Readers of my earlier posts will know that one of my must have products is Garnier Miracle Skin Protector BB Cream – it moisturises, has SPF15 protection, covers imperfections & blemishes, provides natural looking coverage, smells gorgeous and makes my skin glow....all for a very purse friendly £9.99 (avg RRP) – whats not to love?
But what exactly is a BB Cream and are they different to a tinted moisturiser?
According to Wikipedia, a BB (Blemish/Beauty Balm) Cream is promoted as one facial cosmetic product to replace serum, moisturiser, primer, foundation and sunscreen.
Originally created in the 1960s by German dermatologist Dr Christine Schrammek to apply to patients skin after peel treatments, but they soon became popular in Korea and other eastern markets as the original formulations suited the skintone of asian women but were often deemed to pale for the western population.
The western market has since exploded and now virtually every cosmetic company has it’s own selection of BB creams offering a massive choice of formulations and shades to suit every different skin type.
All these new offerings made me wonder if Garnier was still the best one out there for me so I decided to trial a few of the other brands and here’s what I discovered...
First up was Maybelleine Dream Fresh BB cream (£7.99) which comes in 4 shades and promises 8-1 skin benefits including SPF30 protection, all day hydration and perfect looking skin in an instant. I really liked the gel-like texture of this cream snd it left my skin velvety smooth but it didn’t really provide the coverage it promised although my skin did look healthier and the SPF 30 is definitely a bonus, so overall I would score this one 8/10.
Secondly it was the turn of L’Oreal Nude Magique which comes in 2 shades and contains smart pigments which break on application and self adjust to the skintone to leave flawless looking skin. Personally I didn’t really find much to like with this one – it had a really runny consistency which made it very messy to apply, and when on it left my skin looking chalky and patchy with nowhere near enough moisturising properties so unfortunately I would only score this 4/10!
Next came GOSH BB Cream (£9.99) which comes in 5 shades and claims to provide natural coverage that adapts to skintone and leaves skin soft & smooth. This one has quite a thick consistency and felt comforting and moisturising when applying it but unfortunately the effects wore off quite quickly and my skin began to look patchy. It did offer good coverage though aswell as offering the widest range of shades of the products i tried, it would maybe be more suited to someone with combination or oily skin and I would score this 7/10.
Lastly I tried Olay Total Effects Touch of Foundation (9.99) which comes in 2 shades both of which contain a combination of their Total Effects moisturiser and Max Factor foundation, offering 7-1 skin & anti-ageing benefits and a perfectly even skintone. I really liked this one although the cream felt a bit heavy when I first applied it and it takes a while to blend evenly but it definitely offered the best coverage and moisturisation of those I tried, although it is best suited for mature skin. I would score this at 8/10.
So after trialling some of the other brands on the market I have discovered that formulations have much improved since these wonder products first appeared on the scene and it is definitely worth trying more than one to get the best one for your skin type.
But for me I will still be sticking to my Garnier Miracle Skin Protector (Superdrug offer now £7.49) which now comes in 4 different formulations for including sensitive, oil-free, anti-ageing and the original each in 2 shades so there really is now one for everyone. Although I will still be trying others when the chance arises so if I change my mind you will be the first to know!
So there you have it, my guide to BB Creams, I hope you enjoyed reading it and if you find a BB cream that is perfect for you let me know which one and why you like it....here’s to peachy looking skin in 2013!
Speak to you all again very soon
xx
