If you’ve read my blog for a while you know what a big fan I am of the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream (buy them at Sephora in the original and illuminating versions). The CC Cream is medium to full coverage, it doesn’t crease and it lasts all day while offering a high SPF. It’s one I love to recommend over and over, and due to the popularity it is available in more stores and in more shades.
Due to the popularity of the CC+ Cream, similar products have been released lately and I felt it was time I reviewed and compared them! Today I’ll share my thoughts on the Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer and the new CC+ Cream Oil-Free Matte.
Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer
Buy it at ULTA or IT Cosmetics
I think the name of Bye Bye Foundation is a bit of a misnomer, it isn’t really so much a full coverage moisturizer as it is a moisturizing foundation. And no, it really is not the same as the CC+ products.
I’ve found Bye Bye Foundation to be thicker and fuller coverage than the CC+ Creams, which I think are medium to full coverage. I do think that it is a little harder to blend, but when I stopped using this as a moisturizer and thinking of it more like a moisturizing foundation than needs to be applied primarily to problem areas, that’s when I loved it!
I apply 1 pump to the back of my hand, and then apply small dots all over my face. I do blend a little with my fingers, but I mostly buff it in with my Heavenly Luxe Foundation Brush and then I do a little pouncing on problem areas with my BeautyBlender.
Overall the finish is a semi-matte I think, and the coverage is definitely full. It is easy to mix in a regular moisturizer if you want to thin it out a bit. I think it wears decently throughout the day except on my nose, where I need to apply over a primer (I’ve been loving this one lately). I love that this product is available in 12 shades, and when I purchased mine in person at ULTA I discovered that I was my usual shade of Light.
CC+ Cream Oil-Free Matte
Buy it at Sephora
This week IT Cosmetics has launched an Oil-Free Matte version of their beloved CC+ Cream. I think it is very similar to the Bye Bye Foundation, but there are a few small differences that might make one a little better than the other.
First, the coverage is a little less with the Oil-Free Matte than the Bye Bye Foundation. Just like the other CC+ Creams it is a medium to full coverage product and you can build the coverage a bit for problem areas.
The finish is between matte and semi-matte, and while I think it does help my skin stay matte throughout the day I still recommend using a mattifying product with it if you have an oily t-zone. I’ve been using it with the Cover FX Shine Drops (now discontinued, watch Hautelook as they’ve been popping up there), I apply 2-3 drops to my t-zone with my fingertips and then put the Oil-Free Matte over the top.
When applying the actual CC+ Cream Oil-Free Matte, I apply it with my fingertips to mostly the center of my face, just spreading it all around. I’m much less directed with it than I am the Bye Bye Foundation. I do most of my blending quickly with fingertips, but I’ll use my Heavenly Luxe Foundation Brush to buff and then I do a little pouncing on problem areas with my BeautyBlender.
The coverage is slightly less than that of the Bye Bye Foundation, and it does last all day. If I use it with other mattifying products I’ll be semi-matte all day, but my t-zone can be particularly shiny during the summer, without the little extra help I do have a bit of a shiny nose by late afternoon. I only have problems with wear if I do get shiny, usually my nose will look less than perfect at the end of the day if I was shiny. If I wasn’t shiny then it still looks great at the end of the day. I think this is in part due to the summer, my skin isn’t so shiny in the winter. I’m excited to see how it works for me during the summer.
In comparison to my beloved CC+ Cream Illuminating, they’re basically identical except for the finish. The Illuminating is… well a little radiant. It has light reflecting particles and while they don’t make me look shiny it is a little more of a luminous look. I think the wear and application are the same as well.
Note: None of the IT Cosmetics CC+ Creams or Bye Bye Foundation meet my Pregnancy Safe Skincare criteria. You can find pregnancy safe BB/CC creams and pregnancy safe foundations in other posts.
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Iām a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!
Does the regular CC cream have oil of some kind in it as opposed to the new CC cream that’s oil free???
I haven’t compared the full ingredients lists truthfully. I don’t think of the regular as oily at all, and even though I have combination skin that tends to get clogged pores easily I haven’t had issues with it at all. I’d go for this one over the regular if you want the semi-matte finish instead.
I’ve heard of this product before but haven’t really tried it. I’ve been wanting to switch from foundation to a better alternative and I think this might be a choice. Do you have a vlog where it shows how it looks when you apply it?
Honestly, I really hate myself on camera, so no vlog about it š
I dot it around my face, smear with fingers and then buff with a brush. I apply concealer over the top, and a very light dusting of translucent powder to my t-zone.
Of the 3 tested, which do you like best?
It depends on the day really. The CC Illuminating is the one I use most often as I’ve had it for years and have repurchased it a lot.
If I have the original cc cream in light, Would the matte one be the same shade light?
They seem to match up to me, I go back and forth between light and fair.
Hi! I know I’m late to this party, but why is the Bye Bye Foundation not pregnancy safe? Is there a specific ingredient? I have a current and backup bottle so was hoping to not have to switch, but am TTC so I will switch if it’s unsafe! Thank you so much.
The problem ingredients are listed in my post on Pregnancy Safe products from It Cosmetics.