It’s no secret that here at ETSIS we’re a little mad for beauty products, and if you’re the same way as us you’ve probably heard about BB creams. Not sure about what BB creams are? Depending on who you ask, BB can stand for beauty balm or blemish balm and has been wildly popular in the Asian beauty market. BB creams claim to provide coverage, higher SPF, act as a primer, brighten skin, are infused with antioxidants and anti-aging properties; it is basically everything you wish your tinted moisturizer did. Mae and I have used BB creams in the past; namely brands more widely known in the Asian market like Missha, Skin79, and SkinFood, but we were curious about the products being blasted into the American beauty market. So of course, I sweet talked Devra and Jennifer into joining in on this too (they weren’t hard to persuade, really.).
And so began our ETIS BB Brawl! Round 1:
Product: Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse BB Beauty Balm SPF 25/PA+++
Reviewer: Devra Wathen, CEO of ETSIS hats
Skin Type: Normal to dry, sun sensitive
Skin Tone: Fair with beige undertones
Age Range: 55+
Daily Makeup Routine: Antioxidant serum, SPF 30+ sunscreen, and lip balm for day. Full face makeup with sunscreen for events.
What did you like about the product? I like the concept of the different beauty benefits, and could see it being a convenient item to bring when I’m traveling and don’t want a big makeup bag.
What didn’t you like about the product? I am confused as to how a product has whitening agents, yet can still protect enough for you to be out in the sun. The SPF also is not high enough to protect me, it was 25. It should be at least 30. I prefer my sun screens to contain zinc. The color was also not suitable for my skin tone. It left me kind of ashy and grey.
Would you continue using this product? I prefer my product to do what it needs to do, and layer them properly, instead of combining them all in one supposed “super product”. I don’t feel like you get the desired results from your skincare by combining products like this.
Product: Boscia BB Cream SPF 27/PA ++
Reviewer: Jennifer Lindsey, Executive Assistant for ETSIS hats
Skin Type: Dry combination, oily T-zone
Skin Tone: Extremely fair with pink undertones
Age Range: 26-35
Daily Makeup Routine: Sunscreen SPF 30, Powder, Bronzer and tinted lip balm.
What did you like about the product? You can save a lot of money because you don’t have to use as many products, since BB cream is supposed to replace primer, moisturizer, anti-aging, foundation and concealer. Boscia is a mostly natural brand, no parabens, GMOs, sulfates, ETC. I liked the shade–it worked on my fair skin.
What didn’t you like about the product? Color selection is limited, so while it worked on me, it probably won’t work for darker or medium toned women. One size fits all doesn’t apply here. When my skin is dry or broken out, the product highlights the problem area, and once it dries, it totally sets! It’s only got PA++, so not the highest UVA protection.
Would you continue to use this product? Maybe… if I’m not breaking out or dry. It’s pretty good for if I’m having a good skin day.
Have you used either the Dr. Jart or the Boscia BB creams? What do you think? Perhaps the Dr. Jart Premium BB Cream would fare better than the Water Fuse? Will the creams that we test next time have better luck with us than the Boscia? Next week, Mae and I will be duking it out between Smashbox and Garnier. Stay tuned.
