Swatching is challenging for me; I have short arms, lots of BB creams but minimal swatching real estate unless I want to stripe things up to my armpit and find an assistant who won't think I'm completely crazy (the neighbours already do), and worst of all, I have a point-and-shoot camera that likes to treat my in-direct-sunlight-skin as white balance.

Take a look at the image below, which was the only picture I managed to get in direct light that didn't wash my skin out to complete white and give it an unearthly nimbus, like some sort of pudgy extra from the vampire scenes in Twilight.

As a result, I look forward to swatching with the same excitement as an overdue dentist appointment; something that you dread with only the silver lining to look for of it finally being over.

Why I do it anyway: The perennial question when it comes to BB (and CC creams) is how to pick the right one; I give advice on this daily and it all really comes down to: find the right shade first, worry about the other elements (finish, coverage, texture, moisture, etc) later.





Since walking into a retail store and testing the shades there isn't an option for most BB cream seekers (unless they live in Korea or happen to be somewhere that has a flagship store) we are left with the uncertain prospect of buying BB creams sight-unseen. At best case, we can purchase BB creams in sample sizes from stores such as RoseRoseShop, TesterKorea, ebay, etc, but it's still a waste of money if the shade is wrong.





I use two BB creams out of this whooooole stash. Sadness

This is why online swatches from real people is so important- combined with what your MAC shade is/would be if they made it (as is in my case), you have a much better chance of hitting a BB cream that works for you instead of hemorrhaging money on BB creams that will sit gathering dust in that forgotten corner of our stash, triggering feelings of guilt and frustration whenever we pass over them in favour of products that suit us better.





As someone whose natural skintone is in a shade Mac doesn't even make (I'd be an NC5 or NC10 if they made it, scroll down for the close up of how dark NC15 is compared to my actual skin tone), even the lightest BB creams are usually too dark for me, which means I go through a lot of trial and error (and money *sobs* ) trying to find something that works.





Pro tip: When matching at a Mac counter, have them match to your neck, not your face. You can also use findation.com to reverse-look up your Mac shade based of foundations you currently own. Most of us have a face that is 1-3 shades different than our neck/chest area, which is why foundations can look so right in the store (matched to your face only) but when you get it home and apply it all over, your face is a totally different colour than the rest of you. In fact, only one BB cream that I own (Missha Perfect Cover in #13) actually matches me properly, but it breaks me out. I wear the Mizon Snail BB cream ( reviewed ) daily but it's actually too dark for me compared to my neck/chest. I haven't had a chance to fully test it yet, but the Skin79 Green is also a good colour match for me; sadly I think it also breaks me out.Most of us have a face that is 1-3 shades different than our neck/chest area, which is why foundations can look so right in the store (matched to your face only) but when you get it home and apply it all over, your face is a totally different colour than the rest of you.





Still, I've had more success with Korean cosmetic shades than western ones, so I will continue to chase that mythical unicorn- a BB cream that matches me and doesn't make me break out. I know there are many others on this same perilous journey, and my ill-fitting BB cream bane will hopefully become your BB swatch boon.





You can see it in the original swatch megapost, though, in case you are curious!



Edit: you know what, I'm just going to go ahead and stick the original swatch post close up image in here, so people can see all of them in one place. I do full breakdowns of each BB cream and how compatible I feel it is to NC15 So, I braved the sunlight and ventured outside to take swatches of all the BB and CC creams currently in my posession, save one, the Elisha Coy Premium Gold Mineral BB Cream which is ridiculously expensive (almost $50 for a full size) which I have in travel size and still cost $8. That's more than some of the full sizes on this list, so I'm very annoyed that I can't find it., so people can see all of them in one place. I do full breakdowns of each BB cream and how compatible I feel it is to NC15 in the full post though, so I highly recommend you read it if you haven't already.

Original swatch collection, click here to read the full breakdown! Now on to the new swatches, which I tried to apply less heavily so they would be more realistic to how they'd actually be worn, although the downside is that it's a bit more challenging to see some of the true colour/features of them. The crazy glitter and ultra sheer coverage of the Skin79 Pearl is somewhat lost, for example.



As I did in the prior megaswatch post, I started with a stripe of Mac NC15 in Studio Fix down the outside edge as a reference point (see below) although it is actually too dark for me. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of swatches, the lighting, and my terrible camera skills, you can't clearly see the NC15 stripe clearly in some of the later shots, so I have included this close-up so you have context for what you are seeing in the other pictures. Now on to the new swatches, which I tried to apply less heavily so they would be more realistic to how they'd actually be worn, although the downside is that it's a bit more challenging to see some of the true colour/features of them. The crazy glitter and ultra sheer coverage of the Skin79 Pearl is somewhat lost, for example.As I did in the prior megaswatch post,as a reference point (see below) although it is actually too dark for me. Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of swatches, the lighting, and my terrible camera skills, you can't clearly see the NC15 stripe clearly in some of the later shots, so I have included this close-up so you have context for what you are seeing in the other pictures.





You can see the clear delineation between the NC15 swatched down the entire length/top edge of my arm, vs my skin.

Click for huge size!

I have also included a picture of everything swatched in the shade as this was easier to distinguish between the shades once my skin was not glaring in the sun. Scroll down for another image with all the BB creams listed on top of the image, but the labels obscure the stripe of Mac NC15 painted down the side of my arm (on the leftmost edge in the below image, then also on the lower right edge to compare the right lower column to) so I have included this one without labels as it's easier to identify the NC15 and relative shades of the BB creams in comparison.





Click for close up

Entire left edge, from wrist to inner elbow, also lower right edge:

Mac Studio Fix in NC15

Top down:

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42 PA+++ in #13

Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Blemish Balm with SPF32/PA++ (reviewed)

Skin79 Super Plus BB Cream SPF30 PA++ in Green

Skin79 Super Plus BB Cream SPF50 PA+++ Orange (reviewed)

Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus Beblesh Balm SPF25 PA++

Skin79 Hot Pink Super Plus Beblesh Balm SPF25 PA++

Skin79 Diamond The Prestige BB Cream (although not as glittery as the pearl, it's still more of a highlighter than a BB cream)

Skin79 Pearl Luminous BB Cream (this ~sparkles~ and is not recommended as anything but a highlighter, unless you're going as a Cullen for hallowe'en!)

Mizon Correct Combo Cream SPF25 PA ++





Left column swatches:

Holika Holika Pore Clearing Petit BB Cream SPF30 PA++

Mizon 10vely Secret Concealer (not a BB cream I know, but it's impossible to find comparative swatches of this online)

The Face Shop Clean Face Oil Free BB Cream (apparently does not contain any sun protection at all, boo urns!)

Holika Holika Prime Miracle Snail BB Cream SPF 30 PA+++

Etude House Precious Mineral Cotton Fit SPF30 PA++ in N02

Nature Republic Super Origin CC Cream SPF30/PA++ (full width swatch which you can barely see with my arm bent, sorry!)

Right column swatches (with NC15 swatched along the right outer edge)

BRTC Perfect Protect System Gold Caviar BB Cream SPF50 PA+++

BRTC Blemish Recovery Balm SPF28/PA++

BRTC Aqua Rush Water Drop BB Cream SPF28/PA++

Elisha Coy Always Baby BB Cream SPF35 PA++

Lioele Super Gold Snail BB Cream SPF50 PA+++

It's Skin Prestige Creme D'Escargot BB SPF25 PA++

*cries, rubbing sore shoulder*

It's actually amazing how much lighter some of them are before you swatch them. If you hadn't seen my other megaswatch post, you'd think UD's Halo wasn't on a hellbent mission to turn everyone into a pumpkin.

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Disclaimer: All products reviewed/mentioned in my blog, are 100% purchased with my own money, with a single exception of a press sample I tested & reviewed in 2015 which swore me off of them forever. This blog contains both affiliate and non-affiliate links, and clicking the former before you shop means that this blog may receive a small commission to assist in this blog supporting itself. Please see my Contact Info & Disclaimer policy for more information.

-end of full width swatches-Not pictured: Urban Decay in Halo, which was above the crook of my elbow and I just ... gave up. Taking pictures of your own arms is difficult, ok?To avoid getting them mixed up and also to have smaller, more realistic volumes of product to swatch, I first swatched them onto a white piece of paper and hastily scrawled what they were. Let's not talk about my penmanship- at the best of times it's legible and in circumstances like these where I'm racing against fading daylight, it's an abomination. Ah well! I know some people like to see them on paper so I'd feel guilty not posting this just to avoid exposing my handwriting shame.And now for the Real Deal, with labels and all! Please click on the image to launch it in full size.And with that, we're done! Now I get to test how well my new balm cleanser cleans all this stuff off my arm.Have a BB cream recommendation you think might work for me? A story about your own struggles to find the perfect BB cream? Tips on how you use the BB creams that don't work for you? Drop me a comment below, or connect with me on Facebook or Twitter!All the best,-Cat