Hi. My name is Chrystal and I’m a cosmetics addict.

Okay, so addict conjures up all sorts of unsavoury images; jumping in the car in the middle of the night to buy a new leg moisturiser that claims to slim legs (true story), or buying every magazine that comes with an itsy-bitsy sample of anything I can put on my face (true again) or even raiding my sister’s bathroom cabinet while pretending to go to the toilet (sorry sis- I have that St.Tropez bronzing mousse you’ve been looking for). Perhaps addict isn’t such a far-fetched description after all.

My current addiction is BB creams, and anything that will make my skin glow like I’ve had a full 8 hours of uninterrupted glorious sleep. Which incidentally hasn’t happened for well over 6 years (can you say twin boys?).

Back to BB creams. They stand for Beauty Balm or Before Botox as I like to call them, and are nothing short of illuminated brilliance. They are similar to a tinted moisturiser, but with better coverage.

I’ve tested a few of these BB creams, so here are my top three.

Firstly a little about my skin type. It’s typically combination skin, with a tendency for occasional breakouts. While I miraculously cheated stretch marks during my pregnancy, I was left with stubborn pigmentation on my cheeks. And now at almost 40, combination skin takes on a whole new meaning – you can now add uneven skin tone, wrinkles and fine lines to the mix.

BB creams are designed to be a one-stop beauty product; moisturiser, concealer, illuminator, and foundation.

YouRebel by Benefit.
Benefit’s products are as gorgeous as the packaging they come in. YouRebel comes in two shades; light or dark. I have an olive complexion so I use the dark shade. It’s moisturising from the second you put it on, covers redness and gives you an instant even complexion. It also contains SPF 15, another huge plus. I like to use mine with a primer, giving it more lasting power. As Napoleon Perdis says – not to prime is a crime. Yes, he really did say that.

YouRebel – $50RRP

BB cream by Garnier-Miracle Skin Perfector. This product also comes in 2 shades; light and medium, and is the most affordable and easy to use of the 3. I recently bought a couple from my local supermarket, on sale for $6 each.

This BB cream, for me, is the most illuminating. It helps to cover pigmentation, and reduce redness. It contains Vitamin C and mineral pigments which all help to give skin that dewy, refreshed look. Value for money, this wins hands down.
$12. RRP

Loreal’s Nude Magique BB Cream.

A bit of a newbie, this one claims 24-hour hydration, tone correction, coverage and contains SPF 12. Does it deliver? Hell yes!

From the moment it goes on, skin instantly feels like velvet. Redness just seems to vanish and skin is left even and flawless. It blends into skin effortlessly, and really does look like you have no make up on.

Although it claims to leave you with a dewy complexion, I find it to be a little too matte looking, so I like to mix in a bit of extra illuminator. The tube is only 30ml, but a little bit goes a long way.

$22 RRP.

There you have it – 3 BB creams – all with their own pros and cons. There’s no right product just the right one for you.

Chrystal Lovevintage is a mother of twins, loving wife and vintage tragic.

A child of the 80s who loves pop culture, Danish design and vegemite toast with honey.

Loves fashion, reading autobiographies and has a knack for turning trash to treasure.

Chrystal’s honest reflections are an insight into her colourful and at times crazy world.

You can follow her blog at chrystalovevintage.wordpress.com.