Stimuli

Have you heard of BB Creams yet?  If you haven’t yet get ready for BB Cream madness!

BB Creams (or Beauty Balms) are all the rage in Asia and have been for a few years now.  The idea behind this product is that it is an all-in-one, replacing your moisturizer, sunscreen, primer, oil control and foundation.  A famous Asian actress is credited for starting the trend of BB Creams when she told reporters this was the secret to her luminous skin.  Word spread and women across Asia rushed out to find these creams.

Now many cosmetics companies are catching on to this trend and bringing BB Creams to the North American market.  The finish of these new North American BB Creams are said to be different.  In Asian markets the finish is porcelain like, very matte and flawless, in North America the trend is towards skin with a luminous finish, so our creams tend to be slightly lighter coverage.

In Canada, as of right now, your BB Cream options are limited.  Many brands, including MAC, Marcelle, Garnier, Vichy, Clinique, Smashbox and Boscia are scheduled to release their products in Canada in the coming months.

Being less than patient when I hear about new products, I managed to hunt down a Smashbox BB Cream for myself and had it shipped to me.  After all, I have a duty to all of you to keep you ahead of the latest in beauty products. Do you like how I justified that purchase?  Thanks for enabling me my makeup sisters!

The first thing that will shock you is the price.  A relatively small tube of Smashbox BB Cream SPF 35 is $50 in Canada.  No, I’m not kidding.  The other brands look like they will be priced similarly.  When I first looked at the tube, knowing what I paid, I felt somewhat ripped off. 

I washed my face, squirted out a pea size drop of this pricey concoction and rubbed it on my face.  No moisturizer, no nothing, you just put it straight on your skin.  It felt weird, as normally my skin routine is 4-5 steps long depending on it’s condition on any given day.

I soldiered on through my discomfort and had a look in the mirror once I had the cream on.  Dang.  Double dang.

My skin looked good.  No, heck, I won’t be modest, it looked GREAT!

Have we talked about my skin before?  Just in case we haven’t and so you understand what I am working with, I am holding steady at 29 years old (and have been for 6 years) so my skin is starting to show fine lines, and, big sigh, some baby wrinkles, I have some redness, and I am blessed with combination skin that still likes to breakout despite me no longer being a teenager.

Now, I still needed a touch of concealer on my troubled areas, but I did not require any foundation or powder, I simply dabbed some blush on top and I was done.  Seriously, it is that good.  My skin looked natural only better.  It looked young and fresh and somehow more natural than it has looked in a long time.  I would say this offered medium coverage, but blended magnificently to keep your skin looking like you have nothing on at all.

A couple of things to note about the Smashbox BB Cream - there are 4 shades, most brands will only offer one or two, which makes Smashbox a winner in my books immediately.  The light shade matched my complexion perfectly. 

There is a sunscreen in this product, which is a GREAT thing, we need to be wearing our sunscreens Stimulistas, lest we end up looking like leather boots when we age, but it does have that sunscreen smell.  I don’t like the sunscreen smell on my face but I deal with it because, well, I don’t want wrinkles, sun spots or skin cancer, but for some who are sensitive to scents it would be good to know this scent is there before purchasing.  I believe the Boscia cream will have a physical sunblock instead of a chemical one which may be a good choice for some of you.

Now to go back to the price; $50 for such a small tube, no denying it is pricey.  But after I tried the product I realized that because it does replace my moisturizer (Philosophy Hope in a Jar SPF 25 $39), my primer (Smashbox Photo Finish Primer $44) and my foundation (Lancome Teint Idole Ultra $50) I might actually save money if I use the BB Cream.  Well, who am I kidding, I will buy the BB Cream and my other products because I have the attention span of a nat when it comes to beauty products.  But, if you are normal (read - not me) and you adopt a BB Cream to replace your other products, you do stand to save money or break even depending on your current routine.

My overall impression of the Smashbox BB Cream - it’s a keeper.  I am eager to see how it stands up in the sun when I head to California next month.  I will report back.  I am also eagerly anticipating the other brands soon to be available in the Canadian market.  If you try one let me know what you think in the comments below or on twitter @carissayh.  I love hearing from you!! 

See you at the beauty counter Stimulistas!

by Carissa Halley
Stimuli Magazine Contributor