Review: Garnier BB Cream for Combination/Oily Skin

I purchased the original version of the Garnier BB Cream and liked it, however I found that I had to use setting powder a couple of times today because it oxidised, and also my face got pretty oily under the richness of the cream. When I saw an ad for a combo/oily skin version I was eager to try it.

The packaging is very different from the original. This tube is much skinnier, taller and has a screw lid instead of a flip one. Thankfully they've changed the nozzle on the tube, I think a screw top combined with the large opening of the old style tube would have been a bit of a disaster!

Straight away you can feel the difference in the formula, it's much more liquid and less oily. It seemed to oxidise less on my skin as well. The medium shade I chose blends beautifully into my skin. The original BB cream remains tacky on my skin for a few minutes after applying; this new oil-free version stays damp until blended and then dries to a powdery finish. I was able to wear it alone for 5 hours before I noticed my face looked a bit shiny/felt a bit oily.

Maybe it's because the colour and texture is so much nicer, but I feel like this BB cream even has better coverage. If you have any scars, pimples or intense redness you will need to use a powder or concealer as well as the BB cream, but for general things like pores and uneven skintone, I felt it provided a good medium coverage - better than tinted moisturiser or powder on its own, but just shy of the coverage a foundation provides.

Naked face! Lots of discolouration and large pores.

With BB cream - my skin looks much smoother and more even.

The only drawbacks to this BB cream are the limited range of shades (Light and Medium) and the fact it's only SPF15. I purchased mine from Priceline at $14 - I think that makes it one of the cheaper Western BB creams on the market.