Review: Skinfood Red Bean BB Cream

(NOTE: not my picture)

Recently, Amanda (blog linked to the right) was kind enough to send me an assortment of Korean BB cream samples, including this lovely product from Skinfood in Shade 1 (Light Beige). Based on my swatches, I knew that the Skinfood Red Bean BB Cream sample would be the best match for my skintone, which is currently around NW15 now that I've "tanned." For those who are curious, a sample packet is good for about 4-5 uses, provided you blend it all over your face and down the very top of your neck. A full-sized bottle is 45 mL and seems to retail for $15-20, depending on which website I look out. (NOTE: because I didn't actually buy this product, I'd highly recommend shopping around on the internet and finding a reliable retailer that way.)

The product is quite creamy and smooth. It's lightly scented like cucumber melon and, unlike most products, I can still smell the scent long after I've applied, though it's actually not unpleasant to me. I used a dime-sized amount each time and found that that was more than enough, as it spreads quite easily and really smooths in to the skin. It also feels slightly moisturizing, but only very slightly, like a gel day cream or an especially lovely tinted moisturizer. In other words, it feels nice and probably won't dry you out, but don't expect it to replace your regular moisturizer.

As you can see, the coverage is light to medium. It doesn't look cakey or makeup-y, but it does let my skin show through a bit while still evening out most of my redness and discoloration. I'd call the finish demi-matte or "natural," though it may be a bit more glowy on an oily skintype.

The actual performance of this BB cream was pretty impressive. It lasted for about 6 hours before any sort of shine peeked through, and it didn't irritate my kinda-sorta-sensitive skin. I will say that it oxidizes a bit after an hour, not to an orange color, but just to a slightly darker shade; hence, I'd say that this product is a better match for a true-blue N15/N20. I've been told that Shade 2 is a good match for N25, but I couldn't tell you that for certain. The SPF of 20 is a bit low for a BB cream, but that's a drop in the bucket for most people.

I won't repurchase this BB cream, but that's only because the lightest shade only matches me in the middle of summer and because I like the higher SPF in my Missha Perfect Cover. Beyond that, I highly recommend this product. If you'd like to see FOTD pictures using this product, check here and here.

5 out of 5.

Haul + BB Cream Swatches

This week started out tough, but it ended on a high note.  I found a product I've been searching for for MONTHS--the Revlon cream blush in Coral Reef--and received two very lovely packages full of samples from some Makeup Alley friends: an assortment of BB creams and a variety of eye creams (one of which is already upstairs with my nightly skincare stuff). I usually ask that such kind people send their samples to people who don't have as much as I have, but these lovely ladies insisted that they would do well in my hands, and I must admit that I was curious about these products. I thank them both for their generosity.

Of course, once I get new foundations, I have to go on a mad swatching spree. Anyone who is incredibly fair or dark skinned knows that finding a foundation match can be especially difficult, since most foundation ranges don't make shades that match us. I therefore try to swatch new products against popular standbys, like MAC Face & Body and the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, but, um...I may have gotten a bit carried away.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Etude Precious Mineral BB cream, shade 2
MAC Face & Body foundation, N1
NYC Smooth Skin liquid foundation, 676 Ivory
MAC Studio Tech foundation, NW15
Missha Perfect Cover BB cream, shade 13
Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, Sx02
Revlon New Complexion foundation, 01 Ivory Beige
Etude Collagen Moistfull BB cream, shade 2
Skinfood Red Bean BB cream, shade 1

I swatched these on the inside of my arm, which is currently somewhere between MAC N10 and N15. My face and upper arms are "tanned" (ha ha I made a funny) to something between N15-N20. The Missha Perfect Cover and Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer are usually the best matches from my N10ish skin, but now that I'm a hair darker, the NYC foundation and MAC Studio Tech are a little closer.

As this picture shows, the Collagen Moistfull is DEFINITELY too dark for me, but I think it might match my sister pretty well. The Precious Mineral is also too dark, but not as much as the Collagen Moistful; it's probably around NW20. The Skinfood Red Bean BB cream is actually a pretty good match for me, and as I only have one packet of it and plenty of time, I figure I'll try it out first. (NOTE: my Korean is pretty rusty, so I might've gotten the shades wrong.)