7 Asian BB Creams Worth Checking Out

in the world of BB creams, there's the asian and the western ones. there's still a slight difference between the two to me. call this asian pride, but i still believe that asians do it better when it comes to BB cream formulas, since it was made popular and perfected by koreans! also, asian BB creams tend to contain a lot more herbal extracts in their products instead of just synthetic chemicals. while this doesn't directly translate to a more effective products, it does make me feel like it's skin care benefits are better than the western counterparts (is it placebo effect?). below are a few BB creams that have made it into several rankings, or have been positively reviewed by the community.

also, i'm trying something new here! in the past i used to include links to the official website only, this time i've included amazon affliate links so you have one more purchasing options if you don't know where to get it from! it's affliated because.. why not!? if i'm going to add a link anyway, i wouldn't mind some little incentive coming my way :)

SULWHASOO Snowise Whitening Essence BB Cream SPF50+++ (30g)

this was the BB cream winner for allure's best in beauty 2014! with SPF50, you can probably skip the sunscreen step. it also contains anti aging and whitening ingredients, claiming to maintain skin hydration and brightness all day long. sulwhasoo is the premium brand by amore pacific, do expect a heftier price tag for this. comes in two shades.

ETUDE HOUSE Precious Mineral Blooming Fit SPF30 PA++ (60g)

this has been a best seller for many years! from the reviews i've seen online, the precious mineral line has a pretty high coverage, comparable to that of a foundation. if you're looking for an affordable BB cream that gives you decent coverage, lightweight formula for a natural look, sun protection and skin brightening effects, this may suit your needs! there are 3 products in the precious mineral line, cotton fit gives you a powdery finish while perfect fit seems to gives you higher coverage (according to the official website). comes in three shades.

MISSHA M Signature Real Complete BB Cream SPF25 PA++ (45g)

missha is probably the first brand to release BB creams in more than one shades, breaking the "one shade fits all" trend in the past. it's currently the 4th on the @cosme "words of mouth" ranking. formulated with herbal extracts, this BB cream is perfect for sensitive and troubled skin. as with other korean BB creams, it also contains whitening and anti aging ingredients. available in four shades.

SEKKISEI White BB Cream SPF40/PA+++ (30g)

if you're in need of whitening and brightening, sekkisei would be your go-to choice. the herbal extracts will brighten and nourish your skin. sekkisei has a reputation for delivering what it claims! don't believe me? this item won 2nd place in the 2013 @cosme best BB cream ranking! the light weight texture will give you a natural coverage. if you are sensitive towards mineral oil, this is also mineral oil free! available in two shades.

HOLIKA HOLIKA Aqua Petit Jelly BB (40ml)

i've seen quite a number of good reviews for this BB cream - it's got a rating of 4.1 on the makeupalley review site! what's new is its jelly texture as opposed to the creamy type BB creams you usually see in the market. the high water content makes it very lightweight. i would expect this to have a lighter coverage than the etude house and missha BB cream, would be perfect for those who just need a slight brightening and evening of skin tones. comes in two shades.

FRESHEL Mineral BB Cream Moist SPF28 PA++ (50g)

this clinched 3rd place on the urcosme BB cream ranking. in fact, it was very popular in japan a few years ago as it is extremely convenient and time saving since you get coverage, sun protection, and hydration all at one go. moreover, it was really affordable (within japan) too! formulated with hyaluronic acid and collagen for hydration, users rated it as a highly hydrating BB cream while having a non-sticky finish. coverage is light to medium, allowing you to create a natural look easily. think of this as a tinted moisturizer! comes in two colours.

ETTUSAIS Mineral BB Cream SPF30 PA++ (40g)

ranked 5th on the urcosme BB cream ranking, and a rating of 4.1 on makeupalley, it is touted to hide pores and control oil. this mineral BB cream may be suitable for those with oily skin. people who've used it says it's easy to blend out to give them a natural coverage, it also brightens their skin. comes in three colour variations to cater to more skin tones.

Based on my observations.

according to webMD, BB creams is said to originate from germany where dermatologist formulated it for patients who've just underwent laser treatments in order to cover the temporary post-treatment redness. it is known as a "blemish balm", or "beauty balm", suggesting a product with a considerably thicker consistency, most probably for a better coverage.

the BB cream that i personally come to know of originated from korea, since the koreans were the ones who made them popular. for a very long time, i've been trying to distinguish the difference between a foundation and a BB cream. i'm sure many of you have been confused like me! after years of careful observation and research, i've finally arrived at an answer.

BB cream basically embodies everything a busy and/or lazy woman may want - moisturizing, priming, sun protection, and slight coverage in an all in one package. if you're still not clear what a BB cream is, it's an all-in-one product (much like the two in one shampoo and conditioners).

there isn't any standard definition for BB creams. as a young girl, i was told that a BB cream is skin care product with some coverage. while it's not entirely false, this could be misleading because i actually thought that it's okay to not remove the BB cream after the entire day since "it's a skin care product!". it's not.

how so is the BB cream different from the foundation? to be honest, not much difference!!! in fact, you can probably make your own BB cream by mixing a full coverage foundation with a sunscreen and moisturizing cream of your choice!

of course, this wasn't the case many years ago. makeup formulation has changed over the years to match itself to the market demand. the success of an all-in-one product means that more foundations are having multiple functions these days, so it's safe to say that foundations aren't that different from BB creams anymore.

the functions of specific BB creams/foundation varies between product lines. asian BB creams tend to promote the whitening and brightening benefits, whereas western BB creams tend to promote mattifying or oil control effects. just goes to show how different the two markets are.

we may have been led to believe that BB creams and foundations are two separate entities. that may be true a decade ago, but that boundary isn't there anymore! the same goes for tinted moisturizers, which is again, a blend of foundation and a moisturizing base. i will expect the tinted moisturizer to have a lighter coverage than most bb creams and foundations though.

for comparison purpose, i put together two popular base products! you get the idea.

when i think of BB creams, what appears in my head is a foundation with a stiffer formula - more like whipped cream than a liquid. perhaps that's the only difference between a bb cream and a liquid foundation that i can currently think of. the stiffer consistency means you have more control over the product, allowing you to work with your fingers instead of relying on brushes or sponges.

in conclusion, a BB cream is much alike a foundation in terms of capabilities, both offers a wide range of benefits depending on the brand and product line. there is really a formulation for every different needs - anti aging, whitening, mattifying, oil control - you name it, they have it.

when it comes to making a decision between the two, you're better off asking yourself what tools you like to apply your foundation with. if you like fingers, then give BB creams a chance! otherwise, stick to foundations that you already have, because buying a BB cream when you already have a foundation is just a waste of money and space, since the foundation can do just the same thing the BB cream can do! well, unless you have the space and money, then, be my guest.

BB Cream Comparison (Dr Jart+ VS Etude House)

i got the etude house precious mineral cotton fit bb cream tester from my korean beauty haul, it's in the same shade as my any cushion - W13. i'm not too sure about the differences across the precious mineral bb cream lines, they come in a variety. i believe cotton fit is meant to give you a matte and silky smooth skin that feels like cotton candy.

as for dr jart's bb cream, it's mean to give you a moisturized and even complexion, touted as the 'detox bb cream'. hmm? really? you can read my review here.






COLOUR:
dr jart: appears slightly darker and ashy when unblended. looks slightly pinker than etude house. when spreaded out, it appears to be a ashy beige.

etude house: appears much more yellowish when unblended, also much lighter in colour than dr jart. when spreaded out, it appears to be peachy.

COMPARISON:
dr jart is slightly darker and pinker.
etude house is slight yellower and brighter.

IMHO
on my hands, the colour of dr jart looks pretty horrible as compared to etude house. but dr jart actually looks very natural on my face as it brightens naturally. i guess the greyish tone neutralizes the yellow on my skin gentle, whereas the etude house makes my face look really really fair.

Dr Jart+ Black Label Detox Healing Blemish Balm

just how long do i keep my makeup products? for quite long. i've retired this bb cream as of late, but i want to note down a little bit more about this product first.

i got this about 4 years ago and it's my first full sized bb cream. i remember seeing my cousin use it and i love that it has a higher coverage than most bb creams in the market at that time (back then the skin79 was really popular, but too watery and thin for me).

it has served me well the past few years. by now, dr jart has already changed their packaging (i realize they have a slight different packaging for the american market) and offer a lot more selections in their base makeup line. back then it was only the silver label (meant for oily skin) and black label (for drier skin).


product description at the back of the tube.

1. whitening
2. anti-wrinkle
3. sun protection (SPF25)


ingredients list from a while ago.

the things that stand out to me are: sweet almond oil (for moisture), arbutin (for whitening), all the other floral extracts are pretty much at the bottom on the ingredients list, i doubt they have said effects. collagen and Q10 (ubiquinine) too? wow, i just realize how much skin care stuff is in this product, at such a minute concentrations (lesser than the preservatives, also known as parabens). can't dispute the "detox healing" branding of this product! but efficacy? that's another story.


comes in a squeeze tube with a rather huge opening.


taken in two different lightings: natural and camera flash.

the bb cream has a greyish undertone to it (but do not be alarmed! more on that below!), but blends out to offer a slight hint of brightening for the skin. it doesn't appear warm nor cool after blended out - just neutral.


close up in flash lighting.

this bb cream leans on the moisturizing side, so there's a slight sheen to it. there'a also a slight greyish/white cast in flash lighting.

the product is scented.

IMHO
firstly, even though it appears very greyish on my hands, it is able to brighten my face pretty well. i think it's because the grey is able to counter the pink and yellow tones on my skin and neutralizes it to give an illusion of fairer and brighter skin. it is rather mind boggling because the bb cream appear to dark coloured and grey on my hands in another swatch i did (will be up soon), but on my face, it looks just fine!

secondly, perhaps it's the age of this product, or it could be the weather (and the constant blotting of my sweat), this product can't stay on my face for too long - it loses its brightness after a few hours in the heat (even after powdering). however, in an air-conditioned setting, my face stills look bright and fine! this is a very moisturizing bb cream, so i think it's best for cold and dry weathers instead! for the hot and humid weather in singapore, i'm better off with my revlon colorstay foundation.

thirdly, the coverage of this product suits me pretty well. it's consistency is a little stiffer than normal bb creams, it's pretty much like tooth paste! like i said, i got this because i needed something of a higher coverage to lighten my dark circles, and i got what i wanted :D

i can't say much about the anti-wrinkle and whitening effect of this product. don't bank so much hope on it, really. i use it for its higher coverage so that i can lighten my dark circles and brighten my T zone and inner cheek area. assuming that the maximum concentration of parabens allowed in the product is 4g/kg of product (meaning 0.4 w/w%), the concentration of said skin care benefits must be even lower than that. not sure if that will be enough for anything to happen.

i purchased this from hk for HKD$120~.

IN A NUTSHELL
1. able to brighten up my face even though it has a strange grey cast on my hand
2. creamy and blendable
3. slightly higher coverage than watery bb creams
4. scented
5. moisturizing (and thus, not long wearing)


MAKEUP LOOK

i used to wear this very often in the past as it was the only foundation i have. i still use it when i want to create a very moisturized and dewy look.





xoxo
karman

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check out the video if you haven't already! vvv

got my hands on the Dr Jart BB cream finally!

so i read lots of raves about it, and my cousin who use it also recommends this one to me,
and the colour tone is a perfect match for my cousin (so i assumed it'll be the same for me),
so i asked my friend to get this for me.