La Roche-Posay® Uvidea XL BB Cream Review

I have super sensitive skin, and vitiligo, so the sun and I aren't friends, never have been. This helps to stop me from being burnt and the awful feeling I get from being out in the sunlight. The medium shade is perfect for me, and I tan naturally anyway. It can be hard to apply though, so I understand what others are saying. You also don't get a lot for the price. I'm going to look into some of their other products, so this was a good step.

I decided to purchase this BB cream because I was looking for a foundation-style product that could also offer sun protection. I am very pale, so sun protection is a must! My skin is also very sensitive and very dry, so I wanted something that both moisturised my skin and gave me some luminosity. I am also a fan of the La Roche-Posay brand, so this BB cream ticked all my criteria.

The La Roche-Posay® Uvidea XL BB Cream comes in a blue and white cardboard box. The shade of the BB cream is indicated on the cardboard packaging by a band of skin-toned colour. This review is for the shade 01. On the packaging it states that it is 50+ SPF, and that it protects against both UVA and UVB. It also “Instantly covers imperfections”, “Prevents hyperpigmentation”, and has been “Tested on Asian sensitive skin”. It is also fragrance free and paraben free. The benefits and use of the product are written on the box in several languages, including braille. The BB cream itself comes in a white plastic tube with blue writing and the banded skin-tone colour. The tube stands on its lid. The product has a screw lid and is squeezed out of the tube. The tube is 30ml.

I have been using this BB cream for a few months. I have found it to be very effective. Something to note is that this is not like using a foundation. It is very, very, thick. So when I apply it I massage it into my skin like a cream, rather than using a foundation brush or blender. If you have oily skin then the thick, moisturising quality of the BB cream will probably not suit you. Because my skin is so dry, the moisturising factor works very well. I do not need to apply too much either. A couple of pea-sized amounts is enough for my whole face. The BB cream also has a luminous finish which makes my dry skin look dewy. I am using the BB cream in shade 01 because I am very pale. This shade is very lightly skin-tone tinted. It blends well into my skin and looks natural. Because it is thick, the BB cream does a good job of concealing regular imperfections, but you may want to add some concealer on top for very bright blemishes.

As far as skin protection, I have worn this in several situations where I have been exposed to the bright sun, and I have not been burned or turned pink afterwards. So the SPF factor works. My skin is also very sensitive and this BB cream has not irritated it.

Altogether I think this BB cream is great for people like me who have dry, sensitive skin that burns easily. It conceals mild imperfections, protects from the sun, and moisturises while leaving a luminous finish. But I do not recommend this for oily complexions, as I think it will be too thick and rich, and leave oily complexions looking oilier. Although this BB cream is expensive for 30ml, I think it is worth the price because it is multi-functional as a foundation, sunscreen and moisturiser.

I'm a huge fan of my La Roche-Posay sunscreen (which I'm sure I've done a review on). I use it everyday and my skin seems to love it too. So when picking up a replacement of that I thought I would grab this as well - the instant gratification of feeling like I had gotten a good deal on some thing on special was all I needed.

I like the packaging. A small white tube, perfect for travelling. You can't see through it which I presume is to protect the ingredients inside.

the product itself is nice. What you would expect from a BB cream, just a thicker cream to rub into your skin. Unfortunately for me even the lightest shade is a tad too dark for me. I have a hell of a time trying to make this blend into my neck and because of this it doesn't fit the ease of use that I really want for weekends and travel. I also purchased this because I liked the idea of a one step weekend face with this having SPF 50+ in it. But I suspect due to the shade darkness that I am not using enough of it and I got a bit sunburnt one day. I don't think that this was the products failing, more my application but it was a good reminder of the amount of sunscreen required to actually get a full sun protection. Overall the coverage is nice, just enough to blur imperfections without actually looking cakey. The lasting power is good with it lasting until the end of the day even with weekend walks and coffee drinking in between.

I also want to mention on the tube it says 'with La Roche-Posay thermal spring water'. I really don't understand them advertising this sort of thing like it is really going to sway my decision as a purchaser. It just sounds quite silly, like they're trying to make their product fancier than it is. Personally I think advertising that it is paraben and fragrance free would be more effective.

So although this product isn't exactly for me in shade, I would still recommend this to others looking for that all in one sort of product.

I received this as a free gift when I purchased 2 LA Roche Posay products. I was really stoked as I had been wanting to try it for ages. The packaging is simple, a squeezy tube which I like for BB creams as you can cut it open when you get to the end.

I got the shade 01 Light which was an OK match for my pale skin but perhaps just a tiny bit too dark. The formula is thick! I'm used to my BB creams being more on the runny side so it took a bit of getting used to.

I always apply with my RT sponge, it gives the most even coverage in my opinion. I like how this makes my skin look. It covers my redness and any minor spots well. It gives me a natural look without looking cakey.

However.....even though I have dry skin I find this makes me look oily after a few hours which I absolutely hate. Nothing a quick dusting of powder can't fix but I'm a busy mama and prefer something that I don't have to keep touching up during the day. Not a winner for me and recommend getting a sample to try out before you purchase.

I got a sample of this at my pharmacy because I'd heard good things about it. When I used it I found the texture thick and hard to apply. The lightest shade was too dark for me and it made my skin look worse. The scent is quite strong and off-putting.

I wanted to love this because I absolutely love the other products I have from this company. But I just couldn’t. It’s quite thick and made my skin horribly shiny and greasy looking. The light is still slightly too orangey for my pale skin. I thought most B B creams were reasonably light coverage and C C were a fuller coverage but this B B cream is quite full coverage. It’s thicker formulation makes it harder to blend and for me a bit cream should be no effort to apply, if I want that I’ll use normal foundation. It’s quite expensive for the size.