BB vs. CC Battle!

Recently I have been introduced to the makeup world of BB and CC creams. BB standing for Beauty Balms or Blemish Balms and CC standing for Color Correction or Color Control. To make a long story short, BB creams started in Korea a few years back and have slowly migrated to the US. Today there many companies which carry BB creams and quickly following are CC creams.

BB creams are essentially a moisturizer, spf and light foundation coverage. Some of the originals barely have any coverage and some of them are much more along the lines of a foundation. This is because there really is no restriction on what is marketed as a BB cream. In fact, many companies (such as Cover Girl) are re-positioning their tinted moisturizers as BB creams.

CC creams are basically BB creams with additional focus on color correcting (ie. reducing redness) and often have more foundation like properties. They often also have anti-aging properties and other additional “benefits”. Once again it’s important to note that there’s no true “cc cream” definition so the products can (and will) vary.

A few weeks ago I received a sample of Smashbox’s BB Cream in something that I ordered. One day, too lazy to go downstairs to get my actual foundation bottle, I decided to use the sample. From there, I became addicted to finding a BB cream. I then read about CC creams and decided to expand my investigation. Here are the products that I’ve tried and my take on each of them! I’m not going to mention cost as every one here is going to be on the pricier side ($30-40). Please note – I cannot comment too much on the “benefits” as you can’t really “see” them so you just have to believe that they exist.

Smashbox BB Cream:

• Texture: Light. Somewhat gel-like. Spreads well but takes a little rubbing.
• Color: Limited. Light is a little too light but Light-Medium is too dark and yellow. May be difficult to match.
• Coverage: Light/Medium. Smooths out skin color but does not cover circles or marks.
• Wear-ability: Great. Doesn’t feel like you have makeup on and doesn’t produce a shine during the day. The finish is very natural! It does keep your skin moisturized as well.
• Additional thoughts: Really really like. I would have stopped here but the lack of colors is an issue. The amount of product you need is very small – the sample packet lasted me 3 days! If there were better colors this would be the winner, hands down. SPF 35!

Smashbox CC Cream:

• Texture: Less gel-like than the BB cream but takes a second to mix on your skin – keep rubbing.
• Color: Limited, like the BB cream. BB & CC colors are exact matches.
• Coverage: Medium. Covers almost all blemishes. Pretty much resembles a foundation.
• Wear-ability: Good. Same finish as the BB cream but I felt that a shine broke through by the end of the day. It did keep my skin moisturized as well.
• Additional thoughts: Like the BB cream, you don’t use a lot. A .25oz sample was about 1/4 of the way used after a week of trialing. SPF 35!

Too Faced BB Cream:

• Texture: Feels extremely light and lotion-like. Smooths into your skin very easily.
• Color: Good options. I think there are currently 5 colors.
• Coverage: Light. You won’t cover all blemishes or marks, but it will smooth out your skin. Very natural finish! I did not need any moisturizer with this. You can “build” to cover undereye circles or blemishes without it being obvious. Has a very slight shimmer to it which helps perfect your skin, but not enough for anyone else to even notice it has a shimmer. Trust me.
• Wear-ability: Great. I didn’t notice shine break out with this.
• Additional thoughts: I think this is going to be the winner!! SPF 20 is a great bonus too!

Laura Mercier BB Cream:

• Texture: Extremely light and smooth.
• Color: There are a TON of colors so it’s incredibly easy to find one that works for you!
• Coverage: Extremely light. You will need concealer if you have a true blemish. Evens out skin for redness, age spots and old scars but doesn’t hide undereye circles. If you blend it, you can’t tell you’re wearing anything. Can’t really “build” coverage if you need it.
• Wear-ability: Excellent. I felt this retains it’s “just applied” feeling throughout the day. I didn’t even come close to seeing any shine. You do not need a moisturizer with this.
• Additional thoughts: The consultant at Nordstrom recommended this to me because it is a good long-term skin line. Great all-in-on, but I think this may be more of a tinted moisturizer than a BB cream. SPF 20.

Bobbi Brown BB Cream:

• Texture: Great. Spreads easily.
• Color: There are a handful of colors but I feel they are difficult to match to my skin. Same issue as the Smashbox!
• Coverage: Light-Medium. This was a little more foundation-y than I wanted but would be a great option for a more medium coverage.
• Wear-ability: I felt there was a little shine by the end of the day. But, with more foundation-like options there often is.
• Additional thoughts: Very good, just not for me. The consultant at Nordy’s believes Bobbi Brown to be another good skin care line for long-term. SPF 35 is a bonus!

Tarte BB Cream:

• Texture: Feels like whipped cream. Your skin will take on the same texture immediately but after a few minutes it feels like your normal skin again. I wish the whipped texture lasted.
• Color: Colors are good, there’s a wide enough range that you can probably find a match.
• Coverage: Light but did looks a little foundation-like.
• Wear-ability: I felt that this one let shine break through, or maybe created a shine situation. I don’t normally “shine” but with this I had it within an hour of leaving the house. Disappointing.
• Additional thoughts: Really like it but wish it held up. I like that it has SPF 30.

Dr. Jart BB Cream:

• Texture: Feels like lotion. I think it is…
• Color: Only one. It’s very light and does do a good job matching skin tone once it’s rubbed in but it does have a gray tint to it. Better than a yellow tint. I see how this tries to reproduce the china doll skin look. I just don’t think the lasting tint is great.
• Coverage: Extremely light but kinda gray. Can’t really build it.
• Wear-ability: Great if you’re looking for a moisturizer. Adds a bit more of a dewy finish than I prefer, almost creating an oily skin look.
• Additional thoughts: I hope there are really great BB benefits to your skin as you’re not getting any of the tinted benefits here! SPF 25 is one of the benefits.

Clinique CC Cream:

• Texture: Feels like a foundation.
• Color: A few choices, you can probably find a color.
• Coverage: Medium – foundation-like. I find this issue with every clinique makeup I wear. I don’t want to look like I’m wearing makeup – sorry!
• Wear-ability: It’s fine but I don’t know about long term. My experience with Clinique is that I break out after a while. I think it suffocates skin.
• Additional thoughts: Just use a foundation and save some money if you want this look. Although, SPF 30 is nice.

Urban Decay Naked BB Cream:

• Texture: Feels like lotion.
• Color: Only one, which I guess works.
• Coverage: Extremely light.
• Wear-ability: Great if you’re looking for a moisturizer.
• Additional thoughts: While this has a tid bit more coverage/color than the Dr. Jart initially it does pretty much the same thing on the skin. I was excited for it as in the store it seemed to have a little coverage but not when I got home. Too bad because it’s supposed to have great “benefits”, including SPF 20.

Additional products that I tried in-store which didn’t even make it to the sample jars due to a major disliking upon initially trying them. Mainly they were essentially foundation, which may be okay for you if you want a completely full coverage product!

Clinique BB Cream

Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream

Dior BB Cream

IF YOU HAVE SOME YOU WANT ME TO TRY, LET ME KNOW AND IF I CAN GET A SAMPLE I’D BE HAPPY TO ADD TO MY REVIEW!