Sunday 18 September 2011

Garnier Miracle Perfector All-in-One BB Cream

RRP: £9.99/50ml
# of shades available: 2 (light and medium)

--What does the promo say?--
"Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector Cream, inspired by the Asian skincare sensation, B.B. (Blemish Balm) Creams. Garnier BB cream for immediately perfected skin with even tone and boosted glow. Blurs imperfections and smoothes fine lines. SPF15 protection and 24hr hydration." 

--Packaging--
The skin tone-coloured packaging is more reminiscent of a standard tinted moisturiser or foundation's packaging, in contrast to the usually more glitzy packaging of other BB creams I've seen from Asia. This may not immediately alert consumers to the notion that this product is supposed to do something different. However, the packaging is sturdy, reliable, and easily controllable - you won't get silly amounts of product ejected all over your hand unless you try really hard.

--Application--
Simple really: squeeze a pea-sized amount onto the back of your hand and then distribute evenly over your face, rubbing it in, avoiding the eye area. You can do this in between concealer and powder if you like.

--Appearance--
A thick, skin-coloured cream that blends in well with my pale skin tone. At the edges, though, you have to be careful to blend the product well as there is the danger of tide marks or it looking slightly orange. The overall effect is a dewy one (hence why I prefer to set it with powder for a more matte look for work) and I wouldn't say it covers blemishes brilliantly on its own.

--Scent--
Slightly fruity, slightly floral - it's possibly the geraniol that does this. Very pleasant and very different to the tinted moisturisers and foundations currently available to consumers.

--Texture and consistency--
Blends very well, although as I mentioned, be careful at the jawline and hairline for tide marks. Definitely feels different to a foundation or tinted moisturiser - it's more creamy, rather than giving a powdery or paint-like feel. Not runny at all and very easy to control.

--Coverage--
As mentioned, not fantastic, even with a fairly heavy-duty concealer being used underneath it. As for wrinkle/fine line coverage, I wouldn't know - I am only 25 after all and so don't have many.

--Effects on the skin--
With reference to my comments above, this product does contain an agent that acts like a temporary 'plumping' agent to fill in fine lines and wrinkles, but nothing noticeable jumped out at me in this respect once the product was on my skin. The dewy finish probably contributes more to the awake-looking appearance than the caffeine it contains, and in any case, presumably the effects of the caffeine, like the vitamin C and SPF that it also contains, wouldn't be visible in the short term anyway. On the up side, though, I did notice a general improvement in the condition of my skin while using this product - in terms of testing out the claims on Garnier's website, redness did seem to be reduced, complexion seemed more glowing, radiant and unified, and blemishes seemed reduced as well (although curiously the product contains no immediately obvious blemish-reducing agent).

--Value for money--
In spite of this product's shortcomings (and speaking of which - only 2 shades available, Garnier? Come on.), I have found myself pleasantly surprised. I know I was lucky that the light shade was suitable for my skin (which was the one I chose when Garnier asked what I wanted), and I know that its ability to conceal definitely leaves something to be desired, but the texture is really pleasing and the effects on the skin more than satisfactory (although to say in the promo that skin will be 'immediately perfected' is more than a bit of an exaggeration). Nonetheless, I shall be interested to see how this product competes with Clinique's attempt at a European BB cream (Asian ones tend to have whitening as their goal), as well as with bona fide BB creams from Korea and Taiwan.

perfect partner
Caffeine Anti-Dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-on, £10.20  

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