Garnier BB Cream for Oily/Combination Skin

by janereviews

Garnier BB Cream Oil-Free

I figured I should make my first review on the first new product I’ve used recently. I got the Garnier BB Cream for Oily/Combination skin as part of a review kit from BzzAgent. I was incredibly excited to get this, as I recently realized my MAC foundation (which I’ve been using for the last year) is not the right color for me! It looks fine in artificial light, but I saw my reflection in the sunlight and didn’t like what I saw. I’ve also been wondering if MAC itself was what was breaking me out – I only break out on one side of my face, and so I end up using more foundation there… and maybe break out more as a result? Ugh, dealing with acne is the worst.

Anyway, the BB cream. First: it seriously, seriously mattifies. No joke. I have mostly-oily/combination skin, and after I fell asleep in the BB cream, I woke up to flaking cheeks! That’s not a deal-breaker for me, as I’ve been thinking about using an oil-cleanse method, and I think that might cancel it out. Regardless, I think this product would work best on someone who is more just plain oily than combination-skinned.

Another issue is that the Light-Medium is too dark and orange for me; you can see it on the after photo. I tried to include my neck for comparison; the difference isn’t as stark as it seems there, as my neck is always a bit lighter than my face, but it’s more of a difference than I’d like. This also isn’t a deal-breaker – I’m a fair-skinned Latina, and the closer we get to the summer, the darker I will get. I suspect the color will be a much, much better match at that point (and the SPF and mattifying will be more useful at that point, to boot).

The BB cream is also very liquid. I’ve seen complaints that it’s runny, though I like liquid foundation (easier to blend!) so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for me. It has a sweet floral smell – very light (and nice!) in my opinion, but people who are sensitive (or allergic) to scents may have issues.

The BB cream is just okay on giving coverage. People who are as insecure about acne scarring as myself are probably better off finding a good foundation. It also highlighted the flaking bits of skin around healing pimples in a way I didn’t appreciate. It did a better job covering up the rosacea/redness near my nose, though it caused some flaking on my nose as well. I’m well aware that the flaking issues could probably be solved by exfoliating, but that’s something I avoid to try and prevent the rosacea from flaring up.

Overall, I do think it’s a nice product, but probably not for me (and definitely not until closer to the summer). I’ll probably give it another shot in a couple of months. I would recommend this product for anyone looking for light-to-moderate coverage and very oily skin, on the condition that one of the 4 colors is a good color match.