Manuka Doctor CC Cream (Review & Before and After)

I’ve really struggled to get into the BB cream fever; I never really liked any of them, so when I was introduced to Colour Corrector (CC) creams, I was a bit sceptical at first, but I kind of liked the L’Oreal CC cream. So when I was offered to try the Manuka Doctor CC cream, I jumped at the chance to try such an intriguing CC cream containing purified bee venom! I know, how scary does that sound?

Manuka Doctor apirefine CC Cream*, £19.99

This is the Manuka Doctor apirefine CC cream, which contains SPF 20 and purified bee venom. Colour correctors are used to even out the skin tone, and some of them are tinted, which gives you a little bit of coverage as well. The Manuka Doctor CC cream comes in the shade ‘Nude’, which is rather light, especially for anyone with olive or darker skin tones. I’ve been using it as a primer before my foundation, that way you can’t really see that the CC cream is much lighter than my skin tone when it’s covered by the foundation.

This CC cream promises to reduce the appearance of imperfections or dark spots, helping achieve a glowing complexion; I guess the unique thing about it, is the fact that it contains ‘purified bee venom’ and Manuka honey, which supposedly helps fight fine lines and wrinkles. The product comes with a big disclaimer, recommending a patch test before use and not recommending the use of this CC cream by anyone allergic to bee stings, so make sure you pay attention to the warnings and directions before you use this CC cream. I was a little bit scared by the presence of the word ‘venom’ on a skin product; I’m sure it’s perfectly fine, but I was honestly a bit freaked out by that.

When first applied to the skin, it has a creamy texture, almost like a very thin oil, which I think is because of the Manuka honey; it worked well on my dry skin, leaving a nice radiant finish and a smooth base. Besides the fact that the shade didn’t really suit me, I really liked the way my skin felt after the product was applied; however it did take a good couple of minutes for the product to finally sink into my skin before I could apply foundation over the top.

This CC cream can be a great alternative to tinted moisturisers, if you have a fair complexion and minor imperfections! You can see from the ‘Before & After’ pictures above that the results are not really noticeable on me, apart from the fact that my skin looks slightly more even and lighter. I’ve also included a picture of me wearing a full face of makeup with this CC cream underneath my foundation, so you can see that it actually doesn’t look too shabby!

Overall, I’m not quite sure what I think about the CC cream yet; it does perform really well and it made my skin look more radiant and even, but it only comes in one shade which is far too light for anyone with medium and darker skin tones. Also, I’m not too sure what to think about this bee venom ingredient; is rather silly of me, but I can’t help it!

Let us know on the comments below if you’ve tried this before and how you got on with it! This would be super helpful to anyone thinking of buying this product, as all I did was write a full review to tell you that I haven’t made up my mind about it yet – sorry! :)

• Product: Manuka Doctor apirefine CC Cream
• Price: £19.99 (currently down to £12.99)
• Shades: Nude
• Where: Manuka Doctor website

*PR Sample