May 7, 2012

Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Anti-Oxidant Beauty Benefit Creme Review & Swatches

Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Anti-Oxidant Beauty Benefit Creme is a tricky little “BB Cream”. Mmmhmm quote, unquote there. After several months of use I’m still debating if I’d dub this a BB Cream or not.

Here’s a few thoughts about it.

Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Anti-Oxidant Beauty Benefit Creme, see? The name doesn’t really imply it’s a BB Cream but merely tosses around “BB” in the title. So technically, if I’m going to rant about how it is not a BB Cream I don’t really have an argument since Estee Lauder isn’t really marketing it as one. Food for thought!

What is it really?

Well, it’s a versatile little multitasker that provides a nice deal of SPF (SPF 35 to be exact), a good deal of moisture with a hydrating formula, and has the ability to even out skin tone.

It also contains an effective anti-oxidant to protect skin against free radicals which in turn acts as an anti-aging technique. Of course, I can’t really say how well this is working, only time will tell, but the stable packaging, ingredients, and overall formula shows that you are buying into a quality product on a whole here.

The oil free formula is thinner than a BB Cream but thicker than a Tinted Moisturizer with a soft, creamy feel. I think the texture is positively gorgeous and it glides lovingly across my drier skin without accentuating patchy areas. The finish is weightless and melds into skin like melted butter. Supposedly it controls oil but my skin is drier at the moment so I couldn’t say if this is indeed mattifying or not. It does remain quite hydrating through my wear time which is great for my skin type. I also felt the wear time was excellent as well without it oxidizing or fading easily, I got at least five hours in before I saw fading.

I don’t really mind fragrance in my products but this has a rather revolting cucumber fragrance I’m not fond of and it may prove a deal breaker if you’re super sensitive to fragrance in your foundation.

Overall, this comes as close to a BB Cream as you’ll get in the Western market as the creamy texture, higher level of SPF, and other multifunction of the product such as acting as a moisturizer and providing anti-aging benefits does allow it to fall into the category. I’m not really keen on the shade selection as the colors do not adjust well and I find the light to pale and the medium to dark.

Something does prevent me from officially dubbing this a BB Cream for some reason and I’m not really sure what that is. Sadly, I really didn’t like it. My first few tests with it, I was quite happy with the results but with longer use I felt like it wasn’t nearly as nice as other BB Creams I own and use daily.

Something was missing here and I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was….! After careful thought I realized the coverage was what really brought the value down. Although thick, creamy, and very much mimicking the formulation of a BB Cream it actually lacked the coverage of one. It’ll even out skin tone and perfect it but it doesn’t have the fuller coverage offered by a BB. Thus the creamy, thicker texture is like a BB Cream but the less than pigmented finish acts more like a tinted moisturizer…!

In the end, I do think that it’s worth a trip to your local counter. Swatch it, play with it, maybe even try it on…you might just love it.

Available now at Estee Lauder counters.

Tried it?

Loved?

Left?

Felt the same way I did?

Do share!

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

  • Phyrra

    I really don’t understand why most of the American bb creams seem to be tinted moisturizer instead of full coverage like a BB cream. While this one sounds better than most, it still wouldn’t provide enough coverage for those days when I want to erase it all.

  • Grace

    My friend has this and she absolutely loves this, but when I tested it it just felt a lot like slightly-thicker tinted moisturizer. However I love the slightly dewy finish and would definitely have gotten it if it had more coverage 🙁

  • Alyssa

    Just a heads up to all the sensitive skin girls, this has Bismuth Oxycholoride in it! I know I end up with burnt red splotches after I use products containing this ingredient. It’s used to create sheen but can cause havoc on certain skin types.

  • coco

    Hi muse,

    What’s a BB cream that you like to use often?

    There’s so many out there now, and I’m not sure which are legit!

    thanks,

    coco

    • the Muse

      hi coco you can check the archives under “BB Creams” and “BB Cream Reviews” I have several that I’ve recommended as favorites.

  • Beth

    I agree with you about the coverage being minimal(although it is as good as most of the tinted moisturizers I’ve used. Haven’t used many BB creams. I love the cucumber scent -found it very fresh and clean smelling. The feel and texture are superb. Didn’t notice any mattification(if that’s a word)

    • the Muse

      lol it’s a word in the beauty world beth ;-D def some mattifying properties but not so much that super oily skin will take note :-/ thing is, as a bb cream, it should def have more coverage and not act as a TM ;-/

  • lydiapurple

    I felt the same way, it applies nicely but has very minimal coverage.

  • UanaT

    I love this product. I would buy it again and again and again. I think the reasons you weren’t too crazy about it are exactly the reasons I love it lol.
    I have normal to dry skin, and some areas of pigmentation.I don’t like a very full coverage product and that’s why I love this one. It gives just enough to even out the skin tone, but you don’t look like you’re wearing product. I also don’t mind the cucmber frangrance to it, it’s quite fresh and cooling to me. It’s close to BB cream, but then I think in western culture BB cream is fancier, stronger, tinted moisturizer.
    Really good review though, very accurate. I agree, really worth a trip to their counter to check it out. Wears nice under foundation too. 😉

  • glittergirl

    I went ahead and bought the medium shade and i found it to be quite dark. I mean it’s a lovely warm shade with gold tones but i wish they had made another shade with gold tones between 1and 2.

    Also when i applied 2 tiny drops of this cream on my face it looked quite dewy and sheer, giving me a nice glow. But it only lasted on my face for about 4 hours. When it did wear off it left my face looking abit too warm and matted. Thats why i wish they did a lighter shade.

    The consistency of this cream is lovely though and makes your skin feel soft. It can be buildable to a medium coverage but i preferred wearing it on light. I think i’ll just use this on my off days, its not a bad cream but shame about their limited colour range.

  • Starla

    I tried and loved this product, however I have never used a real “BB cream” from the asian market. I like the smell and texture, and I do notice my skin is better than it was before. I love how it makes me look fresh faced without having to cake on make up, I have used it under my foundation for shoots and know now it doesn’t duty as a primer but really liked it. Its pricey for me. Have you found a “BB cream’ you’ve liked and well worth the price?