Hey lovely ladies,
I have been missing in action for a couple of weeks now. I had taken a week long break for a family vacation, was almost off social media too, just to be able to enjoy the time with family without distractions. Post which, came to “mommy land.” I had everything ready – carried all the stuff to be reviewed, to be tested, etc – assuming I will have so much time in my hands while at mom’s place. However, body decided otherwise. I guess our body also knows when it can afford to give in; still recovering – but ready to go! Starting back, I thought I would start with this product that I picked up from Hong Kong. This is a new product from Dr Jart+’ Premium range – a BB cream with SPF 45 with Whitening and Anti Wrinkle claims.
It contains the bio-peptide EGF and Soybean oil. Ingredients that show a skin firming and lifting care capability and strengthen the natural elastic power of the skin. Improving the elasticity and visor of the skin in addition to providing a moisturised and brightness of the face. Transparent skin expression is possible through the smooth and soft texture adhered to the skin. It covers blemishes and uneven skin tone, acting for the fundamentals of the skin and achieving the desired skin in a clean manner.
Price:
HK $455 for 40 mL/INR 3870
Packaging:
Dr Jart+ has about a dozen variants in the Beauty Balm selection itself. The Premium range comes in a golden tube with a pump dispenser and black detailing. The same is packaged in a golden cardboard box. The pump dispenser works well, dispenses adequate amount. Also, the pump is attached with a screw mechanism. So, it can easily be opened. Yes, not a great thing if you consider exposure of the product to sun, but to unscrew it or not is really your choice. I feel it may come in handy when you reach the last leg of the product in the tube. All in all, efficient and appealing packaging. I have carried it with me to mommy land – did not have any incidents with leakage or anything.
My Experience with Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Beauty Balm SPF 45 Whitening Anti Wrinkle:
I have been wanting to try this line for ages – and specifically the Dr Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm range because my favourite YouTuber absolutely raves about it and she has used a number of them. Considering her job involves spending time in the sun, taking care of her horses/colts – it does say a lot for the product in hand.
I was tempted to pick the Beauty Balm from the US Sephora but did not because I wasn’t sure what shade would work for me. So, when I saw Dr. Jart+ display in one of the outlets in Hong Kong, I got super excited till I saw about 12 different variants of beauty balms there. Honestly, when I see too many options, my brain kind of shuts down and I run from the place. So, the same thing happened – I saw so many variants in the line – including the “Premium” line. which had about 3 variants. I did not know what to pick and I just left it. However, being a beauty junkie, I went back to the store a couple of days down and decided to check the shade options of only the Premium range from Dr Jart+ because the YouTuber that I mentioned above also uses one from the “Premium” range. At least, I got the number of variants down to 3. By the time I was through swatching other things and this, my hands were a mess. I couldn’t figure what was what plus the price point of the “Premium” range made you swallow. So, again I left it. Later, I decided to visit the shop again – solely to pick a couple of things from L’Oreal/Maybelline which aren’t available in India, but I ended up on the Dr Jart+ counter again!! This time, I decided to swatch only this variant mainly because this was a newly launched product and also because I didn’t have to bother about shades – this product comes only in one shade. So, it was – take it or leave it. I applied it on my hand and spread it across. The color match wasn’t much of an issue, but the hand definitely looked shiny, not radiant, but shiny! On my oily skin – it takes very little to move from shiny to greasy. Made the decision easier, I dropped it! I went ahead and picked up the Maybelline/L’Oreal products and headed to the counter. I happened to look at my hand again – by this time, the product had settled – the shine had gone, it didn’t sink into the fine lines, the skin looked like skin and still there was coverage. Sold!!
Okay, story over, back to the product now!
Fragrance: The product has light fragrance – it reminds me of something from my childhood – either Nivea or Pond’s cold cream. It is not to strong and dissipates quickly.
Texture: It has a creamy texture, not too thick, not too thin. This allows it to spread easily onto the skin. You can easily use your fingers for application and buffing it in. One apprehension when working with a Beauty Balm is how they don’t set and give a very dewy finish. While this may be great for someone with dry skin, my oily skin does not agree with it. As I have mentioned in the story above, the texture post application seems shiny but absorbs fairly quickly to a more “life-like/skin-like” finish. It seems to set itself like a foundation. Gals with dry skin will not need to use powder to set it. Me, being oily, set it with powder, more as a habit. So, the texture of this beauty balm actually works fab, as compared to other beauty balms in the market.
Skin Type: I think this product will work across skin types – dry, combination, oily, normal. For sensitive skin, I would suggest to try before you buy – because of the fragrance.
Shade: I am generally apprehensive when a base product comes in just 2 shades – let alone a single shade. My apprehension stems from 2 concerns:
1. Will the shade work for my skin tone.
2. Will the product have much pigmentation.
To explain this better – one shade fitting all girls across the shade spectrum, does not seem feasible, right? The only way it can work is if the product has very little pigmentation, which means if the product has low colour pigmentation and will dissipate on the skin just like a normal moisturiser. So, the shade would match you because there is hardly any pigment to begin with. However, this will also result in sheer to zero coverage and this is the woe with most BB creams on this side of the globe. If we go further west, the pigmentation increases – example the Bobbi Brown BB Cream, IT Cosmetics CC Cream, etc, but then, with increased pigmentation, these come in a range of shades – not just 1 or 2.
And this is where I feel Korean brands provide superior BB creams – there may be lesser shades, but yet, they manage to match the skin tone (yes – will not work for all skin tones but still a larger range) and yet provide good pigmentation. Not, “good pigmentation for a BB cream” but good pigmentation. Period!
Pigmentation: As I have already mentioned, the product provides good pigmentation. I get about medium coverage with this. If I am planning to run errands, I can actually pull off using just this with some liner and lipstick. If I intend to do a full face of makeup, then I add a touch of concealer/corrector under the eyes. Still, this is all the base I need.
Efficacy: Personally, I feel it is a fab product because it takes care of a number of my needs – coverage, SPF and has ingredients beneficial for the skin. None of the beauty balms that I have tried thus far have worked as well as this one does. Having said that, is this all the SPF one needs in the day. This is a bit debatable because we rarely use the amount of product one needs to use to get decent protection from the sun – even less so, when it is in the form of a base product. If I were to use this for the entire day, I would still supplement it with a sunscreen underneath. If I am not spending the day in direct sunlight or will have limited exposure to sun, this suits me well. Overall, I have been using this since I am at mommy land and do not seem to have picked up a tan thus far!
As far as the whitening claim is concerned, I do not see myself going 2 shades lighter like an Asian paints shade card. Thank God for that! That was anyway not my reason for buying this variant. However, it does seem to be helping me get rid of the tan that i picked up while on vacation.
As far as the anti-ageing benefits are concerned, the immediate effect is the sun protection this provides. The other benefits come from the anti-ageing ingredients – which may take a while to show up.
Lasting Power: This beauty balm gives me about 6-7 hours of wear time post which I need touch ups because it starts breaking up at my nose and chin area.
To sum this up for you:
Pros of Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Beauty Balm SPF 45:
- Fairly lightweight texture – spreads easily, absorbs well.
- Skin feels hydrated, soft, supple.
- Non-comedogenic.
- Does not add shine to the face.
- Medium coverage.
- Whitening and anti-ageing benefits.
- Helps improve skin texture and radiance – over time.
- Will work for dry, normal, oily or combination skin.
- Good, effective packaging.
Cons of Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Beauty Balm SPF 45:
- The fragrance might be an issue for people with sensitive skin.
- Color range – though I see the product fitting as large variety of skin tones – it still will not cater to the lightest or the darkest end of the spectrum. Which is the case with most Korean brands.
- Dr Jart+ is one of the few Korean brands which are popular in the US. However, this product is not available in US yet – which maybe because it’s a new variant or because this has been launched categorically for the South East Asian market – which is more sensitive to “whitening” products.
IMBB Rating:
A 4/5 product.
I quite like this beauty balm. It literally cuts down my makeup application time. It provides good anti ageing ingredients in a medium coverage base with SPF of 45+++. This would go on a definite repurchase list for me. Having tried a couple of beauty balms from Korea, from the West, and from India – there is no denying that Koreans are far better at this game than anyone else – their product is far superior to whats available in the West.
Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45
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