Tried It: TikTok's Custom BB Cream

March 28, 2022

Tiktok has a lot of really neat skincare and makeup hacks going for it, but figuring out what works and what doesn’t isn’t as easy as it looks. After all, if using soap to set your brows and powdering your skin before foundation works wonders, it’s not easy to tell which Tiktoks will push your makeup to the next level, and which won’t do anything for you. 
Here at LUCY, we’re always on the lookout for the next big makeup hack: it’s something we play around with when there’s slow periods in the shop, and this one was so popular during the summer of 2021 that we thought we could explain to you how it works. 
Of course, we’re talking about Tiktok’s Homemade BB cream. 

A few points before we explain how it’s made and why it works:

• in the video we linked, the creator added sun-screen to their mix, which we’ve opted not to do here as sunscreen is best applied separately - and you can make sure you’re applying the correct amount if you don’t mix it in with your base makeup. 
• this is not meant to be a full-cover foundation, so if you really want something that will completely cover all your imperfections, this isn’t going to be the hack for you. 
• you can absolutely customise this in whatever way you prefer, but we recommend you try the complete version just to see if you like it first. 
• this uses all-liquid products, so if that’s not your preferred texture, you might want to skip this one. 

What you need

• a foundation
• a primer
• a serum
• a highlighter
• a clean, sanitised container
• something to stir with 

What you do

1. Add between 2 - 4 pumps of your favourite foundation. 
2. Add 1 - 2 pumps of your primer 
3. Add a few drops of your favourite serum. 
4. Add a few drops of your favourite liquid highlighter. 
5. Mix together in the container of your choice. 
6. Test the consistency on the back of your hand; if it feels too dry, you can add more serum. 
7. Stipple it onto your skin and you’re good to go! 

Here’s what we think about this one

1. It definitely works! One of the best things about this BB cream is how flawlessly it applies to the skin. Sometimes, adding multiple layers of product to the skin can allow them to separate each other, which is how we end up with patchy or uneven makeup. Mixing them together takes that risk out, so all you’re left with is a smooth canvas. 
2. Oily-skinned babes might find the highlighter overpowering if they’re not a big fan of the glowy look - because everything is mixed together, you can’t really spot conceal or spot highlight, and your skin will look the same in that regard. 
3. You can layer it multiple times if you want better coverage, but it won’t match up to what you can get with a full-coverage foundation, so if you’re really, really, really self-conscious about your skin (and you shouldn’t be! texture is normal, and so is hyper-pigmentation), this one is a miss. What we do suggest is use it anyway, and add a full coverage concealer lightly on the areas that you feel you need more of. 
4. The recipe is completely customisable, so if you find that the final texture and outcome doesn’t work for you, try it again with different quantities!
5. Finally, formula and colour theory as super important here: match your formulas, match your undertones, and make sure that whatever you mix together actually mixes. If it’s starting to separate in the container, one of your ingredients might not be playing well with the others.

What products we used

Now that we’ve gotten our review down, here are the products we used to recreate the homemade BB cream. We have quite a few lovelies in the team with different skin conditions, so we’re adding a few recommendations for those too. 

FOUNDATION

Oily skin - Maybelline Super Stay Active Wear 30H Foundation: an absolute bomb foundation on its own, this is excellent for oily-skinned lovelies who want their foundation to last all day, but without turning cakey and sitting on top of your skin. 

Dry Skin - Catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation: easy to control and apply, this foundation blends into the skin like such a dream. 

Combination skin - Golden Rose Satin Smoothing Foundation: it doesn’t cling to the dry patches, and it doesn’t slide off the oily patches. What’s not to like?

Maybelline Super Stay Active Wear 30H Foundation - €18.95	Catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation - €7.99	Golden Rose Satin Smoothing Foundation - €13.50

PRIMER

 
Oily skin - Nyx Marsh Mellow Primer: formulated with marshmallow, this doesn’t feel like much on the skin, which is perfect for people with oily skin who want to try this out - and it still holds your makeup in place! Plus, it dries down completely transparent, making it perfect for all skintones. 
Dry skin - Technic H2O Jelly Primer: the texture is super fun, but this is packed with hydrating ingrdients to create such a beautiful base for your makeup. 
Combination skin - Wet’n Wild Prime Focus The Impossible Primer/Base: blurring, brightening, and bouncy, this primer is good for all skin-types, but combination-skinned lovelies will definitely appreciate how it just adapts to their skin. 

Nyx Marsh Mellow Primer - €22.99	Technic H2O Jelly Primer - €4.50	Wet’n Wild Prime Focus The Impossible Primer/Base - €7.99

HIGHLIGHTER

For a blinding seen-from-space blaze - Pupa Glow Obsession Liquid Metallic Highlighter: there’s two tones, one cool and one warm, and we recommend getting them both because they’re just that good. 
For a subtle your-skin-but-better flush - Revolution PRO Highlighting Potion: this has a much more subtle finish and it’s made for mixing with foundation to create a base that shines, but in a healthy, hydrated way. 

Pupa Glow Obsession Liquid Metallic Highlighter - €19.38	Revolution PRO Highlighting Potion - €12.99

SERUM

 
For hydration - Revolution Skincare Passion Fruit Oil: highly moisturing and fast-absorbing, this is excellent for LUCY lovers who want to keep their makeup flawless and their skin hydrated. 
For plumping - Revolution Skincare Skin Firming Solution: formulated with collagen, this is like a magic eraser for your wrinkles, giving your face a much-needed collagen boost and creating a much smoother canvas for you. 
For battling imperfections - Payot Pâte Grise Concentre Anti-Imperfections: a lightweight, Zinc-packed dream of a serum, this acne-battering formula is so fresh we recommend it for anyone, though it might not be hydrating enough for some people. 
For brightening - Payot My Payot Concentre Eclat Serum: Vitamin C, one of the main ingredients for brightening and boosting dull skin, is the key formulation behind this serum, and it also has tons of superfruit antioxidants to make it an even better bargain. 

Revolution Skincare Passion Fruit Oil - €12.99	Revolution Skincare Skin Firming Solution - €9.99	Payot Pâte Grise Concentre Anti-Imperfections - €40.50	Payot My Payot Concentre Eclat Serum - €42.35

There you have it, LUCY lovelies! If you’ve tried this out already, write in and tell us what you thought about it - do you like it? Do you not? Do you use a product we didn’t mention here? Tell us everything!

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