Review : Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery BB (PICTURE HEAVY)

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well!

Not long ago I needed to restock on my usual sunscreen by Biore and while browsing, I thought I'd order a couple of other products in their UV Aqua Rich line. I'll do reviews for each of them after I start testing and trying them out. :)

I really love the Biore UV Aqua Rich line especially their Watery Mousse sunscreen and their Watery Essence sunscreen as it does wonders for my normal-combination skin, leaving my skin feeling protected from the sun, hydrated and finished with a velvety powder finish.

The first thing I was really eager to try was the Biore Aqua Rich Watery BB which was their latest releases from their UV Aqua Rich line and also because it's a BB (assuming its a BB cream).

Retail Packaging.

This BB cream comes in a beige tube containing 33grams of product retailing online on Ebay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Biore-KAO-Japan-Biore-UV-Aqua-Rich-Watery-BB-Cream-Face-SPF50-PA-33g-/221208045088?pt=US_Skin_Care&hash=item338106e620) for approximately $13.50 AUD and comes in only one shade. This water-based product has a SPF of 50+ / PA+++ consisting of Hyaluronic acid and many citrus extracts of orange, grapefruit and lemon. Claims to protect the skin from UV rays whilst evening and brightening skin tones leaving the skin feeling refreshed and light. The only concern I have is that Ethanol is the third ingredient on the list, which may be a concern for those with dry-sensitive skin.

Just a side fact about Hyaluronic acid; It is commonly used in conjuction with vitamin C to help penetrate the skin further for effective results and is also commonly used for anti-aging purposes to correct or 'reverse' aging skin. It is also a common substance used to treat dry or damaged skin (such as eczema).
For the citrus extracts, citrus is a great source of Vitamin C being ascorbic acid which is commonly in skincare products to help stimulate other substances to make it more effective such as the synthesis of collagen. In this case, It helps the Hyaluronic acid to penetrate deep into the skin. Vitamin C is also known to help fade scars, and minimise wrinkles and fine lines.

Back onto the review, the squeeze tube comes in a nozzle after removing the twist cap off which is excellent as it is hygienic, not messy and also distributes the product easily. Upon swatching the product on the hand, the salmon-pink tinted cream is super lightweight, wet and very easy to spread- almost felt like a water gel. The cream did have an odd scent unlike the other products in their UV Aqua Rich line which had a subtle lemon scent. The BB cream smelt like PVA glue, which wasn't really pleasant. Once the cream was blended, a white sheen finish could be seen which did brighten the skin and did leave the skin feeling hydrated. After the cream settled after 3-5minutes, the cream had a nice velvety powder finish without being sticky.

First swatch test- consistency and texture.

Upon testing the coverage on the upper exposed wrist (as shown in image below - click to enlarge) the coverage is very thin, it did even the skin tone out and brighten the skin as it claimed to but didn't really cover.

Now it was to try on the face. Lately the weather in Sydney has been quite relatively cold which leaves my normal-combination skin dry in some areas such as the sides of the nose and cheeks whilst still have some oil in the T-zone area. I apply the BB cream by dotting and then blend it out through the face and down the neck like any other BB cream.

After blending and waiting 4 minutes for the BB cream to set, I would say that my skin has definitely brighten up and that it really did even my skin tone and cover up the redness around my nose but It didn't have enough coverage to cover the redness of my pimple below my lip. 
There were some difficulties in blending the product as it kept leaving patches of the cream behind which required me to literally rub into the skin. Even with further rubbing in, there was still residues hidden in my eyebrows which looked really awkward up close. Not sure if the skin where my eyebrow lies was dry or not BUT it did leave my cheekbone area and the sides of my nose some dry patches.

Applied it on the other side of the face and I can say that my skin definitely did feel hydrated as it has this cold sensation as if you have the air conditioner blowing into your face, despite leaving some dry patches on the areas that was already dry. I'm guessing this was the result of the ethanol being third in the ingredient list. 
After allowing the products to settle in, there were still some white residues of the product on my eyebrows. On the positive note, my skin tone was really evened out and also brightened and surprisingly with flash photography- It didn't really leave such a harsh white cast as most sunscreen would've. Also my skin felt quite firm and had this plumpy feeling to it which was great.

Got my day started and ran around doing errands outdoor in the sun with the cold weather.  Got back after 5 hours of application of the BB cream and this is the result: 

You can kind of see the redness of the sides of my nose peeking through which shows that some of the cream or the tint of the cream has faded. My T-zone area was only abit shiny but definitely not as oily as when I go without it. My skin at this point still felt dry and powdery and still had that plump/firm feeling. The dry patches on the side of the nose, the pimple and the cheekbone area was still there and the residues on my eyebrow was still there. 
In terms of hydration and moisture, I'd say only 40% of it was left because my skin did feel abit tight in such that slightly on the dry side; but my skin did not feel heavy at all.

So lets sum up on the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery BB.  
Pros : 

• Did evened out skin tone as claimed
• Did brighten up the complexion as claimed
• SPF 50+/ PA+++
• Lightweight cream and refreshing feeling
• Non sticky & Non greasy
• Dry velvety powder finish
• Cooling sensation upon applying
• Comes in a clean squeeze tube
• Not much of a white cast
• Controls oils quite well

Cons: 

• Didn't hydrate the skin very well
• Left some dry patches and residues
• Requires alot of blending and rubbing in
• Comes in one shade (quite light as well)
• Very little coverage
• PVA-glue scent
• Slightly pricey, almost $14.00AUD for 33grams (excluding shipping price) [Though I'm sure it's heaps cheaper in japan]

Final verdict :

I probably wouldn't really recommend this product if you're looking for an actual BB cream that moisturises the skin, has some coverage. I wouldn't even say this product is a tinted moisturiser and it doesn't really moisturise the skin. ALSO, definitely wouldn't recommend for those with dry-sensitive skin as it left me dry patches in some areas and my skin is normal-combination, wouldn't want to imagine what it would be on dry skin. Not recommended for sensitive skin because the ethanol content may be harsh for your skin. 

Not sure if I'd recommend it for oily-combination skin users but I'm guessing it'd be great to  keep your face less shiny.

Probably would use this more in summer where the sun is more harsh and my skin gets more oily. But $14.00AUD for this product, I'd probably prefer other products to be honest. Quite disappointing really because I'd expect it to be great like the other products in the same line.

Anyway hope this review is somewhat helpful. 

Please leave comments on your thoughts of the cream and the review, would love to hear it.

If you would like to purchase this product- I purchased it from Yoicho29 on Ebay (http://myworld.ebay.com.au/yoicho29) which situates from Japan, and delivers great service. [Not sponsored] And hey, Hello Kitty stamps! *^*!

Until then, stay well & take care!