Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm

I finally got my hands on a tube of Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Beauty Balm! So excited about it! I avoided reading reviews about UD’s BB cream until I had a chance to try it out for myself without any prejudice.

I used it when I attended our family’s Chinese New Year dinner at Bamboo Garden Chinese Restaurant in Brooklyn and I have to admit I was a little disappointed at first. The texture is really thin and watery, and the color looks nothing like your average BB cream. I actually blinked when I first used it and thought, “How many Oompa Loompas does it take to make a tube of this BB cream?” because it is a somewhat alarming shade of orange.

It’s more orange in person!

Despite the sunset hue, I applied it to my freshly-cleansed face and was surprisingly pleased with the way it disappeared into my skin. Which now makes me wonder if I am an Oompa Loompa…

Seriously, though, the way it blended perfectly into my skin was amazing.  It also dries to a matte finish which makes this greasy-complexioned chick want to dance! I also usually have trouble with face products that contain sunscreen (this BB cream has broad spectrum SPF 20) and break out into massive zits. Not with this product!

Do you see where the UD Naked Skin BB Cream ends and my skin begins?

The biggest down side to Urban Decay Naked Skin BB Cream is that it is very very sheer. Despite the company’s claims, this is just not a universal product and definitely not for someone looking to conceal  troubled or moderate-to-severely blotchy skin; it’s for the person whose complexion is mostly clear and even-toned. Don’t care what UD says, it’s not suitable for the very very fair-skinned.

In the two months or so that I’ve been using this BB cream, I’ve been applying moisturizer to my face before the BB cream. I made the mistake of using an AHA moisturizer and it resulted in some flaking later in the day, so now I stick to my beloved DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew. Yeah. Don’t use exfoliating moisturizers underneath your makeup.

Overall I really like Urban Decay Naked Skin BB Cream. Now that the weather is starting to warm up, I have been reaching for it almost every day. It’s easy to apply, it’s so sheer it leaves virtually no demarcation lines, and my skin doesn’t feel like it’s suffocating, especially nice because I’m not only a greasy-faced person, I’m also an overheated one. I can see myself using this during the hot steamy summer days that lie ahead.

My final verdict: DON’T buy this if you are very very fair-skinned or have blemishes or discoloration to conceal. DO buy it if your complexion is mostly clear and you just need a little bit of oomph to your face.

Samplepalooza: Day 2–Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer and Befine Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15

Sorry, sorry, I know I’ve been neglecting you.  Got all caught up in having fun and then time just got away from me.

On Day 2, R gave me her sample tube of Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer because it made her break out and she knew I was going on a beauty sampling bender.

Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

Love it! I actually like this much more than the over-hyped Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion I bought earlier this year. Easier to apply thanks to its wand applicator, and smoother than the PP. I’m sold on the Smashbox lid primer!

My next sample was Befine Skin Care’s Daily Moisturizer with SPF15.

Befine food skincare Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15

Moisturizers with sunscreen and sunblock in them almost always make me break out in horrible zits, so I approached this product with some trepidation.  In the end, I found this was a little on the heavy side for me, especially since it was still summer at the time, but I can see myself using it in the winter when I need a more oomph in the moisturizing department. I like that it’s a natural, no added fragrance product.

I know I bitch about it all the time but I hate hate hate heavily perfumed facial products.  It’s one thing if a face product is lightly scented as a result of its ingredients but I don’t get why cosmetics companies continue to add perfume to already-scented lotions and potions. I’m looking at YOU, Garnier!

Anyhow, I’m impressed with both of today’s samples.

Samplepalooza

I’m headed for a week in Rehoboth Beach, DE with my very dear friend R and her family. It’s the perfect time to use up a bunch of product samples that I keep meaning to try but never get around to doing.

I grabbed a handful of samples from my stash and brought them with me. I’m actually a little embarrassed by how much I actually have; some of them come from Birchbox, others are from Sephora, and the rest are from who-knows-where.

Here it is:

I’m going to spend the next week trying out at least two samples out of that box every day. I got a head start tonight with one product, Lancôme’s Génefique Youth Activating Concentrate, which is a serum that goes on after you cleanse your skin but before you put on your moisturizer and sunscreen.

This stuff actually feels pretty nice on. It applies very smoothly and easily, absorbs beautifully, and there’s no obnoxious perfume! The consistency is very much like aloe gel, thin and loose.

I haven’t put any moisturizer on over the Lancôme Génefique Youth Activating Concentrate, and I’m pleased with how soft my skin feels without feeling greasy or sticky. I likey!

Tomorrow, we arrive in Rehoboth Beach!