BB and CC Cream Swatches on MAC NW15 skin

I like to visit Reddit a bit and browse around the Asian Beauty subreddit to see the latest and greatest that my fellow bloggers and like minded people have picked up. It's a wonderful place for information, swatches, reviews and hauls. If you've got a question please head on over and check it out! It's filled with wonderful girls and boys who just love...well, Asian Beauty! It's not just makeup, although who doesn't love a billion BB creams? No, no, it's also filled with skincare and advice on how to use the item, which step it would be in and how often you should use it. Of course, we're not doctors but just people who have experimented with a LOT of regimens. Some of us have found our holy grail items while others are still on the prowl.

Now, the number one thing I tend to notice on this subreddit is that a lot of people are asking what kind of BB creams would be great for them on pale skin. I tend to think I'm fairly pale as I always have to grab the lightest shade and hope it works out for me. Also, not all of these have worked for me but they're just the ones I've purchased and haven't given away, or ones I do truly like. Again, I'm about NW15 in MAC foundations and concealers and I have dry skin.

So!
Here are some major swatches I did last night.



























I've already partially labeled them to save myself from going crazy and trying to remember later on, but I'll include the full names and shades. Also, I've included some well known foundations, besides just BB creams, that we can get in the US so if you see one you wear and it's the same color you can look to see how it would wear. I know it's not a perfect system but it does help to see if that color would look great on you or not if you're similar coloring to me :)

SO! Without further ado here they are in order of appearance from left to right.
If there is a color or shade, I've included such :)

The Saem Gem Miracle Black Pearl O2 CC cream

TonyMoly Collagen Moisture BB Cream

TwoFaced Tinted BB

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup - Natural Ivory 20

Makeup Forever HD Foundation #110

Laura Mercier Cream to Powder Foundation -Porcelain

Hard Candy Just Face It One-Step Foundation  - Fair

Maybelline FIT Me - Porcelain 110

Smashbox Camera Ready BB - Light

Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Illuminating BB

Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cotton Fit

IOPE CC -01 Clear Beige

Skin79 Super BB Cream (Gold)

Skin79 Super BB Cream (Green)

Skin79 Super BB Cream (Pink)

Now here's the same thing again except I got a little bit smarter and used flash as well as blended them in. One day I'll do better swatches, I promise!

TonyMoly Cats Wink Clear Pact - 02

Skin79 Super BB Cream (Orange)

Missha M Shiny BB Cream

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream -21

TonyMoly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream

TonyMoly Luninous Goddess Aura BB Cream

Holika Holika PureMellow Skin Tuning Liquid Foundation - 1

Missha M BB Boomer

Holika Holika Petit BB Cream -Watery 

Mizon Snail Repair BB Cream

I'll try and update this whenever I get more, but as of right now my New Years Resolution is to use up an entire bottle of BB or CC cream before I buy another! Let's hope I can stick to that :3

Review: Makeup Forever HD Primer 5/Blue

Product Info:

Make Up Forever - HD Primer Shade: 5/Blue 

$34 1.01 fl. oz/30 ml.

Where to get it:
Sephora: 34.00

Description:
"A lightweight, oil-free complexion corrector that enhances the skin's texture and primes the skin for makeup application."

Claims: 
-Nourishes
-Moisturizes
-Softens the skin
-Creates a glow
-Helps foundation last longer

Ingredients: 
Aqua (Water), Dimethicone, Trisiloxane, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Glyceryl Caprylate, Lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteth-10, Laureth-4, Ethylglycerin, Panthenol, Potassium Sorbate, Polysorbate 60, Parfum (Fragrance), Argania Spinosa Extract (Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract), C12-14 Pareth-12, Hydrolyzed Algin, Dodecene, Sorbitan Isostearate, Isostearyl Alcohol, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Tromethamine, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool. [CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens), CI 77289 (Chromium Hydroxide Green), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)] 

This one has two large hits when ran through COSDNA: Laureth-4 and Hydrolyzed Algin. Laureth hits a 5 on acne and a 4 on irritant. Algin hits 4's across the board as it's a thickener and fragrance which can easily irritate sensitive skin. I personally never had problems, but if someone has gentle skin they may want to stay clear of this product or try it on in a Sephora for a swatch test.

Scent:
It has a clean fresh scent to it with a hint of sweetness which is nice, it's not overly powerful so those with sensitive noses should be fine.

Packaging:
It comes in the standard black MUFE packaging, which is kind of sad that they don't really revamp their product boxes for different things, so you don't accidentally grab a different one. The primer comes in a thin tall plastic bottle which is small enough to not take up any room, but tall enough to be able to easily see and grab. The pump for the actual primer is nice as it's hygienic but also annoying. I was finding at about 1/3 left I'd have to unscrew it and try and dig out enough product for my face as the tubing did not reach the bottom. All this unscrewing and re-sealing did more harm than good and kept drying the product out.

















Swatch:
















Results:
I really wanted to love this product but it's making it very difficult for that to happen. If I don't use a really thick heavy moisturizer to mix this primer in with it, it refuses to spread evenly and has a tendency to clump up. It will also often leave a white residue if I forget to add the moisturizer which shows even though full coverage foundation so, I'll have to take it off after that happens and reapply which is wasting even MORE product. If I do follow all these steps perfectly though, it does even out the redness creating an almost perfect canvas for me to then work with.

Pros: 

-Pleasant smell
-Evens out the redness

-It has a thicker texture to fill in all my fine lines

-Oil-free
-Dermatologist

Cons: 

- Pump quirts out way too much and wastes a lot of product

-It dries extremely fast so I need to work fast
-Dries white if i'm not fast enough so I take it off or it'll leave white spots through foundation
-I need to mix it with a very thick moisturizer to help spread it evenly

-The packaging leaves quite a bit on the bottom and easily dries out.

Rating:
4/10

I really just don't understand the hype for this primer. I like the rest of the line just fine and haven't had any really big issues (aside from the HD foundation), so it's kind of sad that I just can't get this to work for me. I wouldn't repurchase this one at all especially when there are so many other better primers out there for 1/3 of the price and less irritants on the skin. All the pros is has going for it are definitely not enough to weigh out all those pricey cons, plus to use this I need to add a few extra steps in my foundation routine.