Review: Etude House Correct & Care CC Cream in No. 2 "Glow"

CC Cream, also known as Correct and Care cream, has been all the rage nowadays, expanding from Asian markets to global very quickly within the past year. Nowadays, BB cream can be found not only at Asian beauty stores but also at your local drugstore. And it appears CC Cream is quickly catching up! Leading Korean brands such as Tony Moly, Etude House and and Banila Co. are just one of many that produce CC cream and believe me, competition is fierce! Today, I will be reviewing Etude House's CC Cream in No. 2"Glow".

So what exactly is CC cream and what are its benefits? Like its predecessor, BB cream, CC cream provides all of the benefits that bb cream offers such as whitening, SPF, base and coverage while also adding additional benefits. CC cream is also lighter upon application and is supposed to provide a more natural coverage, as opposed to BB cream. Whereas BB cream is more about providing coverage, CC cream is more about providing a more even, clear skin tone, thus emphasizing your natural skin's beauty. It's the true "no-makeup" makeup hahaha.

Etude House's CC cream claims to have eight benefits in this one little tube. Does it actually live up to its claims? Well, keep on reading to find out :)

Benefits: 

• Anti-aging 
• Stress relief 
• Hydration 
• Whitening
• Sun Protection 
• Tone-up
• Smooth texture
• Luminosity 

Source: Etude House

Doesn't Krystal from F(x) just look radiant? I think she is just the perfect person to endorse this! 

For those who aren't familiar with Etude House's CC Cream line, there are two types of CC cream you can choose from: No. 1 "Silky" or No. 2 "Glow". For those with oily skin who want a more matte and plush finish, you would go with "Silky", whereas those who with dry skin who would opt for a more dewy, natural finish would go with "Glow".

Source: Etude House 

My skin type is normal. However, I have a tendency to get dry spots around my nose and mouth area so I decided to go with "Glow". I'm also a fan of the dewy look, as opposed to matte. Especially in the summer, who can resist glowing, dewy skin? 

The packaging is reminiscent of Etude House's cute and princess-like concept. The box is a delicate light-pink box with gold lettering and helpful instructions in both Korean and English on the sides. As someone who only knows how to introduce herself in Korean or order Coca-Cola at a Korean restaurant, I'm grateful that Etude House included instructions in English. 

Description

"This multitasking, 8-in-1 formula hydrates, primes, conceals, treats and protect skin at an easy single step for a healthier complexion, inside and outside. It glides on with a glowing finish. 

Directions 

"Apply liberally and blend evenly with your fingertips for natural, sheer coverage. Use it alone or layered under your favorite foundation for more coverage. 

This tube of CC cream is actually a lot slimmer and sleeker than the Etude House Mineral BB Cream. While the BB cream contains 60 mg of product, the CC cream contains 35 mg which I think is significantly less. Oh well, it's still selling like hotcakes! It's not that big of an issue, considering you don't really need much CC cream for coverage, but I had to admit that I was a bit surprised to see how small this was. 

For application, the tube comes with a pump, which dispenses a small, delicate pile of product, which is good for sanitary purposes. For me, based on two different experiences, one pump was definitely enough for me. For those who want more coverage, you can use the CC cream as a base and layer BB cream/foundation over this. But DON'T apply too much product to your face. I will explain why later in this entry.

The scent is a pleasant, floral-like smell, similar to that of Tony Moly's Triple Expert BB cream, not too strong or chemical-like. I'm assuming that this is a pretty common scent among Asian face products. 

Ahhhh, it's so white! That was my first reaction upon dispensing the product and I was skeptical on how in the world would this match my skin tone. But take a closer look. Can you see the tiny little capsules within the white cream? These tiny little capsules will burst upon application, self-adjusting the color to match your skin tone and texture and provide a moisturizing, glowing finish. Yes, it's just like magic! 

Source: Etude House 

 It's highly recommended that you use your hands to apply the CC cream onto your face. I usually use a foundation brush to apply my face makeup but in order to 'pop' all the capsules onto your face, it's best that you massage it into your skin. 

Please be advised you should only apply one light layer at a time. So why have I emphasized to not put too much on your face? Well, I made the mistake of applying two pumps, which ended up being way too much. Some of the capsules ended up not popping and therefore, the product didn't merge with my skin tone and I was stuck all afternoon with a white ghost-face. Therefore, I concluded that one pump is sufficient and it quickly matched my skin tone within 10 minutes. If you need more coverage, you can add a layer of BB cream or foundation on top.

Before - No makeup whatsoever, After - 10 minutes after application

See the difference? While I don't have major problems with acne or spots, I do experience some dullness and uneven skin tone, which really benefitted from this CC cream. My skin looks brighter, whiter, hydrated and my overall complexion is improved. In this before and after, I don't have any base or moisturizer on. The coverage is very light, compared to BB cream and foundation. But I love the "my skin, but better" effect and I really think it was a genius idea for Etude House to market to those looking for the most natural coverage as possible. 

Before - 5 minutes after application, After - 10 minutes after application with finishing powder

Now for the 'glow' effect, I had to admit, I found the dewiness in the product a little overly dewy and to me, it just looked a little oily for my taste. Just a little though. I feel like this product would really benefit people with dry skin but for those with oily skin, you're really better off with the No.1 Silky instead. To mattify the oiliness, I added just a pat of finishing powder and then I had the nice, luminous finish that I wanted. 

Final thoughts on this product? 

Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Pros:

• Delivers most of what it promises--hydration, whitening, sun-protection, skin tone brightening, skin-texture smoothing and luminosity. As for anti-aging, we'd have to see but it's good to know. And stress-relief? No comment. 
• Fixes my dull, uneven skin tone 
• Love the one-step process of just applying it directly onto my face. This will save me a lot of time in my makeup routine. 
• Great for people who are looking for a natural, fresh-faced look 
• Long-lasting, did not start looking oilier until around 5 hours 
• Affordable. I ordered mine at Kollection K for $15.60
• Love the glowing, dewy effect 
• Feels really light on my skin, definitely great for the summer

Cons 

• Coverage is realllllly light. If you're looking for the least bit of coverage, you may need to use a BB cream in addition to this 
• Can look a bit greasy to those with oily or normal skin--I'm wondering if I should've ordered the No. 1 Silky instead. 
• May not match darker skin tones. I have a warm medium skin tone in the summer and the product looked just a tad light for my skin.
  

Overall, I quite like the Etude House CC cream because it's just what I needed for the summer. My skin looks refreshed and brightened and best of all, the one step application process makes my makeup routine so much faster and easier. However, I had to deduct one star because I know it's not for everyone. While I appreciate its concept for providing skin with a more natural look, the coverage would definitely be too light for those with moderate acne and would be better off a primer. I know this probably has been said before, I feel like CC cream is designed more for people who already have decent skin and are just looking for enhancement. 

And for those who regularly use BB cream, I can't really see the CC cream offering significantly better benefits maybe besides anti-aging. You'll notice that out of the eight benefits this product claims to have, coverage is not one of them. The CC cream is good to have on hand when you're going for the "my skin, but better" effect but this may not be the best substitute for BB cream or foundation. However, this does not mean that this is a bad product, as I like it very much. But I would definitely do my research on CC creams to see which one would be the best for what you're aiming for or if BB cream is better for you.

So what did you think of this product? Have you had the chance to try it yet or are you planning to try it anytime soon? I hope my review was informative in helping out those who are interested in purchasing the Etude House CC creams or any other CC creams of that matter. If you have your own review of this CC cream, feel free to share your links with me. Are there any other CC creams that you have used or want to use? What do you think of CC cream overall? Let me know in the comments below! 

With love, Tiffany

Review: Tony Moly Expert Triple BB Cream

In Korea, I'm always bombarded with the countless choices for beauty and skincare products. As one of the top cities in the world famed for its beauty, you could be sure to expect that the beauty industry would also be intensely competitive. 

One of the brands that  have always stood out to me there was Tony Moly. I'm sure many of you have heard of Etude House and Missha, since these brands are more popular in the states. While the two brands I've named are definitely wonderful brands, when it comes to quality, affordable skincare, Tony Moly is one of my top choices. 

I have a tendency to shy away from using BB cream, since my skin tone is more on the light-medium side, I have a harder time finding a good match. Since I'm a huge fan of the brand, I figured that this would make a great product to review. 

So what exactly does the "triple" stand for? According to the Tony Moly Global Website, the triple function of this BB cream provides: 

Whitening 

Wrinkle Care 

Protection against UV Rays, SPF45 PA+++

"Red Ginseng extract helps regenerate the fibroblast and aggrandize the skin's immunizing functions. Organic Lavender Extract boosts to restore the damaged skin and Beta-Glucan substance protects the Langerhans Cell in skin, which gets easily deteriorated by UV Rays." 

"Usage: Apply this BB Cream to your face evenly and lightly after base make-up." 

As you can see, the product is fairly easy to dispense. It contains a pump and gives a decent amount of product. One to two pumps is generally enough, depending on how much coverage you want. 

This is two pumps of product onto my hand. At first, product comes out looking somewhat close to a light beige.

And here is the product after I tried blending it in to my skin. Upon first glance, it is clearly way too light for my skin and has a slight grey tinge. Don't worry, it does need a little time to oxidize and in no way is this going to look like how it actually does after it adjusts to your skin tone. 

After around five minutes, this is how it looks after it has oxidized on my skin. While it has definitely blended in better to my skin, it's still a bit too light. However, to best directly get the results of the product, I have demonstrated how it actually looks on my face. 

In this picture, I have my eye makeup and lips finished. I am wearing no face makeup whatsoever. My skin is more on the normal side but from time to time, it does get a little oily at the end of the day. My biggest problem are my pores and a little bit of skin color unevenness around my nose and eyes. 

Ahhh! I do apologize if my pores aren't exactly what you want to be seeing this close up. However, I wanted to demonstrate the before and after for this BB cream, just so you can gauge how its coverage performs. 

Now this is me with the BB cream applied with two pumps. The coverage is pretty decent and can be substituted as your tinted moisturizer. It does a fairly good job of covering my pores and evening out some of the redness around my cheeks and under the color under my eyes. The coverage is pretty dewy, which I definitely like. 

The only problem I'm really getting is that this isn't exactly the greatest match for my skin tone. While the finish looks nice and smooth, people may be able to tell the difference between my face and the rest of my body, which is a face makeup no-no. 

I had to add some blush and bronzer to bring some color back to my face. It still wasn't a perfect match, but it was a little better in making me look less pale. 

To test the staying power of the BB cream, I actually did a little working out at the gym to test its oil control and to see if the product would be able to withstand sweating. Surprisingly, it performed fairly well and most of it was still on my face despite me having ran a couple miles on the treadmill. After five hours from when I first applied it, I did experience a little bit of oiliness around my nose and cheek area, but it wasn't anything major. 

Pros:

• Contains a high SPF, which is great for daily daytime use
• Gives a really lovely dewy finish 
• Has long lasting durability and will not melt off during strenuous activity 
• Blends well after oxidizing 
• Feels super light on the skin 
• Good oil control for normal skin
• Medium coverage that is buildable 

Cons: 

• Not a good match for skin tones below fair or light-skinned 
• Scent is fairly reminiscent of sunscreen (unless you're fond of that smell) 
• May get a little oily after a few hours for those with oily skin

Overall, this is one of the better BB creams that I've tried. However, I think I'll stick to using this in the wintertime when my skin gets lighter. I know the US has been catching on to the BB cream craze over the last year and there are tons of products out there that can match a wider variety of skin tones. I just might have to check them out sometime. 

For the more fair-skinned people, considering the benefits, I believe that this would be a great product to have on hand when you don't feel like wearing foundation everyday. 

 Anyways, what did you guys think of this product? Do you have any particular BB creams that you would recommend? Let me know in the comments below! 

With Love, Tiffany