dear Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF40, PA+++

*DISCLAIMER - Item(s) sent by 08liter in exchange for an honest review.  I am not being financially compensated for this review.  All words and opinions are 100% my own.*

As I am becoming more active about my skincare routine, I researched and fell hard for Korean beauty.  Yup, officially obsessed with kbeauty now, and though I am still a newb, I have found some products I already love and some that I am super excited to try.  One of those products is a tried and true BB Cream.  A BB Cream, or blemish balm, is a workhorse, kind of does it all products.  It does everything from color correction, wrinkle care, brightens, whitens, sun care, pore care, oil control...the list goes on and on.  Here in the states, many "bb creams" are released, but none come close to asian bb creams.

Thanks to 08liter.com I had the chance to try a lovely bb by the name of dear Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF 40, PA+++.

Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream

Here we have dear Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream!  Here are its particulars...

+Plastic Tube with screw top
+Contains 40ml of cream product
+Retails anywhere from $18 - 22 USD.  Can be found at known outlets like Amazon, wishtrend, etc.
+Contains SPF 40, PA+++
+Claims - to whiten, provides wrinkle care and sebum control

Let's just get this out of the way first....western BB creams have NOTHING on its Asian counterparts. What we get here are nothing more than glorified tinted moisturizers.  From high end to drug store, I have yet to find one that promises or delivers like I heard eastern BB creams can.

Since this experience was my first with what I deemed a legit BB cream, I had no idea what to expect.  Unfortunately, a few weeks before I received this, I had gotten a tan from helping a friend move.  And boy did I tan.  Let's just say if you know you are going to be outdoors moving with no sun cover, don't buy new foundations just days before :/.

Here we have Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream, one heavy swatch and one blended.  This was taken with no flash, under kitchen/day lights.

Here is the BB cream taken with flash photography under the same kitchen/day lights.







Experience:
* Scent -  a light, pleasant combo of makeup and skincare, fades a few minutes after application.  I think even those that do not like scented products would not mind this.
* Texture - lightweight in texture, but with enough body to spread evenly.  Once blended, skin feels tacky for a few minutes.
* Application - melts nicely into the skin.  Even when applied in 2 or 3 layers (for discoloration), it layered nicely over itself and over my current concealer.  Once on, product remains tacky for a few moments.  Does dry down to a skin feel, but dewy appearance.
* Wear - This wore lovely on the skin, no primer, but I did set with a powder. 6 hours had lapsed before I noticed any immediate need to blot/reapply powder.  Skin feels soft throughout the day.  I did notice that this wore rather thickly in my hairline and stuck around that way for a while.  Brush application there seemed best for avoiding that.
* Color - As far as I know, this only comes in one shade.  Had I been the color I usually am around winter, this would have been a good match.  I did notice a heavy white cast, due to the sun protection, and also on the face, this made me look a bit grey.  It was nothing a bit of correcting with powder couldn't fix.

pre application

post application

Have been loving the feel and look of my skin during this trial with Klairs.  Look forward to seeing my skin in a few weeks and also getting my hands on some more Klairs products!

Enjoy, D

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream - review

*Disclaimer - Product shown was purchased by passengerelement blog.  I am in no way affiliated with this company or am being paid for my review*

Olay Fresh Effect BB Cream

When it comes to BB creams, my knowledge is quite limited.  I do not have access to Asian skincare or makeup near me and do not know enough about it online to make a purchase.  And, as a latina, I have seen some of the shade ranges they come in...doesn't look like any, if at all, would suit me.  But I can't keep away from new products, and I had heard so much from this line and decided to take a bite.

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream was purchased at my local Big Lots for $4.00 USD.  You can find these at most mass retailers and even Ulta.  Inside of the plastic tube, you get 2.5 fl.oz/75ml worth of creamy product.  This usually does retail a bit higher than what I found it, so be aware of that if you are on the lookout.

Olay Fresh Effects - Ingredients

Upon initial use, Fresh Effects BB Cream is heavily scented...all of my sensitive skinned or sensitive nosed people may want to opt out.  The cream was very lightweight and melted into my skin.  What I found surprising was how mattifying this was upon application.  Surprising as usually cream/lotions make me slightly shiny/dewy.

Olay Fresh Effects in Light/Medium - Flash

Fresh Effects in Light/Medium - no flash, overcast

Unfortunately, this did nothing for me.  I had no coverage of any kind.  While did make my skin soft, I saw no evening out of tone or skin perfecting qualities.  Perhaps someone with a much lighter skin color than I could wear this and actually benefit from coverage, color, but this was not a win for me.  What I have liked this for is as a mixer for other moisturizers, concealers and foundations.  I have found that this plays rather nicely with other products I normally did not get much use out of due to formulas and such.  I still can't completely get down with the scent as it lingers....for a while.

If you have nice skin and a lighter skin color...this may be the light summer moisturizer you are looking for.  If you are darker than light medium, I would look elsewhere.

Thanks! :)

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream - Light/Medium (Review)

Here we are again with another review...

This time we are discussing Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in the color Light/Medium.  The bottle is  2.5 fluid ounces and comes in a plastic squeeze type form and flip top.  I have seen this usually retail at $12.99 USD.

Garnier BB Cream

Product:

Attention:  This is my first "BB cream".  I have had no experience with any other products like this.  The cream itself is slightly thick with amazing slip.  The pigmentation on this is pretty nice!  I do warn you now...this cream is HEAVILY SCENTED!  Now, mind you, I do not mind any of my products to be scented.  Whether I like it or not is another story.  It smells like most Garnier products...slightly and artificially fruity.

To apply this, I always used my hands.  It was nice to be able to "melt" the product as I was rubbing it into my skin.  As far as coverage, instantly I looked more even.  The finish as you are done getting into the skin is FANTASTIC!  I looked dewy, toned, plump!  It was promise in a bottle!  And then, an hour passed by and that is when I noticed the major need to blot.  I was heavily oily in the t-zone area, more so than usual.  And I had also turned into an oompah loompah...ORANGE!  The oxidation of the BB cream had turned me very orange where people were asking me where I had gotten sun or if I had been tanning that day.

During the winter months, this was actually nice.  Even complexion, extreme moisturization, smooth texture.  I did not find this to react to the up and down of cold and heat of the season.  My skin drank it up and it was lovely.  But that is where it ends :(.

Before BB Cream

After BB Cream

Wow, it is truly scary to put these up here.  Yeowza!  But at least you get a sense of the change I experienced.  I totally recommend this for someone who has drier skin.  For oily girls, I would suggest staying away from this as far as possible.  Setting it with powder was nice for a bit, but once it oxidized, there really was no saving it from where it had turned.  I will not be repurchasing this product and I really do wish it would have worked for me.

Hope you guys got something out of this. :)

Have any of you out there tried this yet?  What have your results been?