Dr.G Primer BB Protector SPF15 review + Banila Co Let Me Finish Prime BB Cream review/ swatches

I'm still continuing my project of cleaning out my makeup/ skincare and just trying to reduce the quantity over all. There must be so many items I've tried a few times and didn't feel they were fantastic and just sort of set it aside.

Here's a review for Dr.G Prime BB Protector. it's basically just a standard BB cream.

Comes in a plastic squeeze tube, 45ml. Available on sasa.com and a few other websites for 30USD, which is actually quite pricey for a BB cream. I think there's only one shade, this probably only suits fair to fair-medium skintone.

Ingredients:

Ingredients: (according to sasa.com website)

Arbutin: suppress the formation of melanin

Adenosine: improves blood circulation and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

Allantoin: boosts cell renewal and hydrates skin

Tocopheryl Acetate: provides anti-oxidant and hydrating properties

Portulaca Oleracea Extract: provides soothing and anti-allergy properties

Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide: blocks UV rays and whitens skin.

Comes sealed.

Here's swatch below. You can see it's a creamy texture, it's not full 'balmy' like a thicker BB cream (e.g. Hanskin), but it is by no means airy or lightweight. I'd probably say it's at most a more fluid BB cream texture. 

On the left, you can see it's blended out and matches my skintone perfectly. It does have a slight shine finish.

 I'm also reviewing the Banila Co Let Me Finish Prime BB cream, which is 35ml tube with a pump dispenser. It's in the same price range as Dr.G so about 28-32USD.  I'm reviewing both since they both have a 'prime' or primer in the name, which is often the Korean brand's way of saying this is a more lightweight BB cream to be used underneath other makeup (e.g. powder foundation or loose powder or even another liquid foundation).

While it comes with a pump dispenser, the design is flimsy and the tube leaked at the bottom (hence my sticky tape over it), everytime I pump the product out, more gets leaked out.

On the top it's Dr.G's Primer BB protector and on the bottom it's Banila Co.

Again, on the top white square, it's Dr.G (very top blended out, it's blended out so well you probably don't notice it there).

On bottom square it's Banila Co both as it is and also blended out on the very bottom.

You can see Dr.G has more 'greyish' tinge with a tiny bit of pink and Banila Co is more yellow. Both have a similar consistency of being a more fluid BB cream (and compared to say normal MAC liquid foundations, both are still thicker).

Both have that slight suncreen scent to it, and have a mild generic cosmetics fragrance. Both has good spreadability and are rather emollient and easy to apply, but nonetheless, they still have that BB balmy finish on the skin that you can really feel you are wearing something which coats the skin. While they look great with first 2 hrs application (evens out skintone, fills up pores), after about 3 hours they tend to melt away from my skin (even though I used a primer underneath and loose powder of powder foundation on top). 

They also tend to slightly coat the skin so I feel my skin can't really breathe. 

My skin has slightly oily t-zone and larger pores near cheek and nose. However the cheek area is drier and have broken capillaries and freckles so can look uneven.  Both of these I've tried to use from winter to summer and would say they are fine to use occasionally during winter but definitely skippable in summer.

Probably a lot of better products out there. Ratings are 3/5. They are not terrible, but just does not overcome some of the usual disadvantages of a BB cream. If I must choose one out the two, I think Dr.G is better since it's more lightweight and just a tad less greasy and the color does not oxidise as much after a day's wear.

Estee Lauder Cyber White Brilliant Cells Extra Intensive BB Cream (Creme) (Multi-action formula) review/swatch

It seems 2010 and 2011 are the year of the BB creams. Just about every single Asian brand has released a BB creme, now the Western brands are all jumping on the band wagon.

Personally I think BB cremes are just variations of tinted moisturisers or light foundation fluids, depending on how each cosmetic company markets it or formulates it.

Estee Lauder's Cyber White line is Asian exclusive, they are whitening lines which aims at brightening the skin, and occassionally the Cyber White line also makes base makeup. This BB creme is released in 2011. I know most searches say it's BB Cream but the product label says BB "Creme". Same thing.

 

It's housed in a pretty plastic white tube with a shiny mint green silver cap packaging. However the mint green cap will  get scratched easily and peel & chip in your makeup bag after a while.

The squeeze nozzle opening is very small, which is perfectly suited for dispensing the right amount.

Here it is on the skin, straight from tube on very left, blended out in middle, then completely blended on the right.

I've now blended the middle section as well- you can see the coverage is very light, because it doesn't cover the small freckle up the top. There is a light luminosity being picked up when you look closely though, while there are no visible shimmers to this product, there is a glow to it on application.

Under different lighting which is closer to the actual color, you can see it's like a very thin foundation or tinted moisturiser, it's very spreadable and soft on the skin, it's probably slightly pink toned rather than yellow. It melts into my pale skin, I generally wear the lightest or 2nd lightest foundations in most Asian brands.  Wears reasonably well for 5 hours, but I could do with a powder touch up by 5 hour mark for sure. It will not slide off my face or oxidise which is the typical problem I have with my liquid foundations.

However as mentioned, it offers very little coverage. If you are used to traditional foundations which will cover majority of blemishes or freckles completely, then this is not for you. You'd probably still be able to use this as a tinted makeup primer though. I generally apply this after a light primer (usually with shimmers), then press on some powder foundation lightly, or use pressed powder.

It then gives me a low coverage (but natural looking finish), my skin underneath can breathe through, and it's not mask-like.

Overall I quite like this BB cream, it's a generous 30ml which lasts plenty long, I usually use about 2 pea sized amount for the full face. I still use concealer no matter what foundation I use.

Suitable for those who prefers light coverage and a tinted moisturiser that gives you a breathable skin. I have not experienced congestion or irritation with this despite having super sensitive skin. It has a very light floral scent which dissipates quickly after application.

Overall 4/5. Thumbs up for the blendability and featherlight finish. However while I do love light foundations, this could offer slightly more coverage. It also does require a powder on top to set.