If You Hate Heavy Foundations, These CC Creams Are Worth Knowing About

I have a confession to make: Despite being a beauty editor with an embarrassingly large amount of products stashed in my house, I actually use a surprisingly small amount of them on a daily basis. Sure, I test and try a lot of things to see what’s good, but when it comes to my skincarehaircare and makeup routines I like to keep things as pared-back and simple as possible. Why? Well, for one thing, I no longer have the same amount of time for lengthy beauty rituals that I used to have. But, mainly I’ve realised that what’s the point of overcomplicating things with 10-step routines if you can use one multitasking product that will do the job just as well? And that’s where CC creams come in. 

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(Image credit: @aysha.sow)

On days that wearing a full-coverage foundation feels too overdone, but I'm not feeling skin-confident enough to skip makeup entirely I reach for a CC cream. Short for colour correcting, CC creams are formulated to reduce any colour in your complexion that’s giving it an uneven appearance. For me, that tends to be redness caused by breakouts, purple tones under my eyes from tiredness and sometimes sallow undertones. For others, it might be rosacea, inflammation, or pigmentation in the skin. Packed with clever colour-correcting pigments, CC creams effectively counterbalance the unwanted tones in our skin to get everything looking more even, smooth and healthy. And while they aren’t as full coverage as a classic foundation, they definitely provide more coverage than something like a skin tint or a BB cream. Plus, the glow that they impart on tired-looking complexions is something else.

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(Image credit: @himichelleli)

I'm not alone in my love of CC creams either. Beauty editors and makeup artists are obsessed with them too.

"While I don't use a huge amount of CC creams, I do like brands like Erborian specifically for combatting redness on my clients," says makeup artist Lisa Caldognetto. "Whether it's rosacea or eczema, there can be a bit of skin texture going on alongside redness and a lot of CC creams have quite nourishing formulas to combat this alongside colour correcting."

And if you're concerned that a CC cream won't offer enough coverage for you, Caldognetto has a great tip for application. "The best way of applying a CC cream for extra coverage is to use a dense brush and pat the product on with it," Caldognetto advises. "Avoid circular or blending motions as that will sheer out the product and lessen the coverage—you want to press the product onto the areas that you want it." 

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(Image credit: @isabellecoheen)

Feeling tempted? Keep scrolling for 10 best CC creams on the market right now.

1. It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream With SPF50+

2. Erborian CC Crème SPF25

3. By Terry Cellularose Moisturising CC Cream

4. L'Oréal Paris C'est Magic CC Cream Anti-Redness

5. It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Nude Glow With SPF40

6. Chanel CC Cream Super Active Complete Correction SPF 50

7. By Terry Cellularose Brightening CC Serum

8. Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream SPF 30 

9. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer SPF30

10. It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Oil-Free Matte with SPF 40

11. Lumene CC Color Correcting Cream SPF20

Mica Ricketts