Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm Multi-Benefit Skin Care Makeup Review, Swatches, Photos

BB Creams 2.0, as I like to refer them, are on the scene for Spring. We saw a bit of the BB Cream trend hit the market several months ago here in the US but now that Spring is upcoming we are seeing more and more brands releasing their version of the popular Korean foundation product.

Clueless about BB Creams? Do check out my posts here and here to get you up to speed on what exactly a BB Cream is, what it does, and how it differs from a tinted moisturizer, etc..

So far, BB Creams in the US aren’t quite up to the speed of Korean ones in my opinion particularly in terms of coverage as they seem to lean more towards being a tinted moisturizer here in the US. How they got translated to such a formula is beyond me but that be the case in my experience thus far. I think I like Clinique’s version best to date from the US releases which seemed to offer the most coverage and the most natural.

As you know Too Faced recently introduced their own BB Cream to the scene with their Spring 2012 Collection and I immediately went about getting my hands on one.

Here’s my thoughts!

Yeah well, this is disappointing. Having tried many Korean BB Creams I can honestly say this isn’t what a BB Cream is supposed to be.

On the upside if you never tried a BB Cream before this actually might be some amazingly great product for you however on the downside if you’re used to Korean BB Creams and own some already and use them and like them, well, needless to say you will be disappointed with the performance of Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm Multi-Benefit Skin Care Makeup.

First off, $32 for 1.5 oz is quite expensive if you’re judging price and size by Korean BB Creams. Korea’s market is saturated with incredible BB Creams for as little as $10-$15. I don’t necessarily mind the price so long as the formula proves worthy of that price point sadly, this doesn’t really wow me.

As you can see from the ingredients that’s not a whole lot going on here that will help you “improve your skin’s overall appearance”. However, I’m not really interested in using BB Creams as a solution for giving me perfect skin but at the very least I’d like the illusion of flawlessness.

My problem lies with the formula which is more of a tinted moisturizer than a BB Cream. It starts out fairly thick and creamy but the lighter texture as you apply reminds me more of a tinted moisturizer. It starts off a tad on the greasy side even though the formula is oil free but the load lightens some during application as the final finish is very hydrating and smooth. I do question how oily skin users will like this as it does feel a tad too moisturizing for such a skin type but Too Faced proclaims that most any skin type will be fine with including those with sensitive skin as it’s hypo-allergenic.

The finish is very smooth and even. It doesn’t accentuate flaky areas or patchy dry skin nor does it age skin or make it look dull depending the shade you choose. I find it absorbs a touch too fully resulting in very little coverage on a whole. I’d say coverage is sheer on all accounts no matter how much you apply or how much of the product you build up onto your skin. I’ve tried my fair share of BB Creams and one of the the best qualities about them is the high coverage they offer. This, however, sports the pigment of a tinted moisturizer, very sheer, very subtle. Of course, if your skin is fairly decent already with no redness, no spots, etc…you can easily indulge and get solid, lightweight coverage that evens out skin tone decently well. If you have greater coverage needs this isn’t the product for you.

This does have an SPF 20 which is decent sun protection however I do prefer a higher level of sun protection myself. It comes in four shades the darkest probably suitable for olive or tanned complexions but not darker. Most BB Creams come in one or two shades in Asia so the system we have going on here in the US a little more suited to a variety of skin tones but it still proves very limiting to many darker shades of skin. The swatch below is the second shade available called Cream Glow which is for Light to Medium skin tones. I thought the shade had a touch too much beige to it so it made my skin a little dull after use but blush and other makeup brightened things up.

Overall, I wasn’t deeply impressed with this as BB Cream but it is a somewhat nice tinted moisturizer. Thus far, BB Creams are still proving uneventful here in the US. Coverage is lacking, SPF is a tad low, ingredients aren’t exactly amazing…etc…etc…I think somehow, someway the product got lost in translation and the Western market is busy creating a sub par tinted moisturizer product rather than a BB Cream.

Meh.

Tried it?

Do share your thoughts!

Available now from Too Faced and Sephora.