Best BB creams for fair skin: Missha, Dr. Jart, Clinique and more

When BB creams first came on the market they were very "one size fits all." I tried a few but with no luck. Even the formulas for light skin made me look orange. Last year, I set out on a mission to find the perfect BB cream for fair skin. Since then, I logged several hours of watching YouTube videos and visited a number of beauty blogs. I've bought BBs on Amazon.com, tested a few that have come in my Birchbox, and made a few purchases at Sephora. While I'm still partial to my Revlon foundation and Bare Minerals face powder, I'm quickly becoming a convert (especially because of the built in SPF). Here are my thoughts on several popular brands of BB creams.

My skin tone

This is what my skin color looks like in natural light:

Swatches

BB Creams I recommend

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 in #13 Milky Beige & #21 Light Beige

This is one of my favorite formulas for summertime, and my top pick before I discovered Dr. Jart's Renewalist. The formula is buildable like foundation, so it ranges from sheer to medium coverage depending on how you apply it. I've found that applying and blending with my fingers works best (even though I always use a brush when I apply liquid foundation). If you have very fair, porcelain skin, I recommend shade #13. If you have fair to light skin, go with #21. Or, you could do what I did and buy sample sizes of both shades. While #13 matches my neck perfectly, the skin on my forehead and cheeks tends to be much more pink, so if I apply #13 all over it looks a little chalky. While #21 seems like it would be too dark (and it has a grey cast to it straight out of the tube), it's effective at neutralizing the redness on my face. It also blends in effortlessly. With two shades, you can mix a little of each color together to customize the color for your skin tone.
Rating: 4/5 - One of the best BBs I've tried. Knocking it down a point only because I have to mix two shades to get my perfect match and the formula isn't as moisturizing as some others.

Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm
Dr. Jart BB creams have a huge following, and the Premium Formula seems to be a crowd favorite. Unlike Missha, however, Dr. Jart BBs only come in one shade per formula. The color of Premium is a hint darker than Missha #21, but it's also a bit warmer. I would recommend this BB to someone with light (but not super pale) skin, who is looking for a sheer, moisturizing coverage. I can't usually wear it alone, but if I mix in a dab of Missha #13, the color matches my skin better.
Rating: 3/5 - Lightweight, moisturizing formula but the color is a bit too dark.

Dr. Jart Renewalist Beauty Balm
Of Dr. Jart's four most popular formulas, Renewalist is by far the lightest in color. It matches my skin tone absolutely perfectly. It also offers the fullest coverage, so it feels the most like a foundation. I love the SPF 40 and that the active ingredients are physical sun blockers, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Because it feels a bit more like a foundation than a BB cream, I've found that I have to apply this with a foundation brush to get the smoothest coverage. With a brush, it's a breeze to blend, but when I just use my fingers, it's a bit harder to blend. My favorite thing about this formula is that my skin looks healthier and my glowing after I wash my face in the evening. Besides the sunscreen, I don't know what they put in it, but it makes my skin very happy. And I can use it to brighten my under eye area without concealer.
Rating: 5/5 - Love it.

Dr. Jart Water Fuse Beauty Balm
Coming in at a close second, Dr. Jart's Water Fuse BB is my go-to product for every day wear. Straight out of the tube, the color is a smidge darker than the Renewalist, but the formula is so sheer that it blends into my skin perfectly. I like to use when I'm going for the "no makeup" look. It ever so slightly evens my skin tone and adds a boost of moisture, without looking too obvious. Since I have such a hard time picking a favorite--it totally depends on the look I'm going for--I really like this Dr. Jart kit. The Detox formula is way too dark for me, even if I mix it with Missha #13, but my mom loves it, so I can always unload that tube on her.
Rating: 5/5

Juice Beauty CC Cream
This cream is the most different from the others in terms of color, texture, and consistency. It has extremely light coverage, so I probably won't wear this alone. I was happiest when I applied to this dry, clean skin for it's moisturizing/nourishing/SPF benefits, but I still had to use my Bare Minerals to cover redness. My skin felt great when I wore it, so I would recommend it as a primer for powder mineral makeup. Of note: The scent on this one is a bit strong. It didn't bother me, but other online reviews mention the scent, so take a sniff or try a sample before you buy.
Rating: 4/5 - Good primer, but I wouldn't wear it alone.

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream in Very Light
When I first tried this one, I didn't love it. Unlike some of the Asian BB creams I've tried, it doesn't quite melt into your skin. That said, after applying it with a foundation brush, I decided it does offer a nice light-to-moderate level of coverage, and the color is a decent match for my skin tone. It looks a bit more yellow than some, but if you're a Clinique devotee, you might want to give this one a try.
Rating: 4/5 - Not my absolute favorite, but a solid formula.

BB Creams I don't recommend

Pur Minerals CC Cream
This was a Birchbox sample. Initially, the shade seemed to match my skin tone based on a quick swatch, but I had a really hard time blending this cream into my skin. I tried using my fingers, a foundation brush, and a damp sponge, but nothing made application less burdensome. I also felt like it made me look a little orange. I ended up tossing my sample because I even finished it, so I definitely wouldn't recommend it.
Rating: 1/5 - Definitely not for me.

Skin 79
These BB creams have a cult following on YouTube. I was a little bummed because they only come in one shade. It's pretty light, but it's still too dark for my skin tone. The pink formula works best for normal to oily skin, while the gold one is best for normal to dry.
Rating: 2/5 - Too dark.

More swatches

Also important to note: With any BB cream, always set with a translucent powder, otherwise they melt right off your face. I like Tarte's Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder because it's completely colorless and doesn't cake. If you're on a budget, ELF High Definition Powder in translucent is a pretty good dupe.

Do you have a favorite BB cream? A suggestion for a new brand I should try? Leave me a comment below.

Picking a new bad habit

This skincare set from by Philosophy was a
lifesaver. Literally.

I decided to stop using tanning beds in the summer of 2008, shortly after my college graduation--about a year and a half before I was diagnosed with melanoma. This sudden change coincided with my transformation from blonde to brunette, and a new, chin-length bob that I felt made me look more "professional." I still spent a fair amount of time in the sun, but I was starting to realize that tanning beds were a habit I couldn't afford to maintain (for both health and financial reasons). Paradoxically, when I decided to quit tanning cold turkey, I remember obsessing over how uneven my skin tone looked. As soon as my tan began to fade, the freckles on my arms and face became more noticeable. There were freckles, now, on my legs and chest that didn't exist before I started using tanning beds. It seemed the only way I could hide these new freckles and keep my skin looking flawless was to continue tanning, but every 12 minutes in that bed, I knew how much worse I was making things for myself in the long run. How could I break the cycle?

Enter Sephora. In 2008, there was a Philosophy skincare kit I'd been dying to try. Face wash, ultra luxe moisturizer, exfoliant--it was a beauty addict's dream come true. The only problem was that it retailed at about $100. Normally, there's no way I'd be able to rationalize spending 100 bucks on skincare, but when I thought about it, wasn't I doing so already? A month-long unlimited tanning package in my preferred choice of bed cost me around $40 a month. Single tanning sessions ranged from 5 to 15 bucks a piece depending on where I went and what level bed I used. Then, I had to factor in the tanning bed lotion. Although I was unconvinced that it made much of a different, the women who worked in tanning salons were as ruthless as used car salesmen. They could sell me a bottle of $30 moisturizer that I swore was probably generic brand lotion with coconut scent added, packaged in a shimmery pink bottle. If I were to cut tanning beds out of the equation, that opened up at least $150 in my budget every three months. I could more than afford to spend $100 on a skincare kit that would last me at least the same amount of time. So I bought it.

Last month, I was relaxing after a hard day's work with my stack of fashion glossies. Right there, staring me in the face, was an article in Marie Claire called, "Smart Girls Bad Habits." Story of my life. I decided to read on. The teaser of the article: "Stop drunk-texting your ex, snacking late-night, and skipping the gym! New research into how the brain works may help you get into the positive groove--once and for all." OK, now I was really hooked. What was this new research and how could I incorporate it into my life?!

According to the article, based on research in a new book called, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, our brains are hardwired to stick to our habits. Even the strong-willed find it impossible to break bad habits (um, hello failed New Years resolutions?) until they replace their old habit with a new one. The answer to unparalleled bliss: Replace all of your bad habits (e.g. tanning, smoking, drinking) with better ones (e.g. running, volunteering, eating salad). Sounds a little unrealistic at first, but this is exactly what I did when I quit using tanning beds. It was rough at first, not having the bronze glow I was accustomed to, but after four years of diligently using high-quality skin care treatments, my skin looks clearer, smoother and brighter now than it did when I was 18. Just the other day, a friend of mine asked me, "How do you get your skin to glow like that? You look so well rested." Retinol, my friends. Retinol.

I've come to terms with the fact that when I'm having a bad day, nothing will make me feel better than a hydrating face mask or a Biore pore strip. I will never not care about how I look or what other people think of how I look, I just channel my money and energy into finding the best sunscreens and cleansers, not the strongest bed or newest tanning potion. If you're trying to cut back on tanning or stay out of the sun, it could be worth making a trip to your local department store (or sephora.com). You could also try yoga, or a subscription to wine-of-the-month club.