If you’ve read any of our Strategist editor hauls this year, you’ll know that we buy a lot of stuff, and even though we think carefully about each thing that goes into our cart, there are still standouts. To close out the year, we’re asking each editor to write about the best thing they bought. Today, writer Lori Keong on the Purlisse BB cream she absolutely loves.
On the off-chance I forgot to pack it in my cosmetics bag, I feel at a loss: Somehow this little tube of BB cream (which is essentially a multitasking beauty balm that I use in place of a foundation) has become indispensable to me over the past year. It’s what I’ve packed to look my best while meeting the parents for the first time, what I insist on wearing for photo ops (because an ID card lives forever), and how I deal with the daily curveballs my skin throws me.
I first came across this particular one when I was researching a story on BB creams earlier this year. Full-coverage foundations have a way of settling into your pores in a cakey, stage-makeup sort of way, but the BB cream is different. A good one feels like a creamy moisturizer melting into your skin, except it’s tinted, buffs and perfects your skin tone, and has added SPF.
Unlike other ones I’ve tried, though, that leave your skin with an oily film, are watery in consistency, or are a little too sheer, this Purlisse cream feels creamier, with just the right amount of hydration and coverage. It combines the dewy effect of Asian beauty products (thanks to its Chinese herb extracts) with the natural feel of French apothecary brands. Wearing it makes me look like the airbrushed, Instagram filtered version of myself, give or take a little KiraKira glow.
And for a lazy morning person, it’s also very low-maintenance. Even if I’ve hit the snooze button so many times that I’m forced to blindly throw together clothes, all I have to do is smooth a few drops over all the blotchy areas of my face with my fingertips before scrambling out the door. It’s buildable, so on days where I’ve gotten a little less sleep, or my flushed skin is silently screaming from exposure to the dry winter air, I can blend another layer on for better coverage. With it on, you might even be tempted to tell people you’re not wearing any makeup, and for the record — no one would be the wiser.
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