Etude House Big Cover BB Review

Happy belated lunar new year! February 8th marked the start of the year of the monkey, which means I’m getting old. It will be my second monkey year, which means I’m getting old. And to think, I could have celebrated it in Taipei too, if my co-teacher had remembered it was a holiday and instead of telling me I had to be at work that day (I got back a week ago, and spent a very boring new year binge watching Face Off and Master of None). Not exactly pleased with him.

But enough with my grievances. For the lunar new year, Etude House has launched a new base makeup line, as well as limited edition (super cute) eyeshadows. 

Etude House sent me the new Big Cover Concealer BB and Big Cover Cushion Concealer to review, along with three shades of the limited edition eyeshadows. Compared to the Play 101 multi-sticks, I’m loving everything about this line.

Let’s start off with the Big Cover Concealer BB. I received the shade Vanilla, which is a tad too light for me. This is a buildable coverage foundation. One layer gives you medium coverage, and a second layer is meant to act as full coverage or even as concealer. Two in one products are always awesome, right? Less for me to travel with. It wears well (about 6 hours) before I noticed some patchy areas. I didn’t powder it, and it wore well over my facial oil without sliding off. Hell, it was still there after an eight hour day (patchiness aside). The Concealer BB has a satin finish on it's own, and is a bit dewier with the use of an oil. My only issue is that it transfers easily when I use a facial oil underneath. It sets quite quickly if I don't use an oil, but then it looks a tad dry.

It does set quickly on it's own, so you'll need to blend it out quickly. I prefer to use a sponge, but fingers get the job done easily as well. The foundation is a bit dryer, so I find it works best on ore humid days. It was a dream in Taiwan (no oily skin from the humidity!). Oily skin will definitely like this foundation, but dryer skin will need a bit more prep work (I like the use of a facial oil, but my heavy duty Guerrison 9 Complex Cream works well too). 

BB Concealer in Peach, and the BB Cover Foundation in Vanilla

The Big Cover Cushion Concealer is Etude’s new line of concealers and colour correctors. It comes in six shades. I received it in peach, which is meant to correct dark circles under the eyes (or any skin discolouration with a purple undertone). There is also a green shade to correct redness and "illuminate" to brighten. The other three shades are meant as concealers rather than colour correctors.

The peach shade works well to brighten my dark circles. I don't usually bother to use a separate concealer as this offers enough coverage for a regular person's lack of sleep. If you do suffer from extreme dark circles, you will probably need to use another concealer on top for the best effect.

The eyeshadows are another great product. I’ve used Etude House’s eyeshadows before and I’ve always been impressed with the pigmentation and shade selection. These limited edition shades are no different. They’re highly pigmented, velvety and long lasting. I received three shades: “Pay Day,” “Cheer Up,” and, “Exam Passed,” each of which are great for everyday looks, and come with a cute Korean new year’s message (which I can’t read, but maybe one of my Korean readers can translate). They’re embossed with an adorable monkey face, which I’m super sad will eventually disappear. I have used Exam Passed everyday though, and the face is still there, so that’s nice.

Pay Day, Exam Passed, and Cheer Up

"Pay Day" is a neutral, light brown. It leans a bit cool toned, but it's perfect for contouring the outer v of of the eye for a natural everyday look. There’s a slight shimmer to it, but it’s definitely not glittery. Applied with a finger, the shade is richly pigmented and easy to blend. Application with a brush lends a lighter finish.

"Exam Passed" is my favourite shade out of the three. It looks khaki in the pan, but on my eyes, it turned into a lovely dark brown with green undertones and green-blue duochrome glitter. It’s gorgeous. Despite the glitter, I didn’t experience any fallout. It’s easy to use and works well as an everyday shade. I just use it as a wash of colour on my lids, but with a bit of black, it would make an amazing smokey eye.

"Cheer up” is glittery, frosty pink shade. It’s actually almost white, with just a hint of pink. I use it on the middle of my lid, as well as to highlight the inner corner. Just be warned, this one is a glitter bomb, and does have a bit of fallout. It’s not as pigmented as the others (you’re more likely to just get glitter with a hint of colour), but I think it’s perfect as a finishing touch to add dimension to the eyes.

All in all, loving this new collection from Etude House. You can find everything on their global shop.