There are times when it’s not practical to wear make-up, like going marketing or exercising at the sports centre. But it’s nice to have a little bit of coverage. After all, not every one of us have perfect skin, and even after hitting 30 when the hormones are supposed to be more stable, I still get the occasional zits.
This is me, early in the morning, completely au-naturale.
While I was back in Singapore, I used to use a Blemish Balm cream when I want to go out but not fuss too much with cosmetics.
Blemish Balm or BB cream was said to be a cream that dermatologists prescribe to patients who were recovering from laser surgery because of its soothing and regenerating qualities. But regular people could use it too, to even out skintone, heal acne, have UV protection. Soon, it was all the rage in Asia a couple of years ago.
There are plenty of varieties of BB cream, but this is the Rojukiss BB cream that I bought some while ago at Watson’s in Singapore.
At about $39.50 SGD, it wasn’t cheap for something that came out of a drug-store, but if it rejuvenates my skin, even out my skin-tone and heals my skin like it says it would, it seemed like a good investment.
Squeezing it out of the tube, is a brown cream which almost has a buttery texture, without the greasiness. What’s interesting is that the consistency of the cream was rather thick, but once warmed and rubbed through the fingers, it becomes soft and more emollient and easier to spread through the skin.
You just need a few drops of this on the skin, because a little bit goes a long way. See how much coverage there is with just one drop applied to my skin?
Nevertheless I liked how dewy it made my skin looked. There was coverage but it looks natural and if I got the right shade, it will not make my skin look like I’m wearing any make up. For me, it lasts for several hours before my skin starts to get oily, so it’s perfect for days when I just want to pop down to the market or exercise.
My only big qualm with it is that the shade was too light for me. Unfortunately, most BB creams does not seem catered for darker skins and are just too dark for me. It would probably suit a fairer skin person. But I still use it because it gives a nice foundation.
Unfortunately, I’m running out of my BB cream and it didn’t seem to be all that popular in Italy since I’ve yet to see any.
So the closest that I could find here in Italy that kind of resembles the BB cream would be the tinted moisturiser. While there were many various brands of tinted moisturisers, I chose this one from Nivea Visage.
I don’t remember exactly how much this was, but I think it was less than 10 euro when I got it from the mall. This tinted moisturizer claims to hydrate the skin for 24 hours, contains vitamins, make skin more uniform and luminous.
The texture is quite similar to the BB cream, creamy feeling, thick like butter but without the greasiness. It has a slight fragrance to it though, and while it doesn’t bother me, it could be an issue to some sensitive nose.
And again, a little bit goes a long way! I only need a few dots on the skin to cover my entire face. The biggest difference between this and the BB cream is that, I had to be quick in rubbing it in my skin, because it doesn’t get more emollient, instead it seems to feel dry the longer I leave it unattended.
Nevertheless, the end result is quite pretty and luminous. While it didn’t cover all my blemishes, it does a good job in smoothing out my skin. Compared to the BB cream, I seem to have a more matte effect with this tinted moisturizer. Which is great as a foundation.
But again, my biggest issue is that it was too light for me! I’ve been reading other people’s review saying that this cream was too dark for them, but unfortunately it’s the opposite for me.
But I think its a passable replacement for my BB cream. Its not perfect, but after a month of using it, its not that bad either.
Sidenote :
Oh, since we’re talking about skin, I’d like to take the chance to ask you to guess, which one is my hand and which one is my mother in law’s hand after a week vacationing in Sicilia …
Almost the same shade :p
I bought bb cream of couple of brands, but eventually went back to foundation. I used to use TBS tinted moisturizer once in awhile, and I think its rather good (but not sure if TBS SG still carries them)! 🙂
Maybe you can try drugstore.com / beauty.com for more choices? 🙂
I’ve seen The Body Shop here in Rome, but its all the way to the city center, which is probably about 2 hours by public transport. Um … maybe next time :p
Yeah, I could probably buy online Felicia, but I dont trust the Italian postal system. First you’re charged so much to have it sent to Italy, and then you wait a long time to have it delivered, and on top of that, you have to pay *another* tax when it arrives.
Too many bad experiences already :
That’s why if I ever buy anything online, I’d have it sent to Singapore and rather fly off to Singapore.
But thanks for your idea, I’ll try to search through TBS when I can 😀
hey! I was using SkinFood’s Mushroom BB cream for a long time.. think I’ve been using BB creams for 3-4 years.. initially I saw improvement in skin texture but in the past year I’ve noticed that it seemed to clog my pores more and I have more acne hidden under. You know the sort that looks like it’s coming out but not yet? Did some research and found out that BB creams might be too thick for most skin types.
So I switched back to Maybelline’s Clear Smooth Foundation for 2 months and it’s been working well. 🙂
Oh yeah thats true, I’ve read online that when you use BB creams long term, it’ll tend to clog pores. Same with mineral cosmetics too, so its wise to do regular scrubs and masques.
Have you tried using honey and brown sugar as a mask/scrub? Its quite a delicious treat 🙂
Interesting for skin
have you tried maybelline BB cream? it suits my malay skin fine but i dunno whether u can get it in italy? shld be right?
I didn’t even know that Maybelline has a BB cream range! Hehehe, will have to look out for it if its sold in Rome 🙂
Will not expect too much though, because the shades are very limiting for me :p
Marina, is it just me or was the Rojukiss BB cream and Nivea Tinted Moisturizer waaaaay too light for you (as shown in the photo)? I am new to BB cream and purchased my first (Nanonce) tube this evening. But I’ve been doing some research and read in many places that the BB creams that are currently available are for lighter toned-skin? MAC NC 30 or less. Your complexion seems pretty dark to me? I actually like your natural skin better without either products . The photos shown looks like you’re wearing tons of make-up (especially around the hairline area). But if I must pick one out of the two you’ve tried on yourself, I’d go with the tinted moisturizer. Thanks for the post!
I also bought a BB cream from Watson’s recently. It’s by Dr Wu, a Taiwanese dermatologist. I agree with you, the tone of the cream is too light and I looked as pale as a ghost after applying it all over my face. I am sad that it doesn’t have other shades available, so in the end, i need to splash on my powder foundation as well. That’s sad…