make it pass as a SPF cream ;)

4) Emergency Chocolate Fix. You need to nip out to the corner shop and can't bear showing your bare face to the world? BB cream to the rescue.

5) He stays over. You've started to see this guy more often. You know he's going to stay over and stay for the night. It's very early days and you don't feel comfortable with him seeing you with no ounce of makeup on. You dutifully take your makeup off, pop on bb cream on the sly right after, he's happy because he thinks you let him see the real you and you're happy because he's not seeing you with nothing on. I don’t condone wearing makeup overnight, but if a bb cream is just a tinted moisturiser, this has got to be better than full on primer and foundation, right? Winking smile

6) Hungover Days. You went out the night before, have a massive hungover and someone is visiting you last minute.


7) Hospital stays. Foundation would make you look too done up. BB cream on its own (no blusher, mascara, lipstick, bronzer) will make you decent enough to be seen by visitors, will even some of your imperfections and still earn you sympathy and hopefully some non hospital made food goodies ;)

8) Dirty foundation tools. You can't stand apply foundation with your bare hands and all your foundation tools (brush, sponge, etc) are dirty or wet.


9) Rubbish Foundation. You bought a foundation and disappointed with its coverage. The foundation is not very buildable and would look very cakey and horrible if you attempt to apply too much, so you apply a bb cream as a base, and manage to use up your disappointing foundation overtime.

10) Fake Tan. You have a lovely fake tan on your face and don't want to mask with your heavy duty foundation. You apply a bb cream to cover some of your ‘bad’ bits and still let your lovely tan shine through.

What about you? Did you also catch the bb cream bug? Are you still using your bb creams regularly or are they sitting there gathering dust?


It’s Sunday and that means it’s Blogging Date with Sirvinya. If you have a few minutes to spare, please do check Sirvinya’s beauty blog. Thank you for reading xx


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Tuesday, 24 July 2012

The BB Cream from Superdrug

Other than too much blusher on your cheeks, I think there's nothing like a cakey foundation to  scream too much makeup. I have yet to find my perfect foundation but there are times I just want  to wear something light on my face. At times I want something that doesn't look like I've applied tons of foundation but which evens my skin tone enough to make me confident to go out in public  and face the world, something which would give me this elusive 'my skin but better' look without looking  too done up. This is when I turn to BB creams.


I was lucky. The first bb cream I tried was a big hit for me but sadly it was one which was only sold in Asia and therefore impractical to repurchase. The  arrival of BB creams in the UK (was it a year ago?) was very exciting and since then I've been  tempted to try every bb cream around, well every affordable bb cream that is. It was not too long  before I succumbed to the temptation and wanted to try the Superdrug own brand bb cream.


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Right from the word go, I fell in love with the design. It's clean, simple, cute and the colours remind me of  a fluffy bunny rabbit.



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That was a bunny rabbit, right? Or was it a guinea pig? Oops xx

Anyway, what makes this bb cream different?
The Superdrug BB cream claims to be a 24h hydration 5-in-1 Skin Perfecting Day Cream (moisturiser,  primer, concealer, foundation and sun protector) and is proud to include in their formulation  Vitamin C (a potent antioxidant), Hyaluronic Acid (the skincare ingredient which everyone seems to  be talking about at the moment) and Caffeine to refresh the complexion.



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It's the inclusion of Hyaluronic Acid which made me excited about this product. Hyaluronic Acid  means youth, it's a protein we all have naturally into our bodies but which sadly depletes as we  age. As we age our body produces less hyaluronic acid, which encourages wrinkles on your face and  a drier skin in general. More and more expensive moisturisers like to include hyaluronic acid  because of its recognised powerful ability to plump and hydrate the skin. So when I saw a bb cream at £6.99 which contained hyaluronic acid in it, you bet that my dry ageing skin wanted to try it.


I feel I have a lot of imperfections to cover: bumpy skin texture which frankly even a good primer and  foundation can’t do much about, redness, and hyperpigmentation. I find that the BB cream doesn't  give me enough coverage and I feel a little naked if I go out with just this bb cream on my face. In terms of coverage, there is little chance that this bb cream could perform as a concealer.  However in terms of skincare, this little white and pink tube is a little marvel and packs a  punch. Superdrug really didn't skimp on the skincare aspect of their bb cream and I really like that. I had found it  more moisturising than many of my moisturisers and it contains 3 ingredients which I would be  happy to find in an anti ageing cream: a SPF 15 protection, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. I find  it so moisturising that it's actually the first bb cream which I have had the confidence to apply  with no moisturiser underneath first.


Will I repurchase this? I already have. The introductory offer (it was £6.99, now £8.99) was going to end on 3rd July and I  needed to act fast. I have so many foundations that are supposedly light to medium coverage and  buildable, when in fact they are light coverage at best and not so buildable at all. This might  sound controversial but this bb cream, for me, goes perfectly with all of these flimsy foundations, which  I have sitting in the cupboard because they fall short in terms of coverage.



What: Superdrug BB cream
How much: £8.99
where: Superdrug
disclosure: my first tube was a PR sample.
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Saturday, 5 May 2012

Where's Wally?

Fans of BB creams rejoice as Superdrug has finally released their very own bb cream. I can't tell you if it's any good, I couldn't justify purchasing it as I have actually four other bb creams on the go, would you believe but this is an exciting release nevertheless.

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This is what they had to say about it:


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Active ingredients:

Vitamin C – a potent antioxidant with brightening and illuminating properties for a natural, radiant glow.
Hyaluronic Acid – an exceptional moisturiser, which helps to boost skin’s firmness and minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Caffeine – refreshes the complexion through its ability to energise and stimulate the skin.


Sounds good, no? It sounds amazing if you ask me. Now, someone explains to me while it gets so little coverage in my local shop? Can you spot the new (the bb cream has landed a few days ago!) Superdrug bb cream? Where's Wally?


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I didn't ask for balloons, nor flashing signs, but can Superdrug reclaim a bit more space in their own shop for their own brand?

What: Superdrug BB Cream
How much: £8.99, introductory price of £6.99 until 3rd July.
Available in two shades; light or medium.
Where: Superdrug online and in my shop, it’s next to a blue tube, 3rd shelf, on the right hand side.
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Sunday, 11 March 2012

More my kind of BB cream


After Garnier paved the way for the arrival of BB creams, the UK has seen a massive growth in the market of bb creams and is showing no sign of slowing down. This makes me happy. While I am still looking for my holy grail foundation, I just love  the simplicity and convenience of bb creams: slap dash application, good coverage of my imperfections and I never look cakey. It really is a case for me of 'my skin but better'. I just can't get enough of bb creams.


So far, the bb creams I have seen (in the UK at least) seems to put the coverage and general skin care first and, then sometimes some anti ageing benefits as a second thought or a bonus. What if they did a anti wrinkle cream to start off and then add a bit of coverage? They did and it's called 'L'Oreal Revitalift, Repair 10 BB cream' and exists in 2 shades.


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They say:
The light weight formula of this multi-perfecting anti-ageing moisturiser targets 10 signs of ageing leaving your skin feeling silky and smooth with an advanced pigment complex that gives your skin an exceptionally even, radiant and natural-looking finish. SPF 20 and UV protection in light and medium shades .




I say:
I have never fancied L'Oreal Nude Magique BB cream: The spf offering is odd and the texture even odder. Revitalift is much more my cup of tea. I don't know what age range is best targeted for it but I need to try it and at £5 off at Superdrug at the moment (£9.99 instead of £14.99) it seems a crime not to.



Disclaimer: advertorial as it may seem, no one contacted me to talk about this bb cream, and I am, therefore obviously not receiving any incentive of any way to write about it.
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Monday, 11 July 2011

Are BB creams for you? My week in BB creams

If you're anything like me you will have just recently heard about BB creams or actually not heard about it all. Well, it's totally normal. The BB creams phenomenon has yet to hit the UK and only the beauty obsessed educated will have had an awareness of their existence. With this is mind, I was extremely excited when little ol' me was offered some mini samples of BB Creams by Cosmetic Candy herself, with a chance to try them out *and* share my honest thoughts about them on her blog.


So, today, I would like to invite you to pop along to Cosmetic Candy Blog to read my review on BB creams. If you have a minute, and enjoy what you read, I would love you for ever if you leave a little comment. Thank you :) xx



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