Etude House BB Magic Balm

My BB Cream obsession is far from over! Today I am going to review a very special type of l BB cream that is call BB balm. Unlike conventional BB cream that most of the time comes in a tube, this come in a little tub. I have been using this for many months alternating with the rest of the BB creams that I have.

When I purchased it came with a mini foundation brush (I don’t know where I place it already).  I use a foundation brush to apply this balm. The texture is quite thick and very creamy so it is easy to work with.  

A little messy because i have been constantly using

When I have time, I will use a dry sponge to blend it in, when I am in a rush, I will use my fingers to blend. Either way, both techniques work well. When it is applied, it may look a little too fair, but don’t worry, it will set to your skin colour. Remember to set the BB balm with your loose powder.

This BB Balm provides a medium to high coverage and comes with SPF 30. Like most BB cream, this also comes in only 1 shade

Verdict: This is a product that I would most likely re-purchase. It is creamy, and easy to work with and best of all it is almost exactly my skin tone. It helps make my fair skin brighter without looking fake or cakey. With this product, a little goes a long way. Having said that, I would only recommend this product for fair skin.

Price: Mid-Range – RM69.90 (25gm)

Where: Etude House (1 Utama, Pavillion, Sunway Pyramid)

Hanskin & Skin 79 BB Cream

I am stuck with work and I have neglected my blog for more than 1 year. Time really flies and in a blink of an eye, it’s already 2012. I am going to start amplifying (a new way to use this word that I learned from my boss) my passion again.

Even though I have not been writing, but I have been buying and trying cosmetics and skin care as usual.

I am really into BB cream recently. This is because I feel that it is better than foundation because it have skin care properties in it. I will start off with the 2 that I am using, which are the ones that comes with a pump. I will review another 2 different types of BB cream in a separate post in the near future.

I asked a friend to pick up the Hanskin Caviar Gold BB Cream for me in Korea. When I first used it, I find it thick and too white for my face (I am already very fair) it does not look like my own skin. It looks like I have a veil of white on my face.  If you look at the picture below, it is a very clay like color. I did not liked it at all when I first used it.

Top is Skin79 and bottom is Hanskin

Then I figured another technique to use this. I used the triangle sponge (Review Here) I bought from Daiso, I wet it and squeeze the access water off, and use the wet sponge to apply this BB cream and the result was FANTASTIC! It reduces the white ghostly color but it brightens up my face and I look fairer (but not ghostly) and fresher. I really liked the effect. Here is a step-by-step guide.

Step 1 – Squeeze the BB cream on to your fingers.

Step 2 – Dab a dot or 2 on you cheek

Step 3 – Use the wet sponge and apply to the entire area

*note : Work on one area at a time or your BB cream will dry out.

The other one that I am using is the Skin 79 BB Diamond Collection which is a gift from a friend who came back from Taiwan. But recently, I saw this in Watsons. It has 3 functions wrinkle improvement, whitening and it comes with SPF25PA++ Protection. This has a very little coverage and it goes on quite light. This is good for people who do not need too much coverage. I use this with a decent amount of concealer and finish up with loose powder. This can be applied with your fingers, no need for a wet sponge application because the texture is not a thick as the Hanskin one.

Verdict : I have been using BB cream for about 2-3 months now and i feel that it keeps my skin moist compare to foundation. I sometimes get flakes when using foundation. Out of this 2, I personally prefer the Hanskin BB Cream comparing to the skin79 one. Simply because I feel that it brightens up my face more. The other one is ok and i'll definitely will not have trouble finishing it but i don't think i will re-purchse it.

Price : Skin 79 (40g) (mid-range)  RM69+

          : Hanskin (50ml) (Premium) RM98 after conversion

Where : SKin 79 is available in Watsons. Hanskin is not available in Malaysia, I got mine from Korea and you can buy in bulk (about 5 bottles) and get a good price at the duty free shops in Korea.