Product:  Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35.  Five creams in one tube?  If you don’t want to pile a bunch of different products onto your skin, you may like this time-saving cream.

Overall Rating = 3.5 Stars – Very Good

Cost: $39.00 (1.0 fl. oz.) ($39 per fluid ounce)  Price Category: Expensive

Sold By:  Smashbox; Sephora; Ulta; Major Department Stores.

Container:  Plastic squeeze tube, twist-off cap, outer carton.

Description:  Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 is a beauty balm with a nice amount of broad-spectrum sun protection.  This product contains five elements (moisturizer, primer, foundation, sunscreen and a mattifying agent) in one tinted cream.

Formula:  Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 is a lightweight cream.  The formula provides light-coverage opacity and dries to a slightly powdery but not dry-looking finish.  It is slightly hydrating and moisturizing but not overly so.

Sensitivity:  Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 is free of fragrance, oil, parabens, phthalates and talc and is appropriate for those with sensitive skin.

Company Claims:

“The 5-in-1 Miracle Worker!

Wonder why models in our L.A. photo studio hoard this 5-in-1 miracle-worker BB cream? It cuts down on prep time and instantly creates even, radiant skin.

• Primes. Perfects. Hydrates. Banishes shine. Protects with SPF 35
• Reduces appearance of fine lines & wrinkles in just 4 weeks
• Wear alone or under foundation for more coverage”

Discussion: 

What is a BB Cream? 

BB Creams, or beauty balms, are just a fancy way of marketing tinted moisturizers that also contain sunscreen.  They provide slightly more coverage than a tinted moisturizer and less coverage than a foundation.

Who are they good for?

• Anyone who likes a more natural look than a full-coverage foundation
• Anyone who doesn’t like heavy-feeling products on their skin
• Anyone who doesn’t have the time to apply separate moisturizer, primer, sunscreen and foundation
• Anyone who wants only one tube of product to travel with

What is the difference between a BB Cream, a CC Cream and a DD Cream?

A CC Cream is the same as a BB Cream except they supposedly also contain color-correcting agents.  I have not found this to be true and when I use them, I see no difference in the products.  It is all about marketing.

A DD Cream is a product that stands for Dermatologically Defining, Daily Defense, or Dynamic Do-All, or any number of things depending upon the brand.  Once again, it is simply a cream that has a lot of ingredients so that you can use one product instead of three, four, or five.  (Some claim to replace eight, but that is just stupid.)

Colors:  Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 added three colors to the initial lineup and it now comes in eight colors: Fair, Fair/Light, Light, Light/Neutral, Light/Medium, Medium, Medium/Dark and Dark.  This a nice range of shades and there should be one to match your skin tone.

Morning Review:  I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup, so five products in one tube appeals to me.  Also, sometimes I have very little time to work on a lot of clients, so eliminating steps is a huge bonus.  After cleansing, I applied the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 to bare skin.  This BB Cream has primer, moisturizer and sunscreen built in so you don’t need all of those extra layers.  It does feel slightly moisturizing to my dry skin.  If you have severely dry skin you may need a moisturizer underneath.  I would describe the coverage as light.  Even though it is not heavy, it definitely blurs imperfections and makes the skin look better.

Application Tips:  You will need to be careful with the tube.  The tube has a tendency to squirt out more product than you need, so to avoid this, hold the tube vertically and this won’t happen.

I have a lot of experience using this.  Over the years I have applied this with fingers, a foundation brush and a blender sponge to see which worked the best.  I like buffing it on with a flat-head brush.  A sponge with a dabbing motion will provide slightly greater coverage.  If you need thicker coverage, you can build this up a little, but if you are wanting full coverage this is not the product for you.  If you have oily skin, you will definitely want to set this with powder.  This sets up fairly quickly and dries to a semi-matte or satin finish.

Evening Review:  On my dry skin, Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 looks good for about 6-7 hours.  When I use this on clients with consistent skin and combination skin, they can expect to get 5-6 hours of wear.  Clients with oily skin will need touchups in about 4-5 hours.  Of course your results will depend upon many factors and may be different.

Overall Review:  Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 is a quick and easy product for those who don’t want the bother of applying several layers to their skin each day.

Pros:

• Five products in one tube
• Light coverage blurs skin imperfections
• Skin looks natural and not “mask” like
• Broad-spectrum SPF of 35
• Quick and easy to use
• Blends well

Cons:

• Expensive
• May not be hydrating enough for very dry skin

Suitability:  Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 is suitable for the following users:

• All users except those with very dry skin (You may need a moisturizer underneath.)
• This does not have any obvious reflective ingredients so this is also a good product for male actors, models and performers that need something lighter than a full-coverage foundation.

RATINGS REPORT:

Morning Rating = 4 Stars;

Evening Rating = 4 Stars;

Average from Other Testers = 4 Stars;

Value Rating = 2 Stars;

Overall Rating = 3.5 Stars = Very Good.

Would Buy Again?  Yes.

(Please review the About 365 Cosmetic Reviews page for the rating info.)

INGREDIENTS:  Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5 %; Octisalate 4%; Oxybenzone 2.5 %; Titanium Dioxide 1.10%

Other Ingredients: Water, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, PEG-40 Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract , Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Polyquaternium-51, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Trehalose, Oryzanol, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Urea, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Propylene Glycol Laurate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sucrose, Glycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Caffeine, Linoleic Acid, Cholesterol, Lecithin, Squalane, Sodium PCA, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Stearic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Laurate, Xanthan Gum, Aluminum Hydroxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Silica, Disodium EDTA, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol.

May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Zinc Oxide(CI 77947), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Mica.

Important:  Please read our full Disclaimer before using this or any product.