Anessa Face Sunscreen BB SPF50+ PA+++

Because my Too Cool For School Blending Cream BB was almost finished, I started trying the Anessa Face Sunscreen BB which I bought in Yokohama last September. I can't believe I took so long to start on it, just one use and it became my current favorite BB cream! ♥♥ 

Anessa is made by Shiseido, and is famous for their sunscreens, which have ranked high on cosme.net for many years. I initially wanted to only try the sunscreen, but while I was in Donki I saw the BB cream next to it and thought, why not try it out, since I haven't tried many Japanese BB creams other than Hadalabo's.

I love Donki, because I can spend hours browsing the cosmetics section^^ Lots of items are discounted too, for example the sunscreen was about 1790yen, while the BB cream was 2000yen. The retail price is around 3150yen for the sunscreen and 2520yen for the BB cream. Anyway, I had to try both ♥ 

There was a promotion for the sunscreens, whereby there was an extra mini 12ml bottle of a different sunscreen. I got the Perfect Essence Sunscreen SPF50+ PA+++, and it came with a mini bottle of the Perfect UV Sunscreen SPF50+ PA+++. (I just checked their website, in February 2013 a new formula has been rolled out for all the sunscreens, they now offer PA++++! Even more sun protection, hurray~)

The Too Cool For School BB cream had no SPF, so I'd always use the Perfect Essence Sunscreen under. It's my favorite sunscreen, because it's very fluid like essence/serum, non-sticky and is easily absorbed. I haven't tried the Perfect UV one, though it's recommended for activities like sports, going up the mountains/going to the sea, and it's waterproof too.

Onto the BB cream! I like how the underside of the cap is solid instead of being empty like most screw-cap cosmetics. There's 30g of product and its main function is actually to act as a suncreen. There are two colors - Light and Natural - but at Donki I only saw Natural, so that's what I got. The Anessa Face Sunscreen BB is actually more like a tinted moisturizer than a BB cream, with high sun protection.

Ingredients and benefits.

Main benefits:

★ High UV protection - protects delicate skin against sunburn and sun damage

★ Moisturizing - contains hyaluronic acid and collagen

★ Covers pores

★ Corrects skin tone

★ Can be used as a make up base or as a foundation

★ Resistant to sweat and sebum

Oiliness test.

It's very non-oily, which works great in Singapore's humidity.
It's also very light, so my face doesn't feel like it's smothered by cream :D

I don't know what to call this test, but just wanted to show that it doesn't "melt" or fall off after contact with the environment, or that the more liquid components won't sink to the bottom and cause the blob to fall off the paper?

Consistency test.

It's lightweight and very creamy, but spreads easily and blends into skin without difficulty.

I have a preference for creamier BB creams, because for me thinner BB creams tend to streak...

Color/blending.

The Anessa Face Sunscreen BB is actually a lot darker than most BB creams I've seen, but over time it blends into my skin. The main function is to act as a sunscreen, and it's made to have a "natural" color. Despite claiming to be more for sun protection than makeup, the BB cream's coverage is medium and is buildable, and it's pretty decent at covering redness and evening skintone ♥

The BB cream dries semi-matte, which is my preferred type of finish 　ε(๑^ᴗ^๑)з

When I use this I do not top it off with loose powder, because it sets pretty well. And after 10hours of wear it still stays in place, and doesn't melt or streak. For me, this is a great BB cream, perfect for Singapore's humid weather. It's also lightweight, blends very well and looks natural, and the finish is semi-matte and non-oily ♥ 

I have combination skin and live in extremely humid and warm weather, and I really like the texture of this BB cream. However, for people living in temperate climates of have dry skin, I think you might find this a bit drying?

klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF 40 PA++

I love trying different BB creams and foundations, and something I recently added to my stash is the klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF 40, PA++. I've read many positive reviews of older klairs items by Korean bloggers in the past, but I've never tried the brand because it's difficult to get outside of Korea...It wasn't even available on Gmarket Korea (´Д`)

Packaging.

First impression: I love the minimalist packaging, it looks very chic. The long tube shape also feels nice to hold it in my hands ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

This product can be used by both women and men,

check out the video of Tay applying the BB cream and other makeup on her boss, Eddie!

The opening of the tube is long and narrow,
which allows for good control of the amount of product you want to get.

This BB cream's main functions are:

✿ SPF40 PA++

✿ Whitening

✿ Wrinkle care

✿ Sebum control

All functions are certified by the KFDA (Korean Food and Drug Administration). 

Details/information on the packaging.

The BB cream is made in Korea, and expires 12 months after opening.

Great news for non-Korean speakers/readers, they have English instructions and ingredients list on their packaging, and it's proper English not Engrish^^ They even leave an email address for you to report adverse reactions, very thoughtful. 

For people with sensitive skin who might be worried about the suitability of the product, here's some information about klairs products in general (not just the BB cream):

☆ Low-irritation cosmetics specialized for sensitive/troubled skin.

☆ Collaboration with professional dermatologic cosmetics

☆ No alcohol

☆ No animal testing

☆ No paraben

☆ No artificial coloring

☆ Eco-friendly

☆ Minimal fragrance

The tube.

The first time I've seen BB cream come in a tube like this, it really reminds me of a toothpaste tube! But I love the long design, personally it's more convenient and aesthetically pleasing to me^^ Plus there's the line "You look so wonderful just the way you are", which is always nice to see when I pick up the tube to use it.

klairs' recommended instructions on how to apply, I'm sorry if my translation are a bit off!

For me I do step 1, apply dots on my cheeks, nose, forehead, chin, then use the Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush to blend everything on.

Oiliness test:

It's not as oily as the ElishaCoy CC Cream, so this would be suitable for daily use in tropical weather countries like Singapore. It's not very dry , and would be great for ladies working in an air-conditioned environment. If you don't work indoors, I would set this with loose powder because it does tend to melt after a few hours of wear outdoors...

Consistency test:  It's quite thick and creamy, but is non-sticky and blends into skin easily.

Personally, I prefer creamier BB creams because they blend easier on my skin and end up less streaky. Streakiness is a problem I encounter with products having thinner consistencies...anyone else face the same problem? Although the klairs BB cream has a thick consistency, it doesn't cake and it blends well into my skin.

Coverage comparison.
The BB cream has buildable light-medium coverage and leaves a dewy glow.

It can cover some freckles and redness, but not totally, so you might need extra concealer if you have a lot of redness. The product has a smooth, dewy finish, and if you work in an air-conditioned environment you can probably forgo loose powder when using this.

Right now WISHtrend.com has the klairs BB cream on offer at a 20% discount, going for USD18.50.

http://www.wishtrend.com/beauty-steal/587--klairs-illuminating-supple-blemish-cream.html

I don't know how long the offer will last, but the regular price is USD22.99.

Some of klairs' other bestsellers are the Rich Moist Soothing Cream and Rich Moist Soothing Serum.
I've read lots of Korean reviews on these^^

But the item that totally caught my eye was the CHERRY BLOSSOM AND ROSE FACIAL MIST
http://www.wishtrend.com/toner-mist/262--klairs-essential-facial-mist-cherry-blossom-rose.html

Almost all my Korean friends carry around some sort of facial mist to refresh their faces throughout the day.  Feels really good to spray ♡ I used to use Avene's Thermal Water, but now I'm currently using Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist (smells great!) and Hanskin Hyaluron Facial Mist.

Anyway, you can use the code "RFXLSCOZ" at checkout for a USD3 voucher. 

- Minimum USD20 order

- Expires end of 2013

- Can combine with other vouchers

If you live in Singapore, WISHTrend also has a Qoo10/Gmarket shop to cater to Singaporeans. They've narrowed the selection to their more popular items, so not everything on the WISHTrend website will be there. But they often have promotions and special deals, so the prices come up less than the main site prices.

WISHTrend + ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream Review

Just got the ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream from WISHTrend~♬ Yepp that's right, move over BB cream, now comes the CC cream craze! After an over-saturation of BB creams in the market, many Korean cosmetics companies have moved on to coming up with their version of CC creams (Etude House, Innisfree, Tony Moly, Banila Co, to name a few). Even Western brands have some too! (Lancome, Chanel, smashbox, Clinique, etc). I personally don't think CC cream is a substitute for BB cream, but instead it's a complement to BB cream, you'll see why later. First, I'll introduce WISHTrend, and you can watch their super easy-to-understand video introducing CC creams vs BB creams!

If you've read one of my Gmarket Tips from a looong time ago, local Korean cosmetics brands are divided into several categories like roadshow, word-of-mouth, brands under larger companies etc. WISHTrend.com is an online portal selling Korean cosmetics, stocking mostly word-of-mouth brands like ElishaCoy, Skin79, Tosowoong, Skinsmo, Ciracle, etc; and Korean makeup artist-produced brands like Liz K and Seo Su Jin Palette. Basically, brands that are difficult to get outside of Korea.

Some of the brands available on WISHTrend.

Their mission is to "Help you become more beautiful." Believing that all women desire to be better and more beautiful, WISHTrend aims to be a place where you can find the best solution for being a better you. Though located in Gangnam, Seoul, WISHtrend ships worldwide and provides free shipping with orders over US$70. Though they're a Korean company, the site's entirely in English! They give freebies/samples with every order, right now they're offering a USD3 voucher to all new and existing users, just use the code "RFXLSCOZ" at checkout (minimum USD20 order).

Not just another store, WISHTrend also has a YouTube channel (WISHTrendTV), where they regularly upload videos featuring Korean cosmetic trends. Best of all, their videos are in English~ Check out their introduction to/ comparison of  CC creams from Banila Co, Tonly Moly and ElishaCoy:

The current host, Tay, is such a joy to watch~! ♥
The previous host, Liah, was adorable too ♡

Anyway, onto the ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream review. A noticeable difference in CC cream is that while BB cream is skin-colored, CC cream is usually white. But the micro-encapsulated color spheres in the white CC cream are activated by the warmth of your skin to change and blend into your skin naturally.

Another main difference is that BB creams offer coverage, building on the concept of foundation with skincare benefits; whereas CC creams focus more on the skincare benefits part, like hydration/ moisturization. Hence, most CC creams offer minimal coverage.

Description and benefits of the CC cream.
The ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream has a 10-in-1 formula that claims to have the functions of:
★ Whitening
★ Anti-wrinkle
★ UV Protection
★ Hydration
★ Correcting skin texture
★ Correcting skin tone
★ Covering imperfections
★ Long-lasting
★ Excellent application
★ Making skin look instantly refreshed

Consistency test: It's quite runny, not very thick, and extremely easy to spread.

Left to right: [1] Out of tube, [2] Spread, [3] Blended.

As you can see, it totally matches my skin tone after blending, and has a soft sheen. It's also very moisturizing and hydrating, so if you're gonna be in an air-conditioned place most of the day, this is great. However it  might be too rich if you're not, especially since Singapore's humid weather is such a bane...T_T The CC cream provides SPF30 PA++ sun protection, which is fairly decent, though I would still use sunscreen with higher SPF/ PA.

When I wiped the back of my hand with a tissue, the product that got wiped of was skin-colored. So you can see that within just a matter of seconds, the color of the CC cream changed from white to a color that totally matched my skin.

For me, this CC cream works great as a base/primer, and with BB cream over it the BB cream applies smoother and lasts longer, for a more flawless finish. I wouldn't use the CC cream on its own, because it has very little coverage, and I need coverage for redness...Overall, I think the ElishaCoy CC cream is good as a primer/base/moisturizer, but is definitely not a substitute for BB cream unless you have really good, even-toned skin or don't require coverage.

This is the first CC cream I've tried, so I've got nothing to compare it with at the moment. However I will be getting the new Innisfree Real Skin CC cream from a friend soon, so I'll update and compare when I try that ♥

Anyway, I was browsing through WISHTrend and came across a couple of other items of interest:

ElishaCoy 3D Spin Cleaner 

A rotating, vibrating facial cleaner that's kind of like a Clarisonic Mia. And it's pink! 

The bristles look really soft and finer than that of the Clarisonia Mia, 

and it comes with two power settings, low and high.

Looks awesome doesn't it! Definitely want to try ♥

Skin79 BB Facer 
A vibrating puff  to help spread foundation on more evenly. 
Hanskin has one of these too, saw it when I was in Seoul last year!
Worth a try as well~ (^^)

O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum
A serum containing 20% pure Vitamin C,
it first started selling at Shinsegae (department store in Korea),
and sold so well that it's commonly just called "신세계 빨간병", or "Shinsegae red bottle".

Ciracle Pimple Solution CC Powder
(Ciracle = Ciramisu + miracle? Hahaha, just kidding!)
A concealer + treatment to cover up blemishes whist treating them.
A mixture of liquid + powder, looks promising~

If you live in Singapore, WISHTrend also has a Qoo10/Gmarket shop to cater to Singaporeans. They've narrowed the selection to their more popular items, so not everything on the WISHTrend website will be there. But they often have promotions and special deals, so the prices come up less than the main site prices.

Check out their Facebook pages for your region:

Wishtrend Global/ Korea || Wishtrend Singapore ||  Wishtrend Thailand || Wishtrend France 

Wishtrend Japan || Wishtrend Taiwan || Wishtrend UK

Too Cool For School Blending BB Series

A little overdue, but here's a mini review/introduction to Too Cool For School's Blending BB Series. Part of my Too Cool For School haul from Seoul last year, I've previously introduced the Too Cool For School lip products, and now it's onto this wonderful Blending BB Series! Their BB cream is one of my absolute favorites! 

 

The three items in the Blending BB Series: Mineral Jinju Ball Blending Powder, Blending Cake BB and Blending Cream BB. Too Cool For School also has other BB creams, but my friend recommended the Blending Cream BB, so I tried hers and loved it, and ended up buying rest in the series. (By the way, Too Cool for School sticks a yellow sticker saying "all mine!" at the counter when you buy it, it's like their "Paid" sticker, so cute! ^^)

Too Cool For School Blending Cream BB

This is one of my absolute favorite buys from Too Cool For School. It looks cute in the bottle, with alternating swirls of essence and cream~  ♬ The scent is really pleasant, kind of floral but not sweet. Perhaps due to the almond oil and macadamia oil? The BB cream also contains aloe vera to sooth the skin.

This gives a wonderful dewy, glowing finish. The only downside is that it has no SPF, so you definitely need to use sunscreen under this. Other than that, it's really amazing! I used it everyday for about 6 months...see the difference in amount of product! I'll be finishing soon...  (*´д`*)

The tube comes with a handy, hygienic pump, and on the swatch I believe you can tell which half has the blended BB cream on! The finish is really natural, giving a brightening effect; the coverage is light-medium, but enough to cover redness. The Blending Cream BB comes in 2 colors, #21 Light Beige and #23 Natural Beige, and costs 20,000won.

Too Cool For School Blending Cake BB

Haven't used this yet, though I'm planning to move onto it after I finish the Blending Cream BB. It's basically a cream pact version of the cream, and the pact has a unique twist-lock cover as opposed to regular snap-lock ones. Comes with a puff that sits on an attached inner cover that closes over the cream. Hygienic and convenient!

The BB contains mango seed butter, shea butter and argan oil to keep skin moist. And the outer casing of the pact has a cute graphic of a girl~ The Blending Cake BB comes in 2 colors, #21 Light Beige and #23 Natural Beige, and costs 20,000won.

 Too Cool For School Mineral Jinju Ball Blending Powder

"Jinju" means "pearl", and this product is kind of like Guerlain Meteorites, but skin-toned. For use after the BB cream, it has slight shimmers to further give a glowing look. Each ball is made up of a mix of two colors (see the ones at bottom of the jar, the ones on top are overexposed!). The balls contain pearl powder for highlighting, and avocado extract for moisturizing the skin.

Too Cool For School is an amazing brand, and I adore the quirky adorable packaging they have for their products, their store concept/layout and their fun products! Their Twin Color Eye Crayons are another favorite of mine! If you're ever in Seoul, you should definitely check it out~ They have two stores in Myeongdong, one in Ehwa, one in Insadong, one in Sinsa...and those are just the ones I visited^^ Plus they're very generous with their samples, and the staff are really friendly.