REVIEW: b·līv CC Pores Away

The rise of the alphabet creams has gone to a whole new level in the recent years, last I heard it was EE cream which translated to 'Even Effect' and the cream is by Estee Lauder. There's enough 'e' in that sentence to blow your socks off.

All that aside, I try not to confuse myself and stick to only a couple of alphabet creams that I know, mainly BB and CC, anything more than that sometime gets a little too much for my poor mind. I just can't keep up.

Today I'll be sharing b·līv CC Pores Away* (check here) and if you missed my first review of this brand (read here), I was blown away at how amazing the sheet masks are. So much so that I actually found a holy grail sheet mask that will permanently be a part of my routine. 

Now, if you're a long time reader then you'll be well aware of how much I dislike CC creams in general, they are usually cakey cream on my skin and the one and only CC cream that I love is It Cosmetics CC Cream that comes with SPF50. So when I saw b·līv CC Pores Away* (check here) was included in the package, I was super excited and hoped it would be another love.

Yay or nay? Let's get to it.

Ingredients:aqua (water), dimethicone, glycerin, methylpropanediol, titanium dioxide (ci 77891), diethylhexyl carbonate, zinc oxide, nylon-12, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, dimethiconol, iron oxides (ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499), cetyl peg/ppg-10/1 dimethicone, sodium chloride, phenoxyethanol, methicone, mica, peg-200, polyester-1, sclerocarya birrea seed oil, silica dimethyl silylate, tocopheryl acetate, calcium aluminum borosilicate, ethylhexylglycerin, caprylic/capric triglyceride, butylene glycol, tin oxide, propylene glycol, methylisothiazolinone, gelidium cartilagineum extract, humulus lupulus strobile, laminaria ochroleuca extract, propylene glycol diethylhexanoate, teprenone, ascorbyl glucoside, bellis perennis flower extract, bisabolol, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, mel extract, morus bombycis root extract, niacinamide, salix alba bark extract, sambucus nigra flower extract, scutellaria baicalensis root extract

Key ingredients:

Golden seaweed (natural sun protection factor): 

• extracted from laminaria ochroleuca, 

found mainly around sun-exposed coastal area, this natural plant-based uv absorbent has the ability to defend from damage of uva/uvb.

Marula oil:

• enriched with vitamin c, anti-oxidants and essential oil for healthy skin, helps rebuild skin’s pore barrier as well as tighten and shrink pores. it also provides in-depth hydration and helps repair scar. 

Deep sea red algae: 

• antioxidant, instantly moisturize and soften skin.

honey:

• increase defensive ability of skin.

Multi-vitamins:

•vitamin b3: hydrating

• vitamin c: brightening

• vitamin e: antioxidant, anti-aging, revitalizing

From the brand:

CC Cream, enriched with tone-matching bead, corrects your complexion for a natural inner glow

Benefits

1. Complexion correcting

Enriched with super-fine “tone-matching bead”, the essence from the beads help to neutralize skin tone and correct the complexion in three simple steps. 

2. Pores tightening

Made from marula oil (rich with vitamin c) and multi-vitamins, this helps rebuild skin’s pore barrier as well as tighten and shrink the large pores.

3. Safe formulation

Paraben-free, alcohol-free, synthetic-fragrance free, mineral oil free

This CC Cream has a light lotion texture and a soft floral scent. It's not strong and you really need to put your nose close to your fingers to actually notice it. I think it leans more towards a rose scent so I asked hubby dearest for his opinion and his answer?

"It doesn't smell like poo....yes, you can quote me on that." I love him but sometimes...

Unfortunately my camera failed to pick up the white cast on the skin on the bottom left picture 😑

It dispenses as a stark white lotion with little micro beads that will burst and adjust to your skin tone as you massage the lotion into the skin. It offers almost no coverage so unless you are blessed with really good skin and have very little to conceal then you'll either skip this or use this as a moisturizer for its skincare benefits.

I have been testing this CC cream off and on for more than a month and it took me some time to figure out the right way to use it. Initially I used it as a normal moisturizer but I find it to sit funny on top of my skin and I wasn't comfortable with the lack of SPF. Then I started applying it after my moisturizer and sunblock but it gave a terrible white cast and my skin looked shiny after a couple of hours. My face looked whitish and the rest of me was tan...it was not my best look.

Next I started adding primer before applying the CC cream and it helped a little but it depended on which primer I used underneath. If I apply NYX Angel Veil primer, my face will get a worse white cast, Smashbox Photo Finish makes my skin look super matte and flat like someone took a meat tenderizer and went pounding happy all over my face and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer helped to conceal the pores and nothing else. The two primers that did help are Benefit Porefessional and Becca Backlight Primer Filter. Both helped to conceal the white cast and gave some life to my skin.

Despite the trouble that I went through to find the right way for this CC cream to work for my skin, I actually like it with Becca primer on my lazy minimal makeup days as together, they give a very natural 'my skin but slightly better' look. I wear it a lot especially when I'm taking little tyke to school so my skin looks like I rolled out of bed this morning looking this fresh when truth was I spent an hour trying to make myself look human. Bottom line, it makes my skin look effortless.

I have yet to notice any reduction in my pores but I do think age is a huge factor and it's one that is hard to beat. I will be continuing to use this because it has some really good ingredients that benefit my skin and if I notice any reduction in my pores size then I will post another update in the future.

Do I like this? Truthfully, I am on the fence. I don't hate it because I do reach for it almost every time I'm heading to school with little tyke but on the other hand, I don't love it because it took me some time to find out how to make it work for me. I also wish this CC cream comes in different shades, at least Light to Medium, Medium to Tan, etc. And unless something miraculous happens when I am half through this bottle, I don't see myself repurchasing it.

I guess these damn pores are here to stay for now....

b·līv CC Pores Away is retailing for $29.00 and be purchased by clicking here.

*I received this product for free but my thoughts and opinions are 100% unbiased, honest and my own. There is no place for any sort of BS here.

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