Thinking back, I don't think I have ever given any Maybelline base products a shot. I do own some of their powder compacts but those are still sitting pretty in the drawers. Oops.

There's no particular reason for it except I never really explored much of Maybelline, aside from some eyeshadows and lipsticks I had picked up eons ago. I dabbled with some of their mascaras but being picky, I never had much luck with those.

Though in this entry, I will be throwing out some brief pictures and product information for their new Clear Smooth BB Stick, along with some of my initial thoughts.

Did I love it, hate it? Well, you'll just have to read on!

Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Stick comes with an SPF factor of 21 PA+++. Though as a habit, I still reach for a separate sunscreen.

The information and clumps of text come printed with the clear plastic 'wrapping' the product so be sure to read or snap all you want before peeling it off!

Aside from SPF, this contains salicylic acid and also mineral clay, ingredients to help combat acne-prone skin. On top of that, this also comes with a whooping '8 Healthy Looking Skin Benefits'.

Though to be completely honest, these 8 points cover things like 'lesser visible pores', 'long lasting shine control' etc and seem more like product descriptions than rightful skin benefits.

The Clear Smooth BB Stick looks, feels and works very much like most stick foundations, gliding easily and smoothly over the skin. Despite the BB factor, this doesn't feel thick on at all.

To use, you simply uncap it, slide it over your skin and then blend! As a personal preference I blend it out with my fingers but you can choose to use a brush or sponge if you prefer.

I will share swatches on the skin and such in my proper review entry but for now, here's the product!

I received the Maybelline BB Stick in 2 different shades - 01 Fresh and 03 Radiance.

Inbetween them somewhere is 02 Natural, which I do not have to show. Though what confuses me is 01 Fresh and 02 Natural are displayed on the boards at our local drugstores and there seems to be no mention of 03 Radiance locally?

I will investigate and get back on that!

Regardless... Fresh is definitely the fairer of the two and appears to take on a pink tone while Radiance appears orange-y from the tube.

While bordering scary-orange at first, Radiance ended up swatching more skintone-like on me as compared to Fresh which was obviously too fair for me.

The BB Stick takes on a more light-weight approach to coverage and basing it from the back of the hand, they blend out almost invisible.

You almost can't tell where it starts or stops or rather you can't at all with a hand swatch.

However when I tried both shades out on my face (thinking, pshhh, they are so invisible I could pull both off), 01 Fresh gave me that 'fairer-face-than-neck' effect. So essentially, you should still grab something closer to what seems like your skintone though it need not be an outright match.

From an initial note,the texture of these made them amazing to work with. They glide on with the right slick without feeling greasy on, yet it doesn't dry and set immediately either, demanding you to blend fast. Upon blending, they smooth out to a powdery finish which might leave some ditching the idea of going over this with powder.

Thus far I have been using and absolutely loving this product (in the shade 03 Radiance).

With that, this marks my initial post about the Clear Smooth BB Stick with hand swatches and snippets about the product. I will be sharing a more indepth look at it, along with how I find it wears and how I prefer to use it shortly!

This product is available from July 2012 onwards at Maybelline standees / displays. More information on shades, prices and such in the review post to come!

For now, TGIF and thanks for reading!

Do you like using stick foundations?

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.