Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector Oil Free Review

With last summer's success with that BB cream it will come as no surprise that Garnier have launched a new, improved formula this year to steal the 2012 prize for the best BB cream. Enter, Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector Oil Free. Using super absorbing ingredients, the formula literally soaks up excess oil, with special attention directed to the forehead and T-zone areas, to leave skin with an almost matte finish.

The texture is soft and light making it easy to apply and blend. With the added benefit of SPF20 protection it is genuinely quite difficult to find fault with this product, especially as a summer beauty buy. It is ideal for anyone looking for a lighter form of coverage or to cover up blemishes. 

Garnier's BB Miracle Skin Perfector Oil Free is £9.99 and available from Boots.com.

Rating: 9/10 - As with all of the BB creams, you will still need to wear moisturiser underneath as it doesn't quite do everything.

Sanctuary Skin Perfecting BB Cream Review

Yet another BB cream to hit the beauty shelves, but is it as good as the popular Garnier BB cream? The Sanctuary’s Skin Perfecting BB Cream is slightly more expensive and promises to hydrate, illuminate and protect skin.

The ingredients list looks promising with hydrating hyaluronic acid and nourishing grape seed oil on top of several silcas to soak up excess oil and disguise fine lines.

When put to the test, the Sanctuary's BB cream isn’t bad. Although the shade comes out scarily dark, the tone lightens as you apply and does even out skin tone well. The lotion is light and soaks in quickly, and it does contain SPF 15 protection so it's ideal for everyday use.

While it doesn’t provide the same amount of coverage as your foundation and concealer might, the Sanctuary’s BB cream certainly gives your complexion a boost and makes your skin look brighter and healthier.

As with all BB creams though it won’t do the job of your moisturiser, so apply your day cream underneath.

Sanctuary’s Skin Perfecting BB Cream is £14.99 and available from Thesanctuary.co.uk.

Rating: 6.5/10 – There’s definitely enough to like about this beauty product, especially as it’s so light in texture, but it is not revolutionary in its results.

Estee Lauder DayWear BB Crème Review

BB Creams are having their moment, although I suspect this one from Estee Lauder will stick around for a while yet. Having changed the original BB from Blemish Balm to Beauty Benefit, this particular BB Cream promises to protect skin while giving it an instant, even-toned, healthy look – no mean feat for a beauty product.

With a formula packed full of anti-oxidants like vitamin’s C and E, as well as the all-important SPF35, Estee Lauder has definitely ticked the box for protecting. However, what really makes this BB Cream stand out is the effect it has on your complexion. It illuminates skin and gives it a natural-looking shimmer.

Unlike some of the other BB Creams, this one has a light texture and is easy to apply. You only need a very small amount and you might need concealer to touch up blemishes still, but this could easily replace your foundation in the summer if you want lighter coverage.

If you have oily skin, this is a great beauty product. However, if you have dry to combination skin you will definitely need to apply a healthy amount of moisturiser underneath if you wearing this every day as the formula doesn’t give skin much hydration.

Estee Lauder’s DayWear BB Crème is £32 and available from Selfridges.com.

Rating: 7/10 – I don’t think BB Creams are for everyone, especially if you already wear tinted moisturiser, primer, foundation etc as it’s just another cream to apply. However, if you don’t tend to wear much this one from Estee Lauder is perfect for giving your complexion an instant boost.

If you want to read up on more BB Creams, check out my review on Clinique’s Age Defense BB Cream.

Clinique Age Defense BB Cream Review

2012 is clearly the year for BB Creams - aka Blemish Balms - in the UK, however the multi-tasking beauty product has been a hit in Asia for a while. Several beauty brands have launched BB Creams in the last few weeks and each differ slightly in what they offer.

Clinique promises to soothe, hydrate and conceal with its Age Defence BB Cream, but how does it work? Iron oxides and silica pigments provide coverage for fine lines and wrinkles, while vitamin E and a combination of chemical sunscreens provide SPF30 and protect skin from the environment, and caffeine soothes and stimulates. 

To live up to its promise of hydration, Clinique has created a hydration complex comprising of trehalose, carboxylic acid both of which retain moisture, and sodium hyarulonate which is one of the best natural moisturising components. Together all three ingredients help hydrate and moisturise skin throughout the day, picking up where your day cream left off.  

While Clinique’s BB Cream doesn’t quite live up to hype, it does provide a relatively good amount of coverage, especially if you use it as a primer and mix it with your foundation.

On its own the pink shade can wipe out natural colour and leave you with a blank canvas, making foundation and blusher or bronzer essential. If you are looking for a moisturising primer that will conceal stubborn blemishes however, this could definitely be a beauty buy for you.

Clinique’s Age Defense BB Cream is £25 from Clinique.co.uk.

Rating: 6/10 – The beauty product didn’t quite live up to its promises, however it’s a mixed review as if you did use it as a primer it would certainly excel. It just depends what you want from Clinique’s BB Cream.