When I first heard of BB creams, I thought it was just another marketing gimmick. I thought it was foundation fancily packaged and sold as a major revelation. The name ‘BB cream’ is actually quite intriguing. It gets you curious almost immediately. For all those of you who don’t know yet, BB stands for ‘Beauty Balm’, or ‘Blemish Balm’. This one claims to be a tinted moisturizer, with SPF, and some brands even add ingredients with anti-aging properties.

So let’s take you through the A-Z of BB creams:

1. Invention & Exposure:

The BB Cream has been around for about 55 years now. Christine Schrammek M.D. developed it in the 1950s. A renowned dermatologist, she designed the cream as a post facial and peel care for her patients. It was meant to soothe their skin, and cover up the redness from the treatment. In fact, the original BB cream is still available on Schrammek’s website.

30 years ago, the BB cream caught on in Korea and Japan and eventually spread across Asia. But it’s interesting to note that it was introduced in the U.S as late as 2011.

2. BB Creams Aren’t Just Tinted Moisturizers:

BB Creams are a lot more. They provide more coverage than tinted moisturizers, and are enriched with vitamins A, C and E. Of course, all BB creams now have SPF, and some even possess anti-aging properties. It goes without saying that they contain priming and moisturizing ingredients.

3. Not Really A One-Stop Shop:

These creams definitely eliminate a whole lot of cosmetics and creams you would need to use, but they are definitely not a solution to all your skin problems. They don’t combat acne, or reduce wrinkles and fine lines. So you need to make sure you are aware of that when you plan to buy one.

4. Racist BB Cream:

Don’t take that seriously! But on a more serious note, these creams are available only in a few shades, more to suit the Asian skin tones. Hence, many women find it really hard to pick what would suit their tones. The fairer and darker women have no options available yet, though rumor has it that there is work in progress for these.

5. Caution:

Well, make sure you check the ingredients before you buy the BB cream of your choice. It is a fairly new product, and like I mentioned, is not available in all skin shades yet. So some of these creams are just glorified tinted moisturizers, and will not give you the same benefits as a BB cream would.

6. Know What You Want:

A BB cream is one such product that is yet to be developed and worked on for more women to be able to use. It might want to target a larger market, but it sadly doesn’t. If you are lucky enough to have found one that suits you, make sure you check whether it fits the brief of your skin or not. If you have very oily skin, you might have to use a primer along with the BB cream to keep your skin from that oily shine.

Talking about coverage, you need to check how much of it you need. A BB cream can be quite mild, and if you need a lot of coverage, you could combine it with a light powder, if that is what works for you. With a little bit of trial and error, you will be able to determine your BB cream regime.

Some makeup artists proclaim that BB creams do not have enough SPF to protect your skin, and recommend putting on a layer of sunscreen before you apply it. Make sure you do your research and know what’s best for you before you invest in one of those creams.

7. Application:

You could use the same medium of application as you would for the foundation. Brushes, sponges, beauty blenders – they all work. But using bare hands or fingers would give it the most natural look. Another tip – you could layer your applications to give you more coverage and smoother looking skin.

If you’ve got all you need to know about BB creams, and you think they will work wonders for you, it’s time you headed out and added this little miracle to your beauty arsenal!

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by Shirin Mehdi via STYLECRAZE