Come summertime, my skincare and makeup routine scales down dramatically, with heavy foundations being the first to go. I do however keep a stock of tinted moisturizers, illuminating creams, and BB/CC creams (including Erborian‘s CC Crème) handy for when I want to look a bit more polished, or perhaps add some ethereal vibes.
Which brings me to the latest face cream I’ve been trying out, from Korean skincare brand Erborian. They recently launched a new multi-tasking primer, called Glow Crème, which was created to provide an ‘ultra-radiant’, almost unicorn-like strobe effect, wherever its applied. But just how wearable is this cream day-to-day? Let’s find out…
Erborian Glow Crème
Erborian’s Glow Crème Illuminating Face Cream is a multi-benefit primer that works to illuminate the complexion through a soft pinky-purple glow. Also formulated with squalane, licorice extract, and mushroom extract, it helps to hydrate, soothe, and mattify the skin.
How to use it: Erborian’s Glow Crème is an interesting little ‘multi-use’ product. You can use it a couple of ways:
- As an illuminating primer under your foundation
- As a highlighter on tops of cheeks, eyes, bridge of nose, etc, by patting a small amount on top of makeup (works best over liquid/cream foundations).
- Completely its own to create a unicorn-like glow all over the face 😉
Key Ingredients:
- Squalane – found naturally in the skin. Works to intensely hydrate, and also prevent ongoing loss of hydration.
- Poria Cocos Extract – derived from a mushroom, which has antioxidant and skin-soothing properties. (1)
- Licorice Extract – contains licochalcone, which helps control oil production, and helps calm and soothe acne-prone skin. (2)
Full Ingredients: Water, Cyclomethicone, Butylene Glycol, CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide, Phenyl Trimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Mica, Hexyl Laurate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Silica, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Acrylates/ C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Acrylates/Stearyl Acrylate/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tocopherol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Eugenol Limonene.
Swatch of Erborian Glow Crème, straight out of the tube
Swatch of the Erborian Glow Crème, blended out slightly (in artificial light)
Heavy swatch of the Erborian Glow Crème, blended out (in sunlight)
Erborian Glow Crème Review
I personally love anything that gives me all-around ‘ethereal’ glow. When I first swatched the Erborian Glow Crème, I fell in love with its vibrant sheen and ultra-fine pinky-lilac shimmer.
For my first full-face application, I went pretty light and used only a pea-sized amount on each side of my face. It turned out looking a lot more natural than I expected, adding a subtle all-over glow and a slightly more intense, pink-lilac reflection wherever the light hit. It may be a bit too intense to wear on its own to the office/more conservative environments, but over a summer tan on a more casual day, it looks gorgeous!
On the other hand, with foundation (liquid or powder) applied over top, the cream’s illuminating effect tones down to the point where only a subtle sheen is noticeable on the high-points of the face (rather than all-over), making it much more everyday-wearable.
And of course, I also tried using the Erborian Glow Crème as a highlighter – here are some before and after photos:
Erborian Glow Crème applied over the Erborian CC Crème (reviewed here)
I went on to test out the Erborian Glow Crème a few more ways, including mixed in with foundation and other face products. Here’s an overall summary of what I liked and disliked about the formula and its uses:
What I like:
- silky smooth texture that’s easy to spread and blend out (thanks to the silica)
- lightweight, fast absorbing formula
- contains micro-shimmer, rather than heavy shimmer or glitter
- gorgeous pinky-lilac hue (for those who like cool-toned luminizers)
- works amazing as a cheek highlighter
- adds a subtle (and office-friendly) all-over glow when applied under or mixed in with foundation
What I’m not crazy about:
- a bit too intense for wearing on its own (i.e. without foundation over-top)
- doesn’t help much with minimizing oil and shine (makes oily skin shiner)
- cool pinky-purple color may not suit all skin tones
- contains adding fragrances (although quite yummy smelling, they can be irritating, especially for sensitive skin types)
Overall, if you’re on the lookout for a cooler-toned highlighter, or illuminating base for under foundation, I’d definitely recommend trying out Erborian’s Glow Crème. Other than creating a gorgeous, almost ‘other-worldly’ glow, it also contains ingredients to help soothe and hydrate the skin, making it perfect for spring/summer. I see this working best for dry or normal skin types, however, oily/combo skin types may want to avoid this as it has a tendency to increase shine.
Available at Sephora & Selfridges
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Have you tried Erborian’s skin primers?
