BB Creams Overview, Skin79 DermaRX Beblesh Balm Review

BB Cream, also known as Blemish Balm, is a medicated cream originally developed in Europe for patients who underwent skin laser treatments or surgery to soothe, protect, and heal the delicate skin from scarring. Eventually, Korean celebrities got their hands on this product and sparked a frenzy when the media noticed how smooth and flawless their skin looked. Recently, various skincare and cosmetic companies in the Korean market launched their own version of blemish balm for the general public. These BB Creams are marketed towards women and men with "troubled," acne-prone skin.

BB Cream is a hybrid of liquid foundation and tinted moisturizer, except it delivers the soothing, medicinal qualities of the original blemish balm. As a result, BB Cream is special because it not only covers imperfections, but it can also improve and correct the condition of your skin over time, when used regularly. Every brand claims to deliver different results (anti-aging, whitening, shimmer), but the basic principle behind the creams is the same.




After hearing about how amazing BB Creams were, I decided to give the products a try. Now, normally I was perfectly happy using loose mineral makeup with a kabuki brush. (Mineral makeup also claims to improve your skin over time, but I wanted to try something different.) So I bought my first tube of Skin 79 DermaRX SPF 15 Beblesh Balm (I'm sure this is one of those Engrish typos... wth is Beblesh?).


Purpose: brighten and whiten, soothe, cover imperfections, and protect from UV rays.
(see
http://rai01.filezaru.com/SHOP3/bb/derma3_total.jpg for details)
Contains: Nano-Coenzyme Q10, Arbutin, Vitamin C, Caviar extract, Chamomile, Aloe, TiO2, Witch Hazel, Licorice

Ingredients:
Water, Beeswax, Butylparaben, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1-Dimethicone, Sorbitan Isostearate, Calcium Stearate, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Silica, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cyclomethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide, Talc, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Phenyl Trimethicone, Arbutin, Methylparaben, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Allantoin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Caviar Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria)Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, Ubiquinone, Fragrance.

Now if you looked through the Cozycot forum link on BB Creams (VERY informative and helpful, but there are 200 something pages, eek), you'll see that many contributers didn't like this BB cream. The complaints mostly go: it has a greyish cast, it's too dark for my skin, it's not blendable, doesn't make my skin glow, etc.

I've been using this cream since December 2007 and I feel like I must defend it!

First of all, I did not particularly notice the "greyish" tint on my skin many of the users experienced upon application. This is probably because I'm not super fair skinned like many Asians, but I do consider myself light skinned. At MAC, my shade is between a NC25 and NC30. After the bb cream sinks into my skin, I find it fits my skintone perfectly. For people who DO notice a greyish cast, remember that it is probably a result of the sunscreen ingredients, and should fade into the skin within a few minutes of application. The cream does smell rather medicinal (thus, the DermaRX)...almost like kaolin clay. I don't mind the scent, as long as I'm not putting something fruity scented on my skin.

The cream has a medium consistency, and does not feel too matte or watery. The blendability is excellent (especially when compared with Missha's BB Cream--the silver tube with no sunscreen, for those of you who have tried it). For those who disagree, and think the cream is too thick, I suggest applying your regular moisturizer or sunscreen onto your skin, and then massaging in the DermaRX cream while your skin is still moist. What I really like about this cream is that it's heavy enough to cover my sporadic acne breakouts, but not so heavy that I look like I'm wearing foundation. When my skin is clear and I need even less coverage, I mix this on the back of my hand with a light moisturizer and then apply the mixture to my face.

Oil control on the DermaRX cream is decent. I have combination skin, so my forehead and nose will become shiny throughout the day, but my cheeks and undereye areas still feel moisturized and great. You simply need to gently blot your oilier areas (do not rub!) and your skin will be good to go. True, this cream does not make your skin look "dewy," but I prefer a matte look, since my skin is combination already. If you have dry skin, I definitely recommend applying moisturizer beforehand or mixing this with a bit of sunscreen. To determine what ratio of moisturizer and bb cream to mix, you simply have to add a little by a little, until you get the consistency and coverage that you like.
I highly recommend mixing it with Oil of Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion SPF 15. This is my favorite drugstore sunscreen.

ALSO...this bb cream is anti-microbial, so you won't have to worry about it infecting your pores or blemishes. Love!

Cons:
- This cream is only SPF 15. I would prefer something much higher.
- small tube. But I think all the BB Creams come in small tubes anyway, so that's a small gripe.
- design of the tube. If you travel, make sure you stash this in your purse or suitcase upright, with the tip facing up, or the cream can squeeze out into the cap of your bag.

So as you can see...the positives far outweigh the negatives. I really love this cream and it is a must-have in my makeup collection. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Postscript - for all of you Skinfood lovers, I just bought the Skinfood Aloe Sun BB Cream, SPF 20 in Shade #1 and the Skinfood Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream, SPF 20 in Shade #2. I will review these soon after I've had ample time to compare them.