Garnier Skin Perfector BB Cream Oil-Free Review

I have a love-hate relationship with BB creams; while I love the concept of them, I have never been able to find one suitable for me... Until now.

When I first looked at the packaging, it clearly stated its target user: fair skinned people with oily-combination skin. As a 30-something woman who still has a terrible t-zone, I figured I was in their demographic. The packaging also had clear directions, which i find incredibly useful so that I can make sure I'm using it as intended.

As the direction stated, I first washed my face, then applied the bb cream using my freshly washed fingers. At first application, I was impressed! Firstly, the color was light enough for my skin; a rarity among most bb creams I've tried. It a bit more on the yellow/orange hue, but not dramatically when blended well. Secondly, it did a great job at making my skin tone even and minimising redness (possibly due to the yellow hue) To reduce redness further, I applied a second coat as directed to by the directions. This helped coverage further, but with a natural appearance.

What really impressed me with the bb cream was its wearability. Not only did it matte the oily sections, it didn't feel overly dry on the other sections. Throughout the day, the bb cream stayed in place and didn't streak off, even when I touched my face. I've worn it both with and without a translucent powder, and the powder obviously protects it further, the by itself it stays on very well. I look forward to trying this in warmer weather to see if it still holds true.

Over all, I'm very impressed. I think I found my new go-to bb cream!!

For starters I have fairly oily skin most of the time, I am prone to breakouts (have terrible ones at the moment) My pores are quite noticeable and I have acne scars.

The packaging is OK, the tube is longer than the other ones in the range I think, and longer and thinner than other BBs I have. The product itself was a lot runnier than I expected, so I made a bit of a mess when I first opened it. I'm not a big fan of the smell, there seemed to be a chemical like undertone to it which put me off a bit.

I tried different ways to apply it over the days I trialed it, I found that putting it on with my fingers then buffing it out with the beauty blender worked quite well for an even coverage. The first day I trialed with no primer or powder, I was just around home - which was good because the coverage is fairly light. You can build it a little, but I found the thicker I went the more orange I went (I used light and it is definitely not a good match for my skin, I think I would need an even lighter shade). It also didn't last very long before it was looking patchy (it dries to a powdery finish and it's a bit like it draws into certain spots leaving others barer.)

With primer and powder the coverage was a little better and I was able to take some of the orange out with a light powder, but the colour definitely isn't a very good match for my skin. It also ended up a little cakey on my chin and upper lip, but a lot of products seem to do this for me.

I don't feel that it matches up to some of it's claims - I still went shiny. It wasn't enough coverage for my blemishes and my skin felt really dry at the end of the day. Also, after the trial I've broken out pretty badly, because the only thing I changed in my routine was this BB cream I think it is linked unfortunately.

Based on my experience it wouldn't be the first one that I recommended, but for someone who's skin matched the colouring and had fairly clear skin, it would probably be OK for a light coverage.

So as I can have a quite oily t-zone I thought this product would be a great one to try, so when this trial came up I was thrilled! This product has quite a watery consistency which makes applying a bit difficult, so I opted for my beauty blender and applied the product to the sponge then all over my face, the coverage is all right, its buildable though, it leaves you with glowy skin, which I thought was absolutely beautiful,I also used my usual concealer and powder with it for more coverage, this made the look more matte. I found the foundation lasting me all day even if I got oily the product helped contain it. The BB cream I chose was light, the lightest shade they offer and I still found it a bit orangey for my skin tone, but this is an easy fix with powder. The packaging is very simple, like mainly any other Garnier product, but I like their packaging personally so it wasn't an issue for me at all. It smells like a moisturiser(Garnier one). I have only used the product for a week so I cant see any major differences in my skin yet but am looking forward to seeing the change, I love the way it makes my skin look though and contains any oily patches that might occur during the day, I was thoroughly impressed with the results so far and am looking forward to more. I think this product would be great for anyone that struggles with oily skin throughout the day and are looking for a way to control it, I also think it would be perfect for people who enjoy the "no makeup" makeup look as the coverage is quite minimal. Overall I may purchase this product again if I see a major improvement in my skin over the 4 weeks, I am very excited to see how it goes!

I have used the standard Garnier BB Cream when it first came out, and it wasn' for me. However the oil-free formula is much better suited to my skin.

The formula is a lot thinner and doesn't feel so think and gunky on my skin. It goes on smoothly and feels like my skin can still breathe.

Sheer coverage, and while not matte, it does reduce the shine on my face. Pleasant light fragrance, so you can barely smell it at all, which is always a bonus.

A good priced product. I may not end up wearing it everyday, but it does feel great and I will definitely use it again.

I found the consistency of this BB cream to be quite watery but to be honest that is what I liked about it because it enabled the product to have a nice finish. Unlike other BB creams I have tried this one set on my face and did not slide off during the day which is great for oily skinned girls. I did not find the product to have any smell which does not phase me. It gives me light coverage which is to be expected from a product like this. I did find that this product helped hydrate my skin and I liked the fact that it had an SPF of 15 in it. The only issue that I have with this product is the shade range. As I am a pale skin girl I got the shade light and it was too dark for my skin tone. I would consider re-purchasing if they bring out a lighter shade.

I have oily skin and am always looking out for a BB cream which can deliver and keep my oil at bay, so was excited to be part of this trial.

My first impression was a product which was quite runny, and far less creamy than previous BB creams I have tried. The packaging didn't hello with this problem as the container is designed to stand lid downwards, which makes the product run out worse. The advantage of a more runny formula was ease of use and it was certainly very smooth and light to apply, without any caking - although application was a little streaky so watch out for this!

On top of oily skin I also have quite sensitive skin and I was a bit nervous trying this as my skin can react to changes in my skin routine. The first two days of using this I had breakouts but I kept using this and they stopped, so it may have just been my skin adjusting. The product promises various results within 4 weeks so I have not used the product long enough to attest to those claims, but longevity was good and it did last all day without my face turning into an oil slick which was great! The product also promises that this can be applied lightly of built up for extra coverage. I found that it required several coats to get any sort of coverage happening, probably due to the thin formula, although remember a BB cram isn't designed to replace a foundation in terms of coverage.

I was really pleased with the performance of this BB cream but ultimately would not buy it again because of the shade. I opted for light but unfortunately my skin is pale as a ghost and the light was far too dark for me. If it came in a lighter shade I would use this and the shade aside, I would recommend to friends with oily or combination skin.

I received this in "Light" from BR.

My skin: oily, large pores on my nose and inner cheeks and some icepick scars from acne, and some post-inflammation hyperpigmentation. Now that it's winter, my skin isn't quite as oily but still gets a bit shiny through makeup during the day, depending on what I use.

Shade range: I've used "Medium" in the past and still have half a tube on hand - it's ever so slightly too dark for my currently NC30 skin tone. "Light" is just a little too light. "Medium" works well on my forehead, and I mix the two for the rest of my face.

Texture: it just flows out the tube so you have to be careful when dispensing it. I wish it came with a pump! It spreads easily if I'm using it on top of moisturiser, which I have been doing because I find that otherwise it dries a little too fast and clings to any dry or flaky patches, particular on/around my nose or blemishes.

How I use it: moisturise with the Olay Complete All-Day Moisturiser SPF for Oily to Combination skin, and work the BB cream in while it's still damp. Otherwise I find that the BB cream can emphasize my pores and dry patches as mentioned above.

I tried it as a primer and the foundations I tried on top just seemed to cake on and grip even more to any dry patches I had (YSL Teint Touche Eclat, Giorgio Armani Maestro, Clinique Pore Perfecting foundation).

Coverage: It's pretty light coverage - it won't cover dark circles or blemishes but it evens out skintone. I do find that because the coverage is quite sheer, it won't be too much of an issue if you are fairly close to the colour. It's a shame that there is such a limited shade range. "Light" would be about NC20-25, and the "Medium" about NC35 in MAC terms, so I think it would be pretty hard for the very pale and very dark skinned to find a match.

It dries to a powder finish and I find that it emphasises all the texture in my skin -- the pores, the sebaceous filaments, the bumpy texture due to old acne. Also, on its own I find that I get much shinier than I do when I use it on top of my moisturiser. My theory is that it's actually pretty drying so my skin overcompensates by producing more oil, but who knows. It might be good for the very oily to use on its on but of course your mileage may vary.

Does it do what it says on the tin? Shine control and matte finish: no shine control, dries to a matte powdery finish.

Reduces pores: emphasizes mine. They are pretty big though!

Corrects blemishes: it's pretty light coverage and my blemishes and pigmentation still show through.

Evens complexion: yes

Hydrates: not on me, seems to dry my skin out.

UV protection SPF15: I assume so!

I think this would only work on me on good skin days where I didn't have a lot to cover (or don't care), and if I were very oily with absolutely no dry patches or fresh open spots (sorry, gross).

Apologies for the novel. I think there are probably better tinted moisturiser-type products out there for me.

I have never used BB cream before and I am definitely not disappointed! What can I say I thought it was brilliant.

Package: The box is basic - its a box. Nothing particularly stands out is fantastic about the box. If anything I would be tempted to say the box is very busy - a little cluttered. I found the box had so many facts, in fact so many it became boring to read, and so much information on it but it had very little on how to use the product which I found very disappointing. Fortunately its the product I am reviewing and not the packaging. On the back of the box there is a recommended age group timeline, a few of us had a look at this and I was grateful that it was not only me who couldn't understand this as half the line is shaded green and half is shaded white. This left us wondering what the recommended age group is - the green or the white side or perhaps in the middle?

The tube: This is far more impressive than the box. Simple and uncluttered. Tal and sleek. The back of the tube repeats what the front of the tube says but in 9 different languages, is this needed? However I like the look of the tube.

The product: I would like to point out that it is 40ml not 30ml as the review/beauty review information says. It was a lot runnier than I was expecting and with just a gentle squeeze a lot came out, on my first application I was a little surprised how much gushed out. I was unsure how much to use as I had never used BB cream before and there was no instruction on how much to use. I don't use a lot of moisturiser as I have combination skin and it can make it appear oily. I was nervous with the BB cream as I felt I had to use more than I would moisturiser to get an even finish. On saying that I felt fantastic. It spread evenly and was absorbed into my skin nicely. I was not left looking oily instead I felt it looked great! It gave me a clear and even coverage that even with one application it looked matte and beautiful.

Never one to wear make up, well foundation or cover up as it affects my skin and causes more blemishes, since hitting my 30s my skin is every where, ... however .... this did not affect my skin. I suffered no blemishes, pimples or bad results from this product. I used it continually for a week and my skin was no worse than normal and I felt confident as it offered a cover up on my bizarre skin.

I read various suggestions on the application of the BB Cream on the Beauty Review forum - on top of moisturiser, without moisturiser etc. I chose to use the product as it recommends on the box - just like your normal moisturiser. I had perfect results. I received plenty of compliments and happy using the Garnier BB Cream. I will definitely keep using this product and purchase it in the future.

I was very excited to be selected to try this product as I am a huge fan of the BB cream I got from the body shop a while ago and was looking forward to finding a cheaper option as the body shop one is a bit pricey. I opted for the oily/combination as I have combination skin but I found it really accentuate the not oily part of my face and made it look really dry and flaky, even when I put it on straight after moisturising. It did have a nice finish on the oily parts of my skin so I feel like for people with oily skin to would work well just not for me. Up close it looks powdery and from a distance it has a nice matte, barely there look. It was easy to apply, I just used my fingers. I found it a bit watery, not a bad thing but it did come out faster then I was expecting the first time I used it. It lasted all day and gave that nice light coverage that evens out your skin with out being to heavy that you get with a good BB cream so I would recommend it to a friend with oily skin but definitely not combo skin. Good product over all, just not for me and my difficult skin.