Sanctuary Skin Perfecting BB Cream - Review

I must confess I never dabbled with BB creams before this one at all. I skipped that whole craze and stuck firmly to just foundation and if I wanted to sheer it out I’d mix in a little of my moisturizer. After all thats all BB creams were, right? No, Wrong!

For any newcomer (like me) who missed the class on what BB cream stands for and what makes it noteworthy, gather round. Beauty Balm or Blemish Base depending on who you ask is an ‘all in one’ foundation, serum, moisturizer, Primer, SPF product. So in theory you wouldn’t have to spend time with all those steps individually. It was originally developed in  Germany in the 60’s but later surfaced in the 80‘s on the Asian market (specifically Korea) where it was made famous before it finally made its way to the West. 

But enough with the history lesson on with the actual review...

Sanctuary is a brand that focuses mainly on skincare so in a time where it seems every brand under the sun is releasing some sort of BB cream. I made an informed choice to go with the brand that has some experience in that field.

The Sanctuary BB cream comes in two shades: light/medium medium/dark I have the latter shade. Unfortunately even with the lightest shade it was still to dark for me, no matter how well I buffed it into my skin it was still evident that it was the wrong match. Also I recommend using a buffing brush to apply this BB cream as I found that the heat from blending it with my fingers caused it to ball up and leave tiny, little worms of products all over my face that needed to be brushed off with a Kabuki (sorry for that image). That said, it melts seamlessly into the skin (when blended correctly) despite its slightly thick formula when it comes out of the tube. 

The finish on this BB cream is very dewy making it perfect for dry skin gals. The coverage is light but buildable. However I feel you might still need to pair it up with a concealer if you have heavy dark circles. It also contains SPF 15 which although isn’t a great deal amount. It’s better than none at all especially for someone like me who always forgets to use SPF. This BB cream also has a distinct spa like scent to it that I love and just can seen to get enough of. 

Some of the key ingredients on this BB cream that really make it stand out from the rest on the market are: Silica – which help to evens out skin tone and control oils within the skin. Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid - which help maintain moisture levels on the skin. As well as Lactic acid,  Linalool and a whole host of natural oils. 

Overall, while I don’t dislike this product I don’t feel its the right fit for me. When applying the BB cream it was truly a real delight. I felt like I was applying a luxury moisturizer on my face rather than a sort of foundation. However, as mentioned above the colour range is limited (as is expected with BB creams, so I don’t exactly fault Sanctuary for that) but the lightest shade did not match me at all, no matter how well I buffed it into my skin. So, I wouldn’t recommend this BB cream to anyone with fair skin, but for anyone with medium to tan to dark skin I can see this BB cream being a dream. 

Full Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Isononyl isononanoate, Butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, Isohexadecane, Octocrylene, Glycerin, Cetearyl alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl stearate, Mica, Sodium acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-100 stearate, Silica, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet almond) oil, Vitis vinifera (Grape) seed oil, Caprylyl glycol, Polysorbate 80, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan gum, Chlorphenesin, Pentylene glycol, Limonene, Citrus aurantium bergamia (Bergamot) fruit oil, Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, Lactic acid, Sodium lactate, Serine, Urea, Sorbitol, Sodium hydroxide, Linalool, Sodium chloride, Allantoin, Citral, CI 77891 (Titanium dioxide), CI 77492 (Iron oxide), CI 77491 (Iron oxide), CI 77499 (Iron oxide).

Have you tried the Sanctuary BB Cream? Were you thinking if getting it? Let me know in the comments I’d love to know. Also leave me a link to your blog if you have one and I’ll check it out. 

The Sanctuary BB Cream is available at Boots and retail at £15.00 for 50ml.