Hada Labo is notorious for their award winning (Cosme awards) affordable skincare products from Japan and at delivering reasonable hydration and brightening properties. Throughout the years, I’ve picked up quite a few products that I love too – namely their Hyaluronic Acid Lip Balm and Arbutin Whitening Lotion. So when I saw their latest offering – Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream, I knew I had to give it a go.
This came in a 45g squeeze tube – my preferred packaging choice that way I can control the amount I need to use. The tube is reasonably small and fits right into any make up bag and handbags. As always, remember to PREP YOUR SKIN prior to any BB cream application. Prepping meaning lotion/essence, serum, moisturiser, SPF and primer (optional). Also, less is always more for BB creams.
What I love:
- This BB cream doesn’t come with fragrance which is quite rare for BB cream. Non fragranced BB cream lover, you’ll love this!
- Despite its rich and creamy appearance, it is EXTREMELY easy to smooth and massage into skin, I have find that due to the nature of BB cream – being thick, rich and creamy not many has the ability to blend well with fingers application. As you massage, you can feel that this BB cream transforms into a matte, powdery finish.
- This has a bright yellow/beige hue but surprisingly it does not leave my skin with white/grey cast (as most whitening BB cream does).
- Coverage wise, I’d say this is medium (surprise surprise), it really even out my uneven skin tone and could mask some light discoloration effortlessly.
- The finish is an overall brighten skin finish with a smooth velvety matte finish without feeling drying to the skin. Most importantly, this BB cream doesn’t oxidise over time.
What I don’t:
- I couldn’t use this when my skin was dry and peeling as it was a little drying (with the matte finish) and it amplified the dry spots.
- This only comes in one shade (I think) making it difficult to match various skin tone. I think this works best with very fair to fair skin tones only.
- Not widely available to swatch, although with internet these days this is not an invalid point.
Approximately AUD$20
This was purchased in Taiwan and can be found online
When I saw this on counter at a Watson stall in Taiwan, it was labelled as one of the best selling hydrating BB cream. On top of that Tina also mentioned that she read some good review re this BB cream so I thought I should pick one up. Yes, beauty bloggers are easily convinced like that.
Packaging wise, this comes in a stock standard twist cap squeeze tube.
Top: Blended. Bottom left: BB cream straight from the tube. Bottom right: Blending
Shade wise, I have actually threw the packaging away so I have no idea with shades but I do recall seeing a lighter and a medium shade and I went for the lighter shade. This BB cream comes with SPF 28 PA+++.
Approximately AUD$16
Purchase from Watson Taiwan
What I love about it:
- This is probably the only BB cream in Asia that resembles the original BB cream in terms of texture and coverage.
- Multi-tasking: brightening of pigmentation, luminous boosting, moisturises, soothing, protects (SPF25++) and care for skin.
- Pump bottle packaging that helps to avoid over applying.
- Despite it’s richness in texture; this creamy BB cream is easy to smooth over skin and feels relatively lightweight on skin.
- The finish is uniformed with a dewy glow. A light dust of powder is required if you have oily/combination skin.
- Medium coverage, definitely recommended for those who prefer more coverage with their BB cream. Personally, I love it so I don’t need to use concealer whenever I use this BB cream.
- Even though this only comes in one shade, it matches my skin tone and doesn’t leave my skin looking ghastly white.
What I don’t like:
- Only comes in one universal beige shade, might not be suitable for everyone’s skin tone.
- Due to its richness (if your perception about BB cream resembles the likes of a tinted moisturiser, then look away now!), you almost need to apply this with only your fingers or sponge. If you’re not a fan of using fingers or sponge then this might be a problem for you.
- For some reason even though the press release says this is available from Feb but I can’t find this on their online site so it is best to check with your nearest stockist.
RRP AUD$48.95
Available in selected stores from Feb 2012
Click here for stockist
After lusting this for months, the much talked about Chanel CC Cream was finally released in Taiwan. Previously the Chanel CC Cream was only available to purchase in China and South Korea. So when it hit the Taiwanese market, I kinda forced @tinnipoo to buy it for me.
I first blogged about CC cream back in August 2012 and have so far reviewed one other CC cream by Rachel K.
For those of you who are unaware about all the buzz, CC cream is basically an upgraded version of BB cream and I’ve been calling it BB cream 2.0 (yes Tine!). In the past, BB creams (especially the Asian versions) tend to have a white/grey cast finish, feels very thick and requires heaps of blending effort but CC cream is in the market to deliver improved ingredients properties with a lightweight texture and to correct the white/grey finish with a truer skin colour matching.
Package wise, this tube is pretty small, it is roughly the height of a Tom Ford eyeshadow palette and it fits into my palm. I suppose this makes it easy to pack and bring with you on travels.
As for the shade, it only comes in one shade that’s #20 Beige. Those of you who are familiar with Chanel foundations, you’ll find that you can get away if you are a #10 or #20 maybe pushing it a little if you are a #30 and above. I am usually a #20 with some of Chanel’s foundations so I have no issues and this yellow based CC cream matched my skin tone perfectly.
The 5 key things Chanel CC cream promises is to:
1) Provide sun protection – SPF 30 PA+++ with UVA / UVB mineral filter protection.
2) Calms and balances – Cornflower water helps to calm skin and makes this suitable for sensitive skin.
3) Moisturise – Packed with hyaluronic acid to help maintain skin’s hydration level by retaining moisturise in skin.
4) Anti ageing – Contain active ingredient like rejuvencia that is derived from a marine micro-organism to build a prevention shield against external aggressions.
5) Conceals – Designed to cover redness, pigmentations and pores effectively.
Overall, I find this CC cream very lightweight upon application. It leaves skin a glowy finish without feeling overtly oily or greasy. The finish is very fresh and natural like the “your skin but better” finish and the signature Chanel floral scent is present in this CC cream. I guess you will either be one of those that love it or hate scent in your make up product, it doesn’t really bother me and the scent is a rich floral rosey scent not synthetic cheap smelling roses so it’s okay for me.
I use finger application with this CC cream and I find is very easy to blend without much effort at all. Coverage wise, I find it effective in evening out my skin tone and quite good at covering acne scarring / pigmentation. It is ok at mildly concealing redness and quite good at covering up pores. So far I am loving this CC cream it matches my skin tone, smells great, gives my skin the natural, fresh, flawless, dewy finish but is matte to touch!
Notes:
- End of the day, CC cream is still a make up item. Proper skincare, sunscreen and make up removal routine is required and it shouldn’t replace any skincare steps.
- Between Rachel K and Chanel’s CC cream, I’m loving Chanel’s because it is easier to blend, the shade matches my skin better and the finish is fresher.
NTD $1,880 / Roughly AUD$62.66
As of today I am only aware that this is available in China, Taiwan and South Korea.
Nude Magique is L’Oreal ‘s take on BB cream. Combining the technology of using intelligent pigments, this hydrating BB cream helps to adjust to the skin tone for a flawless finish. Just to take note that many BB cream released in Australia are often known as Beauty Balm; this one however is referred as Blemish Balm, similar to those that can be found in the Asian market.
As with all BB creams, this one promises to even out, reduce sunspots, boost hydration and imperfections and boosts a healthy natural glow.
It contains SPF 12 (which in my opinion could have higher SPF). Texture wise, it is very watery and it has a beady texture upon touching, for some reason this texture reminds me of tinted moisturiser as they tend to be watery. On the press release, it says this comes in two shades (light & medium), however because mine comes in a tube without the box packaging I have no idea if this is light or medium shade.
Once applied, you have to keep massaging and working the BB cream and miraculously it becomes a tan-ish colour. I find using fingers works better to thoroughly massage this in. This BB cream requires a bit of effort to blend it in for the colour to blend through and the finish is really dewy and moisturising. I will recommend this for those who have dry to normal skin type especially for those who loves a hydrating/dewy finish. Coverage wise, I didn’t think this was enough for me like most tinted moisturiser so be sure to top up with concealer for areas needing more concealing.
Personally I don’t mind using this as a weekend product when I have more time to apply.
Note: Be sure to thoroughly shake the bottle prior to applying this.
RRP AUD$26.95
Available in counters now
Recently both Palmer’s and Rimmel released their respective BB creams around the same time with similar price point, similar in market date and similar offering. It got me thinking, what better way is to put them together and do a face off.
Today, I will be reviewing Palmer’s Eventone BB cream and Rimmel’s 9-in-1 BB cream both products are now available in market.
As we all know, BB cream has came a long way since its launch in Australia. It used to look and feel a lot like tinted moisturiser rather than the real deal (eg: the ones released in Asia). Having heard the critics complain, we now see advanced formulas in our market offering and promising more than what it used to be.
Both Palmer’s and Rimmel released two shades (light + medium) from their BB cream collection and they all come in a screw cap tube packaging in similar heights and weight.
Key differences:
Palmer’s Eventone BB cream focuses in evening out skin tone, reducing discoloration and provides a natural tinted finish. It works to prime, perfect and protect skin.
On the other hand, Rimmel’s 9-in-1 BB cream focuses in the flawless skin finish with benefits to target blemishes and shiny forehead. This BB cream also has an alias – Skin Perfecting Super Makeup because it primes, moisturises, minimises pores, conceals, covers, smoothes, mattifies, brightens and help protect skin.
SPF:
Palmer’s Eventone BB cream has SPF 15 while Rimmel’s 9-in-1 BB cream has SPF 25. There are no mention if there were both UVA/UVB protection.
Texture:
Texture wise, both BB cream are very similar in texture. Both creamy, a dream to blend and has a natural, glowy/dewy finish.
If you have dry to combination skin you’ll enjoy Palmer’s BB cream.
If you have oily skin, you’ll enjoy Rimmel’s BB cream as it is mattifying.
#Light shades
The light shades has very different tones.
Coverage:
Palmer’s covers my flaws and evens out my skin tone perfectly and effectively at masking all the redness on my skin.
Due to the Light/Medium shade of Rimmels was so brownish it practically covered all my skin issues.
#Medium shades
As you can see the medium/dark shades are way too dark for my skintone.
Shades:
Both BB cream comes in Light and Medium shades.
Personally I find Palmer’s shades are more true to shades while Rimmel’s shades has a very “brownish” tint to it and even in their lightest shade; it looked way too brown/dark/muddy on my skin.
I love Palmer’s finish as it has a brightening effect that helps me to cheat 8 hours of sleep.
Quirky notes:
Palmer’s BB cream has a fresh white lily scent.
Rimmel’s BB cream is made in Monaco.
To complement the BB cream, Palmer’s also launched the Eventone Dark Spot Corrector (RRP AUD$19.99) packed with Vitamin C and Songyi Mushroom extract to help improve discoloration and even out skin tone.
Palmer’s Eventone BB cream is retailing for RRP AUD$9.99
Rimmel 9-in-1 BB cream is retailing for RRP AUD$12.95
Both products are widely available in pharmacies and on counters
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A while ago, I picked up the Dior DiorSnow UV Shield White Reveal BB creme SPF 50 PA+++ in duty free prior to its launch in Australia. There was only one shade available to pick from and with the SPF 50++ labelled at the front I knew I was sucked into it immediately. This BB cream is the extension of Diorsnow skincare range that specialises in brightening and whitening of dark spots.
In my experience I find this BB cream pretty efficient at evening out my skin tone and is quite good at masking any redness on my skin. In terms of coverage, I’d say this is somewhere between sheer to medium. I needed concealer around my under eye area and in areas of concern to thoroughly cover them up.
As always, I use my fingers to apply BB creams and have no issues whatsoever. Texture wise, it is creamy and is easy to smooth all over face. I usually use one pump for my entire face and definitely love the pump tube packaging – so easy and efficient. This BB cream did not oxidise on my skin and the overall finish is clean, fresh and radiant. I know that this BB cream has some of the Diorsnow skin care properties in it but I have not wore it enough to see any results on my skin.
This is recommended for those who wants to reduce dark spots and even out skin tone. If you like radiant/dewy finish you’ll love this BB cream.
Around USD$50
I think this is available on Dior counters now
Owned by Kanebo, Kate is a popular Japanese drugstore make up brand carrying mostly make up products. A while back, I picked up the Kate BB Gel Cream which was newly launched earlier this year. As with all BB creams, you have the option to use this as a base or use it on its own. Personally, I prefer make up that isn’t heavy so I often use BB cream on their own and top with concealer/powder if I need that added coverage.
Kate’s BB Gel Cream is alcohol free and fragrance free. It has SPF 30 PA++ in it to provide broad spectrum sun coverage and contains water soluble collagen to deliver hydration and protection at one go.
I went with Shade 1 (assuming it is OC-B, I have thrown away the packaging). As you can see in the swatch it has a distinct yellow tone and rubs off clear. Texture wise it is light weight and smooths beautifully due to its gel cream texture. Upon first blending, the BB gel cream looked really yellowish but after blending it matches my skin tone perfectly.
I find that this BB gel cream is particularly great at covering acne scarring, discoloration, pores and redness (not many lightweight BB cream can achieve this!). Despite the medium buildable coverage, this BB gel cream still feels lightweight to skin and doesn’t feel like heavy at all. I am guessing it has something to do with the mineral content of the BB gel cream that helps blend it in very easily and efficiently.
As you can see the finish is smooth, doesn’t settle into fine lines and very natural. I love the matte finish, its ability to control oil and this BB gel cream is proving to be a favourite during warmer months. Definitely recommend this to those with combination to oily skin. If you want dewy skin finish you’ve gotta look elsewhere.
Note: This product was purchased from Taiwan and I am not sure how much it was but I am certain it was under AUD$20! Good value!
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