Dear Bets:
What the heck is BB Cream? I’m confused and intrigued!
-Katie H.
I wondered the same thing a few months ago when a tube came across my desk. What is this BB Cream and why do I need if I already have a tinted moisturizer? Then I tried some. And I loved it. And now I can’t imagine life without it . . . . But back to your question. BB Cream stands for “blemish balm.” It’s been popular throughout Asia for years, but—to clear up the confusion—not just for blemishes. In Asia the word “blemish” translates as any type of skin imperfection: wrinkles, uneven skin tone, sun damage, acne, rosacea, etc. BB Cream is designed to prevent and diminish ALL of these issues. See what all the fuss is about?
For my maiden voyage I tried Boscia’s BB Cream ($38). It’s mostly natural, has a mineral SPF 27, and coincidentally was the first BB to land stateside after huge acclaim in overseas. The cream is incredibly lightweight, like a fluffy, tinted primer. It comes in one shade, which magically blended into my fair skin (and presumably most others), creating this shockingly flawless, yet sheer canvas. You may need to lay down a moisturizer first if you’re dry, but you most certainly won’t need foundation!
Although BB creams usually contain some powerful hydrator, like Sodium Hyaluronate, they are more matte than a tinted moisturizer—one big reason that those of you with will oily skin, larger pores, and /or acne-prone skin will love this concept. I still used a tinted, but opt for BB Cream if I want something even lighter-weight OR only have time for one product OR am dashing to the grocery store and don’t want to look like I just rolled out of bed but don’t want to wear any makeup.
Does that help? There are now loads of BB Creams on the market, including from Clinique, Smashbox, and Dr. Jart, a brand I’d never heard of but keeps getting raved about. Should you brave this new BB world, please report back on your discoveries!
Filed Under: Boscia BB Cream SPF 27, clinique age defense bb cream spf 30, dr jart bb cream beauty balm, how to minimize large pores, oily skin, smashbox camera ready bb cream, tinted moisturizer
Hello lovelies! I'm Elizabeth Dehn, a beauty writer + lifestyle editor who's equally fanatical about lip gloss as juice cleansing. I live in Minneapolis with Mr. Bets and our white lab, Molly Thomas . . . 
I am fairly new to BB creams and for the past 2-3 weeks have used Dr. Jart+’s Water Fuse Beauty Balm. It’s alright… I am used to wearing Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizer and love the luminosity it brings to my skin. I was hoping Dr. Jart+’s BB cream would do this too, as well as offer extra benefits to my skin. Dr. Jart+ BB cream is nice…it evens my skin tone, which is nice on days that I want to look good without wearing much make-up; however, it is more matte and I don’t like the fact that it doesn’t give my skin much luminosity. But, I must say, as the day goes on it wears better on my skin and looks more dewy…after about 6-8 hours of use.I think the greatest benefit of the BB cream though is seen the day after using it…..the following morning my skin looks *amazing*. So all in all, I like my BB cream and count on it for days I want to rush out the door and look somewhat made up, but I wouldn’t solely count on this product for I miss the dewiness/luminosity my tinted moisturizer provides instantly.
I did TONS of research on BB Creams. A lot of fans said their US counterparts paled in comparison to the Asian brands, so I ordered up one by Skin79 from South Korea. Even with shipping it was only around $15 on Amazon! And I loved it. It was thinner than foundation, yet thicker than a tinted moisturizer and provided great coverage. I was worried about the “one shade fits all” approach but this blended into my pale skin flawlessly.
I’m not sure if it made any improvements on my skin though, because the normal sized container only lasted THREE WEEKS. It’s encased in very thick plastic so there was no way to rescue what product I’m sure remained. I was super disappointed.
Thanks Bets!! I’m going to try one and will report back!
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I just read that Ganier has one now too: http://www.chatelaine.com/en/blog/post/35188–beauty-pick-blemish-balm.
I’ve been wanting to pick up a BB cream. I think I’m going with Boscia or Dr. Jart.
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I needed to thank you for this wonderful read!
! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it.
I’ve got you book-marked to check out new stuff you post…