Banila & Co Let Me Dressed BB Cream Review

While BB Creams are kind of a hot topic for me this season, and considering my previous post was a little  on the trolling side (sorry, L'oreal), I thought I would blog about another one of my favourite BB creams.

Firstly, the Let Me Dressed Glam BB from Banila & Co (a kind of cult brand from South Korea) comes in 4 shades: classic beige, pink beige and yellow beige and 2 formulas for dry (moist) and oily skin (matte).

What the Let Me Dressed BB offers:

• Medium to high coverage, great for those like me with acne prone skin

• SPF 37 PA ++

• Oil control
• Wrinkle free, which basically means it covers and improves the appearance of existing wrinkles

• And lastly, whitening , the covering and treatment of uneven skin tone

The texture is quite thick and creamy, and feels very similar to BRTC Jasmine Cream but this one is a thousand times easier to blend, it practically melts across the face. It honestly feels and looks like a foundation (minus the cakeyness).

The coverage is amazing, it hides almost all my blemishes. Some of the larger, more swollen pimples still need to be touched up with a bit of concealer, but that's no biggie; it also lasts for quite some time. After about five hours on a regular day at work I'll touch up with a bit of powder and I'll be set for the rest of the day. But the best thing about this BB cream is that it doesn't break me out.

I haven't worn foundation in weeks, and I'm a little sad because the tube is slowly slimming down with every use and it's not exactly  cheap (or easy to find for that matter). I grudgingly paid $37 AUD for mine from a seller on ebay, but it was worth every penny; it's far from empty at the moment but I think I'll be happy to spend the extra dollars again when the time comes.

Anyone else tried Banila & Co BB creams or any of their products before? What did you think of them? Let me know below!

L'oreal Nude Magique BB Cream Review

Okay, so there was this three for two deal going on at Priceline and for some reason I thought it would be interesting to try out L'oreal's new BB cream. Truth be told, I've been avoiding western BB creams. There's been a lot of talk about them online, and for those who have been using Asian BB creams for years would agree that the western creams just aren't up to scratch. They're merely a poor excuse for a tinted moisturiser, and are a huge step back as far as personal skincare goes.  L'oreal's new Nude Magique BB cream is no exception; Its' nothing like any other BB creams I have tried , and I'm a little confused as to why they would bother labeling it as such.

The texture is bizarre. It's a very pale coloured liquid containing a whole lot of grimy feeling beads they call 'smart pigment capsules'. Apparently these micro capsules help 'correct skin tone, cover imperfections and refine skin texture'. For a second I thought they had done the impossible and created BB cream that also exfoliates (you never know). Anyway, once you rub it into the skin the capsules begin to break up, dissolve and change colour. Just as a note, I bought the lightest skin tone available, and when I saw how pale the texture of this 'cream' was I thought I would be okay. Yeah, no. I have quite pale skin, and in summer I do tan a little on my face and arms but not enough to match the colour that this BB oxidizes to.

So once I had finally applied this to my face I read the text on the back of the tube: 

'...beyond make-up, beyond skin care...you can have all the benefits of  skin care with the perfecting properties of make-up.' 

It took me a couple of minutes, looking back and forth between the text and my reflection to figure out that this was utter BS.

So what exactly does this so called BB cream claim to offer?

• Sun protection
• 24 hour hydration
• Flaw free complexion
• A nude look

What it actually offers:

• A measly SPF 12 (which might be okay if you lived in a closet)

• No hydration
• A nude look (offers little to no coverage, so I guess they got something right)

• A really bad fake tan

Sorry, couldn't resist.

When you compare the functions of Asian BB creams to this BB...thing, there is a huge distinction to what each offer. Asian BB creams tend to offer a whole range of skincare functions such as

• Whiteneing/ evens out skin tone
• Refines skins texture
• Treats discoloration

• Treats/ reduces fine lines and wrinkles

• Heals and treats acne
• Heals scarring
• Offer sun protection against UV and UB rays
• Foundation like coverage

All in all, this product isn't a BB cream at all, I know some try to pass it off as a tinted moisturiser but without any moisturising properties it isn't really that either. So what is it exactly? I don't want to be a troll but can someone please tell me why this product exists? If anyone, anywhere finds a use for this product please let me know.