BB Cream 101

Sunday, June 17, 2012


So lately, there’s a ton of buzz about this wonderfully innovative product you may or may not have heard of… introducing the BB cream (aka Beauty Balms)!  I’ve been known to say that I love when my beauty products can multitask!  Well, BB creams are the epitome of the word ‘multitask’.   Ladies, you can chuck all those bottles of moisturizer, primer, oil control creams, sunscreen, and treatment serums in the trash because all you need is a one good BB cream and let IT take care of all that and more!  Think of the money you’ll save!!!  No really, think of the super cute shoes you could be sporting because you no longer need to invest in a thousand separate products!  I mean, who wouldn’t love a little extra money in their ‘shoe fund’ piggy bank right? 
Well, I must admit, I was quite intrigued by all the hype when I received one BB cream in my May Birchbox that I kind of loved!  Not knowing much about BB creams, I decided to take a little trip to Sephora (I know, I know… any excuse to go there right? Well, this one was kinda legit!).  When I inquired about BB creams, I was immediately directed to Cathy Ortuso whom seemed to have a world of knowledge when it came to this stuff!  Her enthusiasm and comfort with the subject, reminded me of how giddy I get when chatting about beauty products!  Loved her!  I explained that I wanted to learn more, and would love to sample some of these creams before investing in one.  She so kindly picked out her favorites and began by sharing some of her wonderful knowledge with me.
First she showed me two Dr. Jart’s Water Fuse w/ SPF 25 and Dr. Jart’s Premium Beauty Balm.  She suggested that Dr Jart’s Water fuse is best for the warmer months and the Premium is better for the cooler months.  Now here’s an interesting tidbit, the ingredients make the color of this beauty balm!!! What??  Here I thought there was actual foundation in here!   According to Cathy, bb creams essentially prime, moisturize, protect from the sun, fight against aging and lastly they hydrate the skin.  Can you imagine a product that does all of those things?   Are you sold yet?  Clearly you are!!!  So I tried both and loved them.  In fact, it wasn’t until I got home that I realized that the Dr. Jart’s water fuse was actually the bb cream that I received in my Birchbox and loved! 
The next product was the Smashbox bb cream.  Now I’d heard a ton of positive reviews about this particular product.  Cathy assured me that these bb creams were perfect for enhancing and evening out the skin rather than change the skin color.  These are not foundation and certainly don’t feel heavy like most foundations do.  I’m certainly not a fan of the way foundation feels on my skin and can assure you, that all of the products that I sampled felt very light. 
The next product was the ‘No Foundation Foundation’ by Perricone MD.    No I didn’t type that twice, that’s the actual name!  This product contains antioxidants, it lifts and firms (wonder if this would work on my rear section if you know what I mean!!!)  These products are meant to enhance the skin so they’re great worn alone or under foundation. 
Lastly, she introduced me to Sarah McNamara Skin Transformerwith SPF 20.  Ok, they only had a sample in the shade ‘deep dark’ so when she put a dab on my skin was like “oh heck no’!  But once she massaged it in, it blended to my skin tone and really did enhance it.   I found this particular bb cream to be so perfect for my summer sun kissed skin!   In fact, I’ve already returned to Sephora to purchase the full size which I’m now religiously wearing every single day!  I plan on purchasing Dr. Jart’s bb cream at the end of the summer when my color starts to fade.
Well, I’d like to give a major shout out to Cathy Ortuso at the Sephora at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ for willingly sharing her wonderful knowledge on BB creams with me.  I learned so much!  Which goes to show, don’t be afraid to ask your local Sephora sales associate about any product you may have questions about.  If you’re lucky like me, you’ll walk away feeling much more confident with your beauty investment!   Cheers to Sephora and Cathy!
Ok if you have yet to enter my giveaway, please be sure to do so by scrolling to the previous post!  GOOD LUCK!
BTW don't forget to become an official follower of FMM!  Also follow me on Twitter @fashionmavenmom and 'like' my FB page! xoxo

4 comments:

  1. I am thinking to buy a BB cream but I don't know if it can do the same work that the make-up does... ANd where I live, we don't have many choices about this product.... I am in a big dilemma :P Thank you about the article though. It has been very helpful :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've tried bb cream and it isn't the best mix for combination oily skin... I've read great reviews! I am pretty lucky to live in Downtown Chicago where the merchandise at Marshall's and Nordstrom Rack is slightly selected at a more upscale level. I really lucked out on my sunglasses, I couldn't believe it when I saw the HOH1960 Emily sunglasses, they're not even last season!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can't wait to try a BB cream, Thanks so much for the reviews! It was so nice seeing you today Carla, I hope we can beauty chat again soon!

    xo Lacroix

    ReplyDelete
  4. hi carla what a great post, i got my first bb cream at the airport 2 months ago, its an estee lauder one, it was very expensive, i do like it but i couldnt wear it alone, it is a bit sticky to, iv heard the loreal one is a great cheaper version of it, i wish we had sephora here its a fabuous shop and that girl sounds amazing, i like the fact thoug that it has such a high sun factor in it, (mind you we never get the sun)!!! have a great weekend my gorgeous friend, kisses xx leonie

    ReplyDelete

- DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS -