Curious about BB creams?

I was! If you have been reading my blog for a while you can see that I don't wear a lot of makeup. I am fond of the natural look; of course as I've gotten older there are things that although may be natural I don't want them on display ;-). I get dark spots with a little bit of sun and we always get a little bit of sun in our daily life.  I prefer tinted moisturizers to foundation, I use foundation as a cover up.

Anyways, back to BB creams... The American market has been flooded with BB (beauty balm) creams  which claim to be better than tinted moisturizers so I decided to investigate.

In general the reviews for the BB creams in the states say that most formulas have little or no coverage, like a tinted moisturizer and most had a shiny finish that most of the reviewers set with powder. Some reviews said that the Asian BB creams are much better when it comes to coverage.

I have two Korean markets very close to my house and the second one I went to had a cosmetics counter with 4 different BB creams (two were IOPE brand). I tried them all and talked to the very nice lady behind the counter and she told me that BB creams have a natural finish and will not cover imperfections, so they wouldn't do much for dark spots. On my hand they all looked  a little different some with more pigment color than others but they all blended into my skin, giving me very light if any coverage but  they did even out my skin.

The biggest difference in my quick and dirty research? The Asian BB creams dried flat, no shine whatsoever, no greasy feel.

I ended up picking up the IOPE Air Cushion Sunblock Ex, Cover, SPF 50, which was recommended as having more coverage but still looking natural. Some reviewers put this product in the BB cream category.

Well I have been wearing it and  I love it, while still looking very natural it gives coverage to smooth out my color. It feels cool on the skin and very hydrating. Since I spent more than I usually do on skin care I'm so glad I'm this happy with it.