Garnier SkinActive Skin Renew BB Cream + Blur Review

I discovered my perfect BB cream, Garnier's Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream For Oily-to-combination Skin, back in 2013. While I've tried other BB creams since, none works as nicely on my skin as that one.

A couple of months ago, I went to purchase a new tube of my beloved BB cream but the store didn't have my shade in stock. It did though have a Light tube of one of Garnier's other BB creams, the SkinActive Skin Renew BB Cream + Blur so I decided to give that a shot.

According to Garnier, this item: "Hydrates; smoothes skin; blurs imperfections and pores; evens tone and gives a matte, velvety finish." It supposedly achieves these results by including such ingredients as "...a hint of primer...", Vitamin C, mineral pigments and light reflectors.

I've now being using this BB cream regularly for over two months and I don't think it's had any impact on my skin's hydration levels. It definitely hasn't made my skin feel any smoother.

However, it does do a good job at evening out my skin tone and it did cover up, maybe even blur, my imperfections and oversize pores. It didn't quite give me "...flawless-looking..." skin but it did improve how it looked, including making bumps and fine lines appear smoother.

But while the coverage is above average, the cream's finish just doesn't work for me. Garnier says that it has a "a matte, velvety finish" but I found that it left my skin looking rather glow-y. As someone who's all about matte, this look didn't work for me.

This cream has a liquid-y texture and was easy to apply with just my fingers. Because it does actually provide coverage, something not found in all BB creams, I did need to apply it in front of a mirror. But a sponge or brush isn't necessary (though I certainly could have used either, if I had wanted).

With a retail price of around $20, this item did feel a touch expensive for what you get (I'd put it at the $15 price point). As for packaging, it looks like your typical squeeze tube however, there is something about the tip that gets this product everywhere. OK sure, there might be some user error at play but I don't think I'm the sole cause of the problem. No matter how careful I am, using this cream almost always results in some degree of splatter. Thankfully, this product easily washes off walls, sinks and mirrors.

Would I buy this product: No.

Should you buy this product: If you want a BB cream that gives decent coverage and has a dewy finish, this one will work. Just expect it to make a bit of a mess.