There are so many BB creams on the market, but with vastly different formulas, I never really know what to expect from one. I swatched the new L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream (in Light and Medium) for you a while ago. When I received a tube to try (in 01 Light), I didn’t know I’d be so impressed! I’ve been wearing it for a month now, and I would absolutely recommend it for those with combination and oily skin!
L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream has a stronger floral scent that lingers for a while (I suppose they want to cover up the sunscreen smell). If you are sensitive to fragrance in skincare products, I would suggest you do a patch test before you purchase. It has SPF30 (broad spectrum protection), which isn’t enough on its own, but I like to look at it as extra protection. It makes some big promises such as 24-hour hydration and the ability to “reveal a perfect skin.” Since I can never assess skincare claims when it comes to a BB cream (it is makeup for me), I will just tell you how it works as a base!
L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream in Light swatched:
As it is with all base products, sometimes you have to be a bit lucky to find a match. For my NC 25-30 (probably closer to 30 now) skin, 01 Light matches pretty well. I would say it is a tiny bit more beige, but I almost always add some Becca Boudoir Skin Mineral Powder Foundation on top of a tinted moisturizer type of product. The combination fits my skin tone to a T!
L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream in Light blended out:
While my inner arm might not indicate correctly how well the shade fits my face, you can see the finish of L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream is rather matte. It is supposed to combine the benefits of a moisturizer and a “powdery” foundation (shouldn’t it be powder?), and I think it does this quite well! The texture of the BB cream is airy, and you can blend it out easily. However, it does accentuate dry patches (as well as uneven ones) in my experience, which is why I am not so sure it’d work very well for those with drier skin. The coverage is light, but it evens my skin tone out really well.
I might have told you before that my T-zone basically goes wild in summer, particularly when it’s humid. This summer has been very challenging in Belgium, and I tested L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream extensively during my stay in Taipei as well. The verdict? It holds up well! Perhaps not as well as a mattifying foundation (I found my new favorite recently and I’ll review it soon), but much better than the tinted moisturizers I have tried. What’s more, it keeps my skin from looking shiny for much longer as well. The only problem is it breaks down rather fast once the oil starts to come through, so I prime my T-zone with a primer when I want it to last longer.
You have seen me wear the combination of L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream and Becca Boudoir Skin Mineral Powder Foundation here:
As you can see, the result is not a flat, dull matte, but it is not dewy, either. It has a bit of luminous sheen while staying matte and non-sticky to touch!
Here are the active and inactive ingredients if you are interested:
Bottom line: I love the matte finish of L’Occitane Sublime Beauty Cream, and I think it will work well for those with combination/oily skin in summer. It holds up better than tinted moisturizers while being just about as easy to apply. It does break down fast once the oil starts coming through, but a primer should help it last some more hours. Great for days on which you don’t want to bust a foundation brush out but feel like looking presentable!
So tell me, what are your go-to bases for summer?
Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx
