It didn’t surprise me when last year Garnier advertised their BB Cream on television, as it was completely necessary to explain the BB Cream concept to the general Australian public, who had never had any exposure to this product. But I wondered if they really got it. When I talk to people around here about BB Cream, the first question they ask is what’s the difference between BB Cream and tinted moisturiser. Well, the way that it’s been marketed by Garnier, I think there really isn’t much difference. Nonetheless, I immediately went out and grabbed myself a tube of Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector in Medium, so I could see for myself how it compares to Asian BB Creams.

Nothing could be more confusing than Garnier BB Cream’s title: BB Cream Innovation? Miracle Skin Perfector? Daily All-In-One Moisturiser? Daily All-In-One B.B. Cream?

Anyway, true to the BB Cream tradition, it packs a bunch of skin benefits in one:

• Evens complexion
• Reduces sun spots & imperfections
• Boosts healthy glow
• Tinted 24H Hydration
• UV Protection SPF 15

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector claims to be ‘inspired by BB creams’ and that it will achieve ‘an instantly flawless finish without the heaviness of foundation’. But notice that nothing about this product actually says that it would off any degree of actual coverage. So any of you who have been used to using Asian BB Creams may be a bit confused about what Garnier Miracle Skin Perfect will actually do for you.

The formula is creamy and smooth, and spreads smoothly on the skin. It also has that signature Garnier fresh fruity and leafy scent, which I love.

The colour matches my skin perfectly, but this has a lot to do with the fact that it’s quite sheer.

The coverage:

As you can see in the below snaps, the coverage is quite light. While it does greatly even out my skin tone, it offers little coverage for my imperfections. Also, because it’s a serious moisturiser, it leaves the skin quite shiny. With an application of mineral powder, my skin looks much improved, but my scars and sun spots are still clearly visible.

 

My overall impression is that I really like this product as a makeup base. I’ve been using it for many months now and I’m definitely going to buy it again. It’s the first base I’ve used that actually helps to prevent flakiness around my dry patches, and the moisturising effect is so long lasting that my skin feels great all day.

However I think Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector wouldn’t live up to expectations anyone who has used Asian BB Creams would have, such as that it would be a complete base makeup product that replaces foundation. Essentially Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector would really be nothing more than a great effective daily moisturising sunblock for people with more than minor skin imperfections. In this sense I think that Garnier has been somewhat insensitive by saying that the product would deliver ‘perfectly flawless, glowing skin in one application’, as this would probably only happen for only a small percentage of the population.

That said, Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector offers some other benefits that perhaps Asian BB Creams lack:

• Smooth and creamy texture as opposed to the thick sticky texture of many Asian BB Creams
• Available in a range of colours that would match most skin tones
• Serious and long lasting moisturising effects
• Not pore clogging what so ever

So personally I think this is a product worth trying, and at around $15 a tube, it’s great value for money!

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Secret giveaway time!!

I’ve got a tube of Garnier Miracle Perfector either in light or medium for one lucky reader – your pick! I’ve already got two official giveaways going (phew) so I’m not going to officially announce this one shhh! If you’d like to be in the running, just discreetly yell ‘enter me!’ in a comment to this post and I will draw a winner next Friday Review!  *wink*