Mineral Cover BB Gel Cream

I received a week's worth of sample packets of this BB cream by surprise from a friend in Japan. I didn't think of trying the BB cream from KATE but I liked their eyeshadows enough that I decided to give the BB cream samples a try during the past week and actually found myself wanting the full-size tube.

I was already using another Japanese-brand Hadalabo BB Moist Cream, which has a yellow tint and is generally sheer coverage. KATE BB Gel Cream is very similar to the BB cream from Hadalabo as far as the eye can tell, since I can't read Japanese fluently and the labels are almost entirely in Japanese. They're also about the same price, USD$15–$20. KATE's BB also has a yellow tint, which is nice compared to most Korean BB creams like from MISSHA, which have a grayish cast to them. Both KATE and Hadalabo BB creams give a healthy glow to the skin without looking unnaturally pale.

There are a few major differences between KATE's and Hadalabo's BB creams. Hadalabo's BB cream is sheer, whereas KATE's BB cream can be built to medium coverage. It's also a thicker formula than any of the Hadalabo formulas. The lasting power of KATE's BB cream is also longer, at least 6 hours whereas Hadalabo may have disappeared at 6 hours. Lastly, KATE's oil control seems to be better than that of Hadalabo's.

However, KATE BB cream comes in only three shades in the same gel cream formula. The three shades are Ochre B, Ochre C, and Ochre D, with B being the lightest shade and Ochre D at around medium. Hadalabo has only two shades, but three different formulas depending on the skin type. I have been lucky that neither have broken me out in acne, and they're both lightweight on the skin. I recommend this for all skin types, including those combo to oily types.