The Best BB Cream for Acne Prone Skin

This is the best BB cream for acne prone skin. It’s lightweight, but still offers amazing coverage.

If you have acne prone skin, BB creams are usually too lightweight. This BB cream for acne prone skin is actually good for your skin and has amazing coverage while still being lightweight. You must try it!

I found the best BB cream for acne prone skin and have been using it everyday for 2 years

At the beginning of 2018, I went to an esthetician. I was having all sorts of issues with clogged pores and hormonal acne and needed some professional help. She gave me a really amazing facial and chemical peel, sent me home with some skin products, AND told me to switch to a mineral BB cream (she said it was the best BB cream for acne prone skin) instead of the foundation I was wearing.

Her recommendation for a clean mineral makeup brand was Jane Iredale.

I instantly went to Nordstrom.com and found it in their beauty section (they actually sell it in the Nordstrom spa!), got a color match, and have been using it ever since.

What’s the difference between foundation and BB Cream?

The “bb” in BB Cream stands for “beauty balm,” and it’s basically a lighter makeup product. It’s basically a product in between tinted moisturizer and foundation.

Often BB creams have more skincare benefits, and this Jane Iredale one definitely does. In fact, Jane Iredale is known as “the skincare makeup.” So it’s actually protecting and helping your skin as you wear it. Many foundations can’t say that!

Here’s what I love about Jane Iredale BB Cream

These are the reasons I really love this BB cream.

• It’s really lightweight but it has amazing coverage
• It doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin and cause breakouts
• It has SPF 25!
• It has
• It doesn’t clog my pores (my esthetician commented on how clean my pores were comparatively when I came back a few months later)
• It goes on very smoothly and doesn’t cake or sit in your lines
• Paired with the right finishing powder and setting spray, it actually stays on all day!
• They have a great range of colors
• I can easily re-order from Nordstrom.com with free shipping.

Which shade of Jane Iredale BB cream do I wear?

I switch between two colors of Jane Iredale BB Cream.

In the summer, I wear BB7. In the winter I wear BB6.

This BB cream has amazing coverage without being heavy or cakey.

This Jane Iredale BB cream honestly has the best coverage of any BB cream I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot).

But even with the great coverage, it still looks like your skin. I doesn’t look like you’re wearing heavy makeup.

I’ve had a lot of hormonal acne issues over the last few months, and with a light layer of this BB cream, all redness is instantly covered up.

I can even cover up active blemishes and they don’t get extra irritated.

How to get the best smooth coverage with BB cream

1. Exfoliate first! This is the most important step. You don’t want dry or flaking patches when you put it on.
2. Spray with a setting spray. THIS ONE is fantastic, and I shared another good one IN THIS POST.
3. Apply with a round, flat foundation brush. Something LIKE THIS. I used to use a beauty blender, but you get better coverage when you’re sweeping it on with a brush versus dabbing it on with a sponge blender.
4. Use a transluscent powder to set the BB cream. I love THIS ONE from Laura Mercier. (I apply the rest of my makeup before this step).
5. Finish with another spritz of setting spray.
6. DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE. For at least 10 minutes, don’t smile or move your face much. This will help everything set and not create lines in your makeup. Then keep your hands off your face for the rest of the day!

If you need even more coverage for acne, try this pressed powder foundation.

When I first started using Jane Iredale BB cream, I tried their pressed powder foundation. I actually loved it, but as my skin got better, I didn’t feel like I needed that much coverage. So I just use a transluscent powder over the top instead.

But if you need more coverage, the combination of the Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream and the PurePressed Foundation. I used the foundation “Golden Glow” and that matches with both the BB7 and BB 6 colors I wear.

pro tip: This pressed foundation comes without the compact. You can purchase the compact here and re-use it each time you refill.

This BB cream is worth every penny if you have acne prone skin.

I have tried and used so many foundations and BB creams over the last 15 years since I started wearing makeup, and trust me that THIS BB CREAM is worth every penny if you have acne prone skin.

If you want more makeup tips, did you know Nordstrom has a whole section dedicated to makeup tips and trends? They have tutorial videos, product recommendations, and more — it’s a gold mine! Check it all out right here!

You might also like:

• My 5-Minute Makeup Routine

• My favorite makeup brushes

photos by Aubrey Stock
This post is in partnership with Nordstrom