Review & Swatch: Erborian BB Cream Original Formula (Light)

To be honest, I haven't tried many BB creams.  Prior to our trip to France, I was already on the lookout for something that would be perfect for the summer weather- light coverage, semi-matte and most importantly did not oxidize and change colour on me after a few hours.  In my research, I discovered that Erborian BB Cream was a favourite among many French women.  So I decided to give it a shot while on our trip.

The Erborian brand is French/Korean, so with it's Asian "technology" behind it, I was hopeful this BB cream was going to be better than some of the American ones I've tried.  This BB cream says it is a "5-in-1" product but never really goes into what five things.  I did some research on their website and I believe they are referring to the five things they claim BB creams should do, which are to:

1. Even out the skin tone
2. Moisturize and nourish the skin
3. Baby skin effect
4. Velvety touch
5. Sun protection SPF 25 PA++

So how do these claims stack up to the test?  Everyone's skin is different, but for my oily combination skin, this is what I found:

1. My skin tone was even after one light layer was applied.  I found that I didn't need much concealer at all.

2. The BB cream felt moisturizing but not heavy on my skin.

3. I'm not sure what "baby skin effect" refers to, but I will say that this BB cream imparts a nice glow to my skin that is not oily looking.  It is that perfect semi-matte finish that I was looking for.

4. The texture of this BB cream when applied does not feel greasy or tacky so I would agree with the "velvet touch" claim since my skin did feel soft.

5. The sun protection is a bonus since I usually apply sunscreen underneath anyway.  I did not notice any white cast in photos.

In fact, this product did not oxidize and my skin remains the same colour all day and well into the evening.  I would highly recommend this BB cream to anybody.  The Light colour fits my skin perfectly.  Please note in the following pictures, my hand is quite a bit darker than my face, so in reality this BB cream matches my skin tone quite well even though it looks too light in the pictures.  I think it would be able to adapt to many skin tones, from fair to medium golden complexions, when blended out properly.

Blended out, no primer or moisturizer 

What BB creams did you try and did they work for you?  Have you tried other Erborian products?