vidi vici brilliant bb cream

My sister (also a bit of a beauty junkie) and I decided we both wanted to give the Asian BB creams a try, so we purchased a tube of Vidi Vici’sBB cream to share. I had never heard of this Korean export before, but my sister had seen it in advertisements. Its presence in Canada is relatively new and the products are not yet widely available. The BB cream was purchased from a Vidi Vici boutique in Markham (First Markham Place). Based on the price of the various products, I would compare this brand to Shiseido or Estee Lauder – definitely a department store brand, but not quite a luxury product.

I squeezed some of the BB cream out from the original tube and gave the rest to my sister, so the container shown in the photo is not part of the original packaging (the box, however, is). The consistency is similar to the Maybelline version – on the runny side, closer to a lotion. When I first opened the tube, I was a little blown away by the strong scent of the cream – a mix of flowers and baby powder – I found it a little nauseating. This product only comes in one shade, which is lighter than the Maybelline version I purchased. It must have been intended for people with porcelain skin – even on my fair skin tone, this product required a lot of blending to make sure I didn’t end up with lighter-colored splotches all over my face. While this BB cream provides a bit more coverage for freckles and other skin discolorations, I feel it also did a great job (note the sarcasm here) of highlighting every bump and dry patch of skin on my face. While my skin looked good from a distance, the same could not be said from up close. The product doesn’t feel heavy, but somehow I still ended up with the feeling that I had makeup caked on my face – not pleasant. It does provide a matte finish, but part of that is likely due to the fact that it is not very moisturizing (I typically apply a bit of moisturizer or use my Evian facial spray later in the day).

Verdict: I did not like this product mainly due to the unnatural finish and strong scent. I was a little disappointed in my first experience with Korean BB creams and hope that the next one I try will deliver a better performance. I would not purchase this one again. ~40ml tube, C$45