February 22
After reading Bets’ post about the wonders of beauty balms, I did what I always do: Hunt down the drugstore version! For the time being, there’s only one: Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector ($13). The good news is that this stuff is a pretty solid buy. After a couple weeks of regular use, here are my two cents. –Meghan
Pros
-The coverage. Situated in a happy place between tinted moisturizer and a full-on foundation, Garnier’s BB creates a wonderfully dewy, even base. While I still need to use concealer for my ever-present under-eye circles, this stuff works wonders at evening out redness, especially around my nose.
-The durability. Applied in the morning, it wears super well over the course of the day, especially when set with a dusting of powder. My new favorite is Revlon’s Colorstay Aqua Mineral Finishing Powder. It’s light as a feather!
-How it blends. Applied to moisturized or non-moisturized skin, this tinted cream goes on smoothly and seamlessly. The only time I encountered streaks was when I applied it to a wet face I had just spritzed with toner. Lesson learned!
-The value. A little bit of this stuff goes a long, long way. If the 2.5-ounce tube I purchased a few weeks back doesn’t last me through the May, I will be surprised.
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Cons
-The smell. The scent, an unfortunate signature of Garnier’s skincare products, is so heavy it’s borderline stinky.
-The shade. Of the two options, I purchased the Light/Medium version. Although it works well for middle-of-the-road pasty me, when I loaned it to a fair-skinned friend to try, it was way too dark. So, if you’re super pale, you might want to ante up for a department store BB cream or ask about the return policy wherever you purchase Garnier.
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Have you tried Garnier’s BB cream yet? If so, what’s your take?
Filed Under: BB cream, beauty balm, foundation, Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector, oily skin, tinted moisturizer
Hello lovelies! I'm Elizabeth Dehn, a beauty writer + lifestyle editor who's equally fanatical about lip gloss as juice cleansing. I live in Minneapolis with Mr. Bets and our white lab, Molly Thomas . . . 
I too found the “light/medium” way too dark/orangey for my fair skin, which was disappointing because I’ve been excited to try a BB cream and the price was right. It seemed very thick also, which surprised me.
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Sounded great till you mentioned the scent. Thanks for your honesty!
I love the drugstore discovery posts. I will have to try it. I tried the CG NatureLuxe Silk foundation after your recommendation and loved it. Do you have any recommendations for concealor?
Eva, thanks for the kind words! If you like the NatureLuxe foundation you’ll LOVE the Garnier BB. They’re similar in terms of coverage, but the BB feels even lighter on. Re: drugstore concealers, not many come to mind. I sometimes use NYX’s Concealer Stick and found that works pretty well on spots, not so much under my eyes. My everyday concealer is MAC’s Select Cover Up. A small tube is $17, but it lasts forever and does a good job lightening up my dark circles. If you find one you like, let me know!
Thanks for reading!
-Meghan
it’s on sale at cvs this week for $10 :)
Nice tip, Hanna! Thanks for sharing!
Love the review! I’ve tried the Laura Mercier tinted foundation. Do you think the BB cream has more or less coverage then that?
BB has less coverage than tinted, but not by much. The more noticeable difference is that tinted is more moisturizing than BB, which tends to be matte.
I got this BB crem a few weeks ago and I am loving it. I use it along or under my foundation. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for a great review I definitely feel better about spending the money to try it out. I’ve been looking for a great tinted moisturizer for the summer. As for concealer, the last couple months I’ve been using Bare Minerals powder concealer, it is a miracle for under eye circles. You barely have to use any at all, it has lasted me since December and I barely made a dent.
i love garniers bb cream too :) what do you use to cover your dark circles? they curse me too and are so hard to cover!!
@Becca – Bobbi Brown Color Corrector + Concealer are my secret weapons for concealing undereye circles!