Review of 3 BB creams

I'm really into Japanese products, especially their BB creams. What I love about Japanese drugstore products are that they're cheap and very good quality, meaning you get excellent value for money. The Japanese cosmetic market is a tough one, so you have to be good to survive!

Here are three Japanese BB creams I've tried. You might find them in Sydney, at really expensive prices. I bought mine in Japan, or got them sent over to me.

Harikan Perfect Cream

Blah: I first discovered this in Japan about two summers (their winter) ago. I bought it on a whim, loved it and bought two as a back up. When I went back last summer, I couldn't find it anywhere! It's also really hard to find on the internetz. I only have one tube of this stuff left.  
Cost: Roughly AUD10
SPF: 33 PA++ (not sure about ingredients)
Coverage: Sheer.
Rating: 5 stars. If you are looking for sheer coverage, and your skin is in good condition, it will make your skin look more luminous.
This is the website on the back of the tube: http://www.narisup.co.jp/

Heroine Make Protect UV Mineral BB Cream

Image from http://www.ratzillacosme.com/2013/heroine-make-protect-uv-mineral-bb-cream/

Cost: JPY1,050
SPF: 50+ PA+++ (See Ratzilla for ingredient listing)
Coverage: Light to medium.
Rating: 4 stars. This only comes in two shades and I have the darker of the two (02 Natural - Natural Beige). This shade is not bad for winter, but lately, it makes my face look way too white. Lovely, creamy texture. I'd only recommend it if you have quite pale skin.

DHC BB Germanium BB Cream Foundation

Cost: JPY3,500
SPF: 20 PA++ (mineral, if it's the same as this one)
Coverage: Medium
Rating: 5 stars. This is a very close match to my skin tone. Probably my current favourite BB cream. Gives medium coverage, makes my skin more even toned. This is what I'm using now (as well as La Roche Posay in 02) since my regular BB creams are all way to light for me.

Review of 5 BB creams.

I have tried some of Elsie's BB creams. There have been times when Elsie has been into something like, say, oils, and raves on and on about this oil for hair and this oil for hands and I'm nodding on the outside and on the inside I'm thinking "oils are oily, whatever". But this time, our obsessions have aligned and we rave at each other about BBs and both of us are interested! It's amazing. I haven't gotten deeply into the world of makeup, I feel like makeup has branched out and met me where I am with something practical and easy.

I'm looking for BB creams that have sunscreen, and make my skin look better without looking like makeup, and that stay OK all day. You might have different needs. This is a summary, but there are plenty of lengthy reviews around the www, with videos and stuff. You're probably not that interested though.

Tarte
Cost: $34, yikes.
SPF: 30+ (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, so physical sunscreen not chemical)
Coverage: Good, but clings to dry skin and makes it look flaky.
Rating: 5 stars. The smoothest and lightest thing I have ever touched, not at all greasy. Pure magic.
http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-BB-tinted-primer

Loreal Nude Magique
Cost: $16-27 (depending on Priceline sales)
SPF: SPF 12 (not a real sunscreen)
Coverage: Not enough to my liking. More of a tint than a proper cover, but smooth.
Rating: 2.5 stars. Not enough sunscreen for me in summer, but good enough in winter. Available everywhere though.
http://www.priceline.com.au/index.php/cosmetics/face/tinted-moisturisers-and-bb-creams/nude-magique-bb-cream-30.0-ml

Canmake Perfect Serum
Cost: 800yen (try ebay etc) about $10
SPF: 50 (chemical I assume, ingredients list is useless.)
Coverage: Good.
Rating: 4 stars. Feels creamy. Very happy with this product, great for the price if you can find it.
http://www.canmake.com/en/ebase/item_base034.html

Skin79 Chiffon BB Mousse
Cost: I don't know
SPF: 30
Coverage: Good.
Rating: 3 stars. Elsie gave me this because she has better ones, and I think I have better ones too, but the whole point of reviewing this is that it squirts out as a mousse and it smells chocolatey so it's like spreading cupcake cream on your face. That's funny. It's not easy to get smooth application though.
http://www.mybbcream.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=233

La Roche Posay Uvidea Melt-in
Cost: $18-30.
SPF: 50 (I think a mix of physical and chemical)
Coverage: Good, but when you look closely it's not super even
Rating: 4 stars. LRP is a skin care company as opposed to a cosmetic company, so I trust the ingredients more than Canmake. It's also available locally. Texture is like Invisible Zinc sunscrean, sort of greasy. If you're fussy about having a greasy face, Elsie suggests a light brushing of setting powder. I normally need the lightest shade of a BB but with this brand the lightest is rather ghostly, it's basically a grey sunscreen, so Elsie and I think the second lightest is a bit better, it's distinctly golden. http://www.laroche-posay.com.au/products-treatments/Uvidea-XL/UVIDEA-XL-BB-MELT-IN-CREAM-p8747.aspx?gclid=CLe36rvu8boCFcdYpQodOVIAUQ

For funs, I stitched together two face halves. A face from a few months ago when I wasn't wearing BB cream or lipstick (and had a bad skin reaction to something but that's the less puffy eye, but that's why I look sad and bleagh on the left) and my face today, with Elsie's La Roche Posay and some lipstick. I don't think the colour is accurate and the lighting would also be different on different days so this is a bit exagerated, but I think you can get an idea of how "made up" I look with BB, ie, not very. It just evens skin tone or something. I should do a same day photo experiment actually.

Jelssie loves BB creams.

In fact you might call it an obsession. An obsession we share.

First, an explanation of BB. It's a face product that is basically an all-in-one thing. A single squirt rubbed on your face and you've got moisturiser, sunscreen and makeup on. You can see why I love this concept, SO EFFICIENT!!! It's unlike me to be interested in beauty products. Except Burt's Bees and nail polish. The beauty counters at Myer are a foreign and baffling place to me, other than as a shortcut from Pitt St to George St. And now here I am with a mini-encyclopeadic knowledge of BB creams. And Elsie too.

Different BB creams have different strong points. So you pick one that does the things you need. Options:

• Covering (light foundation)
• Tinting
• Moisturising
• Sunscreening

They're basically the things. They'll say "9 in 1!" but there isn't much more to it than those things, they just say it with more words. "Mattifying" "brightening" etc etc. I've cut through the faff for you.

Then you decide what's most important, because different BBs have different strengths. My favourite BB cream is from Tarte; it's a very natural-looking coverage (hides pigmentation pretty well), with an SPF30 mineral sunscreen. It's so good I never use my actual makeup anymore. But it's not very moisturous. Looks bad on flakey skin. And it's expensive, I got a friend to buy it in the US for me and it was $35. But I love it. It has a wooden lid! It feels like silk! It's made from diamonds! My LOreal BB has inadequate SPF12, but better moisturiser, a slight tint, thinner coverage, and is cheaper (cos Priceline has really good sales sometimes). The Body Shop BB (I had a sample) is basically a thick tinted moisturiser with vitamin E and healthy stuff in it. I'd like to get many more BB creams, but tiny bottles last forever! So anyway, in Summer I use the high SPF one mostly, but in Winter I save money and use the cheaper BB that focuses on moisturising. That's my jessenomics system.

So that's that. Google around and find one that does the things you want, read some reviews, and give it a go. Or Jelssie is a fountain of knowledge, Elsie will have her own favourites. Or fruitybeauty is a good place to learn more.

Hats.

Further to my sunscreen post... hats are excellent sun protection. No chemicals or nano-particles or products to remember to reapply on your face. Keep the sun/glare out of your eyes as well. Yes, I know, hat hair. But still, the advantages are considerable.

Here is a beautiful lady dressed for the Australian sun this week. Broad brimmed hat. She isn't worried about hat hair, obviously.

Personally I find hat-wearing easiest when it's a soft scrunchable hat that I can carry around in a bag. They don't look as nice as a what Angelina wears, but the convenience means I'm more likely to have it with me for the day and therefore wear it when I'm out in the sun, but I can take it off and stuff it in my bag when I'm on the bus or indoors. The parasol, as we have mentioned before, is an excellent way to prevent hat hair sans sunscreen, but it's just not convenient.

Sunscreen for summer.

I have to rave about fruitybeauty. Elsie put me onto it. This is a useful and amusing beauty blog. Now, I am not a high-maintenance beauty person. I have makeup, I wear it occasionally, but on the beauty spectrum I'm pretty much down the end that wears lip balm, sunscreen and moisturiser, washes hair every second or third day, and that's about it. So fruitybeauty is for me. She talks about products like BB cream and foundation, which doesn't go over my head, but she spends as much time talking about actually useful things like what makes a good lip balm and how to get maximum days out of washing your hair. These things have changed my life. Also, by happy coincidence I'm pretty much the same hair type as her and have the same skin problems, so following her rules actually works for me and has made my life easier. And it is great to hear someone talk about pigmentation. Oh how I hate pigmentation.

I'm plugging this because we're going into summer and she's written a helpful post on sunscreen. I think sunscreen and moisturiser are the only anti-aging products that work. Especially sunscreen. This is a true fact. So I reckon it's worth spending money on a sunscreen that works and which doesn't feel gross on your face so that you wear it every day. Also, your face is a fairly small surface area so a small bottle will last a long long time.

Dry nails.

So I love nail polish a little bit too much, and now my fingernails are not the healthiest they've ever been. The top layer keeps peeling off. I try and grow them out, then trim the peeling part off, but that just starts it splitting again. But I read last week that you should cut your nails after you've had a shower or done something wet because they'll be soft, and they wont fracture. It worked! I only have one peeling nail now. Almost ready to start polishing again.

Washing hair less often.

I've always liked the idea for efficiency reasons. But now I've got back-up from Hamish Blake's wife, who is a beauty writer. She suggested a system of doing your hair before the weekend to have great hair for days without much effort, so I bought some mousse and tried it, and it worked! Less conditioner, a squirt of mousse foam in damp hair, dry it normally with the hair-dryer, go to bed. Wake up and straighten it, and boom! Good hair for 3 days. 3rd day is ponytail day, but it's still a classier ponytail than normal. I'll never again have to take shampoo and conditioner away with on a weekend.

On the other hand, I still want to do Jillian 3 times a week (ideally) so I'm still going to have to wash my hair 3 times a week minimum. Anyway, I feel completely validated by this post too, which advocates washing hair as little as possible, and also using less conditioner, and also I am glad I didn't let the hairdresser do layers in my last haircut.

I see red

Jess is a nail polish woman. She loves 'em. I'm a lipstick woman. I love 'em. We can't get enough of our respective loves. Here is what I've observed about wearing red nails or lips. Wearing red nail polish or lipstick will emphasise any red already present in the skin.

Image from http://www.kaboodle.com/

For example, if your hands are red from eczema (aka xma rage), wearing red nail polish will draw attention and emphasise the redness in your hands. It doesn't look as good as someone with an even skin tone on their hands.

This is the same with wearing red lipstick. Unless you have very good skin, you need to wear foundation when wearing red lipstick, in order to minimise the redness in your face (usually around the nose and chin for me). Otherwise, it will make your face look splotchy. As much as I love red, I don't wear red nails that much because of xma rage. I love a bright red lippy, so I make sure I wear foundation before I wear it.

Image from http://ie.rimmellondon.com

While we're on the topic, here are my picks for a red lipstick:

• Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in no. 10. This is possibly my favourite red lippy. It's incredibly bright and really makes your lips pop. Not for the faint-hearted. It makes my skin look even paler when I wear it. For some reason, there is no no. 10 on the website, but I checked my lipstick and it's definitely a 10.
• Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl. Gorgeous, bright and bold. I tried this on at Mecca and loved it.
• Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Crème Lipstick in Icon. 

MAC is also famous for their red lipsticks and most brands will have a good red in their range. If you want something a bit sheerer, but still with a reasonable amount of colour, try Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in 095 Finale.  If you want super-sheer and moisturing, try Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayon in Macaron.

Final tangent: I'm currently loving Butter London Primrose Hill Picnic Nail Lacquer. It's see pleasing to see a bright fuchsia pink on the nails!

Gratuitous link to Split Enz video clip for I See Red here.

Awkward

Bec and I had impromptu trip into the city today. I wanted to approach the Biotherm counter to have a sniff of their new fragrance Eau Océane, but they had two topless guys promoting stuff at their counter. Having them there just made me feel awkward and we only went back after those two men disappeared. Maybe it's just me and maybe I'm a prude, but topless men at cosmetic counters just puts me off.

Benefit did it too for a recent event.

Photo from Benefit Australia on Facebook.

I could go down the line of argument of "women aren't like men; they're more emotional rather than visual creatures, blah blah blah", but I won't. The point is: I don't need topless men to lure me to a cosmetics counter - I just need beauty blogs and great products!

Oh, and the fragrance is really lovely, really fresh! I quite liked it.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector

I'm starting a new series called "holy grail". Holy grail (or HG) is a term used by makeup and beauty bloggers to describe their absolute favourite product. I'm doing this because I now wear makeup a lot more than I used to (mostly because of work and secondly because I enjoy putting it on for work). I also had some skin issues that were driving me crazy and I'd like to share what I learnt.

Today's holy grail category is: illuminator/highlighter. I suspect this product might not be familiar to some of you because I once had to ask a friend why there was a white powder (the highlighter) next to the powdered blush she gave me!

The point of this product is to make your skin look glow-y and to emphasise the high points of your face . You can apply this product on your cheekbones, your cupid's bow, underneath the arch of your eyebrow and down the bridge of your nose. But that's too much effort for me, so I just apply it on the top of my cheekbones.

My favourite makeup artist, Lisa Eldridge, explains how to use to it make your skin look glow-y. Her English accent is delightful!



Most makeup brands nowadays will have a highlighter or illuminator in a liquid, cream or powdered form. My holy grail one is Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal.

Image from Becca Cosmetics
I like this because I have dry skin on my cheeks and this product sits really well on my skin: it doesn't emphasis flaky or dry patches and the colour is an excellent match for my skin tone. I apply it with my fingers, after foundation. I use a tiny amount and dab it along the top of my cheekbones until it's well blended in. A little goes a long way, and even though it's expensive (AUD66), it's worth it for me because I wear it everyday at work and I only need to use a little bit when I use it. I order mine online from Amazon (USD42).

 If you want to try this product, I suggest you visit a Becca makeup counter at David Jones and ask the makeup artist there to suggest a colour for you and to apply it on you there and then. Take a discerning friend who can tell you which colour suits you better. If you're super-polite, you can ask for a sample to take home and try. I always do this before buying any skin products if possible. It's good to see how a products fares over the course of the day (does it oxidise, does it make you break out etc etc), and see how it looks in natural light. You could try less expensive options from Australis, Face of Australia, Topshop, The Body Shop or any other makeup brand, but the Becca one is my favourite.

Does it work? Well, I did catch up with a friend during a lunch break and she complimented me on my skin, so yeah, I think it works!

Nail File.

Nail polishes. They are the one cosmetic area I actually enjoy. I'm a big believer in sunscreen and moisturiser, etc, but I don't go crazy for lip gloss shades or mascara that doesn't run or whatever. Zero interest. But nail polish… it's less of a makeup thing and more like earrings, or maybe shoes. One part of your life you can have fun and be out there a bit and play with pretty colours, but still turn up to work looking respectable. And it's cheap. Every time I go to Big W or Kmart or Priceline now I see if there are any bargains. I have about 10 bottles, in mostly conservative colours. I have a few natural pale tones, and a few greys and silvers. My all time favourite bottles are my Matte Topcoat, which makes anything look classy, and my very pale pearly pink, which is so natural it is almost invisible. I am looking forward, however, to some exciting additions to the collection. I just have to wait forever for the postage. As Elsie says re internet shopping: delayed gratification. I'm getting a lot of delayed gratification these days. I should probably stop.

My pretties...

Oils ain't oils

I'm introducing oils into my skin/hair care routine.

Jojoba oil for removing makeup and relieving ezcema symptoms. Castor seed oil to strengthen nails. Rosehip oil to treat dry facial skin. Argan oil to keep hair looking healthy. I like the idea of using oils; it's simple and it's a single ingredient.

Nail undercoat.

Nail polish is a thing right now. It's pretty cheap DIY fun: even if you only use a bottle of colour once it's cheaper than a manicure. I tend to go no more than one week of a colour, by which time it is thoroughly chipped, so take it off and 'rest' my nails for a bit. Using nail polish more frequently, I have noticed some damage to my nails. Mainly, they sometimes split. (I always thought that nails split longways, from the edge to the base, ow. But they don't, they split like plys of toilet paper, you get the top of your nail breaking away along the edge.) Keep them short, and it's not too much of a problem. I used to assume that long nails were more beautiful and short nails were only practical, but lately I've started to prefer the look of short nails. It's a better world, when form follows function.

Something about my skin tone, and my hands are particularly brown or sallow or something, means that nail polish is slightly disappointing on, compared to holding the bottle in my hands. What I have discovered though is white undercoat, like when you paint a wall or a canvass. White nail polish on first as an undercoat. I get a much more true colour over a coat of white than over my dark natural finger colour. Which makes sense. And there is an added benefit, that my nails wont be stained when I use a bright colour. Haven't had staining problems with silver or neutral colours, but orange was a bit gross and left me with fanta nails.

My favourite nail product is a matte topcoat. Turns tacky silver into cool metal. Turns shiny black into ipod black.

New use for snails.

According to a facebook ad I saw today:

I reckon we could cut out the middle man and just rub snails on our face. That would probably be friendlier to the snail.

Surprise eyebrows.

I have a thing going with a friend, that we tell each other trends as we spot them. It's been a back and forward list for over a year, including boys wearing bracelets, women carrying big handbags on the elbow like a shopping basket, stuff like that.

The weirdest trend I've seen, and I haven't seen it in real life yet, only on models (in magazines, emails from Myer, etc), is surprising eyebrows. At first it was shaved eyebrows or bleached eyebrows, so as to be pale or invisible. Quite freaky: naked eyes look alien. Then it has been the opposite trend, messy eyebrows. Eyebrows with straggly unplucked hairs all around them. Not just thick, but "natural". So I put both of these eyebrow trends in the same basket, "surprise eyebrows". I include the fashion dummies in the Chanel boutique downstairs with the black diamonte brows.

Nail challenge

I've been a nail-biter for as long as I can remember. I managed to wean myself off nail-biting during high school, but because I had had short nails for so long, I never got used to having longer nails. They just felt weird.

I don't bite my nails anymore, but I do tear them when I get nervous. Given my dry hands and ezcema (or x-ma as Jess likes to call it), my nails and my hands end up looking very ratty.

So, I have embarked on a nail challenge. I will do my best not to tear at my nails (although I did twice after starting this nail challenge) and at the end of about three or four weeks, Jess and I are going to get a manicure together! Something fun to do together.

I'm a bit hesitant to go to those big nail parlours - I have heard they're not very hygienic. You're more than welcome to join us for a mani and we would love to hear any recommendations for where to go for a hygenic one!

Skin care update

I've talked about treating dry facial skin here and here before. I read Paula Begoun's articles: Winterize Your Skin and What To Do When Climate Change Affects Your Skin. I think my new skin care routine is working - I just need to give it time to heal.

Here is my tweaked routine:

Morning
- Changed to a milky/creamy cleanser (found a travel-sized Lancôme cleanser, probably was a gift)
- Organic rosehip and/or argan oil for the face (got a great deal at The Rocks Market)
- Sunscreen
- Moisturiser as needed throughout the day


Night
- Milky/creamy cleanser
- Chemical exfoliant about 2-3 times a week
- Rosehip and/or argan oil
- Moisturiser if still needed

I don't know if it's the rosehip oil doing magic overnight, but each morning following the night that I use it, I wake up to really soft and smooth facial skin. I love that stuff! Can't rate it highly enough! It's definitely worth giving it a go. I'm even sending some to my sister in Japan, and getting my family to try it.

The globalisation of pop music

I caught a bit of PopAsia on SBS the other morning, and it got me thinking about the globalisation of pop music. I look at the clips and they don't seem that much different to Western pop music. My impression from watching the show is that there's a lot less solo artists and more groups.

As in Western pop, the Asian pop stars are also ridiculously thin and good-looking. The music sounds the same. It's hard to pinpoint what defines Asian pop, other than it's in an Asian language and the singers are Asian. There's lots of dancing and acting in the video clips, but that's the same for Western pop as well.

It's interesting to see how Asian beauty ideals differ from Western beauty ideals. The men are very lean, very pale and have very luminous skin. Western ideals dictate a more muscular build and a more tanned complexion.

Let me segue into this Bollywood song that's been stuck in my head ever since I saw Dhoom 2 (highly recommended) two weeks. It's a pop cultural masterpiece: the leads are ridiculously good-looking, the dancing is infectious and energetic, and the acting is dramatic and over-the-top. This song, Dhoom Again, is the lead track from Dhoom 2.  Love it.

Brows

I am not one of those people who can groom their own eyebrows. I just can't. I don't have the skills. So I usually go and find someone to do them for me. I've had them waxed, tweezed and threaded. Let me share my experience with you:

Curious Hair, Maroubra
In my humble opinion, this is the best place to get your brows done. Tweezed into a nice shape for about $15-$20. Unfortunately, this place is no longer around the corner from me, so I've had to go elsewhere. The only con is that you do your brows in the shop front, so you are visible to passerbys.

Threading
There's a place in Chatswood called Weena Skin Care Centre, and near her is another threader. I've also seen someone at the Kirribilli General Markets offer threading services for $10. I had my brows threaded for a while, but I've decided to stop going because I didn't like the end result of my last threading and I find it the most painful form of eyebrow shaping. Literally, tears streaming down my face sometimes.

Waxing
I've been to various places, and they're more or less the same.

Eastwood
I saw a handwritten sign that said, "Eyebrow tweeze and shape. $10". That is ridiculously cheap, especially compared to a Benefit Brow Bar. Might have to give it a go if I'm feeling brave one day.

Benefit Brow Bar
You'll find them in Myers and Benefit stores. The service is not bad. The woman who did my brows didn't do such a great job on the left brow, but did a great job on the right brow. If the left brow was as good as the right one, I'd rave about them. They're the most expensive option listed here, but the most convenient as well. Also, you do it right in the middle of the cosmetics section of Myer, so you have to not mind about that kind of thing.

At the end of the day, the end result really depends on the skill of the person doing your brows. Any of those three methods can achieve good results, but it's the skill of your brow person that makes the difference.

What's your brow experience like? Do you do your own?

Haircut effect

One thing I love about short hair is that you can have a new style every three months or so. Even without cutting it. So I haven't had a haircut in three months, but lately I've received compliments of "nice haircut" from family and friends. Ah, no, just my short hair growing out, but thank you for the compliment nonetheless!