In a move that’s generated more confusion than the Lisbon Treaty, the beauty industry has added yet another base option to the mix. Not content with foundation, BB creams and tinted moisturisers, the CC cream seems to be the latest thang (read our review of the Clinique offering here). If you’re wondering what the actual eff, don’t be worrying, because you’re certainly not alone. We’re here to try and clear the fog.
Ok, so, let’s start at what is arguably the bottom of the pile – the tinted moisturiser. We didn’t rate these pigment-and-moisturiser combos all that much – traditional offerings were lacking in both the coverage and hydration stakes and often delivered a hefty dose of face cheese into the bargain.
Then along came the BB cream which is basically a new-gen tinted moisturiser – improved, betterised and, in an ideal world, with anti-aging and SPF benefits too. We’ve reviewed zillions of these and you can see our favourites here. The Asian versions are thicker and balmier and often have whitening properties; the European counterparts tend to be more fluid and lightweight.
The CC cream then is basically an upgraded BB – they tend to come in more than two shades, which is a bugbear with most BB offerings, and have some sort of colour correcting and brightening action going on. Like the best BBs, you should be able to wear these alone and not worry about layering another base product over the top.
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All of that sounds fairly simple and easy to understand, right? So why the mass confusion? People, IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT.
The beauty industry is trying to bamboozle us.
Spotting a hot trend, they’re now slapping the BB or CC moniker on everything from tinted moisturisers to primers to sheer foundations to feckin’ hair products! The offerings vary widely in terms of quality, coverage, anti-aging properties and SPF so read the package carefully and research the product before you splash the cash.
I’m still trying and testing new BBs and to a lesser extent, CCs, on a weekly basis so tell me this, would you be interested in more reviews or have we all had quite enough of this? Is it time to just go back to foundation already?
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Share your views in the comments because we really want to know!
