Thursday, April 4, 2013

All You Want to Know about BB Creams

(1) What do you know about BB Creams? 

BB Creams have been what nearly all beauty gurus and beauty enthusiasts have been absolutely raving about for the past couple of years. In the Asian market, BB Creams are known as "Blemish Balms", whereas; in Western markets, they are known as "Beauty Balms". BB Creams are basically the all-in-one beauty product that replaces foundation, primer, moisturizer, sun screen and many other functions. They come in many forms for different skin types such as dry, oily and combination but all have all the basic functions. Primarily, they originated as Asian cosmetic products but recently, the Western market has incorporated the concept of BB Creams into their cosmetic companies.

Some interesting background: the original BB Creams were actually created in Germany and made its way through Asia where it became an iconic beauty product. Read more about this below under 5.

(2) What's so great about BB Creams?

Imagine in the morning - as you get ready for your day, you get to brush away multiple products from your vanity that you once had to use and reach for just one. Not only do BB Creams give off a flawless look to your skin making you feel like you don't even have anything on, they help to save you time and money! Even better - a little goes a very long way! Unlike your ordinary makeup, you typically would only need a pea-sized amount to give a complete coverage on you skin.

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No longer would your skin feel cakey and overdone under the sunlight as the cream blends into your own skin and looks completely natural. BB Creams come with a variety of functions including: oil control, SPF protection, wrinkle improvement, whitening and brightening properties, nutrition for the skin, and many more to suit your skin type.

(3) What's the main difference between BB Cream and foundations?

As mentioned above, BB Creams contain many more functions and benefits for the skin than an average foundation does. Surely they provide coverage but they can help with correcting the skin's complexion, brightening and help with other areas such as preventing sun damage, acne and wrinkles.

A majority of BB Creams also contain moisturizing benefits or oil-absorption properties which extremely dry and extremely oily makeup users enjoy.


(4) How long can BB Creams last?

 Generally, a BB Cream that has been unopened can be stored (in a cool area) for up to 3 years. An opened BB Cream can last anywhere from 1-2 years depending on how much you use it and how you store it. BB Creams do last quite a long time since you really don't need much at all in one usage!

(5) When and why was BB Cream invented?


The first BB Cream was formulated in the 1960s by a dermatologist named Christine Schrammek (pictured on the left via Schrammek.com) as a health-related product not cosmetic. Originally, she had created the formula to protect the skin of her patients after undergoing surgery.  Eventually, around the years of 1985-1990, Japan and South Korea adopted the concept and became a "holy-grail" product as bright, clear and flawless skin is very much valued and prized. Many women in Asia who star behind cameras fell in love with BB Creams and how they made their skin look on camera and several had eventually become spokespersons and sponsors for different brands.

Take for example Mayumi Yasutomo, an Asian newscaster and the creator of Fairydrops Cosmetics. When she created the oh-so-popular Fairydrops Candy Bar BB Cream, she wanted to create something that made her skin look flawless yet naturally on camera. She designed the product to be shine-free, oil-free and waterproof which was the solution.








 (6) Asian vs. Western BB Creams

It is no doubt that BB Creams have become quite a hit in the Asian and now Western market. Many drugstore cosmetic brands have recently incorporated BB Creams into their product line. Take a look at this video by YouTube's Prettyshinysparkly about both types of BB Creams. Do you have an opinion on this?




(7) How do I begin to figure out which BB Creams match me?

When customers contact us with questions on how to find a BB Cream that matches their skin type and preferences, we always ask them the following questions to better assist them individually:

1)      What is your MAC skin tone color (i.e. NC15, NC20, NW20, etc)
2)      Do you have cooler undertones, pink/gray? Or warmer undertones, yellow/tan?
3)      What type of skin do you have (i.e. oily, dry, combination, normal)?
4)      What functions are you looking for in a BB cream (i.e. whitening, SPF, Moisturizing, etc)?

If you aren't sure of your MAC skin tone color, you can refer to the following photo (credit: KaylaSugar.net)


You can send us an e-mail at inquiry@prettyandcute.com or find us on Facebook with your answers so that we can assist you in finding your perfect BB matches. If you have any additional questions regarding BB Creams or any other topic, feel free to let us know!


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