Foundation or BB Cream; What’s the Best?

The last few day’s I’ve saw several ladies in my beauty group on Facebook asking about BB Cream / CC Cream trying to figure out if foundation or BB Cream is best. We hear about them a lot more now compared to a few years ago. Both, BB and CC Cream are amazing products when you don’t want to wear foundation, want a 2 in 1 product or if you just like a lighter more natural makeup look.

When it comes to makeup, you can easily get confused on which product is the best for you. Walking down the makeup aisle doesn’t make it any easier with 200 different options. It’s easy to get lost in makeup terminology and not all products, (like BB or CC cream) are sold in every beauty store.

BB Cream vs Foundation

So, what one do you need? Well, that depends on your preference for your base. We’ll get into how to select the right one for you. But first of all, let’s differentiate the two.

What is foundation?

Foundation is a popular makeup base a lot of beauty mavens and makeup enthusiasts love to use. It serves as a very good coverage for the skin and for a flawless canvas. Foundation tends to last all day or at least for a longer time while still giving you that flawless skin look. And with foundations, you get to choose between different shades to arrive at the one that is perfect for your skin. You also get to decide on whether to go for medium or full coverage. 

What is BB cream?

Just when we thought we’ve seen it all in the makeup base category walks in BB cream majestically. Talk about the all-in-one base, SPF, skin care that claims to hydrate, and coverage. BB creams give a natural texture and at the same time protect your skin for the harmful rays of the sun. BB cream takes the crown for an all-in-one product.

Another good thing about BB creams is that they are perfect for people that are prone to breakout. You get coverage without clogging pores! The only challenge is that they only come in light, medium and then dark shades without giving room for people that have colors that are in between two shades. Some BB creams also come light-medium, medium, medium-dark and dark, giving a few more options for in between skintones.

Now, for those of you with some redness, CC Cream is the holy grail. It’s just like BB cream, but it minimizes redness and discoloration.

Which products do I use?

I personally like all 3, but each serves a different purpose for me. I like that I can get foundation with 100% coverage that covers my freckles and gives me a blank canvas for my face. The blank canvas can be contoured to my liking. However, foundation is heavier than BB and CC Cream. My favorite foundation is Stay Matte.

Now, BB Cream allows me to cover some imperfections with a lightweight feel. BB Cream is a soft base that’s perfect for natural makeup looks and for people that don’t want a to spend a lot of time on makeup. Some have pretty good coverage as well, however, I’ve never found one that has 100% coverage. BB Cream can also be used as a concealer. My favorite is Farmasi BB Cream.

Then we have CC Cream. I use more CC Cream than anything else. The lightweight base works just like BB Cream and also helps to reduce redness and uneven skin. CC Cream is also called color correcting or tinted moisturizer, but both BB and CC do the same thing, minus the color correcting. You can see my face bare and with CC Cream here.

Which should you choose?

Foundation

If you have fewer skin issues but just need makeup base that will give you an even canvas and for a longer-lasting makeup, you should most certainly go with a foundation based makeup. Keep in mind that, you should apply moisturizer to your face prior to foundation. If you have freckles or scars you want to hide, a full coverage foundation will give you the desired result. Not all foundation is 100% coverage, so it’s important to look for the term full coverage on the bottle.

BB Cream or CC Cream

If you don’t have all the time in the world to spend applying foundation when you have to go, BB cream will save you time and you can hardly go wrong with it. When you consider that it packs on 3 different things – moisturizer, makeup-base and sunscreen (most brands), choosing BB cream gets easier. No need piling it on thick because a pea size goes pretty far. When applying it, rub it in between your palms to lightly heat it up before applying on your skin. You can also apply it with a makeup sponge. And, if you need slightly more coverage, go with the color correcting CC Cream.

Choosing which to use for your face should be pretty simple to figure out now. Consider the coverage that you want and even the time of the year. Summers in Southern GA are hot and humid, which is why I rarely use foundation in the summer.

Top 3 Reasons You Should Consider BB Cream

• It contains moisturizer
• It contains sun protection
• It’s lightweight and non-core clogging

Now that you know the basics of foundation, BB Cream and CC Cream, which product sounds like it’s the best for you?