Back in the day, when I knew very little about how to properly apply makeup, my go-to foundation was MAC Studio Fix. It did it’s job, in covering up imperfections, but there was a pretty big problem, it left the worlds worst line of demarkation on my oh so fair skin. My girlfriends convinced begged me to say goodbye to thick liquid concealer and heavy foundation, only to adopt a new, more natural look.
I quickly discovered Bare Minerals, and fell in love. I was (and still am) in awe of how light, simple, and just purely magical their formula is. For the last ten years, I have solely stuck with their foundation as my primary source of coverup. Needless to say, I did not jump onto the BB/CC Cream bandwagon, as I kissed liquid goodbye a long, long time ago.
Sidebar: If I’m being totally honest, I’ve been very hesitant to ever touch another liquid foundation again…
However, avoiding BB/CC Cream in 2015 is near impossible, it’s everywhere, so when I received yet another sample at Sephora, I caved.
OK, so first and foremost, the big question: What on earth is the difference between BB Cream and CC Cream? Let’s break it down.
BB= Beauty Balm
CC= Color Corrective
Both BB and CC cream act as light foundation, moisturizer, sunscreen, and contain anti-aging ingredients.
The key difference, BB cream is a non-brightening primer with heavier focus on prevention and maintenance, usually better for women with dry skin. CC cream is a skin brightening primer with focus on concealing existing issues, typically better for women with acne-prone skin (like me, sigh).
Would I consider BB or CC cream to be a ‘Must Have’ product? No.
I think they’re great in the sense that they provide an all-in-one product: lightweight foundation, sun protection, and moisturizer, but both creams are essentially a rebuffed version of tinted moisturizers, with a few more added benefits. They barely cover up my imperfections (re: dark spots and acne scars).
These are the three samples I’ve been using:
- Bobbi Brown BB Cream
- Supergoop! CC Cream
- COOLA Tinted BB Cream
I don’t particularly love any of them, but I find myself adding in the Supergoop! to my daily makeup regime, as I do love that it has SPF 40, and again, very light weight. I am still on the fence about purchasing when this (very small) samples runs out.
With that said, when I don’t feel like putting on a full face of makeup to run errands, I have adopted a new routine, that now incorporates solely BB/CC cream as my foundation (yikes!), a touch of mascara, and a hint of tinted lip balm. It allows me to be in and out of the bathroom in three minutes, tops. It’s my very low maintenance look, that I’m learning to embrace.
Ladies, what are your thoughts on BB/ CC cream? Would you incorporate into your skin care? If so, what are some must try brands?