Review: Vitamin E Cool BB Cream

I’m a BB cream girl. I don’t like full coverage foundations for everyday use, I prefer something more lightweight that gives my skin a little bit of colour while still letting my freckles show through. I discovered the joys of BB cream a couple of years ago, but when I decided to go cruelty free I had to ditch the Maybelline and find something new.

I tried a few different kinds of BB cream. I found more than one with the wrong consistency for my skin, one that smelled revolting, one that was really nice but was too heavy on my skin, one that came in shades either too pale or too dark for my skin (which, by the way, is pretty “middle of the road” medium in terms of colour)… the list goes on. When The Body Shop offered me the chance to try their Vitamin E Cool BB Cream, I was immediately drawn in by the description:

Vitamin E Cool BB Cream is the perfect skin quenching 12 hour moisturiser and with a lightweight ultra sheer coverage. It leaves a soft weightless veil of colour. Available in one cool shade, the lightweight texture will effortlessly blend onto skin for a fresh and natural look.

Hydrating, sheer coverage, fresh and natural look, one shade …? It sounded like exactly what I was looking for, so I jumped at the chance to give it a go.

After much trial and error, I have learned that some BB creams work best when applied with a brush, and some work best when applied with your fingertips. With this one I prefer to apply it with my fingers, because I feel like that’s the easiest way to get the coverage I want (I apply a lot of my products with my hands, most of my makeup brushes seem to sit idly by until I have to do someone else’s makeup) but I have tried applying it with a brush and still get a good result, so it is really down to personal preference.

The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Cool BB Cream gives me good coverage throughout the day – even in the middle of summer when I am working 12 hour days, exercising and running errands, it stays on. I was initially unsure about whether the “one shade” concept would work for me, but it does! This is especially awesome, because I find that in summer my skin is more olive, while in winter I get very pale (not surprisingly – I’m not exactly spending a lot of time at the beach in a bikini over winter!), so I won’t have to get a different shade of foundation. Hello money saving bonus!

So, would I recommend it and (most importantly), would I spend my hard earned cash on it? Definitely! Not only does it embody everything that I want in a BB cream, The Body Shop Vitamin E Cool BB Cream is affordable – which is always a really important consideration for me (and for you too, I’m sure!). If you’ve tried this BB cream, I’d love for you to share your thoughts on it below.

SHOP IT: Vitamin E Cool BB Cream, $25.75 in store or online from The Body Shop.

Do you use BB cream or do you prefer a full coverage foundation?

Disclaimer: I tried this product courtesy of The Body Shop.