Best Things in Beauty : L'Egere White Multi BB Cream and a hydroquinone-ramble.

yes, i have also been too curious to resist the infamous BB Creams any longer. i was never a tinted moisturiser or BB-cream type person since i think these don't differ from various formulas of foundation, why bother to name them differently? but when i went through a really dry and flaky skin phase, i was starving for more nourishing and creamy formulas since my foundation stash mostly contains of long wearing ones. because the BBs claim to be an all-in-one product this sounds nice as an effortless and light product for everyday usage.
and since now the principle of the BBs (originally Blemish Balm, in some versions as Beblish Balm or Beauty Balm) have definitely taken over the occident with even MAC and Illamasqua launching their own versions, me with asian origin should be committed to at least have tried a BB cream ;)
so i have ordered several BB creams, both korean and japanese brands to try. i bought them on ebay, they are very affordable and many sellers even offer free shipping.

the first one i want to show/review for you is the L'Egere White Multi BB Cream.
it comes in a squeeze tube that contains 50g. i paid about 16€ for it and got free shipping directly from south korea (this is made in korea). it claims to be sun-protecting but i can't find any specific information about an spf on the packaging.
there is only one shade for all, it comes as a rather dark yellow based beige out of the tube but the more i blend it, the more it lightens to an approximately NC/NW20-25 shade with slight pink undertones. it has a creamy and smooth consistency with a fresh citrus scent and blends well. i apply it using my fingers. it doesn't oxidize on me and so i look quite pale wearing it due to its pink undertone (normally i'm about NC25 in MAC right now). it leaves a natural satin finish with a light to medium coverage. it gives me a soft feeling skin and dries down to a non sticky finish but feels moisturising over the day. it doesn't irritate my skin, doesn't settle into my pores or fine lines.
it claims to have a 24h-staying power, but after 6 hours the coverage already faded on me.

the other aspect with this BB is its skin-lightening ingredient: it states to contain 500mg Arbutin. well, i haven't used skin lighteners before so i had to read myself into this topic a bit further.
Arbutin is a prodrug of Hydroquinone and is found in different fruits and plants. this means that it will be metabolized to Hydroquinone (and glucose) by gastrointestinal bacteria.
Hydroquinone is antibacterial itself and furthermore a potent inhibitor of radical reactions which lead to the production of melanin in our skin.
because some older studies have shown a hepatotoxic and cancerogenic effect of hydroquinone when injected in animals, it's prohibited as a cosmetic ingredient in many countries.
there is no proof of its cancerogenicity with topical use on human beings though. studies even show a lower incidence of cancer in people who handle pure hydroquinone in their job than the rest of the population due to its antioxidant quality.

if you want to learn more about this topic, i recommend you to read through Paula Begoun's website, cosmeticscop.com, where she provides solid information and established knowledge about many skin health concerns. a great web site i have learned so much from! i also love her beautypedia where she rates thousands of skin care products by the quality of their ingredients and how they work on your skin.

in the end, it's still your very own decision if you want a skin lightening effect at all and if you want to use such an ingredient on your skin.
i have no problem with it. i only use it occasionally since all my foundations rotate regularly and i have so many, so the effect is not as high as if i was using it daily. besides that, my face is darker than my neck and chest anyway, so a little bit of lightening would not be that bad.
in my opinion the best you can do for your skin and your health in general comes from within and the key parts are: enough water, enough sleep, enough fresh! vitamins, enough exercise, stay away from too much alcohol, avoid stress, no drugs, no smoking, and most important: joy in your life. don't be too OCD.
so i think every cocktail, every passively smoked cigarette or every sunburn is a lot worse than applying a bit of chemicals to your skin.

aside from that, i haven't noticed any skin-lightening effect from the few times i have used this BB yet.
but by using the BB creams over the last weeks, i feel that they usually pale out your face and give you a flat appearance, so adding bronzer, contour and blush is essential to avoid the corpse-like look.