Garnier Skin Perfector BB Cream Oil-Free Review

I was absolutely thrilled to be one of the testers for the Garnier BB Cream in Oily Combination skin as I had used the Garnier BB Cream for Normal skin in light for probably about 5 years and I absolutely loved it however as soon as I hit 30 my skin changed to more combination skin so I had to change up my BB cream to meet the needs of my skin.

The first thing I noticed with this product is that the tube is long and thin and quite different to the others in the range, the dispensing tip was different too, it was a pointed nozzle rather than the standard flat nozzle. I found I preferred the pointed nozzle as it allowed more control over how much product used. The consistency is a lot runnier than the standard Garnier BB cream which made me a little hesitant as I thought the coverage would be not as great, however I was pleasantly surprised, I found the coverage to be a little better than the BB cream for normal skin.

Application, I used both my fingers and a flat top kabuki brush, I definitely preferred using my fingers as I found I could work the product into my skin a little better and I liked the finish. I did find that when I applied without a primer the product tended to sit into creases/fine lines a little but was easily resolved with a little primer and tapping the product into these areas rather than just rubbing over.

Colour wise I used the shade light and I would liken it to the Lioele triple the solution colour but perhaps a tiny bit darker, it was perfect for my skin tone when I used a little bronzer around my cheek bone area.

Results, the biggest thing I noticed here was that I didn’t have to use a setting powder after application, it is definitely a matte finish and I found I could get a good 5-6 hours wear without looking oily. The product is easily applied and the formulation covered my redness and evened out my skin tone. I didn’t find it too drying but was thrilled that the oil free formulation worked well with my combination skin.

This is definitely the BB cream for me and I am so glad I have found it!

I've been using this product for "light" skin tones, which is the lightest available color, however when worn, it is still a bit too dark for my skin tone and gives that badly matched foundation look unless the color is countered with a lighter powder over the top. The consistency of the product is very liquid, so it's easy to end up using too much. I've found that using a foundation brush to apply has been the best way to control this as I can wipe off excess product before applying.

Overall, it provides a bit of coverage and lasts all day without feeling like I'm wearing a lot of makeup. I did get comments about how healthy and "glowy" my skin was looking when I first wore it.

I haven't had a blemish breakout since I started using it which is a plus, as my skin will usually have major breakouts when using new products.

I would definitely use this again if it came in a wider range of shades with one available for a lighter skin tone.

With any of these 'miracle' products I'm always a little sceptical. I had heard mixed reactions to this product so was really excited to try it for myself! I normally use a Mac or Clinique foundation, with Mac Concealer and a light bronzer for blending and colour. I have not used Concealer or Foundation since starting this trial! I am officialy in love with this BB cream! I normally have a 3pm oily glow on my face and need to touch up foundation, this BB cream eliminated that, my skin looks even and healthy, AND to top it off it's made getting ready SOOOOO much faster! I seriously cannot rave enough about this product! the only downside for me (and this is a tiny downside) is that its quite runny so if I rush I end up pouring too much out. I will definitely continue to purchase this and reccomend to all my friends!

Initial thoughts are that it felt very heavy when I first applied the the cream. I used it for a few days and after getting used to the product I have changed my mind. It goes on smoothly, you need to use very little of the product and almost feels like a powder once its on. I have tried mixing it with a little of my regular moisturiser too and this seems make it go even further and doesn't feel quite so heavy. I have used it as a concealer and then set with my regular face powder and this seem to last all day. I like it but it would take some getting used to and not sure I would switch from my regular BB cream!

Packing: In a nice slim tube in 40ml size.

Color: I got the light colour from BR but it was too light for me. So I bought a medium colour from Countdown and it turned out to be little dark for me. I ended up blending the two to get the right shade of colour for me. I am very particular about getting the right tone of shade to match my face, neck and shoulders. I don’t like different shades on my body and prefer an even look. On researching online I found that Garnier does have light/medium and medium/deep shades overseas. Wonder why they didn’t release it in NZ?

Price: Price varies $10 - $18 but I got the second tube for $10 from Countdown, which is very reasonable for a daily use BB cream.

Smell: It has a light hint of alcohol smell which is not to my liking.

Trial: The consistency of this product is very runny. I had to pour it in a small jar to blend my light and medium shades. I applied the BB cream after moisturising my face. Since the consistency is runny, I could dab it on the face with my fingers and even it instead of using a foundation brush. On application it does evens the tone quickly and smoothens the skin but made my skin look way too dry. As the name suggests it's an oil free cream, no setting powder is required on this product.

On my second trial I applied a primer after moisturising and then applied the BB cream. This made my skin glow and gave a fresh dewy look. I like this look more and received compliments from husband too.

This product did last over 6 hours on my face before it got oily which is not bad at all for a daily use. I have been trying this product for over a week and like this natural look.

I would buy this product again only if they come up with light/medium shade.

The consistency of this product seems to be halfway between a liquid and a cream which I thought was a bit odd. It was easy to put on my face, but since I usually put it on the back of my hand and sponge it on, I felt like it may have run off the edge of my hand if I wasn't careful enough. This made me feel like I had to seriously think about what I was doing- On a Monday morning, I don't think.

I had the medium coloured one, and I felt like it was a bit orangey on me. My mum swore it didn't, but I did feel like it was just slightly more orangey than my other BB cream- But it may be that I just need the light going into winter (but this would be the first case of me ever needing a lighter one, as my skin has never lightened up for winter).

I do love the way this BB cream seriously smooths my skin and brightens it up. It covers the redness in my cheeks beautifully, that I need minimal extra concealer (which I almost always need with other BB creams).

I felt that this didn't feel heavy on my skin, it was beautifully light with some seriously nice coverage. I didn't expect something that light on my skin was going to make it look so stunning.

I also found that this BB cream had some serious lasting power, even without primer. I slapped it on before leaving the house at 9, had to go shopping, and then spent three hours in the kitchen, stressing out over the stove and everything, and by the time it was time for me to get ready at 5 (Partners 21st), the BB cream was still there, still looking flawless. This was without any touch ups, powder, or primer. It is seriously impressive stuff.

I didn't find the scent of this product either pleasant nor unpleasant. It wasn't something that I thought "Hell naw I'm not putting that on my face" but it wasn't something I was saying "OMGSH need on my face" either.

I think I might give this all five stars if I tried the light shade and it wasn't as orange. The consistency and slight orangeyness of this is the only thing I am iffy about of this product.

I really love this product!

Having also previously tried the Garnier BB Cream for Normal skin, I was surprised to see how different the two formulations are.

For a start, the texture is completely different - the Normal formulation is thick and quite gluggy, whereas the Oil-Free formula is very light and goes on much more smoothly. I found that this meant I could put a thin layer all over my face, then build up additional coverage where I needed it, without it getting too orange/patchy/thick looking.

The tone is also quite different - I found I had to be careful with the Normal skin version in 'light' because it actually wasn't that light and could make me look orange if I applied too much. In contrast, the 'light' Oil-Free version is a great colour for my pale freckly skin. It gives me a healthy golden glow without looking fake, and does a great job of covering freckles, redness and that purply translucent skin around the eyes when I'm tired!

And finally the matte finish is very different - the Normal skin version made me look very shiny, whereas the Oil-Free one is great at keeping me shine-free.

I have been wearing this product alone, in place of a foundation, and find it gives plenty of coverage and stays put for a day in the office. I would reapply to go out at night, but I would do that with a foundation anyway, so was really impressed with the coverage and staying power for a lighter product.

Does it do what it says? On the whole, yes. It definitely gives skin an even tone, a healthy glow and a nice matte finish, and the SPF 15 is a good inclusion for NZ too. I'm not 100% convinced that it would reduce the size of pores, that seems like a big claim, but maybe if I keep using it for longer, that will come true... fingers crossed!

Overall, I've found this product really great, and will definitely keep using it, for a fuss-free, oil-free everyday makeup product that is actually doing my skin some good.

This product gives the fresher look for longer. It keeps the skin dry and also gives an even tone to the skin. Just a little bit on your face gives that amazing fresh look.

This is very light and thin so it is easy to spread on your face. Awesome product. You need to be a bit careful in opening the tube as the liquid is a bit runny .This is good value for money and lasts as well as you only need a little bit for once.

I used it to patch up the uneven tone of my skin and it worked very well and I strongly recommend this product. My skin is quite oily and this helped me look oil free for a longer time.

I have oily-combo skin thats also sensitive to many things and end up with reactions. I have been wearing this several times this week and its been amazing!

My skin is less oily and its so easy to apply, i applied once using a sponge and found i actually was easier to used a couple of fingers lol. I love how even it looks and the Matte finish is brilliant. I think I will be using this from now on. The price is pretty good when i looked while in town earlier today!

I chose the medium shade for my brown skin, unfortunately it didn't match my skin tone. But I still used it just to see if it does what it supposed to do. After applying a lil toner and lil moisturizing cream I put the BB cream on. Even though it wasn't my colour it came out pretty good. It was well absorbed and skin felt soft throughout the day. I did put a lil Thin Lizzy on top to make the colour a bit darker for my skin. I have extremely oily skin so it was nice to see my skin was a lil less oily at the end of the day. I'm hoping they'll release a darker shade in the near future :)