When Etude House came to the Philippines, it was with a deluge of everything Korean. The general public was enamored with all things Korean: food, beauty and especially their music. KPop became a genre upon itself. (Which was completely annoying, btw.)
When I first stepped into an Etude House boutique, I was completely taken aback. Everything was so cute! It was all so princessy and delicate. And it looked like you could eat everything in the store with all that candy looking packaging. The kind of cute that would make you want to shoot your neighbor because you just couldn't take it in.
Koreans are known for their skincare, which is crazy good, and also very complicated. A BB cream (BB stands for blemish balm) is a makeup product infused with skincare benefits. BB creams were created to replace serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation and sunblock. BB creams come in very limited shades, not like foundations, instead they are designed to oxidize to match the wearer's skin tone.
Today, I'm going to talk about my holy grail BB cream: Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream in Cotton Fit (Php 848). Yes, that's right, this is a rave review. I have nothing but good things to say about this product.
The Precious Mineral BB Cream comes in three finishes: Bright Fit (dewy), Perfect Fit (satin, Etude House also claims this provides more coverage than the other two), and Cotton Fit (matte), which is what I have. BB creams are said to have a lighter coverage than foundations, but I find that this has light to medium coverage. It camouflages my blemishes, although it does not completely hide them. It has SPF 30 PA ++. The BB cream also claims to be "Whitening, Anti-Wrinkle and Anti-Darkening." It comes in a white tube with a pump on the bottom (YAY!). The packaging, of course, looks very pretty.
I have it in the shade W24, their darkest shade, which still looks ghostly on me (I am NC30 at MAC). It has yellow undertones, so it's perfect for our warm Asian skin. Once blended in, it doesn't seem so light anymore. The texture is creamy, it's not so dense, but not runny either. I apply this either with a damp sponge on a good day for lighter coverage, or a brush, or my fingers, for that medium coverage.
The finish is matte, as promised, but it's not so flat. If you're oily, and want a matte finish with a slight glow, I suggest wearing a luminous primer underneath or maybe you can go cray cray with your highlighter.
This is how the bb cream appears in natural light. (Kindly ignore the blaring zit right by my brow.) One side was applied with a brush, the other with a damp sponge. Can you tell?
Left side of my face applied with a brush.
Right side of my face applied with a sponge. The brush application provides more coverage than a sponge. Since it's a matte finish, it will tend to cling onto dry patches so make sure to exfoliate and moisturize your face first.
It has a very slight smell to it that's not unpleasant and goes away right after application. It's not as heavily scented as some of Etude House's other products.
With a primer, this BB cream can last me all day. I've had it for several months now and the longest I've worn it was for almost 12 hours. I am oily so I do have to blot and touch up, but at the end of the day, my blush and highlighter were still visible which was a very good sign that the BB cream was holding up well.
So, here's an overview:
- Price: 8/10. At Php 848, the product can last you a long time. It really is worth its price what with the benefits you get from wearing a BB cream instead of a regular foundation.
- Packaging: 8/10. It has a pump. What more can I say? The white tube does get dirty and discolored over time though.
- Formula: 10/10. I love how this applies! It's so smooth, it smells good, it blends well, and it oxidizes perfectly on me. It also does not feel heavy on the skin, even after being worn all day.
- Longevity: 10/10. For a BB cream, this is extremely long lasting, especially with a primer. Even though I've been sweaty and oily during the day, I just dab the sweat off and blot, and it's good as new.
VERDICT:
9/10
This BB cream is really the bomb. I will repurchase this over and over and over again until I find something else better which is highly unlikely. It's really the only BB cream I'll need for life.
Etude House is available nationwide. Check out their local website for their locations and products: https://www.etudehouse.ph
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