Hey my Cherubs!
So I wanted to jump on the bandwagon of the most recent craze in the beauty world, or, more accurately, the Western beauty world – BB Creams.
BB (Blemish Balm) Cream is a “wonder” cream which originated from Germany as a medically produced cream which was intended to be used post facial plastic surgery. It’s uses were to generally improve skin condition with healing properties, give protection by containing high SPFs, reduce the appearance of redness and even out skin tone amongst other things.
It recently transpired in the Korean version of Hollywood (Kollywood?), that actresses were using medicinal BB Creams to get flawless looking skin. Once this revelation hit, beauty product manufacturers realised the earning potential and released a massive variety of BB Creams in Korea and other parts of the East. BB Creams are BIG out there and have been around for a while now.
And now, the Western world has cottoned on, with MAC, Bobbi Brown and other leading beauty corporations releasing their version of the BB Cream in the UK and other western markets.
Those clever people at Garnier (always quick to spot a trend) have very recently released their version of the famous BB Cream, called Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All In One BB Cream. So, what does a BB Cream actually do? Well, in the East, its main features are to even out skin tone, heal the skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, protect from the sun with very high SPF, balance out yellow tones in the skin by “whitening” the skin. Whether these creams actually do all of the above, I have no idea, although the Eastern market swears by them.
Here, as I understand it, BB Creams have the main job of 1. Evening out the skin tone, 2. creating 24 hour hydration, 3. acting as a primer by creating a smooth appearance to the skin and 4. protecting the skin from the sun. In plain English – a universal tinted moisturiser!
I am going to focus on the Garnier BB Cream as I just bought it from Superdrug to test out.
It comes in 2 colours – light and medium and claims to do the following:
Evens skintone and boosts glow
Blurs imperfections
Smoothes fine lines
24 hr hydration
SPF 15 UV Protection
The colour choice isn’t great, but as it is supposed to have light reflecting properties, unless you are either end of the spectrum i.e. really pale or darker than say, Mac NC44, you should be ok trying this out.
So, does it work?
SPF – Well it says SPF 15 which is quite low compared to Eastern BB Creams, but I think this is acceptable for normal day to day use where you are not expecting to stay out in direct sunlight. As I usually wear a SPF moisturiser or sometimes a moisturiser and then sun protection lotion, it was really handy to use just one product to protect and moisturise.
Hydration – The product is VERY moisturising, which for my dry/combination skin, is actually ideal. It gives a dewy finish, so if you like a matte finish or have oily skin you probably wont like this. I wore it to work and it maintained the dewy natural appearance all day, with no caking or dry, flaky spots.
Healing Properties – Hmm no idea yet. I will let you know. However, it does contain anti oxidants although unless these are in very high quantities I doubt this will have much effect on your skin. I will monitor and let you know. The pigment is due to mineral powders so this should prevent pores getting clogged and allow your skin to breathe.
Coverage – As already stated, the colour choice isn’t fantastic, but I have to say the medium was perfect for me and gave a very natural finish – basically “my skin but better”. It certainly did not cover any blemishes, but it did make my pores much less noticeable and covered redness around the chin and nose, and as I applied an additional layer onto my undereye area, it helped to reduce the appearance of dark circles. As it leaned towards the more warm tones, I think this is what helped with making my dull, sometimes sallow looking skin appear more bright.
Texture – I probably used a pea sized amount in total on my whole face. It comes out looking and feeling like a thickish foundation, but spreads really quickly and thinly and blends like magic. Once it was blended, my skin felt so smooth and silky, soft – similar in feel to a light primer such as MAC Prep and Prime.
Price – I got this at £7.99 from Superdrug as they had a special offer on. The RRP is £9.99 but you get 50ml of product which is a fair amount.
Overall – I tried to take pictures, but it was hard to pick up the difference on camera. However, here is a swatch against my hand (to the left, unblended, to the right blended in - you can see how shiny and bright it looks).
In person, I saw that my skin looked brighter, cleaner, fresher, more even and really well hydrated. I have to say I really love this product! I have been looking for a tinted moisturiser for some time, but wanted something really natural looking which would not cause my pores to be clogged. I am so pleased that the product eliminates certain steps out of my daily routine and gives me a natural look without having to apply foundation, concealer etc. I have read a lot of reviews and people seem disappointed. As long as you aren’t expecting a skin transplant by using the product, I think you will be pleasantly surprised to use a universal moisturiser that protects and evens out your skin tone and lasts all day. I especially love that I can jump out of bed in the morning and slap one product on my face on those “lazy” days and know I will look fresher and brighter WITHOUT having to wear makeup, and still get SPF protection all day.
5/5 Angel Wings for this one!
