Mac Face & Body Foundation N1 and Mac Prep + Prime BB Cream Extra Light

Apart from the lipstick samples, I also ordered two foundation/BB samples from The Body Needs. You get a 3 ml sample of the Face & Body Foundation in a small squeezy bottle for 2.99$ and the BB sample comes in a small plastic pot for 2.79$. There is a big selection of shades, but I don't know if those are all the shades available by Mac.

Mac Face & Body Foundation N1

Texture: This is the runniest foundation I tried and it feels very lightweight. It needs to be shaken before use otherwise it looks a bit separated. 

Coverage: This has a very light coverage. It's like a tinted moisturiser with a sheer to light coverage and it only evens out the skin, but doesn't cover circles, freckles, any prominent redness, blemish marks nor blemishes themselves. It is buildable, however, I find that not much. Layering gives a bit more coverage, yet nothing like a proper light to medium foundation, but still more than the Prep + Prime BB.

Finish: This is the most natural finish out all foundations I tried. It's skin-like and even if looking very closely you can't see you're wearing anything. The finish is the same as your base is, so for example if you used a mattifying lotion it's matte. Due to light texture it blends in seamlessly into the skin. 

Colour: N1 looks too dark and slightly orange for my pale skin, but since the coverage is so sheer it blends in ok giving me an hint of a natural tan effect. 

It's lovely foundation for a those who prefer sheer coverage and the no-makeup makeup look as it is undetectable on the skin. However, the lightest shade in the N range isn't exactly light.

I layered it a lot on the right picture:

Mac Prep + Prime BB Cream Extra Light

Texture: It's very similar to thick moisturisers. Despite the thickness, it's easy to apply but lacks the silicone feeling that most foundations have. It reminds me of home-made tinted moisturisers that I used to mix (one part foundation, one part moisturiser).

Coverage: It's very light, again like a tinted moisturiser. The coverage is similar to the Face & Body in a sense that it evens out the skin, but doesn't cover circles, freckles, any more prominent redness, blemish marks nor the blemishes themselves.

Finish: It's a bit dewy from the beginning, but then it sets to a satin/natural skin-like finish.

Colour: Extra light fits me ok, though it is a bit too warm for my neutral skin, but since the coverage is so light it blends into my skin nicely.

Another very light coverage product, but with a much thicker texture and an SPF 35. The moisturiser type texture makes it nice for dry skin. The colour fits me much better than the Face & Body, however, not as well as other BB's I own. 

Have a great day!

Diorskin Nude BB (plus Guerlain's Lingerie de Peau BB)

I am a fan of foundations/BBs that give that skin-like finish and Dior's BB is exactly that. A while back, I had a sample of this BB cream which really impressed me. So as soon as I found a nice offer I snatched  a tube for myself.

It is a medium thickness BB cream that blends into the skin so well. I find it looks best applied with a brush, I like Real Techniques buffing brush the most for applying this BB, but fingers work ok too.

The finish is semi-matte and there is some healthy radiance to it. It looks like skin and you can't really see that your wearing anything, it just sort of melts in. It reminds me of Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, but less radiant and Bourjois BB cream. Much like Bourjois HM serum, it leaves the skin (almost) dry to the touch, which is a huge plus for me. I set it with powder in this hot weather otherwise my T-zone gets shiny, but I probably won't have to in colder months. It looks fantastic in combination with Mac Mineralize Skinfinish natural. My skin doesn't get flaky during the day and it wears off nicely. Staying power is nice, there is a lot left on the cotton pad when I take my makeup off at the end of the day. I also find it works fantastic if you reapply it over existing makeup to freshen up.

It has light coverage, even lighter than Bourjois HM Serum and less than all other foundations/BB's I own. It doesn't cover circles and my freckles are still visible, but you can build it up a bit with more layers. Basically, it just makes the skin looking more even, like you have naturally great skin. For any imperfections, I use concealer as would with any other foundation/BB.

Every time I find a really light shade sold in my country, I get really excited. 001 is a very light, pink-toned shade that is a nice match for me and blends very well with my skin tone. I have more or less a neutral skin tone and Bourjois 51, which is yellow toned, also matches me nicely because it has low coverage. But as far as undertones go, my absolute best match is Missha Signature Real Complete BB in 13, which is neutral. There are tree shades of Diorskin BB available, 002 might be most universal.

The packaging is great. A sleek tube with a great pump that dispenses the desired amount. This is how it should be done. I always use quite small amount of foundation and one pump is enough for my needs. The BB has an SPF 10, which is shamefully low, but it works nice with the sunscreen I use, so it's not a deal breaker.

I got mine from Feel Unique for 31€, when I had a discount. Regular price is around 37€.
If you're a fan of light coverage with skin-like finish, give it a go, but I suggest you get a sample first. 

I'm wearing only the BB here:

Since we are on a subject of high-end BB's, I had a sample of Guerlain's Lingerie de Peau BB when I was deciding whether to get Dior's one or Guerlain's. I did a swatch of the shade and took a picture of how it looked on the skin.

Unfortunately, the lightest shade is a bit too dark for me. Though it wasn't the worst match, it was dark enough for me to notice. I would have to self-tan to be able to wear it. The coverage is much higher than Dior's BB, I'd say medium (medium-full  if you build it up), and I didn't need to use concealer under the eyes or around the nose, only on blemishes. It has an SPF 30, which was the thing that draw me to it. The texture is thicker and heavier than Dior's, but the finish is the same semi-matte. It's a lovely BB cream and I would buy it if they had a shade that suits me. There are only two shades available.

Again I'm wearing only the BB here. See how much better it conceals circles.

Have a great day!

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream

I became very, very pale this winter, too pale for my beloved Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51, so I went on a search for an extremely light shade of foundation or BB cream. I found some great reviews on MUA for Missha's BB creams and their shade number 13, so I ordered myself a small tube of the M Signature Real Complete B.B. Cream. This is my third Asian BB and it is very different than the other two I tried (Skin79 Pink Label - review and Holika Holika Peach Girl - review), particularly in terms of texture. 

The texture is very light and runny. It reminds me a lot of Bourjois Healthy Mix serum, but the latter has a bit more coverage. Also, unlike HM serum, this BB leaves my skin tacky for about a 1/2 hour, then it finally dries and sets. It has an SPF 25 PA++. Like most Asian BB's, it best applied with fingers, namely it needs the warmth of the finger tips to blend in. Since it's not as thick as the rest BBs, it also works fine with a brush.

It has light to medium coverage. It evens out the skin and covers minor redness, however, as you can see on the picture below, it doesn't cover blemishes, dark circles or strong redness. It has a dewy finish and I suspect most with oilier skins will perhaps find it too dewy. Like Healthy Mix Serum it makes your skin look like you have nothing on, it just looks like your skin but better and this is the finish I love the most. I don't detect any grey tones that Asian BB creams usually have.

Staying power is decent, it's not going to last all day, but keep in mind this is a dewy, light coverage foundation. It wears off nicely, evenly and doesn't go patchy like foundations with fuller coverage do on me.

It smells like baby powder and the scent is quite strong, but it disappears quickly.

The shade I got, number 13, is the lightest I have ever come across. It's somewhere between neutral and pinky toned, and fits me perfectly right now. In fact, this is the first foundation/BB that fits me that well and  Bourjois foundations, though very light, are very yellow toned. There are two more shades, number 21, which I hear is close to Skin79's Pink Label BB, and darker one, number 23.

I got the small, 20g tube, which is nice and it's easy to get the product out. The full size tubes come with a pump and contains 45g of product.

I bought it on eBay for 11$ (8.5€ / 7.30£). Full size is about 14€ / 12.50£ / 17$ (it depends on the seller, obviously).

I've had it for a month now and I really enjoy wearing it, however, I got blackheads on my nose, which I've never had before. I can't be certain that this BB is the cause for it, it could be Collection 2000 concealer causing it, but these are the only things I changed. I haven't had any breakouts elsewhere.

I'm wearing only Missha BB here with no concealer:

I'm also wearing Missha BB but with Collection 2000 concealer in this post.

I really like this BB, because the shade is perfect, I love the light texture, dewy finish and the fact that is almost undetectable on the skin. However, I don't like that it leaves my skin tacky and I'm concerned about the blackheads. It rivals my beloved Healthy Mix Serum, however, I still think the latter looks and feels better on the skin.

Thanks for reading!

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Bourjois BB Cream

This BB was one of my very rare impulse buys. What got me was the packaging which is one of the most functional ones I've seen. It's a very new product on the market, but just one of the many western attempts at BB creams. I was very self-tanned when I bought it, so naturally the shade is very dark, what's the problem is that it is the lightest in the range.

Packaging: I was swayed by the packaging. I'm one of those, who is drawn to the functionality rather than prettiness. It's a compact BB cream with a huge mirror that swivels 360° degrees. I really wanted it just to keep it in my make up bag as a foundation/concealer on the go. Because it's a shiny black plastic it doesn't stay clean for long, you can see every fingerprint and smudge on it. It really is great on the go because the compact is thin and not too big, not to mention how awesome is the mirror.

Product: It claims to be 8-in-1, but most of the things on their list is just Captain Obvious stuff from my perspective. It has an SPF of 20. It's is very creamy and soft, but not as soft as Max Factor Miracle Illusion. It blends so well, it just melts into the skin. The finish is very natural, just like skin, not too matte and not dewy. I really like the finish, it's like you have nothing on, even from looking really close you can't tell you're wearing anything. I like the application with fingers most, I tried using a brush but it ended up too uneven. Because my skin is currently very dry, I use one of my oils as a base and this helps the BB to look even better. The coverage is light-medium, my darker freckles are still visible and it doesn't completely cover the redness around the nose and under the eyes. I find this clings to patches if I don't use an oil. I didn't even realize how small the amount of product actually is when I was buying it. It's only 6g and I've been using it about a week and I already hit the pan! I'm not the one to cake on foundation, in fact, I always use quite small amount, but this is just insane. Staying power is quite good, it lasts over 8 hours and it fades nicely in terms that it doesn't get ugly patchy and keeps oiliness any at bay (at least with my skin).

Shade Range: The biggest flop by Bourjois. There are only four shades available and two of them, 21 and 23, are almost identical. I've always relied on them to have the lightest foundations for us Snow Whites. They basically lost a huge cut of the market, it's like they forgot it's sold in Europe. The lightest shade called 21 Vanilla is just a smidgen lighter than Flower Perfection 53. Just like most of the western companies they completely disappointed me by creating a BB cream that doesn't even carry a light shade. I can only wear it if I'm self-tanning and I do that on rare occasions when I want a change (plus coral lipsticks look so much better on me when I'm tan).

Verdict: I love the packaging and I like the finish. But the amount of product is way to small for a 15€ price tag. The most disappointing thing is the shade range. If they had two lighter shades I'd be probably raving about it. I'd say it's good for oilier/combination/normal skin and it's not the best for dry skin without a heavy, moisturising base underneath.

Thanks for reading!

Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream SPF37 PA++

After being super happy with my Skin79 Pink Label BB cream (which is still going strong, despite being a bit worried that it was running out) I purchased another one. This time I went with Holika Holika Peach Girl for very simple reasons: 1. higher SPF, 2. the cutest little cream blush in the lid, 3. mine was cheaper at the time for 50ml than Skin79 Gold Label (my second choice). 

Again I ordered from a Korean seller on eBay called sing-sing-girl and surprisingly it only took 2 weeks to arrive. I paid 10€ for it. Together with the BB cream I also received a couple of samples. I got the shade #2 which is almost identical to Skin79's Pink Label. #1 is lighter and according to other reviewers fits even the palest of the Snowhites (NC10). It has an SPF37 PA++.

The amount you get is a generous 50ml plus a very pigmented cream blush and a mini mirror in the lid. The packaging is a tube with a label sticker, nothing fancy but works just fine. If I compare it to Skin79 Pink Label, Peach Girl has a lot more coverage, I'd say medium and comparable to the original Healthy Mix. Second layer provides almost full coverage, so it covers dark circles and any darker red spots (I have a couple old blemishes on my chin and the second layer covers them just fine. For bigger spots some additional concealing is needed). As at Skin79 BB cream, Peach Girl is also a bit grey upon application. Now that I self tanning and I'm somewhere between Healthy Mix 52-53 (MAC N20-30), the grey cast is a lot more obvious, however, it adapts to your skin tone within a minute and isn't visible any more. Here are swatches on my untanned arm (so NC 15 or Healthy Mix 51) taken indoors. Bourjois Healthy Mix foundations run more yellow, while both BB creams have more pink undertones. Peachy Girl has a touch of peachy tones in it compared to Skin79's BB. I just happened to have a sample of Flower Perfection, so I added it to show the comparison of shades. But keep in mind that BB creams adapt to your skintone. In my experience Skin79 fits me if I'm NC15 (Bourjois 51) or if I'm self tanning. 

The finish is dewy and it makes your skin very healthy looking. However, if you have oilier skin you might find the dewyness a bit much, so I suggest using a powder over the top. Personally, I love the dewy finish of a foundation so I normally don't use powder (also my skin is a bit more on the drier side). As at Skin79's BB it looks very natural on the skin and you can't really tell you're wearing anything and this despite a higher coverage than Skin79's. It's definitely the most long-lasting BB/foundation I used, it stays put for the entire day and I tested it in the hottest weather of this year with temperatures reaching as high as 36°C. I even went swimming with it, but it didn't really survive that well (not that I was expecting that anyway). 

The blush in the lid is very pigmented and has a nice dewy finish, I don't require the use of highlighter with this one. The shade is a lovely peachy pink that gives a nice flush, probably my favourite colour from my selection of cream blushes. The fact it comes in a lid is even more appealing as it's very convenient and travel friendly. Here is a swatch of the blush and BB cream in direct sunlight. The blush is a touch more pink in RL, my camera just hates taking pictures of coral shades.

Get Peachy Girl if you want a BB that gives more coverage, also the blush is super cute. High SPF is another bonus and the price for the amount is quite reasonable. Overall a lovely product. 

Thanks for reading!

Skin79 Pink Label BB Cream

 

I finally caved. After all the raves in the make up community about BB creams, I couldn't resist ordering one for me. I decided to get Skin79's Pink Label version, because it's rated high on MUA and because it was quite cheap on eBay. Also I wanted something with a high SPF and this one has an SPF 25. I ordered it from this seller (based in South Korea) and I paid a bit over 10€ plus it came with a lot of samples. It took forever to arrive (a little over three weeks), but I blame our postal service (I think they lost my package from feelunique, because it's been over two weeks since I ordered it. I'm just livid right now).

The packaging is just brilliant. The colour is a bit bright, but it looks so cool. I got the smaller version (15g), because it took me years to use up my previous foundation. The bigger version (40g) is actually not that much more expensive, but I just don't need that much product also this one is much more travel friendly. The pump works great, you can easily get the amount of product you need.  

A lot of reviewers pointed out how grey it looks on the skin for the first 10 minutes, however, I find it adapts to my skintone (NC15 or NC20 if I'm self tanning) in seconds. The coverage is a bit more that an average tinted moisturiser, it's similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, but the latter still has a touch more coverage. It looks incredibly natural on the skin, nobody will notice you're wearing anything. It has quite a matte finish, I find it perhaps a bit too matte for my liking (I'm a fan of much more dewy finishes, the likes that Healthy Mix serum gives), so I use highlighter where needed. I have combination skin, with normal/dry cheeks and normal/a bit oily T-zone and I find this BB cream controls oil very well, I don't need to use any powder with this BB cream. It lasts quite long on the skin, certainly longer than HM Serum.

Here is a comparison of HM Serum and Pink Label BB cream. HM foundations run quite yellow and as you can see BB cream looks quite grey, however, as I said before, it adapts very fast at least on my skin (I have neutral undertones). Also it matches my skintone perfectly and you can't actually tell that I'm wearing anything on my skin. The consistency is quite thick, a lot thicker than any foundation I ever owned. 

I received four samples with purchase: BB Cleanser which is just brilliant and I'm seriously considering buying it, a sample of White Reviving skin radiance solution (I haven't tried it yet), another sample of Pink Label BB cream and a  sample of Gold Label BB cream which is supposed to be more suited for drier skin. After trying the sample I didn't notice much difference between the two, Gold Label has just a touch more dewy finish, so next time I'll probably go for the Gold Label version instead of the Pink one.

I quite like this BB cream (it is my first though). I'd prefer a more dewy finish, if Bourjois HM serum had such a high SPF that it would be ideal. However, I love the idea of an high SPF and a light coverage foundation combined plus I can just use highlighter if I feel like I need a bit more glow. This will definitely be my choice for the spring/summer months, in fact I've been wearing it every day since I got it. Here are the ingredients:

 Thanks for reading!