Review: Skin79 BB cream sampler
16 Jun
BB cream is an Asian super-product that hasn’t quite taken off in the U.S. as well as it has overseas. The premise of BB creams is that they can be primer, sunscreen, foundation, acne medication, wrinkle treatment, pore minimizer, and skin whitening product all in one (or in several different combinations). They were originally developed for patients of laser surgery, to protect and soothe the skin post-op while covering the light scarring. These days, BB creams are meant to give skin a naturally flawless look without a lot of time investment.
I ordered these a while ago but held off on reviewing them until I could try more BB creams so I could do an honest comparison. I’ve used a few brands extensively and can say that one of my favorites is in this sampler kit.
Skin79 is a very well-known Korean brand of BB creams, so much so that counterfeit products (a la MAC) have been popping up on the web. I have found several blogs detailing the differences between the legit products and the fakes, so please be careful if buying from E-Bay. Skin79 has so many different BB creams with long names that they are commonly referred to by nicknames now. This sampler of their most popular BB creams includes VIP Gold Collection Super+ Beblesh Balm (otherwise known as Gold), Super+ Beblesh Balm Triple Functions (Pink), Diamond Collection The Prestige Beblesh Balm (Prestige), and Diamond Collection Pearl Luminous Beblesh Balm (Pearl). Gold, Pink, and Prestige all have an SPF rating of 25 PA ++. (For those not familiar with the PA rating, it is the Japanese rating of how well a product protects against UVA. + provides some protection, ++ is moderate, and +++ is the strongest.) Pearl does not seem to provide sun protection.
All 4 of the colors were a decent match for my fair skin. There were slight consistency differences between the formulas, with Pearl being the runniest, followed by Prestige, Gold, and finally Pink. Pearl provided a shimmery highlighting effect which looked nice under foundation but which also meant that I wouldn’t wear it on its own. Prestige looked the most like foundation, finish-wise, while Gold and Pink blended out more naturally, yet still covered most of my imperfections (my skin, but better). Of the four, I found Gold and Pink to be the most similar. The main difference was that Gold seemed to be a bit more moisturizing and didn’t last quite as long. Pink is my favorite, and left me with an evened skin tone that looked natural and pretty.
I have heard reports that BB creams are often heavy, especially Korean BB creams, but I did not notice any heaviness. It felt similar to my daily sunscreen, and was nice to be able to leave off the primer and foundation that usually follow. I did get some slight breakouts from Prestige, but none from Gold, Pink, or Pearl.
I would rate Pink as being the best for me, followed by Gold, Pearl, and the Prestige. I have purchased a full-sized Pink and it has become my daily face product for the days I don’t need full makeup.
Gold, Pink, Pearl, Prestige
Gold, Pink, Pearl, Prestige, blended
