Project BB Cream | SkinFood Aloe Sun BB Cream.

Some of my friends and readers have been asking me why I haven't done a CC Cream review yet, and when will they see one on my blog. To be quite honest, my schedule has become a little crazy since the little man started school. And by the time I get home, I'd be too tired or too lazy to do product shots and swatches and FOTDs, which are part and parcel of any product review.

Anyhow, I'll make sure to do a CC Cream review soon - in two weeks' time perhaps? But before I do, let me get this BB Cream review posted first as it's been sitting in my Drafts folder for way too long.

This one is the Aloe Sun BB - my third BB Cream from SkinFood (the first two were the Rose Lemon Tea BB and the Honey Black Tea BB), and my tenth BB Cream review overall.

Hello, Aloe!

According to SkinFood, this is a 'multi-function BB Cream that protects skin from UV rays and moisturizes the skin while achieving a clear, radiant skintone'. Now I beg to disagree with the sun protection function, since the Aloe Sun BB is a mere SPF20 PA+, just like the two SkinFood BB Creams that I've tried. Quite ironic since it's a Sun BB Cream, huh?

I can however, attest to its moisturizing and nourishing quality. I used this BB Cream for the most part of the summer, when my skin looked dull and dry from all the heat and excessive sweat. But thanks to Aloe Extract, this BB Cream saved my face from dullness, and even gave it a nice, healthy glow.

Swatch!

The SkinFood Aloe Sun BB Cream comes in two variants - #1 Radiant Skin and #2 Natural Skin. This one's the Radiant Skin variant.

Blend, blend, blend! Left without BB, right with BB.

It has a creamy texture and a lightweight formulation that makes it easy to apply and blend. It's not as heavily pigmented as some of the other BB Creams I've tried (i.e. TFS Power Perfection BB), but it does a good job of concealing redness or dullness and making your skintone look even.

Left without BB; right with BB.

A full-sized tube (50g) of this product costs around 9900 Korean Won. That's somewhere around Php 380 or US$ 8. Pretty affordable, right? That is, if you're buying in Korea. I'm not sure how much this is being sold in the Philippines, since this wasn't in stock the last time I visited a SkinFood stall. I've seen some eBay sellers carrying this product, but alas they're selling for almost double the price ($15).

Matches my skintone nicely! :)
Left without BB, right with BB.

What I love:

Has a soothing effect on the skin.

Moisturizes and gives the skin a nice, healthy glow.

Buildable, light to medium coverage.

Smells nice (like a softer, subtler version of Irish Spring).

Lightweight, easy to blend formulation.

No breakouts whatsoever.

Affordable price. (If you're buying in Korea.)

What you might not like:

SPF20 PA+ only (And it's a Sun BB!)

Face of the day, ta-daaa!
FACE: Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover, Benefit Erase Paste in Medium,
Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream.
EYES: Almay Intense i-Color Trio for Hazels, BYS Liquid Eyeliner in Black,
Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara,
Ever Bilena Eyebrow Liner in Brown.
CHEEKS: SkinFood Sugar Cookie Blush in Bebe Pink.
LIPS: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart.

Project BB Cream | Skin79 Super Plus Beblesh Balm.

It's been a successful two-week run for my Crazy Cupid Giveaway (almost 6000 entries as of this writing, wow!) and methinks it's because of the fabulous prizes at stake. Really. Even I would want the prizes for myself, haha! Now the giveaway will be closing in sixteen hours, but before this event officially ends, I want to share my thoughts on one of the prizes - the Skin79 Super Plus Beblesh Balm.

Yes, it's called Beblesh.

Allegedly one of the best-selling BB creams in the market, the Skin79 Super Plus Beblesh Balm functions in three ways - whitens and brightens the skin, conceals skin imperfections, and protects the skin from harmful UV rays with its SPF25 PA++ feature.

This BB cream has been deemed unique because of its osmopur ingredients (contained in sunflower, ricebran, and ivy extracts) which protect the skin and keep it free from imperfections. Also found in the Skin79 Super Plus are adenoisine and arbutin, both known for their whitening properties. Finally, there's Phyto-Complex which brightens the skin and keeps it moisturized.

Yay, English literature!

The positive reviews that I've read about this product are one too many. And that made me really curious as to why this BB cream seems to be very popular and well-loved.

Swatch!

This BB cream comes in just one shade, and its color is somewhat similar to my Missha Signature Wrinkle Filler BBCream in #21. It has a slightly grayish cast, but once the BB cream oxidizes, it matches the skintone quite nicely.

Left without BB Cream; right with BB Cream.

Consistency is creamy but not too thick, easy to blend, and doesn't look or feel heavy on the face. Coverage is buildable from medium to full, and has a slightly dewy finish. Staying power is pretty good too, eight hours at the most, on top of the humid weather that we've been having the past few days. Best of all, I had no breakouts or any form of skin irritation from this product.

What I love:

Pretty pink packaging (even the full-sized bottle is cute, too)
Buildable coverage

Easy to blend
Lightweight

Dewy finish

Good staying power

Mild scent

Didn't break me out

SPF25 PA++

What you might not like:

It comes in one shade only

Not available locally

Yeah, sad to say, Skin79 has no physical store in the Philippines yet. You can opt to buy this product online, though. It sells for Php 950 at Stuff in Style. That's a very reasonable price, if I may say, since a 40g bottle of this sells for 27000 KR Won at Emart. Converted, that's around Php 1000.

Finally, a selca / Face of the Day. :)

Products used:
FACE: The Face Shop Velvet Skin Primer,
Benefit Erase Paste in Medium, Skin79 Super Plus Beblesh Balm.
EYES: elf Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara in Black,
Ever Bilena EyeBrow Liner in Brown.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Lip & Cheek Tint in Cherry Pink.
LIPS: Tony Moly Lip & Cheek Tint in Cherry Pink,
MUA Lip Boom in OMG, MAC Clear Lip Gelee.

Notice the gradient lips? I've been wearing that look quite often these days, and have received several requests for a step-by-step tutorial for it. If the lazybones won't act up next week, I might be able to do a tutorial for it. Now that would be a first for me. :)

Project BB Cream | Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream.

Yay, another BB Cream post! See? I'm keeping my promise of writing about BB Creams more often. This time, I'm giving my two cents' worth on Nature Republic's By Flower BB Cream.

By Flower.

I can't recall exactly how this tester ended up in my stash, but I reckon this was sent to me as freebie from my favorite eBay store.

Lost in translation, lol.

Unless you're well-versed with Hangul, there really isn't much to see (nor understand) at the back. But at least I know that it's SPF35 PA++; its sun protection factor is pretty much mid-range, which sounds good to me. Anything beyond SPF30 PA++ is actually good enough, at least for my skin. Also, there's a number '2' written, which indicates that this shade is in 02 Natural Beige. The other shade, just so you know, is 01 Pink Beige.

Cornflower extracts, commonly used in cosmetic products, can be found in the By Flower BB Cream. Hence, this product has antioxidant properties, and can soothe and whiten the skin at the same time. Here's how the product looks like:

02 Natural Beige.
I think I may have dabbed a little too much, haha.

Its thick and creamy consistency reminds me of the Power Perfection BB Cream from The Face Shop, though this one doesn't dry as quickly as the other. Coverage is pretty good too - buildable, from medium to full and can cover light scars and imperfections on the face. Just don't overdo it like the way I did on the back of my hand, as this BB Cream has a slightly grayish cast, which can wash out your face if you use too much. As for the staying power, it can last for at least six to eight hours when worn with a primer.

Left, without BB Cream. Right, with BB Cream.
Yeah, I did squeeze out a tad too much. Mianhe. 

Personally, I love its mild, floral scent and its dewy finish. The price is pretty reasonable, too. A full-sized 35mL tube costs Php 445 at Lazada, so I'm thinking it's the same price (or even less) when purchased at Nature Republic stores. In Korea, this BB Cream sells for only 6000 Korean won (approximately Php 229 when converted)!

By Flower on my face. :)

What I love:

Light, floral scent

Lightweight, buildable coverage

A little goes a long way

Dewy finish

No allergic reactions whatsoever

SPF 35 PA++

Affordable price

What you might not like:

Slightly grayish cast

Finally, here's the customary FOTD photo. I'm using less makeup these days because I'm trying to keep up with this season's makeup trend - strong versus subtle. It's keeping your face bare (well, almost) while highlighting your best feature with a dash of color. 

Products used:
FACE: The Face Shop Face It Velvet Skin Primer, Benefit Erase Paste in Medium,
Nature Republic By Flower BB Cream.

EYES: elf Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara, 

Avon Ultra Luxury Brow Liner in Dark Brown.

LIPS: Maybelline Baby Lips in AntiOxidant Berry, Sleek MakeUp Lipstick in O.M.G!

Notice how I didn't use an eyeshadow or a blusher in this look? :)

Project BB Cream | SkinFood Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB.

Last year, I made a resolve to try as many BB creams as possible and share the experience here in my blog. I managed to go through and write about a few brands, though I wish I could have done more in terms of product review quantity. If it's any consolation, at least my top three favorite BB creams and their corresponding reviews continue to be the most popular posts in The Rebel Sweetheart. (See 'Top Stories' on my right sidebar.)

I promise to do more BB cream features and reviews this year. More so now that I have blog followers who actually ask for my opinion when it comes to BB creams and Korean cosmetics. (Thank you, my dear readers! I am truly honored!) I even placed this stash of BB cream testers on top of my dresser as a constant reminder of my BB cream project.

The goal: Review all these within the next six weeks (at least).

Today I gave the SkinFood Honey Black Tea BB Cream a try. This is the second variant I'm trying from SkinFood's Good Afternoon product line, the first being the Rose Lemon BB Cream.

Honey Black!

As per the SkinFood website, the Honey Black Tea moisturizes and brightens the skin and makes it look soft and supple. This is exactly what this BB Cream did for me. Its slightly dewy finish gave my face a nice, subtle, and healthy-looking glow. I especially like the scent, too. It smells just like the SkinFood Royal Honey Eye Cream, which I'm still using by the way.

01 Light Beige.

The formulation is lightweight and very easy to blend, though I find it a tad runny. Watery even, as compared to the Rose Lemon Tea's formulation. Also, when you swatch the BB creams side by side (both are in 01 Light Beige), the Honey Black Tea looks much lighter. So light that the shade doesn't seem to match my skin at all.

Left: Rose Lemon Tea / Right: Honey Black Tea.

But once it settles on the skin, the Honey Black Tea adjusts to your natural skintone. You won't even be able to tell that the shade match initially missed the mark.

Left: Rose Lemon Tea / Right: Honey Black Tea.

However, the coverage is light - much like the Rose Lemon's. It's great for days when I'm too lazy to do my makeup and all I need is an even skintone. But for days when my skin is blotchy or when my eyebags are horrendous, this BB Cream wouldn't be able to give the coverage that I need. 

Coverage? What coverage? :))

Staying power is so-so. It stayed nicely on my face for at least six hours. But that's on a blustery day, with a primer on. I reckon it'd fade away in half the time during the summer months.

Left: Rose Lemon Tea / Right: Honey Black Tea.

So I guess I won't go for full size anytime soon. The full size, by the way, comes in 30g tubes for all BB Creams from the Good Afternoon line. They're priced at 8000 won in Korea (Php 300+ when converted), while in the Philippines, they're sold within the Php 400 - Php 450 price range. Not bad considering how ridiculously expensive SkinFood products are in this country.

What I love: 

The scent 

Lightweight, easy to blend

Shade adjusts to your skintone

Slightly dewy finish

Moisturizes and brightens

Safe for sensitive skin

Affordable, as compared to other SkinFood products

What you might not like:

Light coverage

Watery consistency

SPF20/PA++ only

And as always, here's the FOTD. The first for 2013. Pardon the eyebags. :) 

Products used:
FACE: The Face Shop Face It Velvet Skin Primer, Benefit Erase Paste in Medium,
SkinFood Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB.
EYES: Urban Decay Ammo Eyeshadow Palette, elf Liquid Eyeliner in Black,
Avon Ultra Luxury Brow Liner in Dark Brown, Missha Viewer 270 HD Curl Mascara in Black.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cheek Tint in Cherry Pink.
LIPS: Etude House Shini Star (Taemin) Lip Balm, Miners Matte Factor Lip Paint in Warm Red.

Project BB Cream | The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream.

On Christmas morning, I woke up with a bad case of sniffles, a blotchy face, and a nose as red as Rudolph's. Of all the days that my allergic rhinitis chose to be at its worst, it had to be on Christmas Day. Oh, the irony!

Luckily for me, I have The Face Shop's Power Perfection BB Cream to save the day, and my face. This BB Cream, if you can remember, was sent to me by my husband some two months ago. Marketed as a 'total solution BB cream', the Power Perfection BB Cream is designed to address most skin problems (i.e. roughness, dryness, uneven skin tone) while giving the face a natural, flawless coverage.

Power Perfection BB Cream.

My Power Perfection comes in a pretty 40 gram bottle. And I say pretty because it's in my favorite color, purple. For those who prefer a smaller size, there are 20 gram bottles available, too.

Purple is love!

If you've been following my blog for quite some time, then by now you already know my preference for pump bottles. This one is just to my liking - easy to control, and you get just the right amount of BB cream with every pump. Plastic cap is sturdy and secure, too.

Pump, check. 

Like most TFS products, the Power Perfection's box has literature in both English and Hangul.

Yay, English!

Goal for 2013: Formally learn Hangul.

Now here's how the BB cream looks like. Take note that this is the 02 Natural Beige variant. (The other variant being the 01 Light Beige, for those with even fairer skin.)

I'd say it matches my skintone perfectly.

Although the Power Perfection BB cream has a thicker consistency than most of the BB creams I've tried, it's very easy to blend, and just a little amount goes a long way. My only gripe is that it dries very quickly, so you have to work on spreading it as fast as you can.

Coverage is pretty good - medium to full, depending on how you'd like to wear it. It has a semi-matte, slightly dewy finish, with a texture that's very lightweight and not icky on the skin.

Left without BB cream, right with BB cream.

It has impressive staying power, too - a good ten hours and the BB cream is still sitting pretty on my face. I reckon this BB cream would suit even those with oily skin. And for those with sensitive skin like me, you'd be glad to know that this BB cream gave me no allergies whatsoever.

Where's Rudolph? Haha!

In Korea, the Power Perfection BB Cream retails for 22900 Won. That's more or less Php 900 when converted. Here in the Philippines, it's priced around Php 1500 (correct me if I'm wrong), which seems pretty fair considering Philippine taxes and shipping from Korea. It's a tad more expensive than Etude House, but still way cheaper than Missha's. And that's a fact. :)

What I love:

Pretty (purple) and sturdy packaging

Excellent shade match

Medium, buildable coverage

Non-sticky, lightweight

A little goes a long way

Light, powdery scent

Semi-matte, slightly dewy finish

Stays on for ten hours at the very least

Safe for sensitive skin

SPF 37/PA++

What you might not like:

Dries quickly

It looks like this will be my last post for the year, so please allow me to indulge in a little self-love. Haha! Here's my last Face of the Day for 2012. 

Products used:
FACE: The Face Shop Face It Velvet Skin Primer, Benefit Erase Paste in Medium,
The Face Shop Power Perfection BB Cream in Natural Beige
EYES: Urban Decay Ammo Eyeshadow Palette, elf Liquid Eyeliner in Black,
Avon Ultra Luxury Brow Liner in Dark Brown, Missha Viewer 270 HD Curl Mascara in Black
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cheek Tint in Cherry Pink
LIPS: Jordana Lip Liner in Rose, Etude House Shini Star (Taemin) Lip Balm,
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in  Addis Ababa

It's been a crazy, beautiful year for me, and I couldn't thank you enough for staying with me for the past 12 months. I am looking forward to yet another wild and wonderful year with all of you. 

Happy New Year everyone! 

Ever onward to 2013!

Skye Avenue | A Review of Sorts + Today's Look.

Remember that loot of beauty products I received from Skye Avenue?

I promised I'd do a separate feature on these items, and as you know, I'm pretty good at keeping promises. :)

First up, this little pink pot.

Krave Minerale Cosmeceuticals is a Philippine brand of mineral makeup and organic skincare products. In the country, it is the pioneer in 1) bringing imported organic skincare products with certified USDA organic ingredients sourced across the globe; 2) carrying a line of mineral makeup and organic products that are internationally affiliated with PETA; 3) pledging with the Truth in Labeling campaign.

I had the chance to try Krave's Luxurious Perfection in French Latte - a loose mineral foundation with Allantoin, Levomenol, Golden Jojoba, and provitamin B5. When it comes to foundations, I usually stay away from the loose powder type. I've always thought they'd be more difficult to blend compared to the powder or the liquid type, but Krave's Luxurious Perfection proved me wrong.

There's actually a puff inside the jar, and a sifter separating them in between. The sifter comes sealed
but I chose not to remove it, and used my own foundation brush instead.

Blending it was actually quite easy, and its buildable coverage allows you to go as light or as heavy as you desire. I went for the former, as it can be quite icky to wear heavy makeup in this kind of weather. I love its lightweight feel and dewy finish, and the fact that it's hypoallergenic and didn't break out my skin.

Krave Luxurious Perfection comes in three shades (Macchiato for light complexion, French Latte for fair/semi-fair complexion, Cafe Melange for medium/morena complexion) and is available in two different sizes (15g jar at Php 300, 30g jar at Php 550).

I used this together with the Ecorre Artist BB Cream - another Korean brand - and I have to say that the two products complement each other. On my face, at least.

The Ecorre Artist BB Cream works in six ways: 1) moisturizer, 2) sunscreen with its SPF27 PA++ properties, 3) concealer, 4) prevents acne, 5) prevents wrinkles, 6) makeup base. 

It has a buildable coverage, has no funky smell, and evens out easily. No break-outs from this product, too!  I like how multi-functional this BB cream is, although there is only one shade available in the market. Also, it could do better on the SPF part. (At least an SPF 30 for me, please!)

It appears slightly grayish here (pardon the poor lighting inside our bedroom), but it looks different when applied on the face. Although it feels a tad heavy on my skin compared to most of the BB creams I've tried, I'm pretty satisfied with its smooth finish and the dewy effect on my skin.

The Ecorre Artist BB Cream comes in sachet sets (such as the one I have) and 50mL tubes. The 3-piece sachet set retails for Php 85.

And finally, the Miners Matte Factor Lip Paint.

Miners is a UK-based cosmetic company with over 70 years of experience in the makeup industry. Established in 1937, the brand aims to provide innovative and affordable beauty products to the masses.

Such is the Matte Factor Lip Paint, a highly-pigmented 'liquid lipstick' that gives your kisser a gorgeous matte, velveteen finish. This shade is actually Warm Red. I tweeted a photo erroneously saying it's Deep Red. My apologies for the confusion. 

So there. WARM RED.
I'm actually all praises for this product, considering I'm not a huge fan of matte lip products. (Remember, I love those shiny, shimmering splendid stuff, lol.)

I love the doe-foot applicator, the ease of application, the color pay-off, and how it stayed on my lips for hours (around 4-5hours max)! Oh, and did I tell you it smells really, really yummy, too? It smells like caramel cheesecake, I swear! This my first time to encounter a lipstick / lip paint that smells as such (I'm not considering my favorite Cinnabon lip balm - after all, it is a lip balm. Not exactly a lip color.)

Miners Cosmetics Matte Factor Lip Paint is available at Php 300 per tube, with six different colors to choose from - Warm Red, Deep Red, Cappucino, Light Pink, Hot Pink, and Peach.



All these products (and more) are available at Skye Avenue! And in case you haven't noticed, we have an ongoing giveaway in celebration of Mother's Day.
Enter the Mama Loves Makeup event for a chance to win some fab makeup items! Act fast as the giveaway is ending soon!

Finally, I leave you with a long overdue FOTD. :)

Products used:

L'Oreal Base Magique Primer
Ecorre Artist BB Cream
Krave Luxurious Perfection in French Latte
Avon Ideal Luminous Concealer Stick in Almond
Ever Bilena Eyebrow Liner in Brown
L'Oreal Wear Infinite Eyeshadow Single in Sable
Almay Intense i-Color Trio for Hazels
Avon Mega Impact Gel Eyeliner in Blackberry
Avon Super Curlacious Waterproof Mascara in Black
Markwins Bronzer Powder
Jordana Double Length Lipliner in Rose
Miners Matte Factor Lip Paint in Warm Red

Sharing with Shadow Shot Sunday, i Heart Macro, and Blue Monday.