There are a lot of good things about this BB cream, make no mistake. The only caveat (for me) ultimately is the usual cry for better shade selection. I mean I didn't even bother with a face swatch. Just imagine a ruddy-ashy face. Apart from the terrible shade selection, it has performed well. Ultimately though I wouldn't get this again nor would I recommend it.


xx,
CJ

PS. Wore the foundation for about 6 - 8 times. I tried to make it work by mixing it with other foundations but the gray and ruddiness still shows through.
PPS. I know there are foundations with SPF and/or firming/moisturizing/anti-aging claims. It's just that when you say BB cream (or CC cream) it's supposed to be a "supercharged", "next-level" tinted moisturizer. This 4U2 one, for me, is just foundation. Suffice to say my faith was eradicated with this BB. Eh?Eh?Eh?*nudge**nudge* *hint**hint*... :'( Ok...

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http://www.4u2cosmetics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/4U2-Cosmetics-Philippines

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Well one-brand for the most part. I did stray here and there (eyebrows and the powder). I'm also putting a dedicated review on some other products mentioned and not mentioned here (powder, lipstick).

I finally get to tackle the brand-spanking re-brand FS did with some old favorites and new additions. If you've seen my previous post about the newly re-launched FS Cosmetics or Features & Shades here you might be wondering what's really worth checking out and what can you pass up on. Here's my "one-brand" face of the day /makeup of the day with their products with quips on what I think of them.


Let's start with primer.

Aptly named "Primer" this pre-foundation base comes in a squeeze-tube (nice) and has 20g of product in it. That's a pretty decent amount since you really don't need a lot of this all over the face. This one especially tends to ball-up with the foundation if you use way too much.


Texture and appearance-wise it's very similar to Benefit's Porefessional. It's a silicone primer and it performs (I assume) as most silicone primers do. This does blur the pores and smoothes the skin leaving it velvety.


I personally don't subscribe to the notion that silicone primers or face primers in general makes makeup last long. I haven't seen a difference. I've tried the Maybelline and the Quick FX primers and they're all the same to me. One thing I can say is that this primer is heavily fragranced. The scent is very floral and "perfume-y".



For my actual base, I chose to go with FS's BB cream in Oriental. There are 3 shades available, this being the middle one. It claims to be a sun protectant, foundation, concealer and moisturizer. Basically an all-in-one product (as most BB creams tend to claim) but the concealer part is pushing it a bit.

I do really like this. It's smooth, blends in well, looks natural, feels light on the skin, moisturizing, has at most a (well...almost when you build it up) medium coverage and has an olive undertone to it (perfect) BUT...

It appears slightly ashy on me. I blame it on the spf for the slightly walking-dead appearance initially but it does adjust to your skin a little in about 10 - 15 minutes especially when set with a powder of your shade. It also has this light citrusy-floral fragrance that I don't mind unlike the primer.

I find it a little annoying that they didn't put exactly how much sun protection you get with this, so I suggest using a separate SPF. I also wouldn't suggest this to people with oily skin as this is quite moisturizing, glowy and tacky and stays that way if you don't set it. People with dry patches (me) would do well to exfoliate prior because this BB clings a little. Other than that, it's a nice everyday type of base for people who are okay with light coverage foundations (BBs/CCs).


This pretty "I'm ready for summer" blush in Twinkle Tan is gorgeous on the skin. It's like a bronzey blush with fine gold shimmer. It's smooth and very pigmented. If I had to recommend one thing out of everything here I'd suggest this one. The finish is this very gleamy highlighted-satin sheen — You won't need a separate highlighter with this for sure.


I haven't tried this for over 12 hours but for a typical 8-hour day it lasts well. Especially since it's less than P500, as with every product in this post.


This amazing True Light Liquid Lipstick in Glossy Peony is very pretty. Half of it because of the nice matte packaging and the light inside when you open it.


I would consider this more of a lipgloss than a "liquid lipstick". I think my perception of liquid lipsticks have been escalated because of the numerous liquid lipsticks that have been coming out for the past 2 - 3 years or so. It's not sticky like a typical gloss and it's decently pigmented as well. I would go as far as to say it's slightly moisturizing. Lip prep is important though because it settles in the cracks.


The colour is a pretty milky medium-peachy-rose with golden shimmer. Don't be put off by the shimmer though, it's really really nice on the lips. Not chunky "glitters" at all. It feels comfortable on, no strong scent nor taste and THE LIGHT GUYS. THE LIGHT!!!


For the eyeshadow I have their single eyeshadow in Ash Brown. It's a pigmented matte cool-toned dark brown. Rubbing my finger on the pan, it feels slightly gritty but for the most part it's smooth and blends well with a brush.


There's also a wide selection of colours and finishes. You can pop these in a four pan palette that they sell so you can customize your own palette. Richly pigmented, versatile and affordable for a whopping 4g, this will last long.


The black Mascarade Volumizing Mascara is okay. It builds up okay on itself. The pigment is really black and the brush is the normal bristled mascara brush I prefer but it only yields a natural lash look even after numerous coats. As you can see from the picture that's the extent of the the volumizing part it can do for my sparse lashes. For 10g, it's a decent pick for the price when you don't know which brand to go for.


It's not smudge-proof and waterproof, though it doesn't claim to be. But it's water-resistant so there's that. Like I said. It's okay but not something I'd purchase on my own. I like mascaras that give a lot of volume.


Final result. A very no-makeup makeup look. After running errands and being out for more than 5 hours, the bb cream and blush performed really well. I guess the primer also did its job? The mascara and shadow were still there too. But the shadow faded a little bit maybe an eye primer would do the trick next time. I was most surprised about the blush though, I only put a little but it still held on at the end of the day.

I also didn't break out. To be honest though I only used the primer twice but I had the sinking feeling it would break me out if I used it consecutively. I also couldn't stand the scent so that's the only thing I used twice.

Other products used : Palgantong/3WC Powder in #23 as setting powder and for eyebrows I used Pinkies Collection brow pencil in black, Glam21 pencil and Maybelline brow mascara in Dark Brown.

[Reference : Sensitive, dry-normal skin, slightly oily t-zone and dry patches. Sweaty boy.]


Like I mentioned, everything here is less than Php 500. So the brand on the whole is pretty affordable. What would you try from this brand? Which FS product would you like an in-depth review on? My personal picks are the gloss, shadow and blush.

xx,
CJ

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http://www.fscosmetics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FS-Cosmetics
https://twitter.com/FSCosmetics
https://www.instagram.com/fscosmetics/

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In my arsenal of bases this one doesn't offer the most coverage, or rather it's completely non-existent.
That was a bit of an exaggeration, so let's go with sheer to light coverage. I bought this on sale at Watsons as my official initiation to the brand and it wasn't love at first try, let me tell you that much. Currently, I'm treating this as my sunscreen as it has SPF 50 PA+++(Protection Grade of UV-A), one of the highest I've tried in BB creams.

At 20 g/.07 oz it's light and doesn't take up space in my bag. The white and pink scheme is pleasing to the eyes too.

Consistency is creamy and thick but doesn't feel heavy on the skin. It also has a very slight floral-like scent when you get really close. Application-wise is ok, it blends nicely, a little at a time with fingers, brush or sponge. It sets to a nice dewy and natural finish on me, albeit still a tiny bit tacky.

As you can see, it just lightened my skin by about 2-3 shades. I noticed some grayish areas when I tried this on my face, probably due to the pink undertone of this BB. The whiteness tones down after 5-10 minutes and of course you can always color-correct with a powder.


Let's look at the claims.


Now, it definitely brightened my skin tone instantly but I'm skeptical on the skin lightening after said 10 day period. It has, as I said a slight tacky finish so setting this is non-negotiable if you're oily so the non-sticky finish claim is a definite stretch. I imagine this to be a good base for other creams or liquid bases because of its tackiness, it just has to set completely otherwise it would just move the BB and the other base on your face. It looks good under powder foundations/setting powders though.

Oil control is virtually non-existent as well, but one thing I commend this on is its lasting power. It stayed on for about 2 hours set with a powder under a typical humid day (Note: I sweat a lot and I have an oily t-zone) before it started to show signs of fading .

For 199 Philippine Pesos/PHP with 20g I would recommend it as a moisturizing SPF for dry skinned people. It's also very travel friendly and can act as a suitable primer for powders. But if you're looking for coverage this isn't it.

Now, would I repurchase? No. Since I treat this solely as my SPF, I much prefer lighter, water-based formulas.

Have you tried this BB cream or have you tried any bases from ZA?