My Beauty Box: Annabelle CC Creams and Powder Review

It is no secret I had and still have major BB cream fever. I tried them all, western and Asian and loved the concept. The newest product the Asian market has in store for us are CC Creams, which are meant to be a BB Cream 2.0 from my understanding.

I always had certain issues with the original Asian BBs and the fact their coverage was over the top and almost never looked natural. CC Creams are supposed to keep the concept and have the same benefits:skincare, sun protection, coverage, color correcting etc… but look more natural. No more `doll face`as I like to call it.

Annabelle was the first Canadian brand to jump on the CC wagon and I have been testing both versions of their new CC creams out for the past weeks.

I think Annabelle did a fantastic job with their BB cream so I had high expectations for their take on the newest Asian skincare trend.

There are two versions: a `color correcting `one and an illuminating one. The tinted version is supposed to help blurr out imperfections and provide some sort of coverage. In reality in didn`t really do that. The product is so light it merely helped cover anything up. It is very light and the tint is very subtle. The product does feel incredibly smooth and silky and flows over skin filling out pores and any fine lines. Despite the fact that the silicone content in the product had me nervous about break-outs I am happy to report my skin reacted very well to it. My make up lasted longer and went on so much smoother on top of the CC Cream.

The illuminating CC Cream has tiny specks of shimmer in it and I can see how some might not like that. It is however much too subtle to make a difference especially if worn under make-up. It doesn`t really illuminate but I like to mix with the the tinted version or just apply it to areas I don`t mind highlighting, mixed with some of my foundation.

All in all, I am still on the fence about the whole CC Cream concept. I need to get my hands on an Asian one in order to be able to compare. The two Annabelle CC Creams make great primers and can enhance the performance and look of foundation and make-up in general. If you have great skin to start with you might be able to get away with the light coverage and skin perfecting qualities of the product on its own.

Either way… this is the best primer/base I have used in a while and happy to see it come from a Canadian drug store brand. Nicely done Annabelle.

I am wearing all three products here, the two CC Creams under my foundation and the powder CC Cream on my T-zone.

The CC Cream Powder is a "Color Correcting" powder, part of the collection. The powder is not exactly soft nor is it buttery, making it difficult to pick up a lot of product with a brush. This is not a foundation type of powder and it will not provide coverage. It is however a great powder to dust on oily areas, as it is fine and almost impossible to over apply. Swirl a few times, dust of forehead and nose and the shine is gone without any actual powder deposit visible. I didn't try it over bare skin because I need coverage, as in foundation... but I do like this powder as finishing product. It keeps shine at bay and it's impossible to cake on, even if you are heavy handed like me.