Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit

So, uhh, I realized I changed my blog's title again. That's because I've moved home yet again (I think I mentioned I was moving once or twice, but I don't remember :X). Seems to happen quite often, doesn't it? And just when I thought this would be our last move, hubby's boss asked if we would be willing to move to Tokyo again in a couple of years, so hubby can head up the company's new branch office there. Sigh. I love Japan and I would go in a heartbeat, but the thought of it right now is just... depressing, especially when we've finally begun to settle down a couple of months after moving for the umpteenth time. May be it's best I don't think about it, at least not now. There's no point in worrying about something that may not even happen.

Anyway, enough whining. I do realize too that my posting has been really spotty this whole year. Lots of change have happened, the most important of which is a realization of what I truly want to do with my life. I won't bore you with the details, and I won't make excuses for the lackluster posts as of late either. I thought about quitting this blog, because what got me into cosmetics in the first place - Japanese makeup - has been really slumping in the past few years, which saddens me greatly. I guess that has more to do with the state of the Japanese economy than anything. Still, it takes too much effort and time to take pictures and write about products, and for a hobby that's quite costly, not just in terms of energy and time, but also financially - I purchased everything I've reviewed on this blog (the freebies are GWPs), I've never allowed ads on my blogs, and I don't do promotional reviews for PRs either. Then again, it's not as if my curiosity and fascination for cosmetics are going away anytime soon LOL!

Alrighty, time to pick up where I left off with the bb cream bandwagon. I bought this mini set of Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit earlier in the summer via Sasa dot com, a Hong Kong-base retailer that's very much like the Sephora of Asia. In fact, I just spotted yet another slightly different kit on Sasa, and it's on its way to me as I type ^.^

Dr.G Gowoonsesang BB Gift Kit includes 5g each of (from left to right) Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF30 PA++, Perfect Pore Cover BB Cream SPF30 PA++, Total Active Dual BB Cream SPF50+ PA+++, Actifirm Recovery Super Blemish Base SPF30 PA++, and Primer BB Protector SPF38 PA+++. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

The 5g tube is pretty tiny, which is actually exactly what I want. Considering I only use a tiny amount at a time, even 5 g will last for quite a while! I have to say though, I'm really irritated with all the brands that starts with "Dr.so-and-so." Urgh. Why not just have the name? Why tag on the "Dr." as if it would "enhance" the product somehow?

But other than the name, I have to admit this brand and HanSkin made some of the best bb creams I've tried thus far! These 5 are all scented, and two of them are too dark for me which is too bad, but the other three work pretty well with my skin tone. The texture for these creams are thinner than that of HanSkin Super Light Touch and Dr.Jart+, but thicker than both Skin79 and Lioele, just right, I think. And like HanSkin, these 5 stays put where I put them. They do not melt or budge at all!

- Hydra Intensive Blemish Balm SPF30 PA++: sadly this one doesn't work for me at all, being a few shades darker than my natural color. After blending, it leaves my skin looking "sunken" and ashy, giving me this very "ill" effect. No can do. To add insult to the injury is that it's actually rather drying despite being "hydra intensive"! Boo hiss on this one.

- Perfect Pore Cover BB Cream SPF30 PA++: this is much much better. Sure, it's a shade lighter than my skin, but the coverage is sheer medium despite the "pore cover" in its name. I actually don't wear bb cream all over, only as a highlighter around the nose, mouth, and under eye area, so for this purpose I prefer the lighter shade. It's still slightly drying though, and I found this out after having dusted on a tad too much setting translucent powder one time, which exaggerated the look of my pores instead of covering them :( So as long as I go easy on the powder this works well.

- Total Active Dual BB Cream SPF50+ PA+++: you wouldn't believe it, but this one is actually my favorite out of all 5! The first time I tried this on, I was very impressed - it feels like second skin! Yes, it's a few shades lighter than my skin, but again the coverage is sheer medium, and I wear it as a highlighter for specific areas of the face. Why do I like this one so much? Because it's moisturizing, and in a good way, as in it doesn't turn greasy after a while. Not just that, it also adapts really well with my translucent powders no matter how much I dust on. It's not like I pile on powder or anything, but sometimes when I'm in a hurry I don't notice I'm being heavy-handed. I like this one so much I bought backups ^.^

- Actifirm Recovery Super Blemish Base SPF30 PA++: this one is not terrible, but it's slightly darker than my skin color, in addition to being slightly drying like the Perfect Pore Cover above. Double whammy :(

- Primer BB Protector SPF38 PA+++: this is my second favorite of the 5. I'm not sure I understand the name completely, whether "Primer BB Protector" means a "bb cream" or a "primer for a bb cream". I think it's the former, because itself already has sheer medium coverage, so it just doesn't make sense that it's only a primer for bb creams to layer over (yes, such a thing exists, folks). Either way, out of the five, this one matches my skin exactly. See the swatch for your self - it disappears completely after blending! I use this whenever I want that makeup-no-makeup look, again using it on specific areas on my face to fake a face that's awake (or alive...) ^.^

Swatches and blended.