Dr. Jart + Water Fuse & Premium Beauty Balms

 Count me in among the  fans of the new BB  or Beauty Balms .    Dr. Jart is one of the original BB purveyors from Asia and they  have 2 different ones here on our shores at Sephora.

Dr. Jart Water Fuse is the lighter  one  and perfect for me right now with my summer oily/sticky skin. It's  a very thin gel/cream which  made me wonder at first how it would be since  the others I had tried were thicker, but it ended up working great and I find I am using all the time.

It feels  very light on , almost invisible once it sets on skin which takes about a minute. I have had a spot or two where I needed to blend it more where it stuck a bit , but  a little extra effort was all that was needed. Overall it goes on easy , does a great job of keeping my makeup set and lasting far longer than normal  and adds just a smallest amount of moisture.

Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm  is the one I will reach for come colder weather and the one for you if you have normal to drier skin. In cooler temps my skin normalizes so I can use more moisture and products with more substance. This doesn't have a  lot of moisture mind you, it's just right, but more than the lighter one ( and all that my skin needs ). It's a thicker balm with a tint that really gets the job done . It has more coverage than Water Fuse and could  easily be used on it's own for those who like a sheer look. It smoothes, perfects ,eases makeup on and adds long wear and a more finished look with some light coverage. 

Bonus- these have very high SPFs. 45 for Premium, 25 for Water Fuse. When they say all in with BBs they mean it.

Dr. Jart Water Fuse Beauty Balm is $ 32.00 and Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm is $ 39.00  at  Sephora 

MAC Prep and Prime Beauty Balm SPF 35

I have never used any Beauty Balm or BB creams before. I do know they are all over the market now and so I'm testing and reading up. My friend The Muse is the queen of BB's. She has used many  of the Asian ones ( called Blemish Balms there) and has written a lot of posts describing  the difference between Asian  and US versions. Thus far she's my education in these. Thus far too, I wasn't really thinking I needed or wanted to use one.

So MAC's new  Prep and Prime BB  was my first Beauty Balm and I have to say I really like it.  I didn't think I would and I honestly didn't expect much. I figured it wouldn't work with my oily skin but then I read the ingredients ( no emollients) and that it's a primer and perfector, not a tinted moisturizer, which I now know no BB creams are. I should say here too, that I rarely use primers for the same reason. Most are hydrating  and not for me. Only Cover Fx Matte Prep works  all the time and in winter  sometimes I use L'Oreal Studio Secrets base.  That said , I also well know how much a good primer can do.

MAC BB balm makes  a great canvas for makeup. It's not really meant to be worn on it's own ( as  Asian BB  creams are ) and if you do , you'll have a nice , smooth look  with pores filled in  but little coverage.   The finish is satin, not matte ,  and I  was  able to use it in the T -Zone. I wasn't much less oily but I wasn't more oily which is key.  I liked that my makeup lasted longer  and  that it looked better . I also really like the SPF 35. That's high for a makeup product and it seems to be a hallmark of BB creams.

The color here is flesh toned and very light , almost sheer. It should work on  a lot of skin tones. I'm fair  and it blends right in but it also blends  right in on my self tanned arm. In fact the swatch picture I took was useless since it did blend into the skin and you couldn't even see it.


MAC  Prep and Prime Beauty Balm is available online now  and will be only online. It will be sold at travel retail and in Asia it will be in MAC locations.