BB Creams Do Not Work for Oily Skin
Just in case the title didn’t get my point across… I HATE BB Creams! Whoever decided they should be marketed toward those with acne prone skin as a Blemish Balm should be slapped for false advertising.
My skin is very blemish prone, and also very oily. I have some freckling, and some little scars from past acne breakouts. Every day for the past 3 years, I have worn Estee Lauder Liquid Foundation along with Mattify Ultra Powder for Oily Skin. With this combo, I now get fewer breakouts, my skin isn’t nearly as oily looking, and just a tiny bit of the foundation covers all of my flaws. After getting such amazing results with these products, BB Creams had high standards to meet – and they all failed!
What I’ve discovered is that Most BB Creams are nothing but a tinted moisturizer. So, with the added moisture (even if the products are labeled “oil-free”) my skin turns into a grease factory. Several of them also made me break out more than I normally do. Some of them clogged my pores and caused blackheads. ALL of them made my skin produce more oil. ALL of them failed to provide enough coverage.
The first BB creams I tried were the easily accessible drugstore brands: Garnier Skin Renew and Olay Fresh Effects. These did absolutely nothing positive for my skin. I tried both with / without concealer, and both with/without my trusty oil absorbing Mattify Ultra powder. End result: my skin never stopped looking oily and there was zero coverage from either of these BB Creams. They both felt greasy and heavy, like a gooey moisturizer. Someone with dry skin would probably love these.
BB Creams
Then, I decided to obtain some samples from Sephora & Macys for the higher end brands. At Macy’s I tried Estee Lauder’s Day Wear, which is intended for oily skin. This is the ONLY BB cream that did not make my face greasier than usual. However, it didn’t cover any imperfections, and it looked like I was wearing next to nothing. I also tried Clinique Age Defense, which felt waxy and heavy, but did not cover and certainly did not control oil.
At Sephora, I took so many samples home, I will just list them below with the results.
Too Faced Beauty Balm
Of all I tried, this one provided the most coverage. It at least minimized the appearance of my freckling and redness from acne (but still nowhere near what my regular liquid foundation covers). Unfortunately, it didn’t help with the oiliness & my skin felt sticky within an hour of application.
Smashbox Camera Ready
This one claims to control oil. Om, no. I actually looked shinier after I applied it, and it made my face itch. I had to wash it off after only 20 minutes because of the itching.
Bobbi Brown BB Cream
At first, it provided a bit of coverage – similar to the Too Faced Balm. But even though it felt dry to the touch, it made my face look shimmery. Again, the oily problem popped up after only 1 hour of wear, then the pigment to the cream seemed to fade, and coverage completely disappeared.
Boscia BB Cream
Gave my skin a healthy looking glow, but didn’t really cover any imperfections. It actually did give my skin nice coloring, but I would need to use a ton of concealer underneath for a flawless face.
Stila Stay All Day
Provided a semi-matte finish, but it only lasted about half an hour and didn’t provide any coverage. It looked like I was wearing no makeup at all.
In short, here is why BB Creams are NOT ideal for oily, breakout-prone skin:
• Too hydrating for combination or oily skin
• Leave skin feeling and looking sticky all day long
• Promote even more oil production than usual
• Feel heavy or greasy, and some brands clog pores
• Most contain no ingredients to actually fight blemishes
• Do not contain enough pigment to cover even light freckling or tiny acne breakouts
My experience with BB creams has been all too similar to my trials with Bare Escentuals Mineral Makeup. I tried to use their mineral foundation for weeks before discovering I was allergic to Bismuth Oxychloride. Since so many people with acne prone skin swore by these products, I wouldn’t give up on them working for me. I ended up with tons of zits, my face itched, and I looked horrible every time I wore it. That goes to show me that not all products work for all people.
BB Creams – NOT For Oily Skin
I have completely given up on BB Creams until some company comes up with a truly pigmented formula for blemished oily skin that does not make the face look shinier. Some blogs do state that brands from Japan are better & have more pigment than the ones in the states. If I decide to give BB creams one more shot, and order a Japanese brand from Ebay, I will post an update. In my opinion, BB Creams should only be marketed toward people who have flawless, dry skin with nothing to cover, and no oiliness to deal with.
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