Hi Belle, 

Can you please explain BB Cream to me? What’s the difference between it and foundation? I don’t wear make up normally because I breakout but maybe BB Cream would be a good alternative. Do you have to use concealer with BB Cream? What about powder to set it?

Thanks of your help!

Best,
Katy

A BB cream stands for beauty balm.  They were developed in Asia, and essentially a BB cream is a foundation or tinted moisturizer that has a skincare element.  Some BB creams contain acne treatments, wrinkle treatments like hyaluronic acid, skin whiteners, antioxidants and other components.  The BB cream that I use is from Clinique and it’s basically an amped up tinted moisturizer with a lot of sunscreen.  And a lot of bloggers are raving about this new BB cream from Urban Decay that is designed to give skin a makeup-free look.

Now, in the race to have the most jam-packed products, some manufacturers are introducing CC creams.  In this case, CC stands for color correcting.  Olay was the first one released stateside, and their formula promises to improve the tone, clarity and brightness of your complexion.  If you prefer natural beauty products, you might want to try the CC cream from Juice Beauty, which is rich in antioxidants.

As for concealer, BB creams aren’t heavy so if you have flaws you want to hide, you’ll need a concealer.  And you want to set the BB cream with a powder, you can go two ways: you can choose one that matches your skin or you can choose a translucent one.  I like Laura Mercier’s mineral pressed powder and her translucent powder.  Whichever powder you choose, achieving a flawless look if more about application.  So either use a fluffy brush to apply a light coat, or a old Hollywood-style powder puff to press a small amount into the skin.