CLE Cosmetics CCC Cream+swatches-Retail $31

Hello! It’s been a looong while. I purchased this after seeing this all over Instagram around 5 months ago. This Kbeauty CCC cream is advertised to be a foundation, primer, sunscreen, and skincare all-in-one, and that totally sounds like my jam! Before pulling the trigger, I was looking for swatches EVERYWHERE trying to decide what shade I was. Hope you find this review helpful! Swatches in warm medium light and medium light will be provided on my skin tone as well as regular white paper. Thought it would be helpful if you were deciding between shades, and wanted to compare it to a foundation you already own at home!

Specs:

• Size: 30mL/1 Fl oz

• Shades: 8 shades, I’m in warm medium light

• Coverage: Light maaaaybe medium-ish

• Packaging: White, minimalist squeeze tube

• Fragrance free. (There is a nice scent upon application, but I guess what they mean is that there aren’t any synthetic fragrances)

• SPF: SPF50 PA+++

  (TITANIUM DIOXIDE 8.41%
  OCTINOXATE 7.00%
  OCTISALATE 3.00%)
  
  

Ingredients:

WATER, C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, CYCLOMETHICONE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, ISOAMYL P-METHOXYCINNAMATE, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, NIACINAMIDE, DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, BIS-ETHYLHEXYLOXYPHENOL METHOXYPHENYL TRIAZINE, CERESIN, IRON OXIDES (CI 77492), LAURYL PEG-9 POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL DIMETHICONE, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, MICA (CI 77019), DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, SORBITAN SESQUIOLEATE, SYNTHETIC WAX, SORBITAN OLIVATE, SILICA, IRON OXIDES (CI 77491), IRON OXIDES (CI 77499), POLYESTER-1, SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE, CHLORPHENESIN, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL, VEGETABLE OIL, DIMETHICONE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, CITRUS AURANTIUM BERGAMIA (BERGAMOT) FRUIT OIL, CITRUS AURANTIUM DULCIS (ORANGE) OIL, CANANGA ODORATA FLOWER OIL, ADENOSINE, DISODIUM EDTA, NATTO GUM, SAUSSUREA INVOLUCRATA EXTRACT, BAMBUSA VULGARIS LEAF/STEM EXTRACT, VACCINIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM (BLUEBERRY) FRUIT EXTRACT, COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, HYDROLYZED HYALURONIC ACID, TOCOPHEROL

Performance:

Finding my shade: Honestly, I went in blind and got kind of lucky. I was looking for swatches everywhere, but as you probably know, it’s quite misleading when people show swatches on their skin. So I did the best I could, and grabbed warm medium light because that just sounded like an accurate description of my skintone. Eek. I have to say, the shade match is pretty good, but still not exact and with a little blending, I’m OK with that. However, if I get any paler, this might not work out, and I’ll have to wait until summer to use it. But so far so good. This isn’t like any tinted moisturizer though. I feel like if it’s not at least close to your skin tone, it might be a miss and a potential waste of your money because one shade over really does make a difference. It’s light coverage, but at the same time not thaat light. Really wish there was somewhere people could get to see them in person (maybe Neiman Marcus?), but right now, I don’t know of any.

This formula is a dewier formula, however even on my combo-oily skin with a dab of powder, works pretty well for me. Late in the day, it might feel a tad oily, but with some blotting, isn’t a problem for me. I’d say if you’re on the oilier side and not a fan of that dewy look, this product probably wouldn’t be for you. The cream comes out white, and as you spread it onto the skin (best just using your hands) the pigment capsules break open and gives your skin a light (almost medium) coverage and a healthy, dewy finish. It’s comfortable to wear, and just easy! In the beginning, I wasn’t the biggest fan because in certain lightings, the shade didn’t seem to match me, but I realized that I was applying too much. A little reaaally goes a long way, and using a small pea-sized amount is more than enough. Which leads me into the next point. I LOVE that there’s SPF50 in here! However to get enough sun protection, you’re gonna need way more than just a pea sized amount so make sure you apply sunscreen under this tinted moisturizer!

Verdict:

If you’re nervous about shade matching, I don’t blame you. Earlier this year, Cle was offering CCC cream samples if you email info@clecosmetics.com with the subject line “CCC Cream samples”. I would say you give it a shot and see if they’d be willing to send samples to you before purchasing!

If you do find your shade, I think this is totally worth the money because it’s so comfortable to wear, overall evens my skintone, and gives a healthy glow to the skin, which I’m into! One tube would go a long way.

Save Some $:

Honestly from stalking them on social media the past year, I’ve found that Cle doesn’t really go on sale on their website except maybe 1-2 times a year. I’ve had the best luck finding deals on anthropologie every now and then when they have a 20% off all beauty or additional 40% sale or something like that.

Funny enough, I also own the cushion compact! Let me know if you also want to see a review of that as well :)