Natio Pure Mineral Skin Perfecting BB Cream Test & Review!

I’d heard good things about the Natio Pure Mineral Skin Perfecting BB Cream in a vegan makeup group online, so when I saw it at my local chemist, I figured “Why the heck not! It’s $14.95, I can manage that”. My hunt for a decent foundation that can withstand my oily dial is well underway, and while I purchased this knowing it wasn’t quite going to fit the bill, I was excited to give it a crack for more short-term wear. So what’s the verdict?

Natio is an Aussie cruelty-free beauty brand, with a range of vegan products to boot. They make skincare for men, women and teens, and have some gorgeous makeup selections too. They are relatively affordable, since they’re a drugstore type of brand, and freely available in-store and online. Now, I don’t have a huge amount of experience with BB creams, but I feel like they should be held to a different standard than the typical foundation. BB creams behave differently, combining moisturiser and colour in more than just a tint kinda way. They often describe themselves as having more beautifying properties, and reach for that ‘all-in-one’ tag. Korea has been at the forefront of BB creams for years, and it’s only been in the last three years or so that the West has jumped on board.

This BB cream is the first product of theirs I’ve fully tested, so here’s my thoughts in dot-points:

Natio Pure Mineral Skin Perfecting BB Cream Examples: Before, after BB cream, and after powder and blush.

PROS:

• It’s inexpensive. Sure, it’s not the cheapest coverage you can get, but for an Australian made product, I think it’s more than fair.
• It’s cruelty-free. This is becoming more and more of an issue as smaller companies get swallowed up by overwhelming, China-selling parents.
• It’s vegan. Sometimes these things are hard to find out, and companies can be weirdly coy about ingredients (some of them don’t even know what their ingredients are… what the?!) However, this product has been confirmed as entirely plant-derived. Woo hoo!
• It actually does what it says on the pack. Two big pluses for this product are how it can even out skin tone, and sooth redness due to the green tea and chamomile ingredients. I feel that it genuinely does this.
• It’s a straight-forward, all-in-one product. Another claim it makes on the pack, and I think this is fairly accurate. Of course, this can totally depend on your skin type. For me, I need a bit of an extra security blanket through the form of a powder coating, but if you don’t have insane oil like I do, then this is another claim I feel is fair for it to make.
• It has decent coverage. I’m going to put this as a ‘pro’, since my initial expectations weren’t particularly high, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much of my acne, redness and hyper-pigmentation disappeared after application. It definitely looks like a medium coverage product, even though they say you can just apply a small amount, and follow with an actual foundation after (if you wish).
• It’s easy to apply. I have smeared this into my face using my fingertips, and I’ve beaten it in with a sponge. I prefer the sponge for a more even finish, but both work!
• It’s easy to find. You don’t need to find a Sephora, you don’t need to search online, you don’t need to struggle to track this stuff down. Just pop round to your local Priceline, chemist or Myer, and you’ll be able to snatch it up easily.
• It washes off easily, and washes out of your applicator! Maybe this is a bit silly, but compared to most of the foundations I have, the ease of cleansing this product off my face and out of my sponge is ridiculous. No staining, nothing clogged, super simple!

CONS:

• There is a limited shade range. Many cheaper foundations fall victim to the shade range issue. In this case, there’s only three to pick from. THREE! Bloody hell. I am generally more on the pale side of things, but the ‘light’ was ghostly. I went with ‘medium’ and find it fits me relatively well. But if you’re tanned, or are blessed with melanin, I don’t think the shade range will be enough for you.
• They are not made for oily skin. Yes, I have oily skin. Yes, I still tested it. Yes, I still like it! But, don’t be confused – this BB cream is aimed at those who fall within the ‘dry/normal’ bracket, more than the ‘combination/oily’. If you have very oily skin, then you will need to compensate somehow, and accept that you are never going to get a matte finish.
• It is not made for long-term wear. Now, perhaps I’m wrong here. But for me, I would not try pushing this past 4-5 hours in public. If you are after something that will give you that ‘flawless’ all-day coverage, I don’t think this is it. For me, this is “Pop it on, head down to Woolies, come home and de-face” kind of fare.

THE VERDICT

The list of ‘pros’ far outweighs the ‘cons’. So for me, it’s a winner. However, even though that list of cons is short, they could be more like your ‘make or break’ qualities. If you don’t fit shade A, B or C, then forget it. You won’t like this product. And that is a real shame, as I feel that this brand should have the power to stretch beyond the basic three. They make skincare and many other kinds of makeup – why not spread some of that love to include those who aren’t A, B or C? Hmm… colour-woes aside, the quality of this BB cream, and the effect it gives are great. I’m really chuffed to use this, and I enjoy it! It gives me that extra bit of coverage I like under my powder, and I’m okay with not wearing it more than a few hours at a time. Maybe you’re the same as me, in which case I can fully recommend this! But if one of those cons is your deal-breaker, then at least now you know the drill.

What do you reckon? Have you tried this BB cream, or another Natio product? Let me know below!