My Introduction To BB Creams - The Face Shop's Power Perfection Bb Cream

While in the Philippines, I decided that I wasn't going to spend any money on beauty products. Don't ask me why, it doesn't even make any sense to me now :p. But, on the third week, I thought: "why not check out the beauty products they have here?" So I stepped into The Face Shop (a Korean skincare and cosmetics company) and it was decided that it was my new favourite store.

I've heard of BB Creams before, but until recently, there were no North American brands that offered them in their roster. So of course, I jumped at the chance to try these coveted products. To reduce this to its simplest definition, it is basically a hybrid of skincare and makeup. Think of a tinted moisturizer but with loads of extra skincare benefits.

Power Perfection is The Face Shop's "top of the line" BB Cream, the best they have to offer. So of course, I had to have it :p. Now, I think it's important to state that my skin doesn't suffer from too many problems. I get hormonal breakouts, I get some dry spots on occasion and my skin tone isn't even (darker pigmentation around the chin and around the jaw area). That said, I wouldn't be able to tell you if Power Perfection has any miraculous, anti-aging properties because my skin is simply not there yet...

However, I have to say that I absolutely love this product! It definitely takes the the concept of a tinted moisturizer even further. It certainly feels like a moisturizer, it glides onto the skin smoothly and effortlessly; but has better pigmentation and coverage than any other tinted moisturizer I've tried (which, admittedly, is not that much).

As you can see, I still need concealing (I definitely need it around the mouth/chin and under the eyes); but considering it's not a foundation, I'm still quite pleased with the coverage. I find that it certainly performs better than Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer. Granted, I only tried it out once, but that's enough to figure out whether or not it's enough coverage for you, I think.

Unfortunately, this isn't exactly the right shade for my skin. BB Creams typically come in two shades and I chose the darker of the two, which is Natural Beige. However, the undertone is too pink for my warm/yellow toned skin (in the Philippines, it's all about having "pinkish-white skin"). Thankfully, because the coverage isn't too thick, I can still make it work for me; I just make sure to blend a bit of it on my neck.

I guess you can call this a "my skin, but better" type of product :p. No, it doesn't make my skin look flawless; I don't think that look is appropriate for every day, anyway. But it does make my skin look fresh, slightly dewy and healthier. I do notice some shine and oiliness on my face after a few hours, but honestly, now that we're heading into Winter, I'm more forgiving of some shine on my face. Especially since I find that whatever coverage it gives still sticks around until the end of my work day. That said, if you have oily skin, I don't think this product is for you.

...Assuming you would even be able to get it, coz um... It's not available in Canada. I'm sorry! >.<

But! They have stores in the US, Australia and various other countries in Asia so take a look at their Store Locator; you may be in luck and have a store near you. Check it out, yo! Coz this product is absolutely lurvely!

Have you tried a BB Cream before?

Meet The Most Vibrant Blush I've Ever Come Across...

I was immediately drawn to this amazingly bright shade and who could blame me? It was practically begging me to pick it up! This baby is Maybelline's Clear Smooth Shine Free Blush in Fresh Berry. The Clear Smooth line is not available anywhere outside of Asia, unfortunately; and that's a shame, because this blush is gorgeous and fantastic quality!

Here's some info from Maybelline regarding their Clear Smooth Shine Free Blushes:

1. Velvety, matte colour:
Pure colour pigments blend into skin for a naturally shine-free flush.

2. Lasting oil control:
Micro-fine oil-absorbing powders remove shine for a clean, shine-free look that lasts for hours and hours.

3. Silky smooth texture:
Ultra-blendable powders glide like silk and melts smoothly only skin.


Shades specifically developed for Asian skintones
Dermatologist-tested, Non-comedogenic, Fragrance free & Oil-free

Because of the high temperatures and humidity, the majority of Asian beauty products cater to oily skin*.  This oil-free blush is perfect for such weather and also for those with oily skin to begin with. The texture is amazingly smooth and feels really soft. It blends wonderfully as well; a plus, considering how crazy pigmented this blush is. For reals, I only tap my brush to the pan once and I still need to tap off the excess on the back of my hand, it's that bright!

*Asians are also obsessed with whitening products. Practically every skin care or makeup base product involves "whitening properties." I can't even count how many times an SA looked at me like I had two heads when I said I wasn't interested in anything that would whiten my skin (it was their number one selling point).

Holy Moly! :o

That said, there's absolutely no need to be frightened. Because when applied properly, it looks very, very pretty! Fresh Berry is a bright fuchsia shade with red undertones, definitely not something I have in my humble stash. Even if you are a bit heavy handed (as I sometimes most of the time am), it's also easy to blend with either your fingers or a brush, to make the colour less intense.

But the best part is that it's long wearing. Again, with products marketed for Asia, it's important to have matte finishes and also long wearability. Because, and I kid you not, once you step outside, it takes less than 5 minutes for your skin to get a bit oily due to the humidity. Now that I'm back in Canada and the weather's cold, that's not much of a problem for me. However, my skin still gets a bit oily near the end of my day. Still, I find that the Clear Smooth blush sticks around on even my longer days. The vibrancy diminishes a tiiiny bit, but I can still tell I'm wearing blush, which is the most important part. These chubby cheeks need some definition, yo!

I am so impressed with this product and it seriously needs to make an appearance on North American shores; I'm sure oily-skinned ladies would absolutely love it. And even if you have normal to dry skin (which I do), this would still be suitable for you, because it doesn't accentuate any dry areas at all...

...Now I wish I had gotten all the other shades!

Are you a fan of BRIGHT blushes?