Whilst intrigued, I wasn't willing to go to ebay, or online purchasing to try the new hyped product of the moment. I've had too many letdowns in the past by giving in to hype.
But then, BOOM - Garnier jumps in with their own version of BB cream, available to buy in the UK (Superdrug and Boots)
BB stands for Blemish Balm.
Taken from wikipedia: Originally formulated in Germany, by Dr. med. Christine Schrammek, it was initially used by dermatologists to help laser surgery patients protect, soothe and refine highly sensitive skin while providing light coverage for post-laser scars, acne and other blemishes.
In recent years, BB cream has become very popular in asia, and slowly the popularity is spreading elsewhere...
Garnier BB cream retails for £9.99, however superdrug currently have it on offer at £7.99, so if you want to give it a try - now's the time to grab it!
The Conclusion
I really wanted to test this out well before reviewing it, so myself and both my teenage daughters have trialled it for a bout 3 weeks.
My first impression was that the cream is very perfumed. I don't like that about it, and feared it might break me out as my skin is very sensitive, but so far my skin hasn't reacted at all, nor have my daughters. If anything I feel my skin texture has improved, but a week is still fairly early days...
It only comes in 2 shades - light and medium. I bought light and it is still darker than my skin (I'm pale face, oh yeah!), however it can blend to work regardless.
The cream is very thick, but you still need a generous amount to get good coverage on your face. Too little and you may as well not have bothered. I would suggest practising with this before throwing it on to go to work / school / college. I tested it on my hand to see how it looked, before using on my face. It made the skin look smoother, and more tanned (I have it in light but it is still darker than me). I feel when applied correctly it does the same for my face...
The cream only spreads so far and then stops: REALLY hard to explain but when you try to blend it in, you'll feel for yourself. The spread is smooth to a point and once it's hit a certain blend - it will go no further. This is not really a problem, once you ensure you use enough to get a decent coverage, and no tide lines (not pretty!)
Both my daughters had comments at school: "It makes your skin look flawless" "It's really natural" "You have a nice tan". The tan bit is from the light formula - so pale people...be aware! You need to test it in store to see if it will adjust to your colouring.
I have worn this both as a primer, under my foundation, and alone. I don't moisturise before application, as it's meant to be an all in one. At times I felt my skin became too dry from no moisturizer though, so after about 2 weeks, I did start to use some underneath. This will be an individual thing in relation to if you have dry or oily skin. The cream performed really well - it stays on all day, and I didn't notice my t zone getting oily, (unless I had moisturised first), which it usually does.
In Conclusion
I guess the main question is "would you buy it again?" And my answer is I'm not sure, not because I don't like it - but because I feel it's quite expensive and will be used up quite fast, as you need so much to get a good coverage.
What I can say for certain is that it has made me excited to see what BB creams other companies come up with in competition. The thought of putting a cream that is treating your skin on daily, instead of a foundation - makes me a very happy girl!
I think I prefer this worn as a "primer", with my usual foundation over the top - it just makes everything look more polished, and smoother.
Have you tried it? What did you think?
ps sorry for no "before/after" images - my camera just isn't good enough to efficiently show the effects. I did try :)
