Review & Swatches! Dr Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm

Hello all! Time for a review of a BB cream that I actually like!  Its a bit on the expensive side..but I've been using it for months and months now..and its totally worth it.

What Sephora says about Dr Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm: "A moisturizer, sunscreen, and treatment serum, this all-in-one product also includes advanced brightening properties. Ideal under makeup, its natural looking coverage minimizes the appearance of imperfections and evens the skintone. Antioxidant bio-peptides and adenosine protect skin from harsh environmental factors while restoring firmness and elasticity. This lightweight formula features mineral sunscreens to provide broad spectrum sun protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Skin is left looking smooth, perfect, and natural. " (source) 

Swatch time!

I bought this last June.  When I went in, I wanted something that would be light on my face, but still even out my skin and make it look better.  I also needed for it to have spf, and withstand my oily skin and sweat (since I was buying this for a personal trip to florida).  

First..before I continue, let me apologize for the worst arm swatch in history.  I know..it sucks..but all of the other swatches came out waay too dark, and so I finally had to resort to taking a pic with my iphone to show the true color of the bb cream (its blended in the area above the watermark).

Ok..that all being said..this stuff is pretty awesome.  While in Florida (in June..which means 80-90* weather), it was able to keep my face looking even and (mostly) shine free.  It didnt rub off during any of the hugs or kisses that were to be had down there, and it didnt betray just how truly oily my skin is.  While I was there, I did set it with a loose dusting of loose powder, but up here (lower NY/CT), its fine without the powder.  It lasts all day, and no oxidizing.  

*The only downsize is that there is only one shade..which means test in the store, and for darker skinned gals..I'm sorry..you're out of luck.

Overall: This is my favorite BB cream to date.  Expensive, but worth it. It doesnt match my skin completely..but once its blended, its pretty hard to tell I'm wearing anything.  Covers up my freckles, but still lets my skin breathe, non oxidizing, evens out skintone..its all good!

39$ @ Sephora

1.4oz

Review and Swatches! Rimmel 9-in-1 BB Cream

Hello all!

Time for the first of a few Rimmel reviews.  I probably should have posted this during the Rimmel 50% off sale, but umm..it wasnt ready yet :D  Dont kill me .  I swear, I had a bunch of other posts that needed to go up first. But its here! And that's what matters right?

Everyone and their momma seems to be putting out their own BB cream.

Whats a BB Cream?  In Asia, apparently they're kick ass. They heal, conceal, and make your skin awesome by healing it, and actually making your skin better when you wear it. In the US ("the west") they're creams that offer better coverage then a tinted moisturizer, but less then foundation (at least that's the idea).

I've tried more then a few that were basically tinted moisturizers, and most of them were not meant for my oily skin.  Some were too dark, and only one so far has been a perfect shade match.

What does Rimmel say about it's brand new 9-in-1 BB Cream?

"Rimmel's 1st 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup 9 in 1 results: Primes, moisturises, minimizes pores, conceals, covers, smoothes, mattifies, brightens, and helps protect. Lightweight, ultra comfortable formula instantly gives a flawless, 100% natural finish. SPF 25"(source)

Rimmel promises a lot with this BB cream.  Did you see that list?  Primes , moisturizes, minimizes pores, conceals, covers, smooths, mattifies, brightens and helps protect.  Whew. Mouthful.

Before I get into the Pros and Cons...some Swatches!

First the Pros:
It evened out my skin nicely.  I have a bit of rosacia in my cheeks, and anything that can tone that down is a win in my book.  It gave my face, not a matte finish, but not super dewy either (satin?).  It lasted a good 4 hours on my oily skin before I noticed some fading. As for some of its "benefits".  Yes, it did brighten, and it did mattify my skin somewhat.  However, it is winter (and snowing still here in Greenwich ) so I'm not getting super sweaty yet.  I do like the fact that it has sunscreen,  however would I use this in place of sunscreen? No.  Not on your life.   The cream itself is a nice consistancy, and i love the way it blended into my skin.  It was super comfortable to wear, and I would have worn it out had I not noticed the color match (I did however wear it all day when I was home).

The Cons:  I chose the lightest shade and the color match was still off.  AHHHG. Its fine.  Maybe in the summer it will work?  I just hate that "white neck, and tan face"look.  Another con?  It does actually settle into my pores.  Do I think people will be looking that closely at my face? No.  Did I notice it? Yes. It also has a sunscreeny scent to it.  Not a fan.

Overall: This would have been a nice daily BB cream for me if the color match for me.  Rimmel foundations (etc) tend to run warm, so I had a feeling this may not work.  The consistency was nice, and it was wonderfully bendable .but I cant wear it if I'm going to have a miss-matched face and neck.

Garnier BB Cream Oil Free in Light-Medium. Review and Swatches!

Hello my pretties!  Today I have a new review for you!  Get ready...its Garnier's new Oil Free BB Cream!

I did a review this past summer on their Original version, and I mentioned then that I'd seen an Oily Skin version. This is the version they released for the US.  I dont know if the UK and US version are different...I'm only reviewing what I have.

That all being said..lets see what Garnier says:

"Instantly controls Shine, Minimizes Pores, Evens, Hydrates" (according to box).

Not bad.  I would have enjoyed the original version more if the stuff hadn't melted off my face and was a better shade match.  Wanna know how this fared? Keep reading!

Click to enlarge pics.

The lotion is vastly different from the original.  There are some added mattifying ingredients, and the shade when compared to the original that came out, is actually a hair more orange.  Also, which I admit annoyed me once I realized it, this BB cream is only 2 oz.  Half an ounce less then the original.  Why discriminate against oily skinned babes?

As for how this did?  Not too shabby!  It evened out my skin nicely, and did a good job of keeping the oilies at bay.  However, it did look slightly powdery once it dried down, and settled into some fine lines around my eyes and mouth. 

How does this differ from the Original?

• No Citrus smell.  The original had a pleasant citrusy smell, that I rather enjoyed   The scent for this reminds me of sunscreen
• Light/Medium for this slightly more orange then Light/Medium for the Original.
• .5oz less in Oily skin version then the Original. 

I apologize, no face shots.  I couldn't take a picture of my face with this on.  The original is actually lighter then this version, so while the other version could pass (and I could go outside with it on), this one definitely made my face orange.

(Ingredients for your viewing pleasure)

(Original on left/Oily skin version on right)

(Oily skin version swatch)

Overall:  My face looks brighter, less dull, and shine free!  If only the shade match was better, then I would definitely use this everyday.  So I recommend gals with Combo/Oily skin to definitely give this a try! However, since it makes me look like I'm wearing a (very pretty) orange mask, I will probably give this away to my cousin (who's olive skinned).

Review & Swatches! Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream in Light/Medium

Todays review is on the new BB cream from Garnier.  BB creams originated in Asia.  BB stands for Blemish Balm (or as we westerners call it-Beauty Balm).  People are going crazy over BB creams  because they're not just skin care or a tinted moisturizer; but they can help heal your skin, and help it look better over time.  BB Creams can be used under foundation, in place of foundation, as a primer, or worn alone.  So far I've shown you (my opinion and experience with ) the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream (click here to read the review).

Here's what the Garnier (site) has to say about their BB cream  "A combination of Hyaluronic Acid, Lipidure Microspheres + Glycerin retains water in the skin, allowing it to maintain superior moisture levels and improve softness and suppleness of skin for 24hours.*Vitamin C provides antioxidant properties, boosts radiance and luminosity of skin.*Mineral Pigments delicately and immediately beautiful skin. The rich pigments instantly melt and spread flawlessly over skin."

(Click to enlarge) 

Garnier was (I believe) one of the first companies that made a bb cream for the drugstore.  Its been out for quite a while, but I was hesitant to pick it up.  As anyone whos super light or super dark can tell u.. "works for most skintones" usually means it doesnt.  I was worried about it being too yellow, or orange.

(you can see a bit of yellow, but its not too bad once applied to the face)

This BB cream actually aint half bad.  The color match wasn't perfect (though I wasn't expecting it to be), but it was good enough where my face looked refreshed and less dull (it didn't give me a mask or "my face is darker then my neck" look).  This cream has pretty strong citrus-y smell, which goes away after about 10 min or so of wearing it.

This definitely brightened and hydrated my face.  As for evening out my skintone, it did ok with that..not perfectly, but my skin definitely looked better.  For me, this isn't one that I'll use all the time.  My skin is combination (oily/normal), and this made my skin look super shiny if I didn't use powder over it.  I've seen on some UK beauty blogs that there's an "oily skin" version of this, and I wish I could get my hands on that, because I'm pretty sure that would have worked much better for me.

Overall: If you don't have a super oily tzone, I think this is worth a shot.  I did like the way my face looked while I was wearing it (if only it didn't turn into an oil slick).  It has vitamin c, which is great for the skin, and also has a bit of SPF which is nice.  For me, it works only if I put powder over it (which isn't ideal in the summer time), but for those with dry, normal skin..I think this is worth a shot!


*I cant compare bb creams here to those made in Asia (I havent tried any asian ones for starters).  The ones in Asia (from what I've read) are true bb creams, and are amazing.  My opinions here are just how it works overall, and if its a worthy investment or not-not whether or not its a true bb cream*


-$12.99 at CVS
-I bought this myself-all opinions are my own

Review & a Story-Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in Light

Let me tell you a little story..a story about my epic journey to get this BB cream.  I first heard about Maybelline's new BB Cream back in April, and started reading reviews about it in May.  It wasn't even due out until June, however I knew I needed it.  I wanted the coverage, and the light feel.  I wanted my face to look fresh and my redness, and unevenness healed.  I wanted- a miracle.  I should have known it wouldn't be my HG, but I knew I wanted to try it from the moment I'd heard about it.  I sent my super awesome husband on runs to every CVS between my hometown of Port Chester NY (10pts if anyone's ever heard of it), and Yonkers.  Even when he was on the road for work, and he'd head into northern Westchester, I'd have him hit up CVS's and Walgreens (he supports my habit ;) ).  Me? I did my part by checking out my local Wags, and the two (yes two..) CVS's we have here in town.  Eventually however my impatience caught up with me, and I ended up ordering this from drugstore.com (which btw..has AWESOMELY fast shipping). The day I received this , my best friend SirenV told me that she had seen the BB Cream in the CVS I had literally stalked just days before.  I talked this up to her, and she picked one up as well.  I figured that it couldn't hurt to have another person's opinion, and I knew she wouldn't lie.  So I tested this baby out for 2 weeks...and well..here are the results.

What Maybelline says: "BB creams combine skincare + makeup in 1 simple step
8-in-1 Skin Perfector:• Blurs imperfections• Brightens• Evens skin tone• Smoothes• Hydrates• Enhances• Protects with SPF 30• 0% oils and heavy ingredients" (from Maybelline site)


Ready for some pics and swatches?

(pretty good shade match)

What I like: I like the shade match.  I didnt get to test this out before I bought it, so I just bought the lightest shade (only benefit of being super pale).  The shade match was actually spot on.  I also like the way my face looks when I first put this on. Its also very hydrating , and has nice spf...and thats about it..


What I didnt like: Everything else..  For starters there's not much coverage.  Its more of a tinted moisturizer.  Its thin, and it goes on nicely, but for me..its super sheer.  It didn't even out skin tone, or hide my imperfections at all.  It also could not hold up against my oily skin.  I tried this for two weeks (wearing it every day), in a variety of situations.  I tried it on a day I was lounging in my AC, I tried it with powder over it...I tried it on a short day where I only wore it for 5 hours, and on a long day for 8.  Nothing I did could keep it from sliding and melting off my face.  My face actually looked worse with it on.  Instead of my face looking lumionous and even, it looked even more greasy and oily.  At one point during a work , I put some pressed powder over it which helped for about an hour, but then my face looked cakey after that.  


I know there are a lot of bloggers out there who love this, and I really really wanted to.  For them it worked, however for me, I just couldnt love it.  I think it might be my oily skin.  SirenV also has oily skin as well, and she encountered the same issues.  


Overall: Its a tinted moisturizer, not really a BB cream.  BB creams offer a bit more coverage, and shouldnt slide off of an oily persons face.  If your skin is dry, combo or normal, it may work for you, however for me, it was a complete fail.  I really wanted to love this, but I couldnt. There was no coverage, and my skin didnt look any better with it on.


What do u all think? Love it? Hate it?


I bought this myself-all opinions are my own.