It used to be that a simple cream, powder or liquid foundation was your only choice of base makeup. These days, perfecting your complexion is a little more complex. There are foundations, BB creams, tinted moisturisers, and more. So, what exactly is the difference between these products?
Choosing your everyday base makeup product doesn’t have to be difficult. So we’ve broken down your options to help you find your best fit.
BB Cream
Achieving the ‘no-makeup’ makeup look is easy with the help of a BB cream. A short name for Beauty Balm, BB creams are a moisturiser, foundation, sunscreen and primer hybrid. Its light coverage and pore-refining properties keep your blemishes veiled, while SPF saves your skin from sun damage.
Although the added SPF protection and anti-oxidants elevate BB cream, we wouldn’t count on this to provide you with adequate sun protection. We recommend layering it over your daily sunscreen.
Prefer a matte or satin finish to your everyday look? BB creams are for you. Garnier’s BB Cream range and the LB Cream by The Base are definitely worth a look!
CC Cream
Lighter than a BB cream but with just as many skincare benefits, these two products would be almost identical if it wasn’t for the CC cream’s colour corrective ability. Formulated to brighten and even out shallow, dull and uneven skin tones, this product is a tinted pick-me-up in a bottle.
The CC cream’s light coverage and pore minimising properties means it can be used as a skin-like day-to-day base, or as part of an evening look. If you need an all-in-one product that combats uneven skin tone, try out the cult classic IT Cosmetics’ Your Skin But Better CC Cream or L’Oreal Paris’ Nude Magique CC Cream range, they’re pastel coloured until they hit your skin, transforming into your very own nude colour. It’s truly magic!
DD Cream
DD creams are a combination of BB and CC creams. They focus on anti-aging, but as the newest addition to the range of creams, you’ll need to keep a close eye out for them.
Tinted moisturiser
If you’re looking for nothing but a super lightweight hydrating tint to assist in evening out skin tone, tinted moisturisers are the way to go. As its name is a clear giveaway of its consistency, there’s no surprise when it comes to tinted moisturisers, but what they lack in SPF coverage they make up for in hydrating properties. This product is a great option if you’re prone to dryness as it will keep your skin looking and feeling hydrated with minimal coverage.
Whether you want to show off your skin, or just want a super light and easy makeup look, apply your tinted moisturiser just like any other moisturiser in your beauty cabinet. Some of our favourites include the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, the NARS Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser, as well as Natio’s Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 20.
Tinted face oil
Love a tinted moisturiser but want a youthful, dewy finish with extra skin care benefits? Tinted face oils are your best bet! A concoction of a foundation, tinted moisturiser and facial oil, this product is the epitome of skincare-based makeup.
The oils sink right into your skin leaving you with a light, even tinted coverage that will reduce signs of fine lines, and illuminate your skin, while feeling like you have nothing on. Kosas’ luxurious tinted facial oil is formulated with avocado, jojoba, rosehip seed, red raspberry, green tea seed oil – that’s a couple brownie points in our basket!
Tinted face oils are great base products for all skin types, especially those that are dry or mature, as it will keep your skin hydrated, plump and dewy. Currently our favourite of the lot, look and feel nourished from the inside, out with Kosas’ tinted face oil.
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