March 23, 2009

Etude House Precious Mineral Skin Project: Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream Review and Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact Review

I can’t deny that the release of the Etude House Precious Mineral Skin Project Collection disappointed me. I really wanted some festive, flirty Spring Collection that was filled with sweet shimmering shades. Instead we got a round up of plenty of base makeup items with little of the collection concentrating on any point pieces.

Le sigh!

But fear not. Etude House Precious Mineral Skin Project Collection is solid gold base makeup and more than makes up for it’s lack of color with an amazing selecton of good quality base makeup for a nice price tag.


Even though I suffered some disappointed with it’s release I can’t deny that the release of Etude House Mineral Skin Project was probably one of the better collections released from Etude House as of late. Lately, collections have come and gone without really capturing my attention but this definitely caught my eye since I’m a fond fan of Etude House BB Creams.

Today I’ll be reviewing two of the items from the collection and continuing my review later this week with the rest of the items I got. The two items I am concentrating on today are Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream and Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact.


Until now the concept of “mineral” makeup in liquid form was rather confusing to me. I really didn’t get the point. Granted I imagined the formula included minerals in it’s ingredients but the finish was quite the same as any other liquid foundation I’ve come across. I’m mentioning this because I was quite delighted with the finish of the Etude House Mineral BB Cream. It’s a rather strange little product as it’s obviously a liquid cream however it’s finish is that of a mineral makeup and gives my skin a buffed on look that’s quite flawless and very, very pretty. I won’t say this dries down to a complete matte finish but it looks very matte and the complete effect looks quite like I used a mineral makeup. It’s interesting to say the least.

Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream has all the benefits of a normal run of the mill BB Cream as it offers an SPF of 30, anti-aging ingredients, and whitening benefits. Everything and the kitchen sink is offered with this BB Cream as with many others. I can’t speak for anti-aging but it does whiten and brighten skin and the added benefits of SPF 30 are always a bonus. The box proclaims it offers sheer coverage but I personally think it offers medium to heavy coverage with proper application. A little goes a very long way so a few drops do me well at offering beautiful coverage while erasing dullness from my skin and making my skin literally glow with health. Truly it’s near perfect coverage. The cream comes in two variations one light and one darker (although the darker shade isn’t that dark). Although the cream should adjust to your skin tone I do think that it’s best used on fair to medium complexions but not dark, tan, or olive tones. This is a Korean product so it’s especially suited to Asian skin especially if you have yellow undertones as the product has a good deal of soft beige to erase yellow tones and even out the complexion.


There isn’t anything particularly special about the Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact but I fancy it anyway as it’s a perfect follow up for setting the BB Cream. The powder comes housed in a very simple pink compact with a large mirror and a soft sponge. This comes in three shades, I got the lightest and although I’d probably do better with the 2nd shade I didn’t mind so much as I felt like it went well with the lightest shade of BB that I selected. It blends out well on my skin and sets my makeup for long wear. It has an SPF of 30 as well which is fantastic.


Both products promise “sheer glowing skin” and honestly that’s exactly what they deliver. You’d never know it during application as both products just seem your run of the mill BB cream and powder foundation. But don’t let the formula fool you, the results speak for their self as my skin was glowing this morning. I’ve always wanted to be able to use mineral makeup but never really found a brand that didn’t match me itchy or make me look like I had a mask of makeup on. This gives me the look of mineral makeup in a liquid formula, likey!

A few things that deserved to be mentioned……

Wasn’t loving the price on any of this. I was shocked how expensive it was by Korean cosmetic standards. I’d honestly pay double for it since the quality is there but I couldn’t help but raise a brow at the price as normally Etude House is a good deal cheaper. The compact was 14,500 won and the bb cream was 13,500 won, as you can see not your typical price tag for Etude House but regardless well worth it. Secondly, I normally adore the pump style tube that Etude House favors for it’s BB Creams but I had a terrible time getting it to work this time and for some reason nothing was coming out. 3 dozen pumps later and a squeeze or two of the tube it finally started to flow, phew! For a sec there I thought I was going to have to slice into the tube to get to the cream! Sadly, the pump on the jar doesn’t unscrew as it’s glued on so I couldn’t even just unscrew the top to get to the product. Bit ranty about this! As you can see in my photos my tube of BB cream is rather flat and a little bit wrinkled up since I was struggling with it!

Wearing the BB Cream layered with the powder on top! The blush is also from the collection but I’ll be reviewing that later this week!

Aside from my minor rants I’m Muse Approving both Etude Hose Precious Mineral BB Cream and Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream for purchase.

I was lucky enough to have a very sweet person purchase these for me. If you’re wanting to purchase these I suggest checking on E-bay, Facial Shop, or G-Market to purchase although prices on the first two probably won’t be too kind!

Overall, even though I started my review with rants, woe, and general disappointed I must end it with a big wow at how impressed I am altogether with how amazing my skin was looking today thanks to the cream and powder.

Loves it!

Any of my Korean readers try yet?

Do share!

28 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Jacqueline

    i’ve tried the compact powder an i love it!heheh~
    realy covers my shiny forehead
    i’m waiting for my bb magic cream to run out frst before i want to try the mineral bb cream
    did u bought for the oily skin one or for the dry skin one?my skin is combination so i think either is fine na?

  • oIlWMlIo

    Hello! I know this is a late reply to this post, but I just found out about your wonderful blog 🙂
    I’ve heard various reviews about BB Creams and I’m wanting to try it out. I’m just having trouble finding where to buy it at a good price and I was wondering where I could? I know you listed E-Bay, etc. but what other websites are there online that you have tried?

    • the Muse

      hi oiwmlio.

      Thanks for visiting 😀 I’m so glad you found me! Sadly I don’t have good recs for cheaper BB Creams. Since BB Creams run absurdly cheap in Korea most people benefit from this and sell at high prices. E-bay is about it and also http://www.imomoko.com and sasa neither of which are cheap. If I ever run across a cheaper place I’ll post.

      Hope this helps!

      • oIl Kay lIo

        Thanks for the fast reply 🙂
        Which one do you enjoy more: BB Cream or good ol’ reg. foundation.

        • the Muse

          bb all the way kay 😀 although at the moment I must say Lancome Oscillation Foundation has my heart!!!!!! but I’m a bb girl most times. My skin is dry so it likes good creamy coverage that doesn’t oxidize as badly as regular foundation does for me 🙂

  • Lauren

    I stumbled upon your blog when I was Googling for Etude House BB cream reviews. Etude House just opened their first store where I live (the Philippines) and I’m so excited to visit it tomorrow! Thanks for the in-depth reviews. 🙂

    • the Muse

      yay lauren have fun at the EH shop! lucky you I’m so jealous!!!!!!!!!!!! wish we had one 😀 my pleasure! come back and tell me what you haul 🙂

      • Lauren

        Finally got around to visiting the store and it’s the most adorable place ever! Very brightly lit and welcoming. It was difficult to keep myself from grabbing everything off the shelves, but I ended up sticking to what I intended to buy – the BB cream, eye makeup remover, eyeshadow primer, plus a few other things. I posted some pictures of the store on my blog if you wanna check it out. 🙂

  • Lipstickaddict

    Hi! I really love your reviews, anyways, I do have the Precious Mineral BB Cream in Sheer Glowing and I love it to bits! It really made my skin super flawless 🙂 Which cheek tint from Etude house are you wearing in this picture?

    • the Muse

      hi lipstickaddict sorry for the delayed reply god. please forgive me behind on comments! I believe I’m wearing the Etude House duo blush released with this collection but can’t recall, such an old post 😀

  • Angie Twe

    Gonna buy this. 😀

    Love your reviews, everything about the product is being describe so nicely. 😀

    Thank you Muse! ^^

  • Angelyn

    i love reading your reviews! i own the etude house magic bb cream, but i’m afraid the precious mineral one (even the darker shade) will be too light. How to the two compare with each other in terms of shade? Is the difference very great?

    • the Muse

      hi angelyn. magic bb is considerably more beige so the lightest shade of mineral will prob be too light for you if you like the magic cream as the mineral has no beige it’s just a solid creamy white base. Hope this helps 🙂

  • vira

    love to read your review.. i like brand etude and try to use the precious mineral line. more interesting after read your review 🙂

  • JJ

    Hallo! Your post may have been ages ago, but I found it just a few weeks back (thank you, google). Just visited the new (well kinda, since it’s a few months old) EH in Manila and had quite a haul the other day, including the precious mineral bb cream (sheer glowing skin). Well, I love the bb cream since it remained pretty matte throughout the day (and it’s so darn hot here right now, if you can imagine). Next day I decided to experiment with sunblock underneath – don’t ask me why i did it.. the heat made me double my sunblock coverage 🙁 – and that’s when my face got really oily. Haha. Btw, great blog you have here!

    • the Muse

      hi jj! good to meet you! aw sorry to hear it didn’t work so fab with your SPF, SPF i a tough one with BB cream sometimes!!!

      Aw thanks! Cheers! hope we talk again soon!

  • BB lover

    Hello…can check with u , does the ingredient in Precious BB Cream mineral clog up the pores? Heard it has the hydrogenated vegetable oil which is not very good to our skin…any ideaS?

    • the Muse

      Hi BB Lover not sure as I can’t read ingredients. Sorry! Never had a prob with clogged pores when using it if that’s any help

  • ling

    Hello…your site is really comprehensive and informative!!! By the way, how do you feel about the difference between this particular BB cream from etude house and the Trouble Care BB Cream for innisfree? Which one do you think is lighter?

    • the Muse

      Hi Ling glad you’re enjoying my site. I’m not sure which is lighter to be honest. They are both about the same I think!?

  • GieGie

    I really like the compact. I ended up buying the pink one locally at a korean supermarket. It lasts really long on my very oily skin and it has shockingly good oil control. Any makeup that lasts on my skin is a winner for me. Plus I get a lot of compliments on how pretty and lively my skin looks. lol. I had to pay $31 tho =/

  • cho hei

    bb cream does it reduce blemishes or does it cause pimples?? coz i’ve having a hard time to reduse my blemishes.. since i was highschool my problem is my blemishes..