Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in Light/Medium
That's right! This little girl took herself to a CVS after a week of back-to-back midterms and a day of observations at the hospital. (grad school is no fun!) It was time to give myself a treat... especially before my next relentless week begins. I picked up a Milani HD Advanced Lip Color in Classy Nude and a new Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eyeliner Felt Pen as well (Swatches to come! Hope this pen can work as well as my Dollywink!) Anywho, I couldn't wait to to get home and try this BB Cream out.
First off- it smells amazing! It reminds me of how Korean facial products smell, like from Laneige or AmorePacific. I don't know how else to describe it~ I guess, lightly fragrant? I don't know, but I wanted to keep applying more, especially near my nose. :P
I also noticed how light the texture was. It was cool on the skin and not dense at all. Most Asian BB creams have a more pasty texture and require more effort to evenly smooth over the skin. This is nothing like a true BB cream. People say Asian BB cream is inbetween foundation and tinted moisturizer. I think this is Garier BB cream is inbetween Asian BB cream and tinted moisturizer, if that makes sense! haha
As I rubbed it in, it was thin and somewhat watery. Not in a "runny liquid" kind of way, but like a water-based moisturizer. It quickly matched my skin tone and did not leave a gray, pasty film over my skin like Asian creams do. It just felt like a non-greasy daytime moisturizer.
The finish is sheer, but buildable to "light." I have yellow undertones and it seemed to blend in just fine with my NC25 color. This picture was taken as soon as I blended it in.
I waited a few minutes to let the product skin in and took a picture with more sunlight. The finish is not dewy, satin, or matte. It's just simply natural tinted moisturizer. Not bad, huh? :)
The reason why I wanted to get this BB cream is because 1) it's affordable, 2) I want to see American drugstore brands' take on this Asian sensation, and 3) I wanted to compare it to Origins Vitazing. I can already tell its nothing like Vitazing. That moisturizer leaves a really tacky feeling on my skin the second I put it on. I could already feel the oil lining up behind my pores, just waiting to make me look like a greaseball. This one dries like normal moisturizer on my skin.
I don't know how combination/oily people swear by Vitazing + MAC MSFN... really... I want to know their secret. I've tried it so many times, but it's a disaster waiting to happen because both already make me oily/break out on their own.
Anyyyyyways! I have already dusted MAC MSFN over half of my face to test it out for the rest of the day. It's already been an hour and my skin is doing well on both sides. In fact, there's no difference at all between the two!
(BB cream + eyeliner only)
Initial thoughts - BB cream? No. Miracle skin perfector? No. Evens tone? Yes. Hydrates? Yes.
Though this is not anything like a true Asian cream in texture, it is in theory with all the infused perks of having hydration, color, vitamins, and SPF all in one product. I already like it better than Vitazing and I am obsessed with the scent. The finish is pretty natural. As you can see the in the photos above, 2 layers of the BB cream left me with sheer coverage with evened skin tone + freckles peeking through. I'll keep trying it with MAC MSFN for lazy days and will try it as a basic moisturizer under my foundation on days I want a full face. Will keep you guys posted!
