For my second review I’ve decided to feature my favorite CC cream, the Tony Moly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream (such a mouthful). How did I pick this CC cream? I tried pretty much every CC cream that was available in Korea and this was the only one I didn’t see the color in between the crevices on my dry hand. That being said, I’m pretty sure no one is going to approach my face with a magnifying glass and notice but it still bothers me when I see it. I also liked the texture and the way it looked when I rubbed it on my skin. I’m not a fan of making my skin a lighter color so I was happy that this one blended in well with my skin color. It definitely gives my face a even tone and a bit of that dewy, fresh skin.

The Tony Moly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream has brightening, anti-wrinkle and SPF properties (SPF30 PA++ to be exact – I just learned from Google that this is a Japanese rating system. It goes up to +++).

CC generally stands for “color correcting”. On the back of this bottle, it says CC stands for “color change”. When pumped out, the cream is white but after rubbing it onto your skin, it changes color almost immediately into a light skin tone. If you’re looking for heavy coverage, this CC will not do the job for you. I don’t wear make-up on a normal basis (my routine is CC cream, eyebrows, and mascara if I’m not feeling lazy). CC cream is for very light coverage if you’re going for a natural look or just want minimal coverage with some SPF. If I’m having a bad skin day, the red spots will still show through this cream.

I gawked when I looked at the box for a list of ingredients (at bottom of post). Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined such a long list for a CC cream. Maybe I’m just naive, but before starting this blog, I rarely looked at the ingredients but now I’m considering buying ph strips and testing all my skincare products. A little research goes a long way, but the ingredient list isn’t going to stop me from using this. Not only does it keep my complexion even, my skin stays moist throughout the day which is a rarity for me.

Overall, I found this product worked well for my skin. I can imagine it might feel a bit oily for those with oily or combination skin, but it meshes well with my dry skin. The pump bottle is also hygienic but it is hard to control the amount of cream that comes out, it’s always one full pump. I tried to half pump but it’s difficult to press it down without the entire pump going down. At first I found it annoying but eventually got used to it and just use the excess to cover my neck.

Ingredients:

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Zinc Oxide, Cyclohexasiloxane, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Niacinamide, Methylpropanediol, CetylPEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Sodium Chloride, Beeswax, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Sunflower Seed Oil, Centella Asiatica Extract, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Rosa Hybrid Flower Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Safflower Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Acacia Seyal Gum Extract, Squalane, Sorbitan Isostearate, Pentylene Glycol, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Tribehenin, Dimethicone, Polyester-1, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Triethoxycarprylysilance, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Glyceryl Caprylate, Butylene Gycol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ceramid 3, Retinol, Linoleic Acid, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Carprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dilinoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Cassia Anugstifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Cholesterol, Propylene Glycol, Sucrose Palmitate, Prolyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Oleic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Brassica Campestris (Steroid, Sodium Ascorbyl, Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Disodium EDTA< Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Fragrance, Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Mica, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI77499).