Product Review: San San BB Cream

When I first saw the San San BB Cream in the nearest HBC Store from me, I quickly grabbed it and checked it out because it's the first ever BB cream from the said brand so I was kind of intrigued by it. I didn't buy it that day though because when I swatched it, the shade is darker than my skin color and I didn't really need it that time. Then people started to learn about the product and I began to receive requests for a review about the San San BB  Cream so I decided to try it out. Considering it's very affordable price, it's not really a big deal for me to try it out even though the shade doesn't match my skin color since I can use a lighter shade of powder to set it and I can just give it to my older sister because she loves wearing foundations darker than her skin so that she would look tan. :)

The San San BB Cream reminds me of the San San Soleil Matte Foundation because the packaging of the former is designed after the latter. They both come in a squeeze-tube with a pump but of course, they have different consistencies. The San San Soleil Matte Foundation is thicker and has a really matte finish while the San San BB Cream has thinner and creamier consistency and has a really dewy finish!

Product Name: San San Hortaleza, M.D. BB Cream

Price: P149.75

Bought from: HBC Store, Tandang Sora

The packaging is very convenient to use because it has a pump. However, the pump may not function properly at times and I don't even know why. The first time that I tried this, I had to pump it a few times before it can even dispense the BB cream but after that incident, I haven't had any problems so far with the packaging. It's also nice that it is contained in a squeezable tube because if ever the pump will not function properly, you can just remove the pump and squeeze the BB cream directly from the tube. It's what I do with my San San Soleil Matte Foundation. There's no problem with the pump though but since the bottle contains little amount of the foundation already, the pump can't suck anymore the product so I just dispense the product directly from the tube. :)

BENEFITS

The San San BB Cream contains squalene, hyaluronic acid which supports your facial structure and tissue to bring back skin's elasticity, Vitamins A, C, E, and it also has SPF 43. It claims to lighten dark spots, nourish your skin, protect your skin from sun damage and it also has antioxidants. So, this BB cream is really promising because of its benefits.

SHADE, TEXTURE AND COVERAGE

What I love about the BB cream is that the texture is light but creamy so it glides on smoothly. It gives a very flawless and smooth coverage and yes, it can really lighten dark spots on my face. It can even conceal my dark under eye circles and the redness around my nose. However, it has a very dewy finish! Some people might like that but for someone like me who has oily-combination skin, it's a disadvantage. Of course it will help if you set it with powder to keep it matte but unfortunately, even after setting it with powder, my skin got shiny and oily after about 3 hours of wearing the BB cream on my face.

Another thing that bothers me a lot is that it only comes in one shade which is darker than my skin color! Bummer! However, it's still okay because I'd prefer a foundation or BB cream that is a little darker than my skin color rather than a foundation that is lighter than my skin color. I thought that since it's dark, I can just set it with a lighter shade of powder so that it will match my natural skin color. However, after a few hours it's like it will wear off my powder and the real color of the BB cream will show up again. So other than having an oily and shiny skin, I also get a tanned-looking face after a few hours of wearing the BB cream. Look at the photo below. See how shiny my face is and I got a little darker compared to the first photo.

Let me show you the first time that I road tested this product. It was very hot and humid that day. 

Picture No. 1: BARE FACE

Picture No. 2: Applied San San BB Cream and set it with a lighter shade of powder to match my skin color. The dark spots on my face were concealed as well as my dark eye circles and the redness around my nose and on my cheeks. It has a smooth and flawless coverage!

Picture No. 3:With full makeup on.

Picture No. 4: After 3 hours. As you can see, my face became really oily and shiny especially on my t-zone area and I looked a little darker, too.

I am really frustrated about this product because I'm in love with its coverage but it really makes my skin super shiny and oily after a few hours. Also, it is darker than my skin color! If this has a matte finish or even semi-matte finish, I think it would be one of my favorites regardless if it's darker than me or not! I can deal with it. But sadly, it really has a dewy finish. :-(

I just want to point out that even though it makes my skin oily, the coverage is still nice! It still looks smooth and flawless even if I look shiny. When you blot it with an oil blotting paper, it will look fresh and matte again. But honestly, I'm not someone who keeps on retouching all day. It's like, when I wear makeup and then once I go out, I forget about checking my face if I look super oily or what. So, yeah, the dewiness of this BB cream is a big problem for me.

Here's the video review of the San San BB Cream that  have uploaded just yesterday. Watch it to see how I apply the BB cream on my face and how it actually looks like when freshly applied.

Here's a before and after shot from my review and demo video of the San San BB Cream:

See? Same effect. My skin looked really shiny after a total of 5 hours. :-(

The coverage though is still flawless and nice but you can see that my active pimple is already peeking through.

You know what, even though it has a dewy finish, I still like it! It's not something that I would throw out just because it makes me look super oily. I like it because of its smooth and flawless coverage, it's very impressive! It does cover up imperfections on the face well. Two thumbs up for that! Also, I did not get any breakouts or rashes from using it. I just wish that it will be available in other shades and I hope that San San can come up with a new BB cream formula suited for people with oily skin like me.

Repurchase? No. But if ever it will be available in a shade that will match my skin color, yeah probably I will.

I can't recommend this to everyone since as you have seen, it made my face oily in just a few hours and also because it's only available in one shade. If you are morena and have normal or dry skin, I think this will work okay on you. :)

Stay awesome and accomplish your mission! :)

-ivsc-