Chooseday Tuesday: Maybelline Clear Smooth All In One Shine-Free BB Cream

I still vividly remember the first time that I purchased a BB Cream from Maybelline. It’s from their Clear Smooth Minerals line. It was the hype of BB Creams then, and Maybelline’s releasing such came a huge following. I had a  BB Cream experience prior to that and it was from a Korean brand. From there I was kind of have this comparison between the two. Though the original doesn’t really impress me (has transfers, sticky feeling, oily complexion) I’m hoping that in Maybelline’s case it would be different. What made me still remember the product 11 years later is because I ended up ditching it. Really breaks my heart because I’m a person who as much as possible would still look for a way to make this product of other possible use. My concerns were not addressed properly which is the oily t-zone, coverage, sticky feel, transfer, and worst had breakouts. I find it too heavy. I tried using a finishing veil but thus just gave me a cakey look. That’s a very sad experience that hinders me to purchase even in any brand, again. I have a combination oily skin so I think having a harmonious relationship with BB Creams is a far fetched dream. Fast forward to now, my mother handed me a sample from Maybelline, it’s The New Clear Smooth All in One Shine-Free BB Cream. Okay my doubts lead me to this product sitting in my drawer for two months until yesterday. I’m thinking since it’s going to be cold (at least) because of the rainy season, why not give it a shot. Maybe it’s a reformulated one? Still, I’m holding tight to my high hopes and keep them guarded on this one.

On the leaflet it has a tagline that says,

Meet the New Generation BB Cream.

THE DO-IT-ALL, THROUGH IT ALL, ALL IN ONE SUPER BB

Lightweight Mattifying Formula For a flawless finish that beats the heat.

• All day shine-control
• UV protection
• Hydrates
• Brightens
• Conceals
• Refines
• Smoothens
• Evens

Let’s see. The formula is a little bit runny but not liquidy, which is a good sign for me because it can be easily absorbed by the skin and applies like a lotion. I applied it using my hands but you could also do this by using a brush or a beauty blender/sponge whichever you prefer. A little goes a long way for this for it instantly covers my dark spots. It looks thick though  but it didn’t settle in my fine lines. There is a faint smell of alcohol whilst I’m applying then a few minutes later it changed to a rustic one. I was literally smelling my face with my nose for almost 30 minutes. Eventually, it faded.

 This BB Cream is only available in 2 variations which is the Fresh for the cool undertones and Natural for the warm undertones, a downside because you can’t have your exact color.The sample which where given to me I believe is the Fresh one (can’t really understand Thai, I just based it through the color) I noticed that it looks powdery white on my face upon application. I decided to put on another layer to see how it would look but it  took quite some time for the cream to finally set in. The weather is bit affirming being of the average so I can’t really tell much if I perspire though I notice that there’s no transfer. It has a dewy finish (a little bit sticky) on me but looks matte on pictures. Unfortunately (with a nature of combination oily skin) after 4 hours, my t-zone oiled up. Still not bad though, I had a good 4 hours which I didn’t had to my prior ones. Thus I decided to pat my face with a blotting paper then applied a finishing powder. Now, time to check the list this BB Cream claims to.

• All day shine control- unfortunately it didn’t hold up for 8 hours. My combination oily skin had it only half of the day. 
• UV protection – with SPF 21 PA+++ . We should take note that SPF’s doesn’t suffice but we have to rely on the PA+++ more because it protects the skin from the UVA rays which causes a long term skin damage and ages the skin.
• Hydrates – for a dry skin, because it’s a moisturizer/foundation/sunscreen hybrid, I believe it will do it’s part.
• Brightens – gives your skin a natural looking glow.
• Conceals – gives a light to medium coverage
• Refines – though it registers a smooth finish on pictures, my nose area which is a little dry is still evident and a little patchy
• Smoothens – no settling in your fine lines
• Evens – covers the redness around my nose area

Not bad for a 5/8. Though it claims that it won’t make your skin look oily and feel sticky, on an combination oily skin’s perspective, this is a fail. I believe this still would suit best for dry skin.

Pros for combination oily skin

• good UV protection
• brightens
• conceals
• doesn’t settle on fine lines
• evens out your skin tone
• affordable
• no streaks/has flawless look
• has light to medium coverage
• blendable
• dewy finish on a combination oily skin which would look good on a dry skin

Cons for combination oily skin

• Can’t stand a day without being oily
• can’t cover dry area around my nose
• has a faint alcohol smell
• though it blurs away prominent pores upon application but once the face oils up, pores become visible
• it gives a dewy finish which tends an oily skin to look shiny
• not a matte finish even
• has a little sticky feel

Though it has some good signs with a good number of pros, that of still can’t combat my oily face weighs a big decision on my purchasing the full product. Even I could do some remedy on making the oiliness at bay, I feel that I can’t use this as an everyday product because I might have breakouts at the end of the week. But for those who have dry skin, this would be a perfect match.

Have you ever consider using BB Cream instead of foundation during winter. I would like to hear your stories.

Trending Thursday: My thoughts on Maybelline Baby Lips Candy Wow

I must admit that I’m a Maybeline fan. As far as I can remember, it’s the only Lip Balm that I allow myself to buy two times in a month, or should I say as long as they come up with a new release, I’ll go buy one. The thing about loving this product is the tint it gives. I love my lip balms to have tints so that I could use it alone on a lazy day. Though I must admit there are a lot out there that could surpass such, I still opt for this one because I could have the benefit of two (moisturize and tint) all at the same time in a much reasonable price. As of counting, I owned three. It’s supposed to be four but I broke the other. *sad*

Just from a recent drug store trip that I noticed a newly released Lip Balm or it is? Though it’s under Baby Lips which is usually of a lip balm, what I saw is not the usual packaging but more on like a chubby stick. My curiosity arose when I found out that it’s indeed a Lip Balm but in a stick form? It must be something. So I might have thought that this must be super pigmented. Or at least. I was kinda hoping of a Clinique, Revlon type of a thing. Excuse my sillyness but my thinking was really next to this. Okay, hopes gone wild now. As I swipe through the bar code for the price, ok, Php 179 (roughly $4) My thoughts are now slowly being justified by the price, or so I thought. I was about to give it a go when upon thorough inspection I found out that it’s only 2gms. What? This big then only 2gms? That finally brought me to reality. Unless I dive in and purchase it, then I ‘ll know.  So you know who won the battle.

I was with high hopes still about this product not until I read reviews. I find it that it’s not as pigmented as what I expect it to be. Not for a warm skin tone. I compare swatches and kinda feel frustrated. I know it’s just a lip balm but how come they were able to release a more pigmented one before? I wouldn’t argue about the price though if they step this one up. I hope they could reformulate perhaps? Results may vary though according to skin tones. But not all have the same qualm as mine. It’s just from a constant Maybelline Lip Balm user’s point of view who among other Filipina, has a warm skin tone.

On a brighter side, I browse through Maybelline New York’s Instagram and saw this.

Image from Maybelline New York Instagram

I’m not sure if this has been released yet but let me know your thoughts. I just wish they would bring it here in the Philippines.
And come the end of the month, Maybelline Philippines will be releasing this through Beauty MNL.

Image from Maybelline Philippines Instagram

Have you tried Baby Lips Candy Wow? Let me know your thoughts.

Kiss Kiss Lip Scrub: Making lips kiss worthy

Happy Monday to All!
I want to share the positivity to you all by starting this day/week with cuteness overload. Something pleasant to the eyes to make us all smile.
I can’t deny that cute packaging attracts me. Sometimes when passing by Etude House or Tony Moly I often grab the product by it’s cute meter first. Sorry if I were that horrible. But don’t worry lovelies, most of these didn’t end in my basket. My apologies for the short story telling but this is what actually lead me on buying the Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lip Scrub.

Now tell me, who wouldn’t be caught to this? Because I am! Knowing my love for lipsticks and the like, I was immediately hooked. At first I thought this was some kind of a lip balm, or a lip tint. Neither! It’s a lip scrub. If you noticed there are two, the pink lips and the red lips. The pink lips is the lip scrub and the red one is the lip balm. I was supposed to purchase also the lip balm but it isn’t available at that time. Moving on, and so the purchase happened, I was a happy kid.

Me being a fond user of bold lipsticks, my lips tend to chap. The flaky issue has never been totally addressed. I only resort to my handy dandy lip balm to do the work, other than that no effort on my end. I tried brushing my lips with the toothbrush (the ever popular one) but to no avail. I stop there. I’ve heard of lip scrubs but the DIY’s only. So when I found out that there’s a readily available one, who am I to refuse. For those who still don’t know why we have to exfoliate our lips, these we have to know. According to lipscrub.org

With a smooth surface, lip cosmetics will adhere longer on your lips. This makes lipsticks, lip liner, and lip gloss much more effective and long lasting.

Lip exfoliation makes your lips more moist and retain its moisture longer, helping to prevent cracked lips.

The Product

I bought this at Watsons for Php 348.00 (roughly $8) for 9g. This is a weekly routine, and I usually rinse it off with tissue. The scrubbing experience contrary to my belief is not that painful. The thought of scrubbing your lips with a grainy substance terrifies me, maybe because my lips are that extremely flaky. But of course it all has to be done in gentle motion. What I love about this is that the grains isn’t that intimidating and the peeling of skin is easier because of the vegetable scrub. It has a creamy consistency with fine beads for easy scrubbing. Aside from the vegetable scrub the other 3 ingredients are as follows and it’s benefits:

• Jojoba Oil – aside from the moisturizing effects, it is also anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial
• Macadamia – moisturizes the lips
• Honey – softens the lips. Helps to lighten dark lips

It has a sweet cherry smell that makes you want to lick your lips. This become a weekly lip routine for me. We tend to ignore this beautiful part of our face. Applying lip balms doesn’t have to be our sole mean of giving TLC but we need to exfoliate. And what a better way to do it is to have a trusty brand that you could count on.

I hope with this post, you could have a change of heart and give that lips the best treatment it deserves.

Happy Smooching!

Disclaimer: This is not a paid post.