review: smashbox camera ready bb cream

What is BB cream? The “BB” stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. And if skincare and makeup had a baby, it would be BB cream. This do-it-all cream combines functions of a primer, anti-aging serum, moisturizer, light coverage, tinted color, and contains SPF.

BB cream was originally created in the 1950’s by a German dermatologist to help post-chemical peel patients cover their redness. These creams are very popular in the Asian beauty supply market, and are quickly spreading into the US. Once one company came out with one, the rest quickly followed. Drugstore brands such as Garnier, Maybelline, L’oreal and Covergirl all make a form of BB cream. High-end brand BB creams include Dr. Jart, Stila, Dior and Smashbox.

I’m going on vacation next week and have been on the hunt for the perfect BB cream to replace my foundation for days when I’ll just be laying out on the beach. I once tried the Garnier BB cream, but found it to be way too greasy on my face and didn’t seem to do much else to outweigh that disadvantage. I have oily skin, so an added greasy finish is a no-go.

What I’m specifically looking for in a BB cream is light coverage, oil control (non-greasy), and SPF. I decided to spend more and hopefully get better results, so I picked up the Smashbox Camera Ready BB cream in the shade light/medium with SPF 35. After reading reviews on Sephora, I found that this one claims to do all of the things on my list.

The packaging is nice and sleek. It’s a small squeeze tube, which makes it easy to throw in a bag and apply anywhere. 

The product itself feels just like sunscreen. I apply it in small sections on my face at a time so I can focus on blending before it dries. The results have been 10x better than I expected. I’ve worn this a couple times while laying out at the pool, and it truly does control oil in my t-zone, gives light coverage and also a little bit of a bronzing effect. 

This blended so well into my skin, and the color matches pretty perfectly. 

You might be thinking, “what’s the difference between this and a tinted moisturizer?” Well, to me this one offers more coverage, color, oil control, and contains higher SPF.

I recommend this to anyone with oily skin and/or just wants to replace their foundation on the hot summer days for lighter coverage. If you have dry skin, I would definitely make sure you still apply a moisturizer before, just to be sure this doesn't leave your skin looking too flat or dry. 

Let me know if you try or have tried this product. Have you tried any other brands of BB cream? I’m looking forward to getting my money’s worth out of this next week!