Get Beautiful Skin with No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream

Since trying Boots 17’s BB Cream I’ve been rethinking the way I use foundation. I love my Estee Lauder Double Wear but the weather has been playing havoc with my skin and my usually oily skin has been getting dry and dull. So I was very excited to hear that No7’s BB Cream would come in three different formulations targeted at different skin types. I had a No7 Voucher burning a hole in my pocket a couple of weeks ago and picked up a tube of the Normal/Oily BB Cream.

‘Take off those winter layers and reveal your outer beauty this spring with new No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream. Its unique 3-in-1 formula evens and enhances skin tone and disguises imperfections, while the nutrient-enriched formula helps to banish blemishes.

And with the added protective power of SPF 15 and 5 * UVA technology to help skin stay youthful, BB is the only way to wear this season’s must-have essential - perfectly-pared back, beautiful skin.

For Normal / Oily Skin’

It comes in two shades (Fair + Medium) and although I would of like to have seen a few more shades the Fair is a pretty good match for my skin. It has an SPF of 15 and 5* UVA protection, which is great as I can never remember to put sunscreen on when it’s cold out!

I been experimenting with how to wear and apply this and I get the best results for me by mixing about 2/3’s with a 1/3 of Double Wear and apply it with my MAC 129 (but whatever flat foundation brush you like would work just as well) and then to blend it fully I buff it in with a MAC 187 (but again any stippling brush would work) I find this way gives me the coverage I need but stops my skin looking dull, and prevents the Double Wear clinging to dry patches.

Although I do wear this with Double Wear to work, if I’m not at work and don’t want to wear such heavy make – up I will wear this alone, apply it with fingers with some MAC MSF on top. After applying it has quite a dewy finish, but it sets down to a natural semi-matte finish. The coverage is good, I still need to use concealer as I have quite bad acne scarring.

You can use this with or without a moisturiser, but as I find my skin gets oilier when it’s dehydrated I have been using it on top of Liz Earle’s Skin Repair, and I don’t find that my skin gets oily, and I haven’t suffered with any breakouts (also due to a change in skincare but more on that later)

I can’t sing the praises of this products enough. For me I find it better suited than the 17 BB Cream, so I don’t mind that it’s a bit more pricey. I can’t speak for the other two formulations but if you have oily/combination skin, this would be a great and versatile product to try.

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream retails at £12.95 (I used a £5 No7 voucher) and is available at Boots.

Review: 17 BB Cream in Light

BB Creams is a buzz word of such lately, and I have to admit, I’ve been dying to try one. I tried the Garnier one in store and it felt really greasy to me and having never had luck with Garnier products in the past I wanted to skip it. The Illamasqua Skin Base didn’t seem very true to the idea of a BB Cream, and I felt the price tag was too much if it was just going to be another foundation.

17’s however retails at £6.99 (£5.99 at the minute, and also included in the current 3 for 2) boasts SPF 25 and oil control properties. It wasn’t yet on the shelf in my local Boots, but being the crazy beauty loving blogger that I am I found myself rooting through one of the draws under the display, where I found many BB Creams Boxed up and ready to buy.

It comes in two shades Light and Medium, so if your skintone leans particularly cool or warm, or you have dark/or a very pale skin, there probably wont be a shade for you. I have pale cool skin (I’m a 1C1 Shell in Estee Lauder Double Wear) and Light is a pretty much perfect match for me.

Most of the reviews I’ve read about this product, are fairly indifferent to it, and give the impression it is pretty much a tinted moisturiser with a different name. I’m going to go against popular opinion, because I am loving this product. I have oily, sensitive and acne prone skin (painting a lovely picture aren’t I?) it’s been like that for the past few years, hormones are almost certainly to blame, and I’ve spent half a year taking antibiotics for the acne to return as soon as I stopped. I normally deal with this by covering my skin with Double Wear, which is great if you have enough time to add colour back too your face with blush/highlighter, but as the days get shorter I am valuing time in bed more than time spent getting ready for work, and need something that doesn’t completely block out my complexion.

For me this isn’t a tinted moisturiser, tinted moisturiser slip off my skin and just are something to avoid for me, this has what I would say is a semi-matte finish, I find it give a great matte finish to my oily skin but my skin looks really awake and bright. It gives good coverage but not as heavy as I need on my problem areas.

The way I have been using it is applying it all over my face, with a brush (MAC 109 or 187) and then applying Double Wear where I need it, and setting with powder. It lasts very well for me ( I put my make-up on usually at 4.30am, and it’s about 2 or 3 in the afternoon before I feel the need to touch up with powder, I also find it holds the rest of my make-up in place, a lot better than the silicone based primers I’ve used, I would put this down to the fact it does control my oily skin  and stop my blush etc from just being absorbed by my ever hungry pores!

I would definitely recommend this if you have oily skin, it might work wonders for you too!

17 BB Cream is available at Boots, and cost £6.99.

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint, I'm Counting the Days...

When I received an email a few days ago about Liz Earle releasing their three years in the making Sheer Skin Tint, I knew I wanted it. I love Liz Earle's skincare and can't live without Cleanse and Polish or the Instant Boost Skin Tonic.

I'm hoping it will live up to the high expectations I'm sure everyone will have of this product. Liz Earle's skin care has grown to cult status, as it suits most skin types, is in a fairly accessible price bracket and is cruelty free(as well as most of the products being vegan friendly).

On a related note, BB Creams and their European counterparts seem to be a growing in popularity in the UK, with Mac, Estee Lauder, Clinique and Illamasqua all releasing them. And it's no surprise really, with most of them boasting skincare properties, SPF, and good coverage. I'm yet to try one but if anyone had any recommendations of brands or stockists, it would be very much appreciated as I would love to try some out.