Most people buying a BB cream online are stuck on the same thing.
Not whether it works. Whether they'll pick the wrong shade, and be left with a bottle they can't use and can't return.
That fear is reasonable and it's the reason a lot of people never buy a base online at all. So this is the guide we wish existed. How to find your undertone, how to pick your shade, what to do if you're between two, and what happens if you still get it wrong.
It takes about four minutes to read and it should mean you never guess again.
First, find your undertone
Your undertone is not how light or deep your skin is. It's the colour underneath, and it doesn't change when you tan.
It's also the thing that decides whether a shade looks like skin or looks like a mask, which is why people who match only on depth end up with something that goes grey or goes orange on them.
The vein test takes thirty seconds.
Go to a window. Not a bathroom light, natural daylight, because artificial light will lie to you.
Turn your inner wrist over and look at your veins.
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Blue or purple means you're cool.
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Green means you're warm.
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A mix of both, or you genuinely can't tell, means you're neutral.
If you can't tell, you're most likely neutral, and neutral is the easiest undertone to match.
Do it now, before you keep reading. The rest of this only works if you know your answer.
Then, choose your shade
iyvos BB Cream comes in three shades. The formula is adaptive, which means it melts into your skin and flexes to your undertone rather than sitting on top of it as a flat colour. No ashiness, no orange.
Light is for light skin with cool or neutral undertones. It's our lightest shade, and it's worth knowing that it's built for light skin rather than very fair complexions.
Medium is for light-medium to olive skin with neutral or golden undertones. It's our most universal shade and it's where most people land.
Tan is for medium-deep to tan skin with warm undertones. It creates a natural, healthy warmth without going ashy.
This is the most common question we get, and the answer is better than you'd expect.
Because the formula adapts to your undertone, it's far more forgiving than a foundation. Being between two shades is not the problem it would be with a matched base.
Go lighter for a fresh, natural finish.
Go deeper for a sun-kissed one.
Your skin's own warmth does the rest.
If you tan seasonally, most people are Medium in winter and comfortable in either Medium or Tan by summer, and one bottle carries them through both.
What if I still get it wrong?
Send us a selfie.
Take it in natural light, no filter, no makeup, and email it to contact@iyvos.com. One of our skin experts will look at it and tell you which shade you are.
Not a quiz. Not an algorithm. A person, looking at your photograph, and replying to you.
We'd far rather spend two minutes doing that than have you spend ninety dollars guessing. It's free, you don't have to have bought anything, and it's the single most useful thing on this page.
What is a BB cream, and how is it different to a tinted moisturiser?
Worth clearing up, because the categories have blurred and most people use the terms interchangeably.
A tinted moisturiser is a moisturiser with colour in it. Hydration plus a wash of tint, usually not much else.
A foundation is a colour product. Coverage first, skincare a distant second, and often no sun protection at all.
A BB cream should sit between them, doing skincare and coverage at once. In practice many don't, and are just a tinted moisturiser with a better name.
Ours is built from the skincare side of that line, which means it's doing four jobs at the same time:
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Hydration and barrier repair, keeping skin balanced and reinforcing its own defences
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Broad spectrum SPF 30+, against UVA and UVB
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Sheer to medium buildable coverage, evening tone and texture with a dewy finish
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Active skincare, antioxidants, peptides, vitamins and brightening ingredients that improve texture over time
It's non-comedogenic, so it works across skin types without sitting in your pores.
That combination is why it replaced three products for most of the people who wear it. The moisturiser, the SPF and the base were doing overlapping jobs, and one properly built product does all three without the pilling, the layering and the twenty minutes.
It's 60ml, and that's not a small detail
Most BB creams and tinted moisturisers come in 30 to 40ml.
Ours is 60ml. Close to double, in the same bottle, for something you use every single morning.
We could have made it smaller. Smaller bottles run out faster and sell more often, which is exactly why we didn't.
It's also why the price reads differently once you see it. At $90 for 60ml you're not buying a base, you're buying the moisturiser, the SPF and the base together, and you're buying twice as much of it as the category standard.
How do I apply it?
Last step of your morning skincare, after moisturiser.
Use less than you think. It goes considerably further than a foundation, and almost everyone who finds a BB cream heavy has simply used too much. Start with a small amount and build.
Warm it first, between your fingers or on the back of your hand. This is the step most people skip and it changes how it sits on the skin.
Apply with fingers, a sponge or a brush. Fingers are what most of us use, because the warmth helps it melt in. A sponge gives you a more even, slightly fuller finish.
Build where you want more. It won't go cakey on you.
Give it a minute before you layer anything over the top.
Wear it alone for a fresh, glowing look, or under makeup for extra luminosity and longer wear. It can be built all the way to full coverage.
Common questions
Is SPF 30+ enough on its own? For a normal day, yes. It's broad spectrum SPF 30+ and it's doing the job. On a beach day or a long day outdoors, top up the way you would with any sunscreen.
Will it work on oily skin? Yes. It's non-comedogenic and the finish is dewy rather than greasy. If you run very oily, set the areas you'd normally set.
Will it work on dry skin? Particularly well. The hydration and barrier support are doing real work, and it won't cling to dry patches the way a matte base does.
Does it oxidise or turn orange? No. The adaptive formula flexes to your undertone rather than turning on you.
Can I wear it with my usual makeup? Yes, underneath it. A lot of people use it in place of primer and foundation both.
Is the coverage enough? For most people, and more than they expect once they build it. If you're covering something specific, use it as your base and spot conceal over the top.
How long does one bottle last? It's 60ml against a category standard of 30 to 40ml, so longer than you'd expect. On daily use most people get several months.
What if the shade is wrong? Email us a natural light selfie at contact@iyvos.com before you order and we'll match you ourselves.
