Unfortunately I was "blessed" with skin that loves to tan, living in sunny Arizona doesn't really help much with that. As much as I slather on sunscreen or SPF product and cover up my skin inevitably takes on health tan.
Finding a BB cream that matches my medium tan skin in the sea of light beige has been a challenge, but I have found a few gems out there. So I thought I'd share a few that have worked for me in hopes of helping out the other tanned beauties out there.
Here are a few good BB creams in various forms that I have found work well for my medium to tan skin tone. I threw in a swatch of Hope in a Jar as it is a fairly popular foundation to give some reference as to where my skin tone tends towards and for you to compare the BB creams to.
I took this picture outside to give you a better idea of how these BB's look in bright, natural sunlight. They have had a few minutes to oxidize to get to their true colors as many Korean BB creams go on very light or grey then oxidize to their true colors.
So here is a break down of the products I have swatched here:
- Sulwhasso Perfecting Cushion #25: This is my most recent purchase, I have been hemming and hawing over buying a "luxury" cushion for a long time now. The price point on this cushion is $60 on Memebox, I purchased it for around $40 when it went on sale and used my Memepoints to knock a little more off the price. I normally hate spending anything greater than $20 for makeup but I was feeling like splurging. So far this has been the best match for my skin tone. I also love the formula of this BB cream, it has a thinner consistency than most which allows it to go on in a thin layer. I'm not a fan of the full coverage look, I prefer the "better than skin" barely there kind of look and this cushion delivers. That being said I have noticed it is very buildable, one dab on the cushion is usually enough to do my entire face. This cushion has more of a dewy finish, which I usually shy away from with my oily skin, but after several hours of wear it stayed pretty much as it started. No huge shiny areas and my skin stayed nicely hydrated without being oily, that being said if you are looking for a matte finish this is not the BB for you.
Thin consistency allows for even application
SPF 50
Light coverage but is buildable
Comes in 3 shades, #25 is the darkest.
Comes with a refill cushion included in the price
-Cons: $$$. This is a pricey BB
Dewy finish is not everyone's cup of tea
Definite yellow undertones
- Dr Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm #02 Medium Deep: Dr Jart is a classic in the BB cream world, it was one of the first BB's in the US to reach cult status. The price point on this one is still a little steep for my liking at $39 at Birchbox. Again I bought this one using points to drive the price down. The Medium Deep shade is relatively new, it wasn't a bad match for me but I found it had almost pinikish undertones that don't work well for me. It also is a much heavier BB with fuller coverage than I tend to like. My biggest pet peeve with this is the pump, the tube is rigid plastic and the pump doesn't work very well leaving a lot in the tube I have to go digging for. This BB does leave your skin well moisturized but I find it has more of a semi matte finish.
SPF 45
Medium deep shade is great for tanned skin tones
Hydrates well without leaving you shiny
-Cons: Thicker formula may settle into fine lines
Not great for hot climates (it melts in 100 degrees)
$$ still a pricey option
Pump top leaves a ton in the tube
- Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream #27 Honey: Missha is a huge brand on Korea with many products in skin care and makeup. I bought this one at my local Korean grocery stores makeup counter, the price was around $20. The price on the Missha US website is $22 making it a decently affordable BB cream. This BB combines good hydration with medium coverage without being as heavy the Dr. Jart+ formula. I did not find this one to build coverage very well, it just started to look cakey after subsequent layers were applied so if you like a medium coverage great if you're looking for a fuller coverage this is not for you. The finish on this BB is almost a semi matte, it does give you a hint of dewiness but not to the point of the Sulwhasso cushion. The Perfect Cover line has 5 shades that should suit most skin tones, #27 is not the darkest so if you have a deep tan I would check out their #31
SPF 42
Good range of shades to fit most skin tones
Semi matte finish that looks natural
Less likely to settle into fine lines
-Cons: Decent medium coverage but does not build well
Heavy perfumey scent. If you are sensitive beware!
- La Neige BB Cushion Medium (U.S. Version): This is the US version of the BB Cushion that La Niege makes. It is only sold in the US and the shades seem to be unique to the US market. I bought mine at Target when they debuted the La Neige brand for $36. Included in that price is a second cushion refill. Of all the BB's I swatched this is the most matte finish of the bunch so if you are looking to nix the shine this works very well. The formula is very light and goes on smoothly, if you want a fuller coverage you will need to layer this on but it does build up. The one difference I noticed about this cushion is that it does not have the brightening properties of the other Korean BB's which can be a pro or a con depending on your taste. I sent this cushion to my sister who has very sensitive skin and she reports that she has had no problems with it, in fact she loves it. The American line of cushions comes in 6 shades ranging from Fair to Dark to cover a range of skin tones. My pet peeve with this product is that it dispenses very unevenly onto the puff when you press into the cushion, almost like the cushion is not saturated enough. I though it was the first cushion but I ran into the same problem with the refill cushion.
SPF 50
Good range of shades to match most skin tones
Refill included
Natural looking matte finish
Buildable coverage
-Cons: Target does not sell refill packs, only the compact
with a refill.
$-$$ Price point is a little high, but that includes a
refill for the price.
No brightening properties (if you are into that)
Dispenses unevenly onto the puff
Hopefully you golden skinned gals have found this moderately helpful. Have any of you found a good BB or cushion that works well for medium to tanned skin tones? If you have I would love to hear about them and where you found them, please leave your comments below!
Disclaimer: All products featured in this post are my own and purchased for myself by myself. I, in no way have been paid or compensated for my review and all the opinions stated here are my own.
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