This BB Cream thing has been taking over the world. Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit but people are seriously obsessed with this new phenomena. But wait – the thing is, BB Creams aren’t that new. Blemish Balms have been alive and well for many years in East and Southeast Asia. Oh yes, my Asian sisters have been loving them some BB Cream. Last year, the first few BB Creams started hitting shelves in the U.S. and I’ve been ignoring them.
Why? Because most of them didn’t have shades for those of us with darker skin. Um, wha? I did further research to discover that one of the properties in tradition BB Creams are whitening agents. Okay, I get it. I’m a proud brown girl with no desire to lighten my skin and so I’m glad to know that some of the BB Creams in the U.S. markets don’t contain whitening agents. At least Maybelline’s doesn’t…
I’ll be reviewing this BB Cream based on what THIS brand’s promises to do. I realize that BB Creams overseas may have different functions but for the sake of this review, I’ll focus on if Maybelline’s does what it says it’s going to do.
Properties of the Dream Fresh BB
1. Blurs imperfections
2. Brightens
3. Evens skin-tone
4. Smoothes
5. Hydrates
6. Enhances
7. Protects with SPF 30
8. 0% oils and harsh ingredients
Already I’m impressed. While a foundation assists in protection and smoothing out the skin, I’ve never met one that hydrates and “enhances” my skin.
The first question I asked when I played around with this BB Cream was “Okay sooooo, how does this differ from a tinted moisturizer?” Legit question, right? In addition to the properties being different (most tinted moisturizers don’t claim to hydrate the skin over time), the consistency is different too. This BB Creams feels like fluffy ‘n thick water. Crazy description, I know but hear me out. When it goes on the skin it looks and feels just like a liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer.
Spread it out a bit and it sinks right into the skin. It feels gloriously hydrating and is perfect for those of us with dry skin. Fret not those of y’all with oiler skin…this light coverage cream isn’t the least bit oily so I reckon it’ll work for all of us with various skin types. Maybelline calls this formula a oil-free, gelled-water formula and that’s 10x better than my fluffy ‘n thick water description.
I’ve been testing this BB Cream for 3 weeks and it’s a pleasure applying and wearing it. I don’t get fancy with brushes it. I simply apply it with my finger tips, make sure I’ve got even coverage and move on. I will say that I would have liked a little more coverage. This is the ideal product for those who don’t wear much of anything on their skin but still want tiny coverage AND SPF.
Pros
-For those who’d rather not wear foundations (that’s me!) this is great and lightweight.
-I love the added SPF
-Fragrance-free
-Comes in 5 shades (Light, Light/Medium, Medium, Medium/Deep and Deep. While these shades don’t cover the rainbow of women, it does better than most brands. I’m wearing Deep.
-Works well on top of concealers.
Cons
-If you desire serious coverage, this may disappoint you.
-I didn’t notice many changes in my skin with prolonged use.
-Retails for $8.99 so it may be pricey to some. Especially since the tube isn’t THAT big.
I have been longing to get this BB cream! :O I’ve read bout three positive reviews of it now, and that’s 100%. Where did you get it and how much was it? 🙂
I’ve spotted it at a local CVS but since it’s still very new to the market, give it a few weeks.
So even though many of these are meant to be light on the skin, I have found them to feel runny and greasy (I’m looking at you Garnier). Good to hear this one isn’t greasy like that. I might have to give it a try.
This looks lovely on you!
I really want to try this stuff, but I cannot find it in my area :[
Wow, that’s good they came up with another BB cream meant for darker skin! I hope we’ll have something like that here! 🙂 Most BB creams down here are so fair!
I have heard that most of the western bb cream releases are basically just glorified TMs. I just tried my first Asian bb cream and I’m seriously obsessed though. Decent natural looking coverage, high SPF, I can skip moisturizer and primer in the morning. I really love the stuff. The ones on the Asian market do make it tough for anyone with a darker skin tone to get on board though, since they are geared towards Asian skin tones. I think the whole “whitening” thing just means hyper pigmentation though, not all your skin. Haha, world’s longest comment! 🙂
Are the whitening agents literally for making your skin whiter? Because that’s sounds horrible. I don’t want to sound judgmental, but I would hope that everyone can except their own skin color be it fair, deep, or everything in between. Is there some other reason people use the whitening agents?
I think that the main reason for “whitening agents” is to reverse the effects of sun damage- freckles and the darker pigmented spots that you get from hanging in the sun too long, which make your skin appear patchy. (if I’m not mistaken)
But I agree, the term “whitening agents” really does have a rather sinister ring to it.
*shudders*
Kudos to Maybelline for having darker tones in their BB cream line!
I’m so happy to hear this comes in a range of shades that can suit women of color. I’ve been wanting to try a BB cream forever but as a WOC there was just *no way* the original BB creams from Asia would work on me. In Asia they do think the lighter the better; I’ve heard a few theories on why, but I’ve always wondered if they held any truth to them or not.
Glad to hear it got a positive review from you! I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled and have yet to find it, but I know it’s still new, so I’ll keep a lookout. 🙂
I just found this at Walgreens today. Maybe try there! Good luck 🙂
I’ve been lemming for this for a WHILE and I cant seem to find it anywhere here in Westchester NY. I’ll be making a trip down to florida in a few days..so hopefully I can find one and pick it up:) I like that its lightweight..I want to even my skintone without all the heavyness of a foundation . I cant wait to try it!
I’ve been looking for a nice and relatively cheap BB cream. This one certainly looks promising! Thanks for the review!
So glad there is FINALLY a BB cream that looks like it MIGHT be my shade. I tried Smashbox’s BB cream with it was first release last year on QVC because I LOVE thier TM and it was a HUGE flop. It was SUPER thick and the color was just pasty looking. I’m going to have to pick this up at CVS this weekend because I like very light coverage and this looks like it might be a better color match.
I can’t wait to try this!! Thanks for the review, do you know if Maybelline has a store locator that will inform you of the store that carries a certain product?
Interesting….do they have one for white me?? lol Saw these at walgreens actually.
A BB cream for brown skin…SOLD! 😀
BB cream is taking it’s sweet time to get to South Africa 🙁
Must say B your skin looks flawless in the last picture!
Nice, never heard of a BB. I may check this out, thanks for sharing!
Can anyone tell me where i can get these maybelline US shades online? we only have 3 shades in the UK, and dark is not really for dark skinned ladies lol, more olive. applying it with a brush makes me look less ghostly lol
While I range from ghostly in the winter, to pretty pale in the summer, I think it’s fantastic to see this type of product for darker skins. Too often companies neglect to provide appropriate tones for all skins, and it’s simply unfair. So very glad to hear this one is not greasy, I would love a product like this for days when I do not want a heavier foundation, and plenty of sun protection, but with my oily skin Garnier’s was a disaster. Definitely keeping my eye out for it!
BB creams are here in London now 2!
Looked at reviews AFTER buying and using this-I got the light shade since I am a red head-I have bought many of the creamy, color match, age defying, foundations I am 48 and have only 2 lines on my face one at the corner of each eye, but most make-ups make me look older and dry-this one was inexpensive at $8 so I got it-glad I did! perfect coverge-you can layer where you need to-a soft glow and ot orange at all! I am going tomorrow to buy at least 4-5 more in case they stop selling it!Very happy with this 8-in 1 cream. You by the wy, look great in the dark shade thanks for your great review
Thank you so much for reviewing this! I’ve been wanting to try a BB cream for so long, but like you said, many of them don’t come in shades for women of color. Now that I know Maybelline has one in a shade that might work for me, I think I’ll pick one up and see how I like it!
How does this hold up in extreme heat? Does it melt off when you sweat? Does it transfer much?
Not much of anything works in extreme heat. Then again – this is coming from a Floridian. 😉
I was using the Revlon liquid foundation with a Black Radiance mineral powder over it. It gave complete coverage (like photoshop levels) but I got really tired of make-up rubbing off on EVERYTHING!!! So much that I gave it up all together. So I was excited about the BB cream sensation. This is more liquid, but not as thick as the Revlon liquid foundation. I stupidly got it from CVS for $9 when it was $7.44 at Walmart but this product is now available anywhere. Some Shea Butter underneath (dry skin), a little of this stuff and some eye-liner and I’m fine. I’d advise you to give it a try if it’s within your budget.