New waves of ‘Hit Products’ in the cosmetics industry come and go and it can be hard to keep up…
Do we all need to try these new hits of the market, or should we stick with what we know?
I believe it’s always great to be aware of what is new, just in case you are not happy with something you are using. New formulas and textures are always evolving, so even though you may love your makeup products, be aware or try something new too – keep your look modern.
The good thing about makeup today is that it is getting lighter in textures and more natural in design – less sharp lines and angles with more soft, smudged out edges.
Colour is still big to try out, but mixed in with contouring shades to give shape to the face and overall structure, not just placed somewhere doing nothing for the look but being a colour, now it used to bring forward concentrated areas.
Complexion has become a big focus, looking more like real skin with amazing new formulas and textures, if your foundation doesn’t have some form of skincare properties within its formula, you seem to be using a backward product.
BB Creams have been around for a few years now, but really hit Australia hard last year in 2012 and now so many brands have released there take on the product.
BB standing for ‘Blemish Balm’, originally formulated in Germany as a dermatologist used it to recover patient’s skin after surgery.
It then hit the Korean and Japanese shores in the late 80’s becoming the hero product, hailed as the ‘Secret to Korean Actresses’ who pride themselves on porcelain skin.
Now, BB creams are not just known as a hero product in Asia, but now huge in the western world and BB meaning ‘Beauty Balm’.
Korean women seem to dislike most western foundations, finding them to heavy and like all of us, love a multitasking product as BB creams tend to be a foundation, serum, sunblock and primer all in one.
A lot of Asian skins can be troubled with acne or sensitivity, which some traditional BB creams look after, hence the name Blemish Balm, but in our western culture the name Beauty Balm can work for a larger market.
I love a BB cream for when you travel, weekends or in summer when women are wanting a lighter look to there skin, with moisture and SPF protection.
Some can give quite a good coverage when building the texture up with the right application and some can also be a great illuminator.
Use alone, or be a primer for foundation for extra slip under it – the all in one treatment product!
MB Pro Tip – Now if an all in one product, cutting down time in the morning sounds like you, then BB creams were made for you. If you are sick of applying foundation daily, keep it for when you are going out or have more time with your makeup and keep BB creams for the daily grind, it can eve cut down some skincare time also, falling more under this category than colour!
I love the Rimmel 9-1 BB Cream (RRP $12.95)
This little beauty promises to have 9 in 1 results: It Primes, Moisturises, Minimises Pores, Conceals, Covers, Smoothes, mattifies, Brightens and helps protect with SPF 25 – not bad!
Every BB cream is slightly different, but most offer a very light, hydrating even tone to the skin, all have SPF and most are more matte which is great for everyday.
I love the fact this one does come in three shades, not everyone can wear the 1 for all colour of some and the texture is beautiful on the skin – great for a simple everyday/weekend look.
Now there is a very fine line in my opinion from a BB cream and the newly arrived CC cream.
Originally BB creams were a one shade for all light tints, but now most have a few shades to choose fro to reach a wider market, especially in the Western world with so many skin tones to consider.
BB creams were seen as an advanced tinted moisturizer with more goodness for our skin on a daily level, but now there is more!
The CC Cream has arrived and means Colour Corrector or Colour Control and once again hugely popular in Asia and has now hit our shores.
Keeping the skincare components of the BB cream, the CC cream focuses more on coverage, correcting skin tone still with nourishing properties with more a colour approach in shade matching.
A lot of women loved the idea of the BB cream trend that was has been so big over the last couple of years, but didn’t like the shade selection of some brands or that their concerns like pigmentation or redness were still present being such a light texture.
For me, CC Creams are just an improved version of the BB as most contain great skincare moisturising elements, some not as much as the BB, but they give the coverage and the shade choice that BB creams always lacked.
Some BB creams on the market are more of a CC cream, correcting the skin as they either have things like vitamin C, which help even the skin tone, or the shade choices are better than that of a BB and brightening properties wihin the formula, but were realsed before the hype of the CC (Colour Control) creams.
It became a big trend of beauty brands outdoing each other, so more and more came out with more benefits; therefore some fall into the CC category targeting correcting skin pigments.
In saying that, my fave CC cream that I have used is the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream (RRP $45)
I love the moisture content and with its colour correcting technology, it really does adapt to your skin tone to brighten when necessary on those dull days and then take out colour on the days we are flushed.
Most CC creams as mentioned have more shades to choose from to get the skin tone just right.
I feel that if a foundation is still to heavy for you during the day and you want a really blendable, light finish with that skincare glow to your skin, BB creams are for you.
If you want the skincare benefits, but a little more coverage and shade options because of your skin tone being out of balance then a CC cream is for you.
But you could always go with your foundation and mix in your favourite serum that you use and now you have your own CC cream! #easy
Both these products are so great though for the younger generation, first time makeup wearers who are scared of foundation and anyone really liking the lighter options of products like in summer or on vacation.
It really is the all in one product for the lazy beauty girl or another accessory or primer for the makeup junkie, either way, we have so much choice these days and it really depends on your lifestyle and how much time you have in the morning!
Let’s hope they don’t come up with a DD cream, will these trends keep going…
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