I’ve never been a foundation girl. Truthfully, I typically stay away from it because it can break out my skin, and it’s tough to find a shade that fits. I have yellow undertones with a sprinkle of hyperpigmentation from previous acne struggles. Foundations with yellow undertones don’t seem to have it all the way together yet. In my experience, the foundations always give banana-hued vibes. I usually purchase two foundations and mix to find my perfect shade, which isn’t always ideal for my wallet.
When I scrolled on TikTok and came across the L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier, I was intrigued. The lightweight BB cream was going viral for its so-called ability to adjust to any skin tone. I watched as beauty gurus purchased it in green or orange, melted it into their skin, and raved about the results. At the time, I was entertained and fully convinced until I realized one common denominator: Everyone who reviewed the product was a white woman. I searched the "For You" page on the app to find women of color who had tried the product but fell short.
Still curious about the viral magical BB cream, I decided there was only one thing left to do. I added the product to my cart and purchased it. Check out more on my experience with the L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier:
About The Product
According to the site, the product is made to deliver four elements that will enhance your skin: It revives tired and stressed skin, evens tone, and hydrates. It’s also supposed to transform into your perfect shade for a flawless look. I must say, the idea of a product adjusting to every skin tone and having us all looking amazing sounds way too good to be true. Skin is very complicated and unique to the individual.
Before we go any further, we should look at the ingredients. While doing my research, I noticed the product doesn’t have SPF. I see this detail as a positive rather than a negative because SPF in beauty products can land differently depending on skin tone. I also noticed the product contains dimethicone which some may see as harmful to the skin because it is not a natural ingredient, however, this ingredient can prevent clogging pores by sealing any sweat or dirt on the face. Those with sensitive skin or who are prone to breakouts may appreciate this.
Courtesy of Celeste Polanco
About My Skin
My skin has been through many different phases in my life. There was the oil phase, which honestly was my favorite phase. My skin was glowing, and I barely found the need to use any highlighter or even foundation. I loved my skin’s natural glow. Next was the acne phase, and as you can imagine, this was the least favorite time in my life. The stress of college and a toxic ex had my skin out of whack, but when college and my relationship ended, so did my acne.
Today, my skin is clear and more on the drier side. I love it, but I can admit that it could use an extra life boost.
I Tried The L'Oreal Viral TikTok BB Cream
I purchased the L’Oreal BB cream in orange because it aligned best with my needs. My skin looked very fatigued, and the orange BB cream targeted those issues. The alternative would have been the BB cream in green, which is specifically for dark spots, but I use concealer for those areas. As seen on TikTok, I squeezed the product directly on my face and rubbed it in. The orange color was intense at first, but as I massaged it into my skin, the product began to transform as promised.
Courtesy of Celeste Polanco
The BB Cream Tried Me
The results of the L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier weren’t that magical. Once the product settled in, I was pretty disappointed by the results. The product felt very dry on my skin, and when the orange liquid settled, my skin didn’t look as flawless as expected. I felt the BB cream gave my skin a dull appearance. Since the product targets fatigued skin, I was surprised by a dull result.
I brought my skin back to life with bronzer and concealer, and the BB cream did take the layering of other makeup products better than expected. I was grateful for this, but I still wouldn’t consider it a holy-grail product.
The Value
The only reason I’m not too upset about the result is because of the price point. At $10.99, it's a very fair price for a drugstore BB cream. If you’re still debating trying this product, at least it won’t break the bank.
The Final Verdict
To be honest, this just wasn’t for me, and that’s OK. I have yellow undertones and still felt like the product didn’t align with my skin tone. People with darker skin tones may also struggle to find this product fitting. If you feel like the result may be different for you, go for it. The product is not expensive and won’t take up all of your coins. However, for me and an ideal BB cream, the marathon continues.
Featured image courtesy of Celeste Polanco
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak