Wednesday 17 November 2010

Clinique Age Defense BB Cream

A few weeks ago, I received the new Clinique Age Defense BB Cream to review. With BB Creams being enormously popular in the Asian markets, it is not surprising that Western companies have also come up with their own versions of these creams which are supposed to be a convenient all-in-one product that acts as a moisturiser, sun block and foundation.

The Clinique Age Defense BB Cream (US$31), like the MAC and Estee Lauder BB Creams, is a "travel exclusive" sold in the dutyfree sections of airports so you won't be able to find it at the normal department store counters. In Singapore, you can find them at the DFS Galleria in Scotts Road. (You don't have to be a tourist to shop at DFS Galleria, where the prices include GST.) The Clinique version is made in Belgium and boasts SPF30 PA++ for full-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. When purchasing a sunblock, it is important to select one with both UVA and UVB protection as UVA rays cause skin aging and wrinkles while UVB rays are the chief cause of sunburns and skin reddening.

Aside from helping to prevent the premature signs of aging, the lightweight oil-free, fragrance-free cream is also supposed to help provide long-lasting oil and shine control while keeping skin soothed and hydrated through a combination of anti-oxidants and anti-irritants for a more youthful look. Like most BB Creams, it comes in only a light beige shade.

Below is the ingredients list. The mica, iron oxides, polymethylsilsesquixane and silica help to reflect light and colour correct so that skin looks brighter and more even-toned. The oxybenzone and titanium dioxide protect against UVA/UVB rays while trehalose and sodium hyaluronate improve hydration. The caffeine and glycyrrhetinic acid help to soothe skin irritation and laminaria saccharina is a seaweed derivative that helps to reduce oil production.

After applying my usual morning skincare, I warm up a pea-sized amount of the BB Cream in my palm before applying and blending it with my fingertips. While the BB Cream does help to even out my skintone and makes my skin look smoother by reducing the appearance of my pores (particularly on the T-zone), I still need a separate concealer for my under-eye dark circles and pigmentation on my cheeks. The BB Cream does take some time and effort to blend properly so that there are no telltale streaks or minute lines.

Immediately after application, the BB Cream tends to look quite obvious and I need to apply loose powder to set it and make it look more natural and polished. The BB Cream also tends to look too light initially, but it evens out in 10-15 minutes. The oil control turned out to be average on my oily skin and I needed to blot every couple of hours. There was also a bit of caking around the nose area after a few hours which needed to be touched up. Overall, the Clinique BB Cream wasn't really holy grail material for me but I would still use it again if I'm going to be out in the sun and need a high sun protection level.

On my eyes, I am using Anna Sui Eye Color Crayons 002 Fantasy Black and 100 Romantic Blue over Magie Deco Eye Gloss R.

3 comments:

Vanessa said...

Iris, Thanks for the review. Now I know I can give this a miss,since it doesn't pass the "oil-control" test, which is important for my super-oily t-zone.

Anonymous said...

great to see more reviews on the clinique bb cream. I had a good experience with the alexander kimsco Bb cream because the oil control was fantastic, the downside is its 100usd price..

http://hopeinablog.wordpress.com/2010/11/20/alexander-kimsco-bb-cream-ceramide/

Unknown said...

true it isn't holy grail material but it's not the worst bb cream i've tried either. price tag is pretty steep though for a bb cream LOL