Skin79 BB Creams - Spoiled for Choices

Having read many, many beauty blogs and reviews of bb creams - Skin79 seems to me to be the most popular brand, hands down (click here for a swatch for many different kinds of Skin79 bb creams).  Its so popular that one has to watch out for counterfeit versions when shopping on sites like Amazon and eBay.  There are actually things to look for to identify the genuine product - something no other product, that I'm aware of, has to contend with.


I have tried four of Skin79's bb creams (Diamond, Vital, Gold, & Hot Pink) and my favorite is the Vital bb cream in the orange container.  It's my favorite primarily because it matches my skin color the best (NW15).  I also like the Gold bb cream, while its probably better suited to someone with an NC20 skin tone, I can still work it. The hot pink one is hands down the most popular, I'm not sure why its the most popular as all of Skin79's BB creams have great benefits to the skin - perhaps it's the pretty color of the container.  I've heard from many people that they love that they can wear it and it doesn't cause breakouts - so maybe thats it.  I don't have breakout issues so I can't advise with regard to that. Of the 4 I tried, the hot pink container bb cream is too dark for me.  Probably best for someone who is NC20 or 25.  I didn't care for the Diamond bb cream - it had this slight sparkly quality to it and I felt self-conscious wearing it though it does match my shade.



There are several others, but there are 2 others I'd like to try - only problem is I can't find a good swatch of their color anywhere on the internet.  The first is the Snail Nutrition BB cream, yes I know that sounds gross.  But here are the the benefits snail secretions provides to the skin:

• Help maintain the skin healthy as well as improving cell function with the use of antioxidants.
• Help and avoid excess or abnormal scars including acne scarring
• Counteracts sun damage preventing premature skin aging and wrinkles.
• Accelerates renewal of damaged tissues, including actinic keratosis and keratosis pilaris.
• Opens clogged pores
• Induces quick skin regeneration after wound healing.
• Helps avoid keloids, abnormal scars.
• Restores tissue plasticity.
• Prevents and treats scars and stretch marks.
• Helps reduce acne scars.
• Fights teen and adult acne.

The other one I'd like to try is Syn-Ake BB cream.  It says that the peptides that are similar to snake venom - and we all know that botox is made from snake venom.  It's sold as a pair with the tube of bb cream and the jar just with facial cream. It's supposed to firm and lift the skin - I'd love to try it.  But again, chances are greater then not that it's going to be too dark for my NW15 skin.  


Hopefully someone swatches both of these bb creams and one of them, at least, is light enough for me!


If you've never used BB cream before, Skin79 is the perfect brand to start with as they produce great products.  All of the Skin79 bb creams give a beautiful finish and make it look like you have naturally beautiful skin.

Peripera "I Love BB Light" Review

I am a full blown bb cream addict and I'm so pleased with my latest purchase.  Thanks to Pretty and Cute's swatches on facebook, I discovered a shade of bb cream that was my exact skin tone (NW15).  It is Korean brand Peripera's "I Love BB Cream Light" - it is the exact same shade of of L'oreal's ivory and Clinique's porcelain foundations.  I ordered it off of the Pretty and Cute website and when I received it I wasn't disappointed.


Aside from it being my match in color, when I read what this bb cream features in skincare I was even more interested in the product.  It contains Vitamin C and Aloe which I firmly believe are great for the skin.  Vitamin C has a lot of benefits for the skin, such as: protects from the sun and heals sun damage, promotes collagen production, reduces inflammation, and can lessen hyperpigmentation.  Of the products I've used that contain Vitamin C - I've always noticed my skin looked fresher and more youthful afterwards.  Aloe is also great for healing skin damage from the sun and aids lessening wrinkles.  It also has something, that I'm not familiar with, sebum control powder in it which is supposed to help with oil control.  I looked sebum up and apparently its part of the oil your skin produces which causes acne if you produce too much of it.  I've read that oil controlling products can't inhibit the sebum - but who knows, they could be wrong. 


When putting it on - a little goes a long way.  It has a medium coverage that could be built into a full coverage.  Its very light and makes it look like you just naturally have beautiful skin.  One thing Korean bb creams tend to have that American ones don't is it gives you a slight illuminating glow that makes the skin look youthful.  If you've ever seen that impossibly perfect skin on kdrama actors, you know what I mean. ^ ^  I imagine thats because having a matte finish is very popular in America.


For those of you who are not pigment challenged the way I am - Peripera also comes in a regular shade simply called "I Love BB Cream".  It has the same skin benefits but I've heard that its a little thicker with a slightly fuller coverage then the I Love BB Light.  Another bonus is this bb cream is about $10 cheaper then your average bb cream.

Shiseido, No Shi-Thank You!

I have heard a lot about Shisiedo products, every beauty blogger I checked out praised their products - stating that this brand was their 'holy grail' product.  When my StriVectin SD ran out I wanted to try something new, StriVectin SD is just fine but I wanted to explore what else was out there.  I wanted to find my 'holy grail' face cream.  Because I had heard so much positive feedback with regard to Shiseido products I dove in feet first and bought face cream, 2 eye creams, facial wash, and face scrubbing brush.

One of the products I tried was the Shiseido's Bio-Performance Super Restoring Cream. This cream claims to contain an 'unprecedented contour-recalling technology' which dramatically smooths and firms the skin - therefore instantly rebuilding a youthful look.  Sounds great, right?  I thought so too.  One beauty blogger said that if she goes without using Shiseido cream one day, she can tell the difference in her skin.  It's a nice cream - comes in great packaging with a little spatula to take the cream out with.  Its a thick cream where a little goes a long way.  It takes a while to soak in so I usually put this on first thing in the morning and then go about getting ready for work before I start putting my make up on.  I've been using it everyday for about a month and I have to say that I haven't noticed anything special about it.  Perhaps this product is better for people with dry skin or have a lot of noticeable wrinkles and loose skin.  But being that I only have a few fine lines, my skin isn't dry, and the only firmness I need is under my eyes - perhaps I'm not the ideal candidate for this product.  Though I do put this on under my eyes and nothing is different.  My personal opinion is that people are more dazzled by the Shiseido name and its packaging then the actual benefit it has by using it.  I think the only person who should use it is someone young with no issues who just wants to maintain their skin and needs a good moisturizer.

I bought all these Shiseido products not too far apart.  I guess I should've waited to see how well the first product worked before I bought more from this brand.  But I was so sold on the product line based on all the reviews I read, I couldn't wait to try each thing.  I've been using two of Shiseido eye creams for about two months.  I couldn't decide which to buy after reading the reviews.  I was deciding between the Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 and the Bio-Performance Super Eye Contour creams.  The Benefiance cream sounded great with claims that it had  an extract to revitalize cells and counteract loss of firmness.   And stated this formula provides intense moisture and promotes collagen production.  The only con is people stated it was super thick and slow to absorb, being better used at night.  With the Bio-performance eye cream the con was primarily the packaging. Everyone stated they loved it but half way through you have to pull apart the packaging to get at the remaining cream.  The cream does not claim anything special other then to be good at fighting wrinkles and dark circles.  People also said it was fast absorbing.  So I figured I'd get both - using Benefiance at night and the Bio-performance for daytime.  And again, as with the face cream, I haven't noticed anything special about the eye creams.


The last of the Shiseido products I bought was the Benefiance Wrinkle Resist 24 Extra Creamy Foaming Cleanser and the facial cleansing brush.  While the cleanser does lather very nicely and does clean my face - I find nothing special about it.  For $35 I am confident that I can find a cleanser I like just as well for a lot less money.  Regarding the brush - its a nice little tool to wash your face - though pricey at $25.

Shiseido has more then it's fair share of loyal followers but as for me I don't get it and will never buy a product from this line again.  If you're looking for a great face cream - the only one I've found thus far is Dr. Brandt Glow Overnight Resurfacing Serum.  I found instant results and love it!  Please feel free to read my linked review for more details.

Glow by Dr. Brandt Overnight Resurfacing Serum Review

This is the only face cream that is on my 'holy grail' list.  I initially got this as a sample along with the companion day cream "Ruby Crystal Retinol Hydracreme".  After one use I saw an immediate difference and ended up buying it.

It is very light and absorbs quickly; the scent reminds me of lemon drop hard candy.  A little goes a long way so even though there is only 1.7oz, it should last.  I'm not sure why they call it a serum when its a cream, but oh well.

After using this one night, the next day my face had this healthy, youthful glow and felt so soft.  There is a noticeable difference when I don't use this cream, without it my skin looks dull.  And the fact that it has retinol in it means my skin is just going to continue to look even better over time.  As you probably know, retinol is made from vitamin A and helps the collagen and elastin in your skin to repair and prevent wrinkles as well as help firm your skin.  I am definitely going to re-purchase this once it runs out.

Next time I buy a day cream I am going to try Dr. Brandt's "Glow, Ruby Crystal Retinol Hydracreme" and see how I like it after using it on a daily basis.  I liked it well enough when I used the free sample - but there was only enough in the sample for one use so I'm not really sure how good it is.  The only thing I can say for sure is its light and absorbs quickly, if all you're looking for is to keep your face moisturized it's probably a good product.  I will know more once I buy and use the full size product.

Right now I am using Shiseido's "Bio-Performance Super Restoring Cream", I plan to write a review on it and will link it to this blog post once I'm done.  If anyone has any suggestions for a great daily anti-aging moisturizer I'm open to suggestions.