What is a BB Cream?

Hi everyone?  How are we all today?  Like I said yesterday, it is absolutely freezing today.  I don't think the temperature went above 36 today but I shouldn't be complaining about that because the lows are going to be incredibly low and tomorrow it is supposed to be colder (I think).  Also, I believe were going to be getting some snow and more over the weekend.  I am NOT happy about this.  Anyway!  Let's get cracking with the rest of the post because I really want to talk to you guys about BB cream.  Have you ever used one before?  If so, please let me know what kind you've used and which ones you like in the comment section below!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream, Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream, L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautified BB Cream.

BB cream stands for "beauty balm" cream.  The formulations in BB creams are not supposed to be super heavy and they are not really supposed to give you full coverage, but they have so many other benefits that you may not realize.  BB creams are supposed to help essentially make your face an even canvas.  What I mean by this, is that the BB cream (applied like a foundation) is more of a tinted moisturizer.  Although it is not a foundation, it provides very minimal coverage but moisturizes the skin and assists in helping with discoloration, hyper-pigmentation and more.  I would recommend BB cream for anyone who doesn't want to try foundation just yet, or who doesn't really know how to apply/use foundation.  I would also recommend it to anyone who just wants a light coverage for every day that they can apply quickly with their hands and doesn't require much effort.  

I am lucky to have pretty descent skin that doesn't have very many breakouts (knock on wood) and this is the reason why I primarily (pretty much exclusively) use BB cream.  The BB creams that I am going to be talking about in this blog post are from the drugstore and they are absolutely wonderful (well most of them.  I am going to talk about three; two of them I like (one more than the other) and one of them I can leave.

First I want to talk about L'Oreal's Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream in Light.  I absolutely cannot stand this BB cream for a couple of reasons.  First of all, the color match must not be right for me.  With this being said, I feel like if I was to go back and get another color, it would be too dark or too light.  Also, if I was to change it for another color I still wouldn't like it because the color payoff is rather orange when applied to the skin.  Another thing is that when the product comes out of the tube, it is a white color and a sandy consistency.  I didn't think this was going to bother me at first, but I think that may be whats making me not like it more.  You don't know the color pay off until it is on your face, making it really hard to know what it will look like; therefore making the product almost a complete waste.  I definitely would not repurchase this product.  I got mine for about $8-$9 at Target.

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream.

Next, I want to talk about Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB cream in Medium Sheer Tint.  I really like this  BB cream.  The coverage is pretty good and the formulation is not too bad, the product is SPF 30.  When applying it on your skin, the product tends to feel a bit more watery than the next one that I will talk about but not too much that it feels too thin.  This does a great job at concealing redness which is huge for me because I have a lot of redness on all of my face, not just my cheeks.  The product really doesn't smell like anything and that can be a good thing.  When coming out of the tube, the product actually looks like what it applies on your skin which is great because there are no surprises at the end of the day.  The application is quick and it doesn't take a while to settle into your skin.  The packaging is small and says that there is only 1.0 fl. oz. of product, but it lasts so long because you really only need a little bit.  I would definitely re-purchase this from Maybelline!  I got mine for $7-$8 at Target.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream on the left,  Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream on the right.

Lastly I want to talk about Revlon's Photo Ready BB Cream in the color 020 Light Medium.  I really love this BB cream and it is probably my favorite out of the three.  The only downfall that I want to talk about first is that it can be a liiiiiittle bit oily for the skin so if your skin is oily to begin with, this may not be for you.  Aside from that, the product is awesome straight out of the packaging.  The formula is a little more dense than the Maybelline BB cream.  It seems that this one is slightly lighter as well than the Maybelline BB cream but it matches my skin like a dream.  The smell is probably my favorite thing about it!  I love when products smell like something tropical or the beach and this one smells like sunscreen, omg instantly in love.  Revlon's formula is SPF 30 so that is great and you can tell that the product lasts all day long, even when you apply it earlier in the morning.  I got mine at Face Values for $7-$9.

Okay that's all I have for BB creams right now!  If you have any comments, please leave them below and let me know what you think.  You could also send me a tweet letting me know what kind of BB cream you use or think I should try.  I haven't tried any high end BB creams so maybe that will be next on my list.  Talk to you all soon and as always, thanks for reading!  If you liked it share with a friend.

Xoxo-Brit.

Winter Skincare/Nail Polish favorites!

Hey all!  I hope you're having a great day.  I just wanted to go ahead and continue with my "Winter Favorites" series by showing you some of my favorite skincare and nails of the winter so far.  Let's get started!

First I want to start with some skincare.  Now I went to the drugstore to get a new moisturizer when my Hope In a Jar ran out because I was trying to see if I could get something less expensive, but just as good!  The reason for this is because I tend to go a little heavier with moisturizer in the winter, like I am sure most of you do.  I tend to use Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer.  This moisturizer has an amazing consistency and it actually has a great scent, while being unscented (if that makes any sense!).  Although that tends to normally be my favorite from the drugstore, I wanted to try something else.  I picked up a Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture for combination skin, horrible decision.  The moisturizer made me swell up underneath the eye, I had an allergic reaction to it overnight!  When I woke up, my face was blown up, I couldn't believe it.  I believe it was $10 on sale at my Target when I picked it up, but I would not recommend it.  I didn't even notice a difference in my skin the next morning other than how huge it was.

Ponds Dry Skin Cream

Needless to say, I finally ended up going back to Target and picking up the Ponds Dry Skin Cream Rich Hydrating Facial Moisturizer.  This was $5 at Target and is probably the best kept secret of all time.  Now to be honest, I thought immediately of old ladies and moms when I looked at the Ponds products.  For some reason, I always think of older women using Ponds products, so as someone that is only 23, I was swallowing my pride a little bit with this purchase.  Let me tell you something right now, Ponds did NOT let me down.  I put the cream on my face the same day that it swelled because of the Neutrogena moisturizer and the next day that I woke up, the swelling was down, the dry skin was gone and my face was amazingly moisturized.  I was NOT expecting this at all, but I was accepting of it nonetheless.  If there was one thing I could change about the product it would probably be the scent.  It's not terrible, but it's not the best, it really just smells clean.  The back of the container says that it's Hypoallergenic, Suitable for sensitive skin, and it won't clog pores.  I completely agree and would recommend it to absolutely anyone!

Deborah Lippmann, "Billionaire" and "It's Raining Men."

Now moving on to some of my nail favorites for the winter thus far.  Maybe this is harping on the past but I just must go there, Christmas nails!  I can never get enough of my Christmas nails and this year I just wanted to go back to basics with it.  As you can see in the photo, I used two Deborah Lippmann colors in Billionaire and It's Raining Men.  I love them because they are true colors to Christmas and they are just beautiful.  These polishes are a little steep in price about $16, but they are completely worth it.  The color pay off is great, its bright, lively and fun.  The red here is a true Christmas red and the green and mossy, forest green.  The brushes on these polishes are great for application and the formula is a dream!  I tend to like this classic application technique, red on all the fingers except for the ring, where theres a green surprise!

My "Brown to Tan Ombre."  

The next nail design (or play on colors) that I have to share with you is my "Brown to Tan Ombre."  The reason i share this with you is because I have just been loving rocking it.  I think this is so appropriate for school, the office or even just everyday wear.  I love that it adds pizazz to the nails without really being obnoxious and taking it too far.  I wish I could remember the names of the polishes that I used but even looking at the photo I just cant remember which polish is which, I have way too many!  If you would like to know, please leave a comment below and I will try to look them up.  I posted a photo to my instagram and everyone seemed to love it!  If you try this look, tweet me a photo!

American Apparel's, "Peacock."

Finally, I wanted to show you this amazing color.  I tend to call it a "teal denim" because it reminds me of teal colored jeans.  I love the color and think it's perfect for winter for that pop of color for the season.  I love American Apparel polishes because they are very practical, and to be honest I love the unique bottle design and packaging.  The application of this polish is amazing and the opacity of the color is amazing with one coat!

Okay all, that's all I have for you today!  Look forward to another installment of my winter favorites coming tomorrow and if you have any questions please leave a comment below or send me a tweet. If you haven't already, check out the first installment: My Winter Beauty Favorites. Also be sure to check out my instagram and follow me there for outfit of the day photos, nail insta's and other random stuff!  Love you all and thanks for reading! 

Xoxo-Brit.