I have no idea why, but I somehow always like to start the week with a BB cream review. That’s right, you heard me – I start the week on a Tuesday so that I don’t get Monday blues. Deluded much I know.
I sometimes don’t know why people say applying BB cream is harmful for the face “clogs up the pores more” etc – unless it has cement as one of its ingredients, I don’t see how is it any different from applying foundation and your usual other makeup. Psst – I suspect it’s a conspiracy theory made up by jealous brands who don’t have BB creams. lalala.
Anyhoos, here’s one brand that’s definitely moving ahead with the times, and done a good twist on it too.
The Body Shop Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream – US$24
(local pricing not out yet, cos it’ll only be launched on July 7)
I say…
First and foremost, I have to give props to The Body Shop for happily embracing the BB cream trend. They had The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso BB Serum Inside sometime back, which was for whitening and brightening.
- This time round, they’ve created a BB cream for sensitive / blemished skin. With its anti-bacterial tea tree ingredients, it will treat those pesky little spots while concealing them.
- It comes in a compact little Danny Devito-like tube – chubby, and measuring in at a grand height of almost 10cm.
- The BB cream comes in 3 shades – 01 Light, 02 Medium and 03 Dark. In this aspect, I give The Body Shop two thumbs (and two toe-thumbs up if I could). I applaud this, because one common gripe I hear about BB creams is their lack of color shades.
- Now this BB cream has a distinct scent of tea tree scent, along with some other somewhat minty-herby scents.
- The BB cream is smooooooth – I mean, it really, really glides over my skin. In fact, I’m somewhat tempted to call this an extremely-tinted Tea Tree serum instead.
- It’s so smooth that it blends in super easily – in fact, you can barely see it on my hand!
- The finish is mostly matte with a slight sheen / glow. I find that this is quite similar to the Guerlain BB cream.
- The coverage level is a natural medium – defo a no-no for days when you’re feeling hungover or having a bad skin day.
- In addition, there’s not much oil control – I had to blot after 3 hours (plus my glasses kept sliding down my nose – this is always an indicator for me to start blotting). (Remember, I have terribly oily skin that would attract any Arab oil sheikh).
- That said, the selling point of this product isn’t its coverage or oil control power -it’s about being suitable for blemished / easily-irritable skin, and well, my skin feels very soothed by it.
- Beauty tip: Cos it contains no SPF (yes, horror of horrors!), applying sunblock before it is a MUST.
I’d recommend this for days when you’re looking for something that feels lightweight and moisturising. Available from 7 July onwards :D
