I’ve recently become interested in Korean cosmetics and one of the big trends there is blemish balm cream – also called bb cream.
BB creams were supposedly developed in Germany by dermatologists to help heal skin after laser surgery. It is supposed to have skin regenerating properties that help smooth skin and heal blemishes. Many Asian brands of BB cream also contain anti-wrinkle, skin whitening, and high SPF.
BB creams also usually come in one color and they oxidize once applied to match your skin tone. This usually means that bb creams are only good for those with fair skin, though some brands (like Missha) do make other shades. As much as they even out skin tone and lighten blemishes, they are not foundations and are more similar to tinted moisturizer, though they’re not exactly that either.
Skin79 is a Korean brand that makes many types of BB creams and are one of the #1 bb cream brands. I wasn’t sure which of the many types I should use, so I purchased a set of sample sizes from eBay.
From left to right, the sampler contains Super+ Gold Label, Super+ Pink Label, Diamond Collection Prestige Pink Label, and Diamond Collection Pearl.
I tested each BB cream for a full day and below are photos and what I thought of each cream.
Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ Beblesh Balm
Along with the regular skin smoothing properties, this BB cream contains whitening, wrinkle improvement, and a SPF 25. This BB cream is also meant for dry skin and claims to have extracts of gold and caviar for shiny, healthy skin.
The samples are squeeze tubes and I found it a bit difficult to squeeze them out. The cream is pretty close to my skin tone, though a bit greyish.
You can see that after application, my skin looks a little more even, but there’s not much of a difference. After 2 hours though, the bb cream seems to have oxidized into a greyish tone. I found this cream to be a bit on the thin side, so it’s easy to spread. There’s a light perfume scent that disappears after a little while.
I did try this BB cream again on another day with similar results, so while this was a pretty good match, I probably won’t purchase it.
Skin 79 Super+ Beblesh Balm (Pink Label)
This Skin79 BB cream is meant for oily skin and has skin whitening and wrinkle improving properties as well as SPF25.
This BB cream is similar in color to the Super+ VIP Gold, but the consistency is a little bit thicker.
Immediately after application, my skin looks a bit lighter, but there’s not much reduction in the redness of my skin. However, after the BB cream had a chance to settle and oxidize, the color looks very natural and while blemishes are not covered, they’re reduced. I think this makes my skin look more natural without the use of additional makeup.
Because this is meant for oily skin, you’ll need to use a moisturizer under it. I didn’t the first time I applied it and flaky patched showed up on my face.
I’ve worn this BB cream several times over the past few weeks. Sometimes I will use a bit of mineral foundation on the top to set the cream and add a bit of color. This is my favorite of all the samples and I’ve actually already ordered a full size of this cream.
Skin79 Diamond Collection Prestige Beblesh Balm
As with the previous BB creams, this one also contains whitening, wrinkle improvement and SPF25.
Out of the tube, the BB cream has a thinner consistency and is a lighter color.
Immediately after application my skin seems a bit greyish. It also felt a little oily when applied, more like tinted moisturizers I’ve used. It did seem to even out my skin tone, though, and about an hour later, there was no longer a sticky feeling. This BB cream definitely had a “dewy” look on application. After two hours, however, it didn’t really oxidize much so it’s still a bit pale looking, as well as blotchy and a bit chalky looking. After wearing it over 10 hours, my face felt oily, which isn’t an issue I had with the previous two.
This BB cream is not for me.
Skin79 Diamond Collection Pearl Luminous Beblesh Balm
Unlike the other BB creams in this sampler, this one doesn’t seem to contain any whitening, wrinkle improvement, or SPF. It is supposed to be extra moisturizing and has a pearlescent shimmer for a luminous look.
I have to admit that I didn’t even try this one on my face. The swatch was too shimmery and too light and I knew I wasn’t going to like it.
Hope you’ve found this look at BB creams informative! I will be reviewing two more in this month even though I’ve pretty much settled on the Super+ Pink Label from Skin79.
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