REVIEW: Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact

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The product: Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact in Sheer Glowing Skin Price: 778pesos (~US$17-18) Rating: 10/10 Where I bought it: Etude House, Bldg. A, SM Megamall (+): Brightens the skin, controls oiliness, has SPF30 PA+++, didn't break me out, didn't cause any allergic reactions, blends on my skin easily, makes my skin look glowing instead of just oily, soft and finely milled powder (-): None for me but others might find how it looks a bit shimmery a little intimidating. I do think that contributes to the brightening effect though and they aren't noticeable when you put the product on your skin. It has sheer to light coverage, but it says so on the label so it's not really negative, right? It's just face powder anyway, doesn't claim to be powder foundation. :)

This is the my 2nd powder, a freebie I got from Etude House. Unused. The one I'm currently using has a crack in the middle because I dropped it hence no photos here.

A swipe on my hand (without flash)

Blended on my hand (without flash)

Same swipe on my hand (w/ flash)

Blended on my hand (w/ flash)

The last time I've updated my blog was over a month ago. School has been very demanding as of late, with the management course having started and is already piling on us lots of work. (The Ateneo offers a double degree, MD MBA) I've been tempted lots of times to put off studying and update my blog but fortunately my priorities were in check during those times. :))

Anyway, this product right here is my FAVORITE face powder. I bought it a week or so before Etude House's grand launch party in October without knowing that they were giving it out as a freebie after the event. I'm happy that I got it though, because now I have a ready replacement once I finish my powder up!

When I was in EH there were two shades available, Sheer Glowing Skin and Sheer Silky Skin. From what I know about their BB creams (blemish balm), the Sheer Silky Skin is the one for oily skin so I thought that it would be the same for the powder. Upon looking at it though I found it too light so I opted for the Sheer Glowing variant as it was a bit darker. Sheer Glowing Skin in BB cream is for dry skin, by the way.

I love how this truly brightens my skin, making it look healthy and glowing. On lazy and extremely busy days I just use this on top of concealer. On days that I have the luxury of time to fix myself up, I use it on top of foundation and of BB creams. Sometimes I also use powder foundation and I pat some of this powder on top of it for that brightening effect. ;)

I'm happy to say that this powder controls my oiliness too. With this on my face I blot once to twice a day. Another thing I like about it is when my skin gets oily, it doesn't look like an oil slick; it gives off some sort of a glow. It also has SPF30 PA+++ which based on my research means that it has protection for both UVA and UVB rays. PA+++ is for UVA and the three plus signs means it's the most effective form of protection right now. SPF is for UVB and the recommended daily SPF is SPF15 so this is actually good!

*Apparently, the PA+++ rating is a Japanese system. The PPD (Persistent Pigment Darkening) method, also a way to measure UVA protection, has been recommended by the European commission and has been adopted by Japan, Korea, and China. Read more about these here, here and here. Hmm, I guess a blog post regarding sun protection must be done soon. ;)

*UVA rays penetrate deeper layers of the skin than UVB. UVA is thought to be a major cause of photoaging (wrinkling, loss of elasticity, etc.) while UVB is the one causing skin reddening and sunburn. Recent studies have shown that both UVA and UVB play a major part in skin cancer. Read more here and here. :)

It's the best face powder I've tried from Etude House so far. I've tried their BB Magic Pact and Dream on Pact but this beats those two hands down. I'm definitely repurchasing. :)

This may seem off topic but I finished watching the Korean series Personal Taste starring Lee Min Ho during our semestral break. That show made me fall in love with him! It's great that the powder freebie Etude House gave out has Lee Min Ho on the cover (he's an endorser) and the statement "You are my girl" and his signature on the mirror! Definitely a keeper, hahaha. ;)

Hope I get to post reviews more often! I want to share so much! ROAR!