My skin tone is more of the medium range so finding the right BB balm is a bit tricky. I also prefer to have a bit more of a tan look and not be so white which kind of goes against the BB balm idea since the balm is often aimed at whitening your skin.
The balms often come in a whopping one shade-take it or leave it. If you're lucky they come in two. They are often on the paler side of the spectrum so finding a color match for me that I like can be iffy. The following are the 4 that I have purchased and my brief opinions.
Straight out of the tubes
Spread out a bit
Sorry, only 3 are pictured here-the
L'egere White Multi is missing-see reason below.
L'egere Water Drop Shiny Pearl
The box lists the following attributes-aqua moisture, sun protect, make up base, skin cover, foundations and skin care. It also claims to be waterproof and sweatproof. It does seem to deliver on most of it's claims and this is currently the leader in my BB balm race. This balm comes out of the tube like a normal cream but as you spread it on your skin it seems to become a bit more liquid-y and easier to spread. It does provide a more moisturizing feel than the other creams I tried and it sinks into the skin quite nicely. There is also a pleasant aqua scent. The shiny pearl is very subtle and provides a very slight highlighting effect. It was also the best match for my skin tone, it allowed for some brightening and whitening but it still looked natural. Although, after using it for a few days I seem to have a bit more break out than usual. I don't know if it was other factors like stress or because of the bb balm, but it may be a bit too heavy for oilier skin types.
L'egere White Multi
This product has the same attributes as the L'egere shiny drop-sun protect, make-up base, foundation, whitening and skincare. It is a bit thicker than the shiny drop and does not have the pearl finish to it. My only problem was that when I put it on, it completely washed me out. It was so promising out of the tube and I thought it would be dark enough to blend in but in the end, I looked anemic and needed to eat a sandwich. It was not a hit for me and at first, I thought maybe I just put on too much, but no even after giving it another shot and using less, it was just not working for me. Maybe, I was too impatient and it's suppose to adjust after applying but either way I decided to pass it on to my fairer sister and see if it works for her.
IPKN Blemish Balm Plus
IPKN (as told to me by a SA) is a very popular brand in Korea. IPKN stands for Independent Professional Korean New Yorker-why? I have no clue. The package describes this balm as skin calming with Yerba Mate which is suppose to give you a "healty" look (Maybe they mean healthy? or do they mean it give you a nice healed look? ah, engrish). It also provides UV protection (SPF 20 PA++) and whitening. It comes out a pinkish gray color and not at all promising in terms of color match. There is a faint scent, but not unpleasant. The balm is not too thick and has the consistency of a moisturizer. I was surprised that this one did not completely wash me out as I expected an blended in pretty well. I especially like it when used with the IPKN powder that I recently picked up (review to come). This is my second, although it is running close to the L'egere Shiny Drop the more chances I give it.
Nanoce BB Moist Cream (No. 2 Healthy Ocre)
Nanoce is a Japanese brand. This BB is available in 2 shades, Natural Ocre and Healthy Ocre. I decided with healthy ocre since it seemed to be the darker one. The package describes it as a moisturizing cover cream that has the all the following functions: make up base, powder, moist cream, foundation and UV protection (SPF 25PA++). It is the thickest BB balm I've tried and it has the worse scent-a bit medicinal, kind of like ban-aids (sorry that is the best description I could give). This was the first BB I bought and I had high hopes, it's not bad on coverage since it is pretty thick but the color is a bit off. Not so bad that I got rid of it but not at all great. It didn't brighten that much and I still prefer to put some additional foundation on top to improve my coloring. I will just keep using it as more of a base than a stand alone product just to use the tube up.
The box lists the following attributes-aqua moisture, sun protect, make up base, skin cover, foundations and skin care. It also claims to be waterproof and sweatproof. It does seem to deliver on most of it's claims and this is currently the leader in my BB balm race. This balm comes out of the tube like a normal cream but as you spread it on your skin it seems to become a bit more liquid-y and easier to spread. It does provide a more moisturizing feel than the other creams I tried and it sinks into the skin quite nicely. There is also a pleasant aqua scent. The shiny pearl is very subtle and provides a very slight highlighting effect. It was also the best match for my skin tone, it allowed for some brightening and whitening but it still looked natural. Although, after using it for a few days I seem to have a bit more break out than usual. I don't know if it was other factors like stress or because of the bb balm, but it may be a bit too heavy for oilier skin types.
L'egere White Multi
This product has the same attributes as the L'egere shiny drop-sun protect, make-up base, foundation, whitening and skincare. It is a bit thicker than the shiny drop and does not have the pearl finish to it. My only problem was that when I put it on, it completely washed me out. It was so promising out of the tube and I thought it would be dark enough to blend in but in the end, I looked anemic and needed to eat a sandwich. It was not a hit for me and at first, I thought maybe I just put on too much, but no even after giving it another shot and using less, it was just not working for me. Maybe, I was too impatient and it's suppose to adjust after applying but either way I decided to pass it on to my fairer sister and see if it works for her.
IPKN Blemish Balm Plus
IPKN (as told to me by a SA) is a very popular brand in Korea. IPKN stands for Independent Professional Korean New Yorker-why? I have no clue. The package describes this balm as skin calming with Yerba Mate which is suppose to give you a "healty" look (Maybe they mean healthy? or do they mean it give you a nice healed look? ah, engrish). It also provides UV protection (SPF 20 PA++) and whitening. It comes out a pinkish gray color and not at all promising in terms of color match. There is a faint scent, but not unpleasant. The balm is not too thick and has the consistency of a moisturizer. I was surprised that this one did not completely wash me out as I expected an blended in pretty well. I especially like it when used with the IPKN powder that I recently picked up (review to come). This is my second, although it is running close to the L'egere Shiny Drop the more chances I give it.
Nanoce BB Moist Cream (No. 2 Healthy Ocre)
Nanoce is a Japanese brand. This BB is available in 2 shades, Natural Ocre and Healthy Ocre. I decided with healthy ocre since it seemed to be the darker one. The package describes it as a moisturizing cover cream that has the all the following functions: make up base, powder, moist cream, foundation and UV protection (SPF 25PA++). It is the thickest BB balm I've tried and it has the worse scent-a bit medicinal, kind of like ban-aids (sorry that is the best description I could give). This was the first BB I bought and I had high hopes, it's not bad on coverage since it is pretty thick but the color is a bit off. Not so bad that I got rid of it but not at all great. It didn't brighten that much and I still prefer to put some additional foundation on top to improve my coloring. I will just keep using it as more of a base than a stand alone product just to use the tube up.
1 comment:
the nanoce smell is tea tree oil smell i believe
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