I’m coming to the end of a massive BB cream hunt. I settled on Revlon Nearly Naked in Ivory for my foundation, but I prefer a BB cream for everyday. Of course most of these are American BB creams, so they’re really just pumped up tinted moisturizers. Anyway, on to the reviews! I did some drugstore brands and a few higher end. My skin is dry, especially around the nose and mouth, so I always apply regular Cetaphil moisturizer before I put on BB Cream.
L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream in Fair // It worked the first day or two and then something happened. It settles directly into my pores and fine lines and dries out my chin, mouth and nose really bad. The formula itself is okay, but I didn’t love it. It comes out white with little color crystals in it? When you blend it in it becomes the light color which I felt matched pretty good, but it just made my dry patches look so bad! It also has no SPF so that’s a bummer. I usually wear sunscreen anyway so it’s not a huge deal. All the others have SPF though so it stood out that it doesn’t have it.
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light // This was my second favorite of the batch. It was a little watery but it sank in without making my pores look big. It dried my nose out a little around the nostril area. The color was a good match and it gave decent coverage. It gives a nice dewy look without being greasy, but it faded out by the end of the work day.
Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in Fair/Light // I looked everywhere for this in my shade, and it’s just okay. I wanted to love it because I tried a sample before buying the full size and it was light and velvety. I thought it was more pink toned, but it’s definitely warmer. In the summer it might work but for right now I feel like it’s a bit too dark. It’s the most moisturizing of the bunch but it mainly translates as greasy. The coverage is good but not full, so if you need to cover up blemishes you’ll still need concealer.
Revlon Photoready BB Cream in Light // This is the one I’m keeping and using as my main BB Cream. If I properly moisturize before I use this, there’s no problem with my skin drying out. The color is a little more warm-toned than I’d like, but the coverage is sheer enough that it’s not glaringly obvious on my skin. Even though it’s sheer, it still evens out my skin tone. If I’m broken out, it lessens the redness but I still need a little concealer. It’s the creamiest of these four so it blends well. It gives that dewy effect without being greasy. I love Revlon in general so I’m glad that this worked out. It was actually the most impulsive buy because I did zero research. I don’t recommend that approach but I’m glad it paid off this time.
Not pictured are the high end brands that I tried and have since returned:
Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45 // This is the only one on this list that can be called a real BB Cream, and I’ve liked other formulas from Dr. Jart but, with all due respect, this went back to Sephora so fast. Too sticky. The single tone adjusting BB Creams don’t ever work on me aaaand this was no exception. I know they’re supposed to self adjust but I was paranoid about looking like a floating head. I had a weird cast on my face, and oh my god I need moisture, but I felt like this BB cream was sticky and shiny the entire day. Not in a dewy, fresh way. I looked straight up sticky.
Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen in Fair // This felt more like a primer than anything. It was very velvety at first but dried down to an almost powdery texture. It gave almost no coverage. I love Tarte because they use very natural ingredients and high reviews so I feel like I’m missing out on something. I wanted to like it but the formula just and this particular product got such great reviews. It just didn’t agree with me.
Aaand that’s it. I sampled a pretty wide array of BB creams and I forgot how nice it is to have a product you know and love. Looking for new products sucks, even though I love the rush of trying a new beauty thing.
