Discovering BB Creams!

For the last few months I started noticing the term ‘BB cream’ popping up everywhere in the media; from blogs to magazines. To be honest I’d never really heard of this product before and when my flatmate pointed out to me that she’d read about it and bought one, I thought to myself, Roz you are supposed to be a beauty blogger, how can you not know about this! So I decided to do a little research. If you are, like me, a bit clueless on the whole concept of BB creams then read on….

BB cream stands for ‘Blemish Balm’. Now you might think I am talking about some kind of spot cream but that’s not the case. It’s generally marketed as both a cosmetics and skincare product. BB cream was originally formulated in Germany and used by dermatologists to help laser surgery patients protect, soothe and refine highly sensitive skin while providing light coverage for post-laser scars, acne and other blemishes. BB cream became very popular in South Korea and soon, it exploded all over Asia and now it’s the new beauty hype of 2011 all over the world.

These days BB creams come in a variety of different formulations and qualities. Some are said to have skin whitening or brightening properties. Others are anti-acne, some are anti-wrinkle, some are intended to even out skin tone, and yet others to lighten blemish scars. BB creams are sometimes used like a primer under foundation, and if tinted may even replace foundation and some newer ones will have functions of primer, foundation, moisturizer, sun block, pore minimization and skin refining all together which can save time and money in make-up. Basically BB cream is billed as the answer to all your skincare woes in a single product! Sounds like heaven right?

So after doing this research I was quite keen to get experimenting to see if the hype lives up to it’s reputation! The first BB cream I decided to play with was UNE's Intuitive Touch BB-Cream foundation. UNE is the natural beauty sister company to Bourjois that promises a high performance range of products that are paraben-free, made from bio ingredients and almost totally natural. Most BB creams seem to come as a liquid form so it was quite interesting to see that UNE has launched their BB cream as a solid compact. But I have to say I like the look of its stylish simple mirrored packaging. UNE says their BB-cream foundation is a 7 in 1 product that will smooth, correct, moisturise, enhance, mattify, nourish and protect your skin at the same time! Being a creamy compact I was expecting it to feel quite oily and heavy but was pleasantly surprised that the UNE BB cream felt light, smooth and silky! It seems to almost melt into your skin and blends really naturally. It’s a cream to powder formulation and you can control the coverage you want. Apply as a concealer with the small brush provided or use your fingers or regular foundation brush (in my case my stippling brush) to apply all over your face for a light to medium coverage foundation. Final thoughts? I am enjoying using this product and it’s been a positive first experiment with BB Creams. UNE’s Intuitive Touch BB-Cream would be great for people that like a natural finish that feels gorgeously creamy and smooth on your skin, that provides that little bit extra to say a tinted moisturiser. After this I'm definitely keen to try some more BB creams to compare…..watch this space!

UNE BB cream comes in 7 shades @ RRP £14.49/€19.99.
Available from Boots, Superdrug & Lovelula.com

Has anyone tried this yet or any other B.B. Creams? Would love to hear your thoughts :) xoxo