Having been a long time user and fan of Korean BB Creams I’ve very pleased they have finally entered the US market. Actually, technically, I’m both pleased and disappointed.
The formula has under gone some vast changes in the transition from the Eastern to Western market. It is understandable though on some levels. There is room for adjustment in the formula as well since our market isn’t as interested in the whitening abilities of skincare products as a dominate Asia market would be.
Unfortunately, one of the things that is unforgivable is that formulas introduced have morphed and become so far removed from the original intent of a BB Cream that really, the only thing we are seeing at this point is a BB that acts more as a tinted moisturizer more than anything else.
Needless to say they have originally started out as one product but ended up adjusting to suit many different needs. Formulas in Asia tend to cover a wide spectrum of skin concerns such as concealing, producing flawless skin, whitening, brightening, anti-aging, and more….
Versus a lighter, sheerer formula here in the US that promises very few of the things listed above.
Dr. Brandt Felxitone BB Cream attempts to replicate the traditional Asia BB Cream. I had some interesting results with it. Here are my thoughts!
If you’re unfamiliar with BB Creams I do suggest reading this post prior to reading my review of the new Stila Stay All Day 10 in 1 HD Beauty Balm. Hopefully it’ll enlighten you to what a BB Cream is.
With Summer here, we’ll be seeing more and more BB Creams popping up but these products aren’t new by any means as they have been popular in Korea for a very long time and just over the last year or two Japan and the rest of Asia.
BB Creams are a cool product in the fact they offer flawless, long wearing coverage with the added benefit of anti-aging, whitening, and SPF ingredients to keep skin looking its very best. There are SO many brands of BB Creams in Korea in a variety of formulas to try but lucky enough we are a bit more limited here in the US. I say lucky because sometimes it does get overwhelming and finding just the right BB Cream for your skin tone and issues comes down to trying many products before finally finding just the right one for your tone, skin type, and issues. Believe me, I’ve tried hundreds!
Not many Western brands have succeeded in capturing the idea, concept, and formula of an Asian BB Cream but the attempts and tries so far are interesting.
Stila Stay All Day HD Beauty Balm will essentially be a disappointment if you’ve tried Asian BB Creams before however it might just prove a win for those who haven’t been initiated into the world of Asian BB Creams.
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.
I suspect that Garnier will start releasing their BB Cream here in the US soon. If we don’t see it for Spring 2012 we will most definitely see it for Summer 2012.
The BB Cream trend we saw around Fall will probably pick up speed again for Spring and Summer and hopefully we’ll see some of the first BB Creams in US Drugstores at some point during those seasons. The first drugstore BB Cream to pop up in the UK and Ireland was Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector All in One BB Cream so I predict it’ll be our first as well.
If you aren’t familiar with BB Creams or not sure what I am talking about I suggest you read my What is a BB Cream prior to reviewing this review.
Clinique has joined the realms of BB Creams being released in North America. Thus far we’ve seen BB Creams from Smashbox, Boscia, Dr. Jart, and MAC.
I’ve noticed a few main differences with BB Creams here in the US versus the many I’ve tried here from Asia, these differences include:
Lower SPF (15 to 30 but no higher)
Lack of anti-aging ingredients
No whitening properties
No Acne, skin treatment ingredients
Lack of pigment
Of course, these things are to me what makes up a good Asian BB Cream however, North American standards are somewhat different particularly when addressing whitening ingredients, this is understandable and the lack of such an option in our BB Creams can be overlooked but other things such as anti-aging ingredients, lower SPF, etc…is rather disappointing.
Clinique released it’s BB Cream in Asia several months ago and most recently we are able to purchase it here in the US.
Let’s take a look at Clinique Age Defense BB Cream and see if it lives up to Asian standards.
Since Dr Jart released Water Fuse Beauty Balm on Sephora I’ve gotten several hundred e-mails asking me if it was anything like the Dr Jart Dew Drop BB Cream. I think someone had even commented on my review post of the Water Fuse and said it was the same product as the Dew Drop Blemish Base.
I think alot of you that may already own the Dew Drop version were curious whether you needed to haul the US version.
I’m here to say the two products are completely different right down to the SPF levels each contains, the color, and the formula.
Last year Estee Lauder introduced a travel exclusive BB Cream available in various airports in Asia. I believe mine came from Japan Duty Free but don’t quote me could have been Singapore.
From what I understand it was later also available in the UK but I can’t confirm this.
They now have a newer version of the cream available on counters in Japan and a few Asian countries called Estee Lauder CyberWhite Brilliant Cells Extra Intensive BB Cream SPF 35 where as mine is the CyberWhite Ex Extra Intensive Multi-Action Formula BB Cream SPF 35. After reading up on both it seems they are pretty much the same product but I haven’t tried the Brilliant Cells version so I can’t confirm.
This is probably one of the most expensive BB Creams I own. I’m raking my brain as I have 30-40 tubes in rotation and honestly, I can’t think of a BB Cream that cost me this MUCH. It retails for a whooping ¥5,460 (yen), near $60 USD.
Holika Holika is a newer brand that launched in Korea. The brand is starting to gain an online awareness now so you’ll see it pretty much popping up everywhere as it begins to go viral.
Part of its popularity could be due to the fact CN BLUE endorses the brand or the fact that it has a certain Harry Potter/Gothic witchy deal going on. Store employees are all dressed like witches and products all have a boil, boil, toil and trouble potion vibe going on.
I chose to believe everyone is flocking to the store because they really dig Jung Yong Hwa in manliner and they feel bad he didn’t get the guy errrr girl in You’re Beautiful. Let’s give Yong Hwa all our money because he was the odd man out in You’re Beautiful! Awwww! Poor Yong Hwa! Boy, you can put your dupetastic, Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Mascara look-a-like mascara on my lashes any damn time you want!
See? Korean brands know what we women want! A cute Asian boy leaning in to apply our makeup that wears liner better than us! Yes Siree bring that on now!
The brand has a line of Petit BB Creams available in five formulas. I believe they dubbed them Petit due to the small tubes they come in. I really like the size because I find it hard getting through BB Creams since 1. I have over 30-40 of ‘em and 2. they are so pigmented a single tube can literally last you into the next millennium.
Let’s take a look at Holika Holika Petit BB Cream Moisture.
As you know Boscia has a brand new BB Cream available. Boscia BB Cream SPF 27 PA++ is a skin perfecting Blemish Balm to create a more flawless finish with a moisturizing formula that hydrates, firms, and soothes skin while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and pores plus added SPF 27 for sun protection.
So far we have four major BB Cream releases in the US, one from Boscia, two from Dr. Jart, and one from MAC. Early June, you’ll see another from Smashbox. Obviously, the BB Cream craze that has swept Korea and Asia for the past few years is finally capturing the apple of America’s eye.
If you aren’t familiar with BB Creams I do urge you to check out my What is a BB Cream? post and also to brush up on your knowledge of how they are different from tinted moisturizers in my BB Cream versus Tinted Moisturizer post. Both posts will aid you in discovering BB Creams, understanding them, and give you a slew of various facts about the product.
My main complaint with BB Creams I’ve tried that have released here in the US is the lack of pigment. They aren’t typical BB Cream fare that I’ve come to know and love from Asia however props to getting the word of BB Creams to the Western market, finally.
Boscia BB Cream SPF 27 PA++ is the first self adjusting BB Cream thus far. Since BB Creams normally come in one shade they adjust to fit many shades…of course, this doesn’t always work well but I’ve had great success with many Asian brands who do support this “technology”. Boscia actually gets this down quite well in my opinion where as versions from both MAC and Dr. Jart did not successfully adjust (in the case of Dr. Jart they didn’t really promise it would in their defense).
So you wanna know the deets on the new MAC Prep + Prime Beauty Balm SPF 35 eh? I’ve had it for several months now heck maybe it’s even been a year….I believe mine came from Duty Free in either Japan or Singapore, not sure which. This was around the original date when it was available within Asia only.
The tube I’m reviewing for you is from Asia but I do want to indulge in the one that has released on our shores as well just to see if the formulas are the same. I suspect they are but out of curiosity I will be buying the other version and comparing the two for any differences.
If you’re unfamiliar with BB Creams or have questions about them I do suggesting familiarizing yourself with them by clicking here.
Hmmm word on the street is that people are pretty happy with the new Dr. Jart Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25 PA++ that debuted at Sephora recently.
After trying the Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm BB Cream and being disappointed I was excited to try this version since many of you seemed quite pleased with it.
With BB Creams finally taking the Western market by storm I was quite hyped about testing out US formulations of a BB Cream plus add to the fact that we’d have options available that were easy to purchase and needless to say you can add to my excitement. Most folks that have never tried an Asian BB Cream will probably rave the new collection of Dr. Jart BB’s available at Sephora. It’s a given that having never tried something superior that you’ll instantly like these rather brilliantly formulated products however being a connoisseur of BB Creams I can honestly say so far these options prove very, very low calorie compared to Korean BB Creams.
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