Product Review: Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

Garnier's Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream was the very first non-Asian BB Cream that I purchased when the BB Cream craze hit the U.S.  What do I think of it? Click below to find out!

Product Review: Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream Skin Perfector

Revlon has jumped on the BB Cream bandwagon and launched one of their own---or did they?  A big pet peeve of mine is cosmetics companies that try to get in on a good thing (like the BB Cream craze) but then do it in a less than optimal way. Many of the non-Asian brands call themselves BB Creams but they are really tinted moisturizers.

So let's look at what a BB Cream is "supposed" to be about: 

• light to medium coverage
• moisturizing (and sometimes oil controlling)
• Built in primer
• decent level of sun protection
• skin benefiting/anti aging ingredients
• either automatically adapts to skin tone or comes in several skin tones to match different depths of pigmentation
• Evens out skin tone
• Lightens skin/reduces discoloration (Asian brands only)

Product Review: Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream

Beautiful Finish for Slightly Dry to Oily Skin

I originally became acquainted with Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Cream through a Sephora sample. Having tried several Asian and Western BB creams, I was a little bit skeptical of yet another tinted moisturizer masquerading as a BB cream. Fortunately, I continued on with this product as I am happy I did!

Smashbox describes its BB cream as  "a five in one formula for achieving flawless skin on camera and beyond."  The five functions are as to prime for a layer of foundation; to perfect or even out skin tone using one of the five available shades; to hydrate and improve skin moisture in four weeks; to protect with a sun protection rating of 35; and controlling oil. 

What the Heck is a BB (or CC) Cream?

The "BB" in BB Cream stands for "beauty, blemish or beblesh," which is a term used in Korea. You've probably seen ads for BB creams or seen the displays in the stores. Perhaps you've even bought a BB cream or gotten a sample and wondered what the difference is between it, a tinted moisturizer and a foundation. Well, the answer is, "it depends."

What eventually became "BB Cream" was actually introduced in Germany in the 1960s by a dermatologist, who was looking for a substance to protect her patients' skin after they had had surgery. Then in 1985, it was brought into the Asian markets (Korea and Japan mostly) where women value beautiful, light colored skin.