Dr. Jart+ BB Creams: Worth The Hype?

News of the latest BB cream to hit the UK market has been causing quite a stir on Twitter and amongst beauty blogs for the last few days. Dr.Jart+'s selection of BB's have been bestsellers in their home country of Korea since their launch in 2004. I got the chance to give one a thorough road testing today and thought I'd let you all know my thoughts, and if the product actually lives up to all of the online hype.

I am the first to admit that I'm getting a little sick of all the 'BB' hype. Every brand and their dog seems to be bringing out a BB cream and I really think the hype behind this type of product has created a rather misleading concept of what a BB is meant to be, and what properties should be a priority within the formula.

'BB', 'Blemish Balm' or 'Blemish Base' creams were initially created with skincare and makeup in mind in equal measure. They were designed to help improve skin texture and recovery from scarring following surgery. The high SPF factor also links to this, preventing the skin from further sun damage while it recovers, and providing a medium level of coverage to conceal the problem areas.

Overall, they essentially lie somewhere in between a tinted moisturiser and a foundation, with skincare benefits to boot. Most of the western brands that have recently tried to replicate this Asian beauty hero product have ended up plumping for some kind of 'wannabe' BB, a tinted moisturiser with or without SPF and usually with limited skincare benefits - They've basically slapped a big fat 'BB' onto a bottle of tinted moisturiser and given it the hard sell.

So what are 'authentic' BB creams like? They tend to be thicker, and usually have a slight grey tone to them. Because the shades are chosen with Asian skin in mind, finding one in a suitable shade for western skin tones can be hard, however, Dr.Jart+'s choice of shade seems to blend well into the majority of skins, adapting nicely to match a wide variety of tones.

There are currently four different varieties of Dr.Jart+'s BB cream available in the UK:

• Water Fuse - Focused on moisturising the skin, yet remains oil-free and controls sebum
• Regenerating - Hydrates sensitive skin and works to conceal redness and blemishes with a slightly higher coverage.
• Platinum - Helps to counteract the first signs of ageing (targeted at women in their 30's)
• Premium - Targeted at more mature skin, focused on anti-ageing with a higher SPF than the other varieties

The variant most suitable for my skin is the Water Fuse, so that's the one I chose to put to the test. It's a thick consistency. A little goes a long way when applying this product. It looks a little thick and chalky at first, but when blended into the skin, it adapts to match my skin tone well. It perfects my skin tone exceptionally well, leaving it with a slight dewy, yet close to flawless finish. I still need to apply a little concealer to any 'problem' areas, but as a daytime product, this makes a great change to wearing a full face of foundation.  

Before (No Makeup)

After (Only Dr.Jart+)

Full Makeup using Dr.Jart+ in place of my foundation.

The staying power is great too. I've worn this for 12 hours as I type and if anything, it's my concealer that needs a slight top up, the BB has stayed in place perfectly and my skin still feels, and looks, lovely and moisturised. 

Overall I'm very impressed with this product. I'd even go as far to say that I prefer it to my Chantecaille Just Skin (ouch... that was expensive stuff!). It comes in middle of the range price-wise, ranging from £18-24 depending on the formula you chose (Mine is the cheapest, horaay!)

I am ever so slightly wary about how I will fare with this long term, as a few of my subscribers reported that it hadn't agreed with their skin. Mine seems fine so far, but time will tell... I'll keep you updated on that one, but for now, it's two big thumbs up from my end! I think it's totally worth the hype!

Dr.Jart+ BB Creams are available now from Boots, priced from £18-24.