Save or splurge: BB creams

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When it comes to BB creams, it can be a bit hard to decide which one is right for you.  I have tried a variety of different ones from a bunch of brands at different price points and no particular one is the same.

For those of you still living under a rock, BB creams came in with a bang a couple years ago.  Standing for Beauty Balm or Blemish Balm, BB creams are packed full of benefits for your skin, they contain an SPF, blurs imperfection, brightens, evens skin tone, moisturizes, hydrates, and much more.  I would say that pretty much every brand on the market has dipped their toes into the BB cream market.

For me, BB creams are best worn in the summertime because they are so light on the skin and they pack that extra SPF to protect your face against the sun.  I also sport one on a lazy Sunday when I want a little bit of coverage but not something too heavy.

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I have tried a gamut of different BB creams from both drugstore and department store brands, including Smashbox, Bobbi Brown, Dior, Garnier, and Covergirl.  No doubt the most popular BB cream in the drugstore market is the Garnier Skin Renew, which I believe was one of the first brands to introduce it to the Western market.  Now just because I say that it’s drugstore, doesn’t mean it comes cheap.  The cheapest I have seen the Garnier one for is like $12.99, but often it sells closer to $17.99 (in Canada).  The Covergirl version retails for almost $10. Department store brands on the other hand, will run you closer to $50.

$15 compared to $50, is it worth it?

Drugstore-bb-creams COVERGIRL - smoothers-bb-cream

Like I said, I’ve tried a gamut of different brands and I have to say that there really is a difference between the drugstore and department store BB creams.  I would think that most of them offer the same benefits, but the wear on them is different.  For the most part, I find the drugstore versions to be a little greasy on the skin compared to their department store counterparts.

My favourite department store BB creams are by Smashbox and Dior, both provide amazing coverage and dry matte on the face.  You don’t have to set these and you could honestly just wear these as a foundation, whereas the drugstore versions are more of a tinted moisturizer.

Dior-bb-cream swatched-dior-bb-cream

So, should you save or splurge?  It depends what you want. If you are a sheer coverage kinda gal, then I would splurge on a BB cream because these aren’t as full coverage as a foundation, but they offer a better coverage than their inexpensive counterparts.   I am a full coverage foundation girl, but I still love the way that Diorskin Nude BB cream makes my face look.

If you would rather just have something sheer that provides a bit of coverage while providing SPF benefits, then stick with drugstore.  I have heard that Marcelle BB cream (only in Canada I believe) is amazing, but it retails for more than your typical drugstore version ($20+).

Let me know in the comments which BB cream is your favourite and if you think spending the extra cash is worth the money.

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Fully exposed: Smashbox Full Exposure palette

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If you are a VIB at Sephora like me, you probably got a $20 off $50 or more voucher in your inboxes two weeks back.  Being one to never let a Sephora coupon go to waste, I hop, jumped, and skipped straight to my favourite beauty store to spend that baby.

Since I really didn’t need anymore makeup, I thought I would pick up something that has gotten a lot of craze lately.  First on my list was the Lolita palette by Marc Jacobs, which was sold out, so then I went for the Lavish palette by Anastasia, which was also sold out (who knew Winnipeggers were so into makeup?), so I looked over and saw the Smashbox Full Exposure palette in all it’s beautiful glory.  I already have a million-and-one eyeshadows, but these shadows were just too pretty to pass up, so I quickly snatched it up (one can never have enough eyeshadow palettes, right?  Right??!).

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Indoor lighting

Indoor lighting

Natural lighting.

Natural lighting.

This palette is made up of 14 shadows, seven glitters (well six, plus one shimmery shade) and seven matte, which was the huge selling point for me.  I feel like most palettes nowadays are filled with shimmery colours but like one or two matte ones (cough, UD Naked palettes, cough).  All the shades in this bad boy are neutrals so they are universally flattering for any skin tone.  Major score. The set also comes with a five week supply of their Full Exposure mascara, a double-ended brush, and an eye chart in case you aren’t sure of how to apply makeup to suit your eye shape.

There is also an English side...

There is also an English side…

I did use this palette in my Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show look from last Monday and since then I have been reaching for this everyday.  This was my first foray into Smashbox shadows and I don’t think they are as great as other brands out there, but I still like this palette regardless.

I really think that the stand outs in this set are the matte shades, as the glitters – although they are gorgeous to look at – don’t apply as nicely as they look in the palette.  They go on quite thin and I feel like the best way to apply them is to pat them on, rather then sweep them on.  As beautiful as they are, if you are buying this set solely for the glitter factor, go with a different set.

Overall, I don’t regret buying this.  It retails for C$58, but I got the $20 off.  I think there are better sets out there in terms of quality, but this one really does have some fabulous neutrals that I think should be staples in everyone’s collection. This set will replace my Naked palette next time I travel, because I like the selection of shades a bit better.  Plus, it has a giant mirror on the top part.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have been reaching for this everyday and although it rocks at creating a gold neutral look, you can also do a pretty cool-toned look as well.  Also, the dark matte brown shade is perfect for filling in my brows.

Brown look open eyes

Note, I used Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in silver as a base on my lids

Note, I used Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in silver as a base on my lids

Have you tried Smashbox’s Full Exposure palette?  What were your thoughts?

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Smoke show: a holiday look featuring Yves Rocher

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In a rush?  With the holiday season already in full swing, sometimes you just don’t have enough time to make it home from work, shower, get ready, and then head to your next event.        Just because you are short on time doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice looking glam.

I did this look in about 10 minutes, the key is to prep ahead of time.  Before work (or anything else you may be doing during the day), apply a BB cream or CC cream, fill in your brows, and apply some mascara.  Once you are ready to get ready, here are the steps to recreate this.

YR steps 1. With a black cream pencil shadow, apply this all over your lids.  I used Yves Rocher Eye Pencil in Deep Charcoal, which is super creamy to apply and very black.  You could also use a grey shadow pencil, although we are smudging this, so it’s not going to look as harsh.

2. With a flat shader brush, smudge the colour out.

3. Using a fluffy crease brush, work a matte brown shadow into the crease (I used Buck from the Urban Decay Naked palette) so there aren’t any harsh lines and so the colour blends out nicely.

4. My lashes were already coated in mascara from the day, so I just popped on some falsies.  Because this is a smoky look, no eyeliner is needed.

5. With a turquoise eyeliner, line your lower lash.  I used Yves Rocher Duo Kohl in Peacock Blue.

6. With a glitter liquid liner, apply this over the turquoise along your lower lash line.  The liner I used is the Yves Rocher eyeliner in sparkling silver.

7. Apply your foundation and concealer.  I used Covergirl Clean Whipped Creme foundation, which I am obsessed with, in fact I’m almost out of it.

8. Apply a contour your cheekbones with a bronzer and then apply a tan-toned blush.  Because this look is very smoky, we want to make this look very structured and contoured.

9. To add a bit of shine, I used Yves Rocher’s Pearly Water applied to my cheekbones.  For the lips I used NYX lipliner in Flower with Yves Rocher Sparkling Gloss in silver over top.

Final 2 Final 3

The majority of the products I used for this look were from Yves Rocher and can be ordered online.  The best part about the brand is that it’s very affordable and the quality is really good, considering the low price points.  Everything from them I used in this post is from their holiday collection, which is everything you could ever want in a holiday makeup collection – deep lip colours, turquoise, and tons of shine.

One more thing, they did send me their sparkling shower gels from their Cocoa collection, and oh my gosh, you need to smell these.  This little bombs come in three scents: Cocoa and Orange (smells like a Terry’s Chocolate Orange), Cocoa and Pistachio Nut, and Cocoa and Raspberry.  Usually I’m a Bath & Body Works kinda girl when it comes to shower gels, but I have been loving these because the scents are to die for, plus you know, they have glitter in them.  If you are looking for a gift for someone, pick these up!  The line also has a candle and lotions too.  Seriously, you need to catch a whiff of these bad boys.

bath bathbomb

I hope you enjoyed this look and let me know if you have tried it out, or if you have been loving anything from Yves Rocher’s holiday collection.

Note, this post contains products sent by PR. As always, all opinions are my own.

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