BB Creams - What are they!?

Who has heard of BB Creams?  Otherwise known as Blemish Balm, Blemish Base or Beblesh Balm.  These are huge in Asia and have more recently migrated to the West through brands like Smashbox, Boscia, and Too Faced.  

I would say that coverage from minimum to maximum would be in this order: Tinted moisturizer -> powder foundation -> BB Cream -> liquid foundation -> cake foundation :)

BB Creams are a 4 in 1 kind of deal.  It usually has high SPF so it acts as a sunblock, primer, moisturizer, and foundation.  The Asian brands like Missha, Laneige, Skin79 are a few favourites but are limited in colour shades to appeal to the Asian "the-lighter-the-skin-the-better" population. Even though the product comes out in a greyish tint, they do oxidize to match your skin colour but it still fairs on the lighter side.

I use the Smashbox BB Cream in Light which matches my skins pretty colour pretty well.  Even though it is light, it is still darker than more of the BB creams from Asian manufacturers.  The consistency is bit thicker than my Leneige BB Cream but I do prefer my Smashbox one as it gives me better coverage (especially my red cheeks).  I set the BB Cream with power (as I would with liquid foundation) and I'm set for the day.  My skin is normal with T-Zone oiliness, so the setting powder helps minimize shine from the moisturizing properties in the BB Cream.

I only recently discover BB Creams from YouTubing various makeup artists and all of them appear to have reviews on their likes and dislikes.  I would suggest for your to search for it on YouTube to get other people's opinions before you invest in it as they are in the same price range as foundations.  Sephora may also be able to give you a sample before you try.  

The Smashbox website gives new customers a discount code (I think it was 15%) if you sign up for the first time for their rewards system.  All you need to do is give them your email and you have about two weeks thereafter to use the discount code on your online purchase. I went to Sephora, picked out my shade, and ordered it online with the discount code to save a few extra dollars :) 

I recommend watching the following videos on BB cream reviews and uses!

• Smashbox What's the Buzz on BB Cream by BeautydotcomBeauty
• BB Cream Overview by BubzBeauty

Even Costco is getting in on this! They carried Garnier BB Cream the last time I was there (about 4 days ago)! :)

What comes first, concealer or foundation?

Chicken or egg? Concealer or foundation? Although this isn't exactly a direct comparison, it often leaves people with some debate over the answer. 

What I've learned after researching YouTube, magazines, various beauty sites/blogs, and from my Makeup Artistry classes is that the answer is ... it depends!

Not to leave you in further suspense, but applying concealer or foundation first depends on the types of products you are using, the coverage you are going for, as well as the type of makeup application that you are using.  Here are some situations that may help illustrate my point:

•  Foundation first, then apply concealer 
• Applying makeup with brushes or fingers
• Full coverage makeup
• The reason for this is because you don't want to move the concealer once you have it on areas where more coverage is needed. Applying the foundation with your fingers or foundation brushes requires you to brush/rub the product all over your face.  Concealer isn't glued to your face so as your finger goes over the concealed areas, the product will move or blend away.  By concealing after you've put on foundation, the troubled areas will remain concealed.

•  Concealer first, then apply foundation
• Applying makeup with an airbrush 

• Airbrushing is great for people with dry skin as makeup is sprayed onto the face, thereby not disturbing the dry surface of the skin with brushes or fingers.  Since the foundation is sitting on top of your skin, applying concealer after foundation would distort the flawless canvas that you have created with the airbrush. By concealing first, you are able to address the problem areas more effectively so that that airbrush can create a single smooth canvas.  Be sure to blend out the concealer very well as the airbrush can accentuate poor blending!

• Minimal makeup application
• Some of us aren't really into putting on a full face on a daily basis but have a few imperfections that we want to conceal.  In these situations, you can just conceal problem areas, blend it out, powder, and you are good for the rest of the day without having to put on very much, or any, foundation at all.

Getting Naked with Urban Decay

I know, this isn't exactly a hot topic anymore (I will try to be more current) but as I am building this blog, I wanted to be sure to touch on all topics that were relevant to the average user :)  

The common question that I generally get from my friends is which is better? Urban Decay "Naked Palette" (original) or "Naked 2 Palette"?  

Here's a brief summary for those of you are are not familiar with these fabulous shades:

• Urban Decay Naked Palette (original in a brown suede package):

• there are twelve shades, some of which are exclusive to this palette
• colours are called Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetel.
• some matte & shimmery products.

• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (the newer release in a metal package):

• also twelve shades with some exclusive to this palette
• colours are called Foxy, Half Baked, Bottycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, York, Busted, Blackout.
• some matte & shimmery products.

In my opinion, the original Naked Palette is a warmer collection of colours whereas the UD Naked 2 Palette better compliments people with a cooler undertone.  For people of Asian descendent (like myself), the skin tends to be more yellow even if the cheeks have a red undertone.  I find that the Naked 2 Palette results in a bolder colour contrast which can be good or bad, depending on the look you are going for.

I also find that that the Naked 2 Palette looks great on people who have lighter colored eyes like blue and green because the shades like Suspect (my fav from this palette), beautifully enhances the eye colour when applied correctly!  

This isn't to say that people with pink undertones can't use the UB Naked Palette (original) or people with yellow undertones can't use UB Naked 2 Palette...but if you are opting to buy just one of the palettes, I would caution you to buy the one that enhances your natural features best because you will fall in love with either one of these palettes! :)

Time to Tango with...Tangerine!

You've seen it in your Sephora emails, store front windows, and magazine ads - the color of the season is Tangerine!

I love this color!!  However, I am a dramatic eyes type of girl because I don't know if I can pull off a strong lip color like Tangerine.    You can wear the bright orange on your eyes (...with care & caution) but I work in an office and with my yellow undertones, it'll be hard to pull it off as appropriate office attire :)  

To compensate, I've been stalking up on coral tees, blouses, and dresses so that I'm not missing out too much! 

Which look do you prefer - Dramatic eyes or lips?

I love watching makeup tutorials on YouTube and one of my favourite makeup artists was one of my makeup teachers with screen name MakeupbyEman.  She did a tutorial last year (she's ahead of the trend!) on how to perfectly apply the bold tangerine lip colour which I found very helpful! 

Tangerine lips Tutorial by MakeupbyEman