Tag Archives: BB cream

A BB for blemish-prone skin: New La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur

Posted in Beauty, Skincare by

larocheposay_effaclar_bbblur_review - 1Many a times I said I’m not a fan of BB creams and other multi-function products.

It’s time I stopped, given that so many proved me wrong last year! The La Roche-Posay BB Blur, although carries another thing I don’t quite like (blur) has once again proved me wrong.

This mousse consistency product, however, is tinted, offering a really great coverage and is light as air.

It applies very well, but doesn’t set too quickly and it has all the Effaclar goodness to care for blemish-prone and sensitive skins. Plus, it has SPF20.

Look is flawless and I can see that blur working hard.

larocheposay_effaclar_bbblur_review - 2Durability wise, it’s not amazing in the long haul (10 hours on a work day), so I wouldn’t say it will replace my foundation, but it’s perfect for less makeup days and speedy makeup. Because it is from the Effaclar range, not only does it make my skin look good, but it’s also looking after my blemish prone skin.

I love wearing it for the gym or hoop classes (where might be photography involved); it hangs in there pretty well and combats shine.

The technology behind it is airlicium, a mattifying ingredient which combats shine and imperfections; perlite, which protects against humidity and has absorbing powers and BB pigments which offer a great colour adapting coverage.

For that, it absorbs oil, blur fine lines and wrinkles, smoothes texture, softens, scatters light for better tone, covers blemishes, blur marks, masks redness, minimises pores and evens out skin.

somanylovelythings - la roche posay effaclar bb blur I must admit that I notice all benefits above, but mainly even tone, a slight radiance and better texture, which is quite amazing, bearing in mind it is one product.

It does come in two colours, Light/Fair and Light/Medium, but sadly not suitable to darker skin tones. The medium is already on the light side for my skin, which is not a very fair shade, but not dark.

A fabulous surprise from a brand that entered So Many Lovely Things recently and is certainly here to stay. La Roche-Posay has opened 2016 with a bang.

The  is now available exclusively at Escentual (at a promotional price of £11), will be sold Boots and pharmacies nationwide from April 2016 and costs £16.50.

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This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: Simple Kind to Skin+ Perfecting Beauty Balm (BB cream)

simple bb cream - somanylovelythings

Love the Kind to Skin+ package designs!

I must say, before anything, I am not a fan of BB creams. For someone like me, who looks for a full coverage, BB creams just don’t quite cut it.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised with Simple’s very first BBC cream, part of their Kind to Skin+ range.

What I really like about it is that, even though they only have one colour, it did blend extremely well on my face. And over at the event, there were a few bloggers, with different skin tones and they all seem to share this opinion. Also, the coverage is very good. One day, I even wore it on its on (with a bit of powder to set) and it was fine!

It blends very well, absorbs quickly and the finish is very sheer and natural; in terms of colour and coverage is great!

I also tried it as a primer. This worked alright, it didn’t actually make the make-up last longer (which is not really this product’s job, but hey, gotta try!), but made it look good.

simple bb cream - somanylovelythings

Well pigmented, very good coverage

The thing I don’t like about this is that it has light reflecting particles. Although I am a massive fan of the glow they give, because of my skin condition, any shimmer will only make scars more evident, so I have been using matte products only for a very long time now.

For this reason alone,  I don’t think this product is particularly suitable for me. Had the particles not been there, I think Simple could probably have made me change my mind about BB creams. Now, that is something!

As other Simple products, it is suitable for sensitive skin; it has no fragrance (love that – again!), SPF 15, ginger root extract, bisabolol, sweet almond and sunflower seed oils.

If you have much better skin than me (which most people do anyway), I think this is a little gem – and for an RRP of £8.99, you should definitely try (currently at Superdrug for £5.99!!!). It is an item of make-up that also cares for your skin and will give you that nice glow!

simple bb cream - somanylovelythings

This is the kind of lovely glow this product gives your skin!

You can find more information on the Simple website.

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review – 17 BB cream

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

After hearing wonders about BB creams, I decided I needed to get hold of one. Who doesn’t want to sport skin as they promise? I mean, who wouldn’t kill  “to reveal the magic of flawless skin with this all-in-one foundation plus skincare wonder product”?

This cream claims to give full coverage which conceals imperfections and helps control oil;  even skins tone for a flawless finish and protect your skin with SPF 25 and hydrating formula. Great, eh? So I bought the 17 Blemish Balm, for a reasonable £5.99, on offer (normal price £6.99) from Boots.  I originally wanted the Garnier one, but the branch I visited didn’t stock it, so I decided to give this one a go.

It is worth pointing out that I have sensitive combination skin, with a sometimes oily t-zone and the eventual drier patches. I suffered from severe acne in the past and although it’s all  gone, I have breakouts from time to time. I don’t have an uneven skin tone, but have some mild acne scars on my cheeks, slightly enlarged pores (not too bad) and occasionally, some redness from irritation.

Bearing that in mind, this is my opinion and experience with the product:

The first thing I noticed was the colours limitation: two to be precise –  light and medium. Now, what do darker skins do? Not sure. I went for medium, as I have olive skin. The colour is not a good match for me, as it is medium for pink based skin tones. As I have yellow tones in my skin, none of the colours are ideal.

Second, I thought about posting a picture and decided against; there was no difference, it feels like a thin tinted moisturiser, it hid some minor blemishes, but didn’t offer good coverage. Needless to say, I am mortified to be photographed without make up, *twice* would be an insult.

Having said that, some reviews mentioned it could be ok to use as a primer, but  I don’t think it particularly fixes make up – I tried and it didn’t do it for me.

However, the absolute killer was the way the product made my skin feel very greasy, clogged, as if it couldn’t breathe. Minutes after applying, I felt I should wash my face. I had some break outs, and I am not, in any way, blaming the product for them, but now I haven’t used the product for a week or so, they have cleared – just saying.

I must mention, as explained above, that I don’t have flawless skin (if I had, I probably wouldn’t feel so tempted to buy the product in the first place), but my current foundation, which has a medium/sheer coverage, mixed with a little moisturiser offers much better coverage – without the greasy feeling.

Concluding, I can’t really see any of its magic, I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t buy it again or recommend and this is not really for me.

I do hope others had a better experience with this! Have you tried this or another BB brand? What did you think?