A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to try out another Korean BB Cream. I previously reviewed the Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream, which I still really like – I just wanted to try something new!
Missha makes several BB Creams, and they have the following comparison chart (click to enlarge). I settled on Missha’s Perfect Cover BB Cream, supposedly the best all-around choice.
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Perfect Cover BB Cream comes in five shades – 13, 21, 23, 27, 31 (light to dark). I couldn’t find good quality swatches of the different shades, but from the swatches I did find, I suspected that 21 might be too light and 23 too dark. I also found Nouveau Cheap’s face photos of shade 21 helpful – as she says, it’s just a touch light for her, and I think she’s just a touch lighter than I am.
It also comes in two sizes – 50ml / 1.6oz for $30, and 20ml / .67oz for $13 (Missha website prices, but note that they have great sales). So, I decided to purchase both 21 and 23 in the smaller size, with the idea that I would probably need to mix them. I purchased from Ebay, and paid around $7.50 per item. I recommend rubyruby76 for all of your Korean makeup needs; they’re reliable.
Shade 21 // Shade 23
Above are semi-blended swatches of 21 and 23. 21 looks yellow-toned, and 23 looks golden beige. 23 looks like a better match for my arm at this point – at this time of year, my face is a similar color to my arm.
Blended: Shade 21 // Shade 23
Blended out, Shade 21 is a much better match to my arm, but it’s not perfect – in person, it had a pinky-beige tone, which just would not show up in photos. Shade 23 of course appears far too dark. So, I did end up mixing shades for my face – more on that later.
Texture-wise, the Perfect Cover BB Cream is a thick cream. If I squeeze out a pea size amount on to the back of my hand and turn my hand upside down,the dollop of BB Creams stays intact. It is very easy to spread and feels quite moisturizing, and I noticed that my skin stayed moisturized throughout the day – significantly more so than with most foundations. I do use a separate moisturizer before, but I think if you had normal to slightly oily skin, that would be unnecessary. If you have very oily skin, my guess is that the Perfect Cover BB Cream isn’t going to control oil well enough on it’s own for you – but perhaps it would work with an additional primer.
When I use Korean BB Creams, I apply more product than I do when I apply foundation, because I often don’t apply a separate sunscreen.* I experimented some with this product, and settled on using a ratio of two parts 21 to one part 23, and a total of about two peas worth of product.
*I really should, because I don’t apply enough BB Cream for it to really work as sunscreen – you need a surprisingly large amount of sunscreen for it to be fully effective. Read more here if you are interested!
No makeup // Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream
When first applied, the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream looks quite pale and oddly colored, but after blending in and waiting about 30 seconds, it seems to adjust to my skin color and look great. It has medium coverage and a natural finish – neither dewy nor matte.
As mentioned above, this BB Cream helps my skin stay hydrated while I wear it – and that’s probably my favorite thing about it. I also really like the amount of coverage, and I’m very happy with the color match, even though I need to mix shades to get it. I suspect that I will be able to get a good color match in the summer by flipping the proportions – one part 21 to two parts 23.
Most foundations wear well on me, and this is no exception – it lasts all day all on me when set with powder (either my trusty Guerlain pressed or a new one I have been testing).
Overall, I love this BB Cream – I’ve been wearing it frequently, and I would highly recommend checking it out!
*I purchased the product(s) featured in this post. This post contains one or more affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
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