BB cream or foundation: what is the difference and which do you choose?
At Boozyshop we get this question a lot: what exactly is the difference between a bb cream and a foundation? In short, a bb cream is a light, caring tint that makes your skin look more even, and a foundation is a makeup product that really covers your skin. They sit next to each other in the same category, but they solve a different problem.
Below we put them side by side, so that after reading you know which of the two suits your skin and your morning.
What is a bb cream?
BB stands for blemish balm. It is originally a Korean product: a day cream and a light tint in one jar. You apply it with your fingers, it sinks in like a cream and your skin looks more even afterwards without anyone seeing that you are wearing something.
The coverage is low to medium. A red patch softens, a spot becomes less noticeable, but it does not disappear completely. What you do get on top is care, and often a sun filter. The bb creams in our range come in a handful of shades per product rather than twenty, because the formula partly adapts to your own skin tone.
The Purito Wonder Releaf Centella BB Cream is a good example of the Korean approach: thin, calming and meant to be worn daily.
Do you want sun protection in the same step, then look for a bb cream with SPF in the name. The Holika Holika Clearing Petit BB Cream has SPF30 and the Bali Body BB Cream has SPF 15.
What is a foundation?
A foundation has one job: to give your skin an even, covering base. Care is not the goal, coverage is. That is why a foundation lets you choose how much coverage you want, from a thin layer to full, and that is why there are so many more shades. The foundations hold almost two hundred products, and the liquid foundations alone hold almost a hundred.
A foundation asks a bit more of you. You pick a shade that matches, you apply it with a sponge or brush and you usually set it with powder or a setting spray. In return you get a more even result that stays put longer.
If you are after light, buildable coverage, the Essence Silky Blur is a good place to start.
If you want more coverage instead, you end up with a high coverage formula such as the LA Girl HD Liquid Foundation, or with a matte classic like the Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless.
The differences at a glance
- Coverage. Bb cream low to medium, foundation light to full and you choose.
- Purpose. Bb cream cares and evens out, foundation covers.
- Shades. Bb cream a few per product, foundation often ten or more.
- Applying. Bb cream with your fingers in ten seconds, foundation with a sponge or brush and then setting it.
- Sun filter. With bb creams you come across SPF regularly, with foundation rarely.
- Wear time. A foundation stays put longer, especially a matte one.
Which one suits you?
A few rules of thumb to help you choose faster.
- If you want to be done in half a minute in the morning and your skin does not need to be perfect, choose a bb cream.
- If you have redness, dark spots or dark circles you really want gone, choose a foundation.
- If you like your skin being cared for at the same time, a bb cream makes more sense, because a foundation does not do that.
- If you wear makeup all day or you are going out, a foundation lasts longer.
- If you are unsure about the shade, start with a bb cream. It is more forgiving because there are fewer shades and the difference shows less.
And what about a cc cream?
CC stands for colour correcting. It sits between the two: as light as a bb cream, but with pigment that tackles one specific problem, usually redness or a yellow undertone. If you see cc creams among the bb creams, that is why. They belong in the same category and you use them the same way.
Can you combine them?
You can, and it is not even unusual. You then use a bb cream as a base all over your face and a concealer on the spots that need more coverage. That way you keep the light feel of a bb cream and still catch the spots that stand out. What you do not do is layer a bb cream and a foundation over each other, because then the layer starts to smudge.