BB Creams 101

  
For those of you who have been living under a rock and have no idea what BB creams are, I will fill you in so you can determine if buying one is the best for you.

  A BB cream is a beauty balm or blemish balm, which originated in Germany in the 1950's by Christine Shrammeck. She created this for patients who underwent facial chemical peels, as a healing moisturizer which would also protect them from the sun and cover scars/blemishes all at once. This cream was used by dermatologists ever since, but in 2010 it was brought out to the mass markets in Asia; specifically Japan and South Korea. Between 2011 and 2012 it started gaining popularity in the US and Europe, and now the success is world wide. It became an instant hit and there was a lot of hype around it...a cosmetic product with the properties of a medical cream??!!!

BB Cream 101:

- All in one product:  primer, moisturizer, SPF and foundation
- Hydrates like a moisturizer, soothes as an anti-inflammatory, corrects age spots like serums, conceals like makeup
- Light to medium coverage (tone wise- heavier than a tinted moisturizer but lighter than a foundation)
- Thicker texture as it's very moisturizing; many contain silicone
- Best on normal to dry skin
- Evens out skin tone and texture 
- Has SPF 15-30 
- Contains serum like anti-aging ingredients such as vitamin C, aloe  vera, caffeine, ginseng, soy beans, etc.
- Good shade range (fair, light, medium, tan, dark) 
- Retail price (drugstore to high end) $10-60

  Be aware that now due to marketing tricks, all BB creams state they do all of the above; yet many of these do nothing more than a tinted moisturizer. The best BB creams are still Asian ones, as they have all these healing properties; but they might be hard to get a hold of  or are very expensive to have shipped.
There are many great BB creams from both drugstore such as Garnier, to high end such as Chanel. I personally love the ones from Too Faced and Smashbox, and they are midway in brand names and and price.

So if you like to wear moisturizers that contain color and nutrients that will help you have better looking skin, you should try a BB cream. It basically is a cream, serum and foundation all in one. Don't miss my next post as I'll be reviewing CC creams...the latest skincare product worldwide.