Shiseido Anessa Face Sunscreen BB SPF 50+ PA+++

My skin has been through quite a tough time, therefore I wasn't able to review or write about things. I realised that my skin breaks out MASSIVELY every 3-4 years and the last couple of weeks have been truly a sad time... ;-( With this being said, by going back to what I used to use to fight imperfections, I re-discovered loooooots of old favourites, yay!

Technically speaking, Shiseido Anessa Face Sunscreen BB SPF 50+ 50+++ isn't an old favourite but I wanted to talk about this because I know many of you out there are looking for a new foundation (or bb/cc/dd cream, etc.) suitable for summer. If you want to know more about my thoughts about Shiseido Anessa Face Sunscreen, click here.

I got mine from my mum last time when I visited South Korea and based on my research, it seems that this sunscreen BB seems to be available only in east Asian market (i.e. Japan, South Korea, etc.). There are 2 shades available (Light which is for fair to light skin and Natural which is for light to medium) and I have Natural. If I be totally honest with you, I actually didn't realised that it was a BB cream until I open the tube. I thought it was a standard Shiseido sunscreen in a new packaging, but little that I knew, it was faaaaaaaar from my original expectation.

Before getting into details, here are a few things that you need to know about my preference when it comes to foundation (and other face makeup products).

First of all, as for any other high end products, I expect an absolute perfection from Shiseido. Along with SK-II, Shiseido is one of the favourite Japanese brands of mine. They do make some fantastic skincare, makeup AND body care products.

Secondly, I am NOT a big fan of high coverage foundations including S. Korean BB creams. I am South Korean and I am proud of S.Korea being infamous for BB creams (and more recently cushion foundations) but frankly speaking, I never liked any of things that I tried so far. It doesn't matter whether or not it's BB cream, foundation OR cushion foundation, S.Korean face products' colour match SUCKS. If you have read my review of Tony Moly BCDation All Master, you know what I am talking about. Lots of people complain about western BB creams aren't the same thing (and I guess that's why a lot of western girls aren't into BB creams as much as Asian girls). Anyway, to sum up, I do enjoy western BB creams which provide very sheer coverage.

With this being said, let's get into the actual details of this BB cream.
To begin with, I like this BB cream a lot, because:

• unlike other BB creams, it gives a very unique matte texture, which is NOT AT All powdery but controls excess oil on my T-zone;
• it provides a perfect sheer to light coverage for no-makeup or low maintenance makeup days (i.e., weekends);
• the colour match is very good for my NC15-20 skin tone (or Nars Sheer Glow in Fiji, BareMinerals Original Foundation in Medium Beige, Chanel Aqua Vitalumiere in B20, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53); 
• it lasts well throughout the day, but it does get little oily around my T-zone area (which is normal for ALL foundations for my combination skin); 
• the price (2520 JPY which is approx. 13GBP or 20USD) is surprisingly moderate for high end brand's product; and
• I really like the packaging which dispenses the product well and travel-friendly. 

Overall, I think this is a good BB cream with a clear advantage of high SPF for normal/combination skin. If you have a (very) dry skin, I don't think it would work for you because it tends to cling on to the dry patches on my skin (e.g. my acne scars). 

Another thing which you should consider before purchasing is that UK/Scottish summer is VERY different from East Asia (or Japan); basically, it never that hot or humid which means that I wouldn't be able to tell how this BB cream may hold in typical Asian summer weather. 

The only downside of this product is UK availability. On eBay, the price ranges from £20 to £30 which is considerably more than the original price. I really like this at the price of £13 but at the price of £30, I think you are much better off with GOOD high-end BB/CC creams or tinted moisturisers like Jouer Matt Moisture Tint or Bare Minerals. 

Have you tried Shiseido Anessa Face Sunscreen BB? What are your thoughts? 

Thanks for reading. 

Kyra x