Review: Garnier BB Cream for Combination to Oily Skin

I was so excited when I saw that Garnier finally released a BB cream for combination to oily skin. Finally, I thought when I spotted it. It was about damn time. After I bought it and did some research, I realized, I'm a bit behind the boat. It's been out for about six months in the US (give or take). Well, to that I say, better late than never. The original Garnier BB cream had wonderful coverage, but the problem was, it made me an oily mess. It had to go back. It was the closest I came to liking any of the BB creams I've tried out. It would've been perfect if it weren't for the pesky fact that I looked like a greasy mess at the end of the day. Needless to say, I was quite excited at the prospect of a BB cream (especially a drugstore one) that would give me the coverage I wanted without ending up a slick, slippery disaster. And this one seemed promising. At least the claims on the box seemed to be what I was looking for: instant perfection, all-day shine control, controls shine, minimizes pores, evens, and hydrates.  Sounded good to me. 

In other words, you're supposed to get a one-step product that will do the job of your moisturizer, foundation, and sunscreen. Sounds ideal, right? Here's what you get:

• A fair price, $11.99 - $13.99 at drugstores (I got mine at Target for $11.99) for 2 fl. oz. of product. Plus you can sweeten the price with coupons. 
• Three shade options: Light/Medium, Medium/Depp, and Deep

As you can see, I picked up the Light/Medium shade. From what I can tell, it's just the slightest bit too light for my complexion, but not so much that it's glaringly obvious. I get away with wearing it just fine for now, we'll see what happens come summer. 

For anyone who is on the light side of medium, I'd recommend going a shade deeper, because there really isn't anything "medium" about it. However, Light/Medium is probably way too dark for someone who uses fair or ivory shades and has more yellow than pink in it. It probably won't work as well for the alabaster beauties out there. Garnier definitely needs to work on that. 

Of all the drugstore BB creams I've tried out, I have to say, I'm rather impressed by this one. My main complaint with drugstore BB's is the fact that none of them provided me the amount of coverage that I wanted. They were often way too sheer. I felt like you had to have pretty much perfect skin to wear them at all. Not so with this one. I get great coverage. I'd describe it as a light coverage that's leaning toward medium coverage. In fact, I could easily build it up to medium on the days that I need it. I've worn this on many occasions with just a bit of blush and mascara and felt confident all day long. 

Another plus, it really does help you control oiliness. I even wore it to a Pure Barre class, and even though I was sweating, my skin still looked great. I was pretty impressed. It's not sweat proof, but it held up alright. The one thing I noticed, however, is that it does have a slight smell of alcohol. I checked the ingredients and there are at least three instances of some form of alcohol that I see. The smell isn't overwhelming, and it doesn't sting or anything when you apply it, but it's definitely there. I'm wondering if this is what helps with the shine control. 

While I can't say that with frequent use its improving my skin, it's certainly not making it worse. And it does even out my skin when I'm wearing it. Because it's just a touch too light, I can't really get away with wearing it alone or I look washed out, so blush is necessary for me. I'd have to say that its claim to even your skin is true, but only in the sense that it's coverage is good enough to hide minor imperfections - let's call those minor imperfections light to medium freckles/spots or even light under eye circles. 

When it comes to coverage, shine control, affordability, accessibility, and ease of use, I have to say, I'm really thrilled with the Garnier BB cream for combination to oily skin. There are only two things I'm not crazy about. One of them is the product's consistency. Don't get me wrong. It's not gritty or slimy or anything like that. It's just super watery. That alone wouldn't be a big deal except that it makes it really messy. It just runs out of the squeeze tube, whether you're squeezing it or not. I wipe it clean every time I use it, and every time I open it there's product all over the cap. Check out the photo to see what I mean. 

The product just leaks right out. So, if you put it on your counter while you're applying it to your face, you'll find you have to wipe it down. Nothing too serious, but usually a few drops.

The other thing I'm not too keen on: its moisturizing capability. If you only need light moisture, this is great. But there are a few areas (for me) where it doesn't moisturize enough. I found that my forehead (which doesn't get terribly oily) can sometimes look a little dry when I wear this alone. Nothing crazy, but still a bit dry. In fact, it's the only area where I find the BB cream doesn't moisturize enough. An easy fix was to use a little serum before applying it, that way it was light enough not to over moisturize when I add the BB cream.

Neither of these two issues are enough to keep me from repurchasing this product. I'd definitely get it again. I only mention them so you're not surprised by them if you choose to check this BB cream out for yourself.

Have you tried the new Garnier BB cream for combination to oily skin? How has your experience compared to mine? Are you curious to try it if you haven't already? Comment below and tell me your thoughts!

Check out my five-minute face video to see the BB cream in action!