Hello stranger!
I know I’ve been away from these parts for a while… and I’ve missed it. To be honest, I’ve been experiencing a bit of a profound transformation regarding my hoarding ways. It finally hit me that the amount of stuff I have is not only ridiculous (I have no problem with that) but actually makes my life more difficult. This is insane! I know I have been trying to use up my products for a while (hence this Sample Sundays series), but it’s finally gotten to the point where I am 100% committed to not buying anything unless I really need it… which U pretty much don’t at this moment.
Needless to say, I’ve been saving a lot of money! Always a nice byproduct. Also, I’m emptying products, freeing up room in my tiny house and just generally being less stressed. Since when were beauty products supposed to stress you out?! Or any product for that matter. It’s insane. I’ve been the same way with books in the past, so now I’m not buying any until I read/am done with mine and swap them for something new (a marvellous idea). Also, I’m a member of the Guri library (obvs), which is actually pretty well-stocked with English books, so I really have no shortage. Also #2, there is this wonderful thing called the internet which works remarkably quickly in this lovely land of Korea.
So that’s my brief intro for today!
As you may have noticed, Sample Sundays have been on an unintended hiatus, which stops today. Because of this fasination with not buying anything, I’ve now developed an obsession with watching people clear out their own makeup hoards. it is surprisingly addictive and wonderful and inspires me much more than watching haul videos (which just make me want to buy stuff). To be fair, I’ve thrown in a few ‘monthly favourites’ type videos, but at the moment I’m on lockdown til I get my situation under control. Once I’ve reached an acceptable level of physical products under my ownership, I will let myself loose a little bit more. It’s all about moderation and balance… which, it would seem, is my biggest lesson in life.
So what am I reviewing today?
This is none other than Nature Republic’s Super Origin Tinted CC Cream 🙂
As y’all well know, I am a bit of a Nature Republic obsessive. As a result of my heavy levels of shopping and my rather attached level of friendship with the sales assistants, I have kindly received a number of samples in my time. Many of which, recently at least, have been of this CC cream. Now, when I first got to Korea, I thought CC cream was the most ridiculous thing and such a ripoff of the success of BB creams (I still think this). However, I have also changed my tune a bit and come to realise that they can be marvellous things too. The thing with Korea is, if something works, they will milk it to the end. And why not? There’s a lot of money to be made in the behemoth that is the Korean beauty industry, and it’s actually smart business sense. Korea wins again!
So, what exactly is CC cream? For the uninitiated, CC cream stands for Colour Control Cream (well, at least it did initially). These days, you might see variations on the CC theme, such as Colour Correct, the same way that BB Creams (initially standing for Blemish Balms) morphed into Beauty Balms and more. To be honest, I’m not that well-versed in all these variations so I’m going to leave the examples there. If you have any more to throw into the mix, please tell me!
All this yabbering and I just realised I haven’t actually said anything about the product yet. This is why I need to blog daily!
Firstly, have a look at this CC cream in action here:
Basically, a CC cream provides you with sheer coverage and is meant to gently even out skin tone while looking very natural. In true Korean style, this CC cream is very light and sort of beige toned. This works quite well for me, having the World’s Lightest Skin with pink undertones, but could be tricky for anyone even slightly darker. Korean beauty stores seem to favour this ridiculously limited, light colour “range” for their face makeup, however I am happy to see that this is changing, slowly but surely. Makeup for everyone, I say!
As I said, I am now quite the fan of CC creams as they provide light, evening coverage without feeling heavy or sticky on your skin. I really don’t enjoy the feeling of makeup… but you wouldn’t know it by the amount of crap stuff I’ve bought! Which is why I am now on my self-imposed spending ban… hoarding knows no logic!
So, what did I actually think of this CC cream? I really liked it! It was light and dewy and felt fresh on my skin. Of course, if you’re looking for a heavier-coverage foundation to go out to ‘da club’, this ain’t the one for you. Not least of all because it features SPF 30 PA++, which is excellent to protect yourself from the Death Ray that is the sun, but is also the culprit that will leave you looking like a ghost in nighttime photos with a flash (learned from experience. Seriously, ghost). This one is definitely for sunny, light breezy days where you want to feel like a Korean doll (or something).
For reference, the below picture shows my hand (saucy) with CC cream on the right side and bare (!!!) on the left:
As you can see (I think), the CC cream lightly evens out the skin and provides a nice dewy glow. Koreans are all about The Glow, and this product is no exception. There are a few creams in this range: Colour Change, Brightening, and this one, Tinted. The Colour Change one is especially fun, because it literally changes colour on your hand. Always satisfying. I’m not sure about the Brightening one, but this Tinted one gives you the tiniest healthy glow, I guess. As I said, Korean face products are ridiculously light and limited, so perhaps this product with its yellow undertones is considered a ‘warm glow’ here. Not sure, but I quite enjoyed it!
And that wraps it up for today’s Sample Sunday! Thank you all for being so patient with me, I joined up July’s NaBloPoMo and even though it is now the 13th of the month, I am going to try to post every day! Let’s see how I go… but you gotta dream big!
Next week, Sample Sundays will be back with… Tony Moly’s Dr. Tony AC Control Acne Cleansing Foam. I haven’t shopped in Tony Moly (or anywhere) for a while, but the last time I did, it was a bit of a haul and I received a few samples of this cleanser. At the time, my skin wasn’t the greatest and I thought the guy may have been making a small insinuation, but maybe not (#hsp). Either way, the quest for perfect skin is endless so I’m going to see how this one fares!
I hope you enjoyed this review and ramble about Nature Republic’s Super Origin Tinted CC Cream, and I will see y’all tomorrow! 🙂
Steph x