I love shopping for beauty products and makeup in other countries. I found so many fun items in Bipa and Meuller in Austria so I was excited to see what I could find in Italy. I tried a few different Tigotà stores in Treviso and Venice but I didn’t see anything I wanted to try.
Then one night in Florence, we were walking James and we walked along Via Bernardo Rucellai. I spotted a little shop with makeup and toiletries and I found two BB creams I wanted to try. One was a winner and one was not a winner! They were both right around €10.
Europe isn’t like the US when it comes to CVS and Walgreens where you can return makeup that doesn’t work for you color-wise or for any other reason. When we first arrived in Vienna, I had to buy a bunch of everyday toiletries (I’m not going to move overseas with 20 pounds of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. when I can buy all of that in my new country). One of the items I needed was a makeup remover/evening cleanser. I picked one out with my okay German and it was so weird! It was like washing my face with a bacon grease and milk combination. AND it didn’t remove my makeup at all. I was left with makeup and a greasy film on my face. I headed back to Bipa with my cleanser and receipt and the clerk thought I was ABSOLUTELY nuts for trying to return something!!! It might have been a mix of my basic German and her basic English but I decided not to try pricey beauty items again unless I was okay with throwing them out and calling the purchase a loss. I also decided that it was worth it to pay double for Clinique at Douglas to get an amazing makeup remover/cleanser (I am talking about the Clinique Take the Day Off Balm – it is awesome and it is crazy how Clinique is double the price in Europe).
The BB Cream Winner: Bellaoggia Italia BB Cream
This BB Cream is fantastic! In fact, I am starting to think another trip to Italy is in order so I can buy more. It looks so natural on my skin and it hides the little redness and discoloration I have in my skin. It also has SPF and the SPF doesn’t have a white cast. I have tried a lot of BB creams in the states and I’ve never tried anything as great as this one!
The BB Cream Loser: Astra Italy Radiant BB Cream
I probably should have been a little cautious with the word “radiant” in the description. I love radiance and highlighter. I don’t love glitter. This BB cream was so heavily glittered – I felt like Edward Cullen in the sun! I tried wearing it a few different days and every time I caught my reflection in a mirror I cringed at the glitter. So out the Astra Italy Radiant BB Cream went.