Naked Beauty Balm by Urban Decay

I liked a sample of Urban Decay's Naked Beauty Balm enough to buy the full sized version, and now that I've been wearing it for a while, thought it was time for a review. 

First off, I view this as more of a primer than a BB cream.  It does not provide enough coverage for me to wear on it's own, but it does do a good job of smoothing and mattifying my skin.  I've had equal success with using powder and liquid foundations on top of Naked Skin.  Liquid foundations blend more easily and I have less issues with foundation settling into my pores.

I'm not sure I'd say that Naked Skin performs better than several other primers I've tried, but I do like that it contains a sunscreen and potential anti-aging skin treatment benefits.  Here is Urban Decay's description of what the Naked Skin Beauty Balm can do:

• Perfects: Optical blurring pigment instantly evens out skin tone and minimizes pores, lines, wrinkles and redness.

• Protects: SPF 20 shields skin from sun damage and Pepha®-Protect helps inhibit DNA damage.

• Treats: Vitasource™ and dGlyage® firm skin, improve elasticity and provide measurable anti-aging benefits.

• Primes: Extremely blendable formula creates a smooth finish so makeup goes on beautifully and stays put.

• Hydrates: Moisturizing but never greasy, Naked Skin Beauty Balm hydrates skin instantly and improves hydration over time.

There is a slight tint that is barely evident once blended, but enough that if you wipe your face with a tissue you can see the color left behind.  It doesn't claim to be self-adjusting, and it did not seem to adjust on my pale forearm, so I'm not sure how well it works for the really pale complected. 

If you are not a fan of silicones, you are are not going to like this, as it is full of them.  I took a sample size with me on my trip to D.C., which has a noticeably dryer climate than humid Mobile, and I thought it did a good job in both climates.  I've got excessively oily skin and find that it does help prolong the wear of my foundation.

Naked Skin Beauty Balm is priced at $34 for 1 ounce, which is pricey compared to Asian BB creams, but comparable to many of the mid-range American BB creams.  Again, I don't consider this comparable to the Asian BB creams I've tried, but do like it as a primer!

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hr Primer in Fair, Light, Medium and Tan Swatches

Tarte has released another version of a BB cream, but they are calling it a "tinted treatment" that is also primer, which I think is wise.  Or maybe it's all just semantics, as they describe it as a

"multi-tasker that acts as a primer, moisturizer, anti-aging treatment, light foundation, and sunscreen all at once!"

Fair, Light, Medium, Tan

It contains a proprietary tripleB complex, which is a blend of natural diamond powder, plant extracts, and lipoaminio acis.  I recently received a sample card of Tarte's BB tinted treatment 12-hr primer, and after trying it out this week, thought I would swatch the four available shades. 

I was pleasantly surprised that this covered well enough that I did not feel the need to also use a foundation, although I did set it lightly with powder.  My skin is far from perfect, so that is saying something!  The second to the lightest shade, Light, was a good match for my complexion. 

With a SPF of 30, the consistency is creamy, smooth and blends easily.  I did have some settling in pores, but that is true of most products with me.  On my very oily skin, I'd say it wore for a solid 8 hours before I noticed significant fading or blotching.  The texture felt like it had silicones, and sure enough after looking at the ingredient list, it does.  On the plus side, it does not contain parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, or synthetic fragrances. 

This sample card definitely served it's purpose, as I like this enough to purchase a full size!  I'm kind of kicking myself because I recently purchased Urban Decay's BB cream to use as a primer (review coming soon), and I'm thinking based on initial impressions, I'm liking Tarte's better.  

Tarte BB tinted treatment in Light

Active Ingredients: titanium dioxide 4.55%, zinc oxide 3.50%
Inactive Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, isododecane, polysilicone-11, mica, polymethylsilsesquioxane, hexyl laurate, PEG-10 dimethicone, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, stearic acid, cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 dimethicone, alumina, triethoxycaprylylsilane, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, diamond powder, iron oxides.
Disclaimer:  I received this as a sample gift with purchase.

stila one step bronze Review & Swatches

stila one step bronze makes a lot of claims!  It claims to warm, enhance, illuminate, and brighten your skintone while also diminishing the appearance of sun spots.  Futhermore, this serum says it primes the skin while nourishing it with a "youth revival bio-available mineral complex from Arclay".  It also claims to minimizes pores, diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, hydrate and balance skin, and control oil.  Way to get my expectations up, stila!  I do like multi-taskers, and one step bronze did deliver for me in several areas.

It does indeed warm my skin tone and provide a nice hint of  all-over color without leaving any lines of demarcation or appearing too obvious.  The texture is a light mousse that blends easily and feels good on the skin, leaving no greasy after feel, which is mucho important to me.  It also did quite well as a primer, making it easy to blend the BB cream I'm currently using and even prolonging it's wear.  I did not have as much of an issue with the BB cream settling into my pores.

I've got extremely oily skin and I think it did help a bit with oil control.  I was concerned about its shimmer, but found that after applying my BB cream there was no obvious shimmer bits visible, but instead a nice glowing/highlighting effect, which is more apparent in the sun.

I like the packaging and find that one pump dispenses just the right amount for full facial coverage.  I'm also a bit fascinated with how those coils look, for some reason.

stila one step bronze retails for $36, which at first glance seems a bit steep.  Given it's multitasking qualities, however, the price does seem somewhat more justifiable.  I doubt I would have investigated this product if it had not been part of my June Birchbox, but I've got to say it's now going to be my go to primer for the summer!

Ingredients:  Water/Aqua, Cyclopentasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Phytantriol, Phenoxyethanol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Boron Nitride, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Dextrin Palmitate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Zinc Chloride, Lysine, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Montmorillonite*, Illite*, Kaolin*, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-) Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Zinc Oxide (Ci 77947), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499)

Disclosure:  stila one step bronze was part of my June Birchbox, which I subscribe to for $10/mo.