REVIEW: Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream

       Hey everyone!  So, let me start off by saying that I have never been much of an experimenter of BB creams, high end or low end, Western or Eastern (which, to my understanding, there is a vast  difference between the two, yes?). They've been getting all the rage within the last couple years, and now we've even got this CC cream phenomenon, and at the rate this is going, well I'll be darned if by 2018 there won't be WW creams!!

       I can see it now in a satirical magazine article: 'Very first WW cream released in Korea! This might just be the very first range of beauty products where the utilization of a direct alphabetical pattern in their development of essentially the same exact product has drained people's bank accounts worse than all those late night Chipotle runs and premium cable packages! Studies now with even more advanced technology here in 2018 show that, really, none of these alphabetical creams are that different from one another.' Reading audience gasps out loud

Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream

     Ahem, yes, as you can probably tell, I won't be getting on the BB CC GG bandwagon anytime soon. Not that I'm a 'hater' of these products, I just find them rather superfluous, as most of these Western ones (from the swatches and reviews I've seen of most of them) are just glorified tinted moisturizers with sometimes little to no coverage and no outstanding skincare benefits. I would be trying out more Korean ones for their skincare perks, but they're not exactly easy to access. To each their own; that's just my take on them as a whole.

       Now, off my soapbox. Sorry about that, guys. 😉 I've tried a total of two BB creams: a Skin79 one, and the one that I will be reviewing today: the Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream w/ Shade Matching Technology. This product can be purchased from Target (in-store and online) for $15.99. It comes with 1 oz. of product, and you can also find this in a mini-size (like the one shown) in certain skincare sets from the brand that are available around the holidays. The mini-size comes with .34 oz. of product, which I find is quite generous. This product is also 100% vegan, as well as cruelty free, and formulated without parabens, petroleum, SLS, or phthalates.
        While I have tried other products from Pacifica that I am very fond of (the body lotions, of course, and their Blood Orange Lip Tint), unfortunately this product missed the boat for me. Nevermind that there's only one shade to choose from, that claims to be the 'universal' shade with 'color-matching technology.'

pictures taken indoors with natural sunlight, no flash

       I'm usually NW15 in most MAC foundations/concealers, 'Ivory' in CoverGirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation, and N1-2 in L'Oreal's True Match Lumi foundation. I found the initial color of this product, unblended, to be at least 2 shades darker than my skintone, but as you can see in the third pic where the product is completely blended into my skin, all pigment in the product pretty much disappears, hence the catch-phrase 'color-matching technology'.

       The texture of this is very thin and lotion-y, and almost has a whipped-like consistency. The smell is actually very pleasant, and I don't mind it. It's not at all perfume-y, just light and a bit like the scent of Jergens body lotion.

       This product claims to diminish the appearance of pores, fine lines and uneven skin tone. If anything, this enhanced my pores (and my pores aren't even that large or obvious), and acted as a flashy highlighting product would when it came to how noticeable they were. This didn't in any way even out my skin tone either, which was another let-down. Zero coverage. No bueno. I also noticed that as this product dried down and soaked into my skin, I saw specks of shimmer. It's soft and refined, but it's definitely there, and definitely noticeable on top of slightly enlarged pores. I suppose with 'Alight' being in the product's name, the shimmer was only to be expected. I already have the slightest fine lines around my eyes, but I didn't apply this product to that area, so cannot attest to whether it really diminishes them.

       Overall, I just see this product as an overpriced shimmery tinted lotion, with not really many actual benefits to the skin. Therefore, in my opinion, it's definitely not worth the $15.99 per ounce they're charging for it. I really can't say that I would recommend this to anyone, even those with skin that's already in great shape. You can find products that are way more affordable to act as a barrier between your bare skin and your foundation. This one unfortunately gets a two-thumbs down from me.

💋 xoxo-Cailee