Editor's Pick: Kiehl's BB Cream Review

Upgrade your #MOTD with skin care-inspired makeup from Kiehl’s. The apothecary-inspired brand recently sent our Skincare.com editors a complimentary sample of their BB cream to test and review. See what happened when one beauty editor put its beloved formula to the test, ahead. But, first… a little BB cream refresher course:

WHAT IS BB CREAM?

Considered a cosmetic, BB cream fits somewhere between makeup and skin care— a hybrid of both, if you will. These skin care-inspired beauty balms (also referred to as blemish balms) were Invented in the 1950s by a German dermatologist who wanted to create a cosmetic that would provide the  skin with hydration and mask the visible signs of any redness from her laser treatments and chemical peels. Nowadays, you can find BB cream formulas that can help hydrate, reduce the appearance of skin imperfections with color correcting technology, and protect the skin against environmental aggressors—think: pollution, free radicals, and the sun’s damaging UV rays—promote a more youthful-looking complexion with antioxidants, and so much more!

THE BEAUTY BENEFITS OF BB CREAM

The benefits of BB cream range from product to product. Most of them can provide the skin with nourishing hydration, as they are similar to that of tinted moisturizer—only they can provide the complexion with more coverage. And many are formulated with a variety of skin-benefiting ingredients, such as antioxidant-rich vitamins, aloe vera leaf extract, ceramides, essential fatty acids, humectants, and SPF. You can also find BB creams that are formulated for specific skin types. From oily skin to mature skin to even sensitive skin, there’s a BB cream out there for everyone!

If you’re looking for the ultimate skin care-inspired BB cream that is formulated with all skin types in mind (including sensitive skin), look no further! We review our favorite BB cream from Kiehl’s, ahead.

KIEHL’S BB CREAM - ACTIVELY CORRECTING AND BEAUTIFYING WITH SPF 50 PA +++ REVIEW

Recommended For: All skin types, including those with sensitive skin.

Looking for a dual-action, skin care-inspired BB cream formula that can enhance the appearance of your complexion and temporarily mask skin imperfections? Look no further than Kiehl’s BB Cream. Formulated with antioxidant-rich vitamin C and UV filters, this multitasking beauty balm cream combines skin care and cosmetics to give you a flawless-looking complexion. What’s more? The hydrating BB cream comes in four shades—fair, fair/ light, light, medium, and medium/ deep—to suit a variety of different skin tones, is free of parabens, fragrances, mineral oil, and silicone, is non-comedogenic (meaning, it won’t clog your pores), and is suitable to use on sensitive skin types. On top of all that, the BB cream can help reduce the look of large pores, skin imperfections, and discoloration.

Why We Love It: As a beauty editor, more specifically: a skin care editor, it is part of my daily job to test and review some of the most sought after skin care and makeup products on the market. From drugstore BB creams to luxe BB creams, I have searched far and wide to find a beauty balm cream that can reduce the appearance of my skin’s imperfections, offer lightweight—yet effective—coverage, protect my complexion from the sun’s damaging UV rays, help my youthful skin from experiencing premature signs of skin aging (wrinkles, age spots, fine lines, dark spots…you know the drill) with antioxidant-rich formulas, and more. And while I have found formulas that come close—read: very close—to the kind of BB cream I want in my skin care AND cosmetic arsenal, none of them quite compare to Kiehl’s BB cream. I repeat: none of them.

Lightweight—yet mighty—this dual-action beauty balm cream goes on like butter to instantly blur the appearance of skin imperfections, offer long-lasting hydration, and protect the complexion with SPF 50 and antioxidant-rich vitamin C. Since Kiehl’s sent our Skincare.com beauty editors complimentary samples to test and review, I have worn mine every day with and without the rest of my daily makeup application— #NoMakeupMonday never looked (or felt) better. I give this BB cream a ten out of ten!

How To Use It: To use Kiehl’s BB Cream, start by dotting a small amount of the beauty balm on the center of your recently cleansed complexion (i.e. your forehead, nose, and chin). Then, using your fingertips or a damp beauty blending sponge, blend the tinted formula in upward and outward sweeping motions. Layer on more BB cream as needed. Once you’ve got the coverage you want, wear it on its own or follow up with the rest of your daily application.

Editor’s Tip: When it comes to BB cream application, less is more—trust me. Always start with a small amount of BB cream and focus on the areas that need coverage the most (i.e. the center of your face, around your nose and mouth). Use a clean, damp beauty blender sponge to buff out the excess and evenly distribute product to the rest of your complexion for a natural-looking finish. For light coverage, stick to one layer, and for medium coverage, apply the cream in layers until you reach your desired look. Add a few dabs of concealer to your under-eye area and anywhere else that may need it, as well as a little highlighter to the high points of your cheekbones, bridge of your nose, brow bones, corners of your eyes, and Cupid’s bow and you’re good to go! 

 

Read More:

Derm DMs: Does Shaving Really Make Hair Grow Thicker?

I Gave Myself an At-Home Facial Massage With the Clarisonic Firming Head Every Day for Two Weeks

5 Eye Creams With Retinol to Add to Your Arsenal