Review: Tony Moly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream

Hey guys! I'm officially out of class for the next two weeks so hopefully I'll be able to get out new reviews every other day starting today! For now I'll start with some much requested reviews from my last collective haul. Most of you requested for a review on TONY MOLY's latest cosmetic offering - their Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream.

Following the latest trends in Korea, CC Cream is the follow up to the popular alternative to conventional foundation, BB Cream. While BB Cream (or Blemish Balm) offers preventive measures to skin care, including anti aging, wrinkles, discoloration, acne, etc., as well as whitening and UV protective properties, CC Cream also known as Color Control/Color Corrective Cream goes one step further and adds to that all of that corrective color adaptation which claims to even out skin tone and texture over time as well as adapting to a wide range of skin tones for good coverage across the board.

This is the first CC Cream I've tried so my expectations aren't all that high. I'm going into this with a brand new novice perspective so please forgive any newb inexperience I might display.

The Packaging
The packaging is pretty straightforward in a white cylinder-type tube with a convenient pump from which the product is dispensed. While white against black is a very mod, sleek and chic choice of color combination, it's really easy to get dirty if you're not industrious enough to keep wiping off the tube. Plus, the pump is black, so against the white/beige colored product, it's pretty easy to get dirty. This shouldn't be a problem if you're a neat-freak/busybody like me, but it's just something I'd like to mention.

It comes with 50 mL of product, which is actually not bad considering the product is really blendable and goes a long way. and for 948 PHP, I think it's pretty worth it.

The Claims
This CC Cream is supposedly anti-wrinkle, whitening, moisturizing as well as color adaptive. It's supposed to give you that unbelievable 'no makeup look' while being beneficial for your skin as well. One qualm I have about Tony Moly in general is while they list directions and ingredients in English, they don't list down the English description of the claims. But yeah, owell.

Color and Coverage
So one of the main points about CC Cream is that it supposedly offers better coverage and color match than BB Cream. I always test out foundations/BB Creams etc on my left hand because I have a very prominent birthmark on that hand (if you're observant enough you'd have noticed it in some of my other posts haha). I always judge a BB Cream by its coverage on its ability to conceal that mark and even out the tone of my hand. I'll be doing the same with this CC Cream.

So as you can see, the CC Cream starts out white with a few little speckles and then slowly starts adapting to your skin. I find that the more you rub (i.e. more friction/heat) the darker it gets, so if you blend it out and still don't get the color you want, keeping your hands on the area to warm it up. You'll see it darken in no time!

All in all the coverage is quite impressive where discoloration is concerned. With most foundations/BB Cream the color match would only really work with the more even parts of my skin, but this did a pretty good job of matching the darker toned parts with the lighter tones. Only problem is that with its SPF30 PA++, the Luminouse Pure Aura CC Cream is ridiculously reflective. I took all of these pictures with flash, but honestly without flash the CC Cream looks like my second skin. And on my face the blend-ability is above average. So it works well with birthmarks to even out skin tone. I can't really vouch for the efficacy with pimples and acne though. I've heard however that this doesn't cover up those very well, but I can't say since I don't have much I need to cover x_x.

Finish
Here's how the product looks on my skin! You can't really tell by the pictures but this CC Cream has a ridiculously dewy finish. I'm really not fond of overly dewy finishes so I had to set this with powder. The color match is pretty good if you check the first and third pictures on the face comparison below. And if you're not fond of the dewy finish either, the CC Cream works well set with powder as well.

*click to enlarge*

One huge qualm I have with this CC Cream however is that it doesn't cover up pores  very well  and tends to highlight bumps on my skin because of its reflectivity and dewy-ness. I definitely recommend using a face primer before applying this to get that smooth dewy porcelain effect (if that's what you're going for. But as a makeup base or primer, this works wonders with setting powder and powder foundation. Definitely something I would look into! And while the color matches my skin perfectly in natural light, it makes me look like a ghost under flash.

This is what the CC Cream looks like with face primer and flash. Not bad, eh? But I can't really vouch for that 'no makeup' look claim haha.

Longevity and Long Term Effects
This CC Cream stays put on its own for 2-4 hours before I need to blot. That's when the fresh dewy look turns into the haggard oily look haha. With a face primer it lasted me about 5 hours before I needed to blot and with intermittent spritzes of face mist I was able to make it last for a about 6-7 hours.

As for long term effects, I've noticed a few residual spots from acne scars start to lighten because of this cream, which is actually quite surprising, as I've never experienced a product that lightens just spots. I'm not entirely sure if it's my imagination, but I've definitely noticed my skin tone evening out - especially despite the summer sun.

Oh yeah! This is also quite heavily scented. There's just something about the smell of Tony Moly Products and the way they perfume them. It's not unpleasant, but it's a little bit too noticeable for my taste haha. My friends like the scent though so I guess it's up to the person.

So in summary:

Pros:
Moisturizing + BB Cream Benefits
Adapts well to my skin tone
Very blendable
Great Coverage for discoloration!
Great if used as a primer/base with setting powder or powder foundation
Porcelain doll finish if used with a face primer

Cons:
Doesn't last as long as other products on my skin
Dewy-ness highlights bumps on my skin
Reflective!
Doesn't cover up acne very well.

In-betweens:
Scent bothers me a little, but some like it.
Dewy finish! Some like it, some don't.

All in all, this really does have better coverage than most BB Creams, but the Color adaptivity isn't quite enough to outshine my favorite BB Creams so far. I think I'll try skimming the market for some CC Creams out there to try, but as a first CC Cream trial, I can't say I'm disappointed! It's still a really good product, and I'm definitely geared up to try more after this!

So what do you guys think? If you're interested in trying this BB Cream you can find it in Tony Moly outlets near you as well as on their website!

Ada, signing out!
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