Full disclosure: I'm an absolute Kiehl's addict. I was so thrilled when I heard that they were branching out into cosmetics, as most of my skincare regimen consists of Kiehl's products.

Some background on the BB cream: BB creams were invented by Korea, the nation of skincare gurus. The idea trickled down to Western brands, both high-end and drugstore. However, so many brands who launched their own BB creams didn't understand the concept and merely jumped on the beauty bandwagon.

'Real deal' BB creams are more than just tinted moisturisers. They combine makeup and skincare, including hardcore SPF and treatment aspects like antioxidants or anti-ageing ingredients. Kiehl's BB cream takes the product back to its roots, providing far more than light coverage.

Here's what I loved:
1. It contains SPF50+ for the ultimate sun protection and Vitamin C to treat pigmentation, making it the perfect product for sunny South Africa.
2. The 'Light' shade which I used is refreshingly neutral-toned. I find most BB creams for fair skin in South Africa are either too pink or too orange.
3. The coverage is long-lasting and the formula covers minor imperfections brilliantly.
4. The formula (despite being silicone-free) makes my face look super-smooth, which is always a perk.

Now for the downsides...
1. It smells...bad. Like a mixture of wet paint and freshly ground pepper. And the smell lingers. Not a deal-breaker for me, but it may be for some.
2. When you apply powder over it, like a blush or highlighter, the formula pills. It's best to use cream products if you're going to layer your makeup.
3. The price. I gladly drop dollar on skincare, but R525 for a BB cream is steep. I wouldn't pay more than R450 for a foundation, if I could help it.

If you're serious about skincare and you have the budget, I could not recommend this product more. I will be monitoring my complexion while I use this product for changes in brightness from the Vitamin C and this will be the deciding factor on whether I repurchase this product or not.

Expect another review later down the line.

(The image below is of me wearing the BB cream on its own with a primer. No concealer, no powder, no blush, no highlighter. This is the type of finish it creates...)

Generally not a fan of BB creams, I was pleasantly surprised when I used the Kiehl's Actively Correcting and Beautifying BB Cream. After using my Kiehl's Micro-Blur Skin Perfector, I was ready and set for a flawless BB cream application.

I was most impressed by the fact that it is enriched with Vitamin C and offers broad spectrum SPF50 offering very high protection. The South African sun is relentless and its super imperative that sun protection isn't skipped on anytime during the year. I love that this BB cream does the protecting for you.

Once again it is lightweight and glides onto the skin effortlessly. The price is a bit of a spend at R525 for 30ml.

This BB Cream with Vitamin C and SPF 50 is really lovely and light but adds an extra kick of moisture too. I am using the Light tone, it looks darker than my skin on application but then blends beautifully into my skin tone.

I’m really pleased about the super high SPF which is obviously an essential in our South African sun all year round and not always something I remember to add ON TOP of all the skin care products… which is really rather useless as the NUMBER 1 way to prevent premature aging is by staying out of the sun, or, alternatively, using a SPF everyday!