Don't forget to check the beauty sale pages at Macy's here and
Nordstrom here for new beauty deals plus free shipping!


Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Review: Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfector SPF30

After I posted my L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream review, I told you that I'd be reviewing the Maybelline version next, so here it is! I purchased the Maybelline version shortly after I purchased the L'Oreal version and I've been using both of these products off and on for several weeks now. I've got a lot to say about this one, so let's jump right into it:

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Perfector SPF30 in Light
(retail: around $8.50, 1.0 oz)

As I mentioned in my L'Oreal BB Cream review, I know that many of you don't think highly of US BB creams. I know that many people think that Asian BB creams are far superior due to their ability to be true all-in-one products (primer, foundation, concealer, skin treatment, SPF, etc.). And like I mentioned before, I have no idea why US brands have chosen to go a different route with their offerings, but they have. So I'll be reviewing these US versions based on their own merits, and whether or not they deliver on their own claims (not how they stack up to their Asian counterparts).

That said, let's take a closer look:


This product claims to provide broad spectrum SPF30 and the following eight benefits:

To me, the word "enhance" pretty much equals "blurs imperfections" + "brightens", but continuing on...


I'd like to take a moment to discuss the SPF in this product. The only active ingredient here is titanium dioxide. This product states that it provides "broad spectrum SPF30", which means that the sunscreen in this product should filter both UVA and UVB rays (for more information on this, please refer to skincancer.org). Based on various studies, titanium dioxide IS effective for filtering UVA and UVB rays, so we're off to a good start. However, the percentage of titanium dioxide in this product seems quite low when compared to other products I own. To give you some perspective, my CeraVe SPF30 moisturizer (which is also broad spectrum) contains the following active ingredients: homosalate 12%, octinoxate 7.5%, octocrylene 2% and zinc oxide 3.5%. In fact, most broad spectrum sunscreens on the market (whether they be foundations, moisturizers, or just plain sunscreens) usually contains a combination of ingredients (in higher percentages than you find in this Maybelline product) to provide effective broad spectrum sun protection. 

I'm not a chemist, so I cannot tell you exactly how effective this product will be when it comes to sun protection, but I would not advise that you use this as your only means of sun protection if you're going to be outdoors (or even indoors if you'll be sitting near a sunny window for an extended period of time).

Let's take a look at the inactive ingredients:


Unlike the L'Oreal BB Cream, this product does not contain parabens. But just like the L'Oreal product, this product contains a high amount of glycerin (third ingredient) and also propylene glycol, which both can act as humectants (a fancy word for an ingredient that pulls water from the air and keeps it on the skin). So in other words, by just looking at the ingredients, I can tell that this product is probably going to feel pretty moisturizing on my skin, but let's see...


The texture of this BB cream is MUCH nicer than the L'Oreal BB cream, in my opinion. It doesn't contain the harsh grains of the L'Oreal version, and it's also creamier (the L'Oreal version feels more like a lotion). And of course the most obvious difference: it's not an opaque white, self-adjusting cream (although the label says it does adjust to your skintone).


The shade I purchased, Light, is a good color-match for my MAC NC20 skintone. It's not perfect (it's a tiny bit too light) but it is definitely workable. By the way, there are five shades in the Maybelline range (there are four in the L'Oreal range) and I've heard from several of you with deeper skintones who have been been able to find a good match in the Maybelline range (not so much in the L'Oreal range). So props to Maybelline for making shades that work for a larger variety of us!


After rubbing this product into the back of my hand, you can see that it blends so well that you can barely see the part of my hand that is makeup-free (see the arrow above).

Now I'd like to show you what the Maybelline BB Cream looks like on my face. As I've said before, my skin is far from perfect. I have redness, old acne scars, dark circles, fine lines, you name it.

Here's my clean, bare face:


After applying Maybelline BB Cream in Light:


As you can see, it's a little too light for me, but other than that, I think it does a nice job of evening out my skintone, dimishing the look of my fine lines, and also providing a fair amount of coverage (I could never walk out of the house wearing just this product on my face though--I still definitely need a concealer for under my eyes and other imperfections and also a setting powder). I DEFINITELY like the look of this product on my particular skin more than I like the look of the L'Oreal BB cream on my skin.

Summary: the Maybelline BB Cream does a decent job of covering minor imperfections, evening out redness and smoothing fine lines. It's creamy, spreads well and blends easily. It's very moisturizing, yet it doesn't feel thick, heavy or sticky on the skin. It really feels light--almost like a second skin. I can  wear this product without having to apply a regular facial moisturizer beforehand, so it's nice that I can skip that step in my routine. But as with many tinted moisturizers I own, after about four hours, this product becomes far too greasy on my oily skin. In this hot weather we've been having lately, the natural oils in my skin literally eat up this product, and after about five hours, it looks like I'm barely wearing anything at all. I've tried setting it with oil-control powders and that doesn't really keep things in place longer than five hours. I would say that if your skin is dry to normal, you'll have much better luck with this product, but if you have oily to very oily skin, I don't think this will be able to take you through the day. It does a little bit better if I wear a primer underneath, but not by much. The fragrance of this product is very mild, sort of like a regular foundation, and I have experienced no breakouts or irritation since I've been using this BB cream. As for sun protection, as I stated above, I would not advise relying on this product alone for any type of serious sun protection.

Comparison to L'Oreal BB Cream: If I had to choose between the two, I would go with Maybelline, because I think it gives a more natural look to my skin (no grayish cast) and I prefer products that don't self-adjust to the extent of the L'Oreal product. Also, the grains in the L'Oreal product are not my favorite (I already use a physical exfoliator so I really don't need more scrubbing on a daily basis). As for SPF, the L'Oreal product doesn't contain any but, to be honest, I've been treating the Maybelline product as if it doesn't either, because I think the percentage of titanium dioxide is just too low to be effective when compared to other sunscreens I own. The L'Oreal BB cream retails for $10.95 in my area, whereas the Maybelline retails for $8.49, so that's another bonus since they're both 1.0 oz tubes. The only thing that I prefer about the the L'Oreal version is that is has a nice mattifying effect. The finish of the Maybelline version is not matte--it's definitely "glowy", which doesn't work for my oily skin.

FINAL VERDICT:  The Maybelline BB Cream feels very much like a tinted moisturizer on my skin, but I think it's a good tinted moisturizer if you have dry to normal skin. Those with oily or very oily skin might be disappointed with how much breakthrough shine you'll see a few hours after application, and I really don't think I'd recommend this product to those who have skin like mine (super oily, especially during the summertime). That said, if you take this product for what it's worth (basically a nice tinted moisturizer) and don't expect any miracles, you might be very happy with your purchase. Plus, like I mentioned above, those with deeper skintones should have a much easier time finding a good color match with this line vs. the L'Oreal line, based on feedback I've received from readers. So that's a definite plus. If you're already a tinted moisturizer fan who's not looking looking for full coverage and you don't have oily skin, I say give this one a shot. Just don't forget to apply some sunscreen first! PS: if you're looking for a true all-in-one product that can take the place of primer, foundation, concealer, moisturizer, sunscreen etc., I don't think you'll find that with either the Maybelline or L'Oreal BB creams. So I'd suggest lowering your expectations and taking them for what they are: tinted moisturizers with a few added benefits. If you lower your expectations, you might be happy with either one, depending on your needs.

Do you already own Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Skin Perfector? Do you prefer it to the L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream or does the L'Oreal version work better for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
SHARE:

36 comments

  1. I really like this BB cream too. I use it everyday to get that polished look without having to wear makeup, but if I go out of the house it makes an excellent base for powder foundation because my redness is already covered. I'm glad you feel the same way I do about the coverage of this because I got alot of negative feedback for my review on this BB cream.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear this is working for you, and i'm sorry you got negative feedback on your review. I really think the coverage is nice compared to some other tinted moisturizers I own!

      Delete
  2. I have super oily skin, and like you, I just couldn't love it. At first it looks great, and I'm super happy, but then within hours, it's sliding off my face, and my face is super greasy and shiny. The color match was good for me, but I agree with you that it's not for oily skinned gals. I wish they made more BB creams with oily skinned people in mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the feedback, and i'm sorry you had the same experience. Hopefully they'll keep us oily skinned gals in mind in the future!

      Delete
  3. I have been iffy between both, but seeing as the maybelline doesn't have a gray cast for my yellow toned skin, I will be picking this up tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good luck, hun! I hope it works for you!!

      Delete
  4. Yay, thanks so much for mentioning the sunscreen claims. I've been reading plenty of blog reviews that are like "it has SPF so it lets you skip sunscreen!". =P If I needed a TM I'd try this one out over Garnier and L'Oreal, but I don't. Looking forward to a review of the Palmer's one, though, if you can get ahold of it. Just such a random thing for that brand to make!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As soon as I find the Palmers bb cream I will buy it and test it for review! :)

      Delete
  5. Because the methods by which different sunscreen actives protect skin, it's not accurate to compare them. It's not apples to apples, so to speak. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are "physical" sunscreens. This means they block or reflect the UV rays, and both work across the full spectrum of UVA and UVB wavelengths. The other sunscreens you named above (octocrylene, homosalate, etc.) that are found in other products are considered "chemical" sunscreens. They absorb the rays, and are only effective against UVB wavelengths. Those are the rays that cause sunburn. An easy way to remember the difference is UVB = burning, and UVA = aging. There are lots of FDA approved sunscreen actives on the market that provide UVB protection, but we're fairly limited when it comes to UVA rays, especially in the US. Besides titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, we only have avobenzone (a chemical UVA sunscreen) and Mexoryl SX, which was developed by LaRoche Posay and is marketed in the Anthelios line of absurdly expensive (and not any more effective) sunscreens. Titanium and zinc oxides are what often get referred to as "mineral" or "all-natural" sunscreens. And they are! The downside to them is that because of the "blocking" way that they protect skin, they can be very heavy and in very high SPF products, can leave a whitish cast. This is especially true of zinc oxide, which is often problematic for oily, acne-prone skin. On the flip side, the "chemical" sunscreens have their own set of challenges when it comes to formulating a nicely-textured product. Many chemical sunscreen actives are sticky or tacky and don't play well with other ingredients used in product formulations. The higher the SPF, the more chemical actives needed, the harder it is to make the product feel good on skin. Luckily, cosmetic chemists are usually very brilliant people who have found ways to work around the issues, but it's a good idea for the consumer to understand the different means by which sunscreens work so that an informed decision can be made as to which products may work better for their skin type. The one good thing that we can count on is that if a product is labeled with an SPF number, the manufacturer had to prove to the FDA that it does indeed protect to at least that level. Unfortunately, the SPF refers only to the protection against UVB rays. With the exception of Japan and maybe one or two other Asian countries, there is no standardized way of measuring protection against UVA rays. It seems none of the scientists can agree on a method, so it's held up "in committee". You may have seen the labeling "PA+++" on BB Creams sold in Asia. This is the UVA protection rating. PA+ for some UVA, PA++ for more protection and PA+++ for maximum UVA blockage. Hopefully we will get something like that soon. The new labeling rules that are going into effect are a step in the right direction towards alleviating some of the confusion that sunscreens cause the general public. No one needs anything higher than SPF45 or 50 anyway. There isn't that much daylight in the world for more than that.

    I hope this little dissertation helps a little. Basically, the percentage of titanium dioxide in the Maybelline BB Cream does indeed provide the stated SPF30 and should not be compared to the percentages of sunscreen actives in other products. The one product you used to compare is interesting because it uses several UVB actives and one broad-spectrum active (zinc oxide). In that case, the amount of zinc oxide is only barely sufficient to provide protection against UVA rays, but it's better than many products that still don't include a UVA screening active at all!

    Love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the insights! I actually do know the difference between physical and chemical sunscreens (in fact I asked readers in a previous ”Wednesday Question” here on the blog whether they preferred chemical or physical sunscreens), but what concerned me about this one was that it only contained 1.15% titanium dioxide compared to the 3.5% zinc oxide in the CeraVe. As I said before, i'm definitely not a chemist but this just seemed low to me.

      Like you said, there are pros and cons to both chem and physical sunscreens and there's also the debate about how much product you actually need to apply to your face in order to have true protection (i've heard as high as a full teaspoon, which is a lot for makeup!).

      I personally feel more confident as a consumer when I see higher percentages of active ingredients...i'm looking at my Yes To Carrots moisturizer right now which is SPF15 and the one active ingredient in that product is zinc oxide 5%.

      I welcome your thoughts! :)

      Delete
    2. Ok, how about we compare apples to apples? LaVanilla's "The Healthy Sunscreen" is spf30 and has 20% zinc oxide as its one and only active ingredient. So titanium dioxide is twenty times more effective at being a physical sunscreen? I think not.... http://www.sephora.com/the-healthy-sun-screen-spf-30-body-cream-P284206

      Delete
  6. I've seen/read a lot of reviews and the general consensus seems to be that this product is the best of the bunch for dryer skin, while the loreal skin beautifier is best for those who are oilier. I personally tried the sample and knew right off there was no way I could wear it since it was already dewy freshly applied and remained that way.. but it did have a nice consistency, and decent coverage.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I bought this in the deepest shade on 4th of July at my local CVS when it first came out cause I was dying to try it and I love it so far! I have dry skin so I use my Pond's Hydrating Cream after washing my face because my skin is so dry, then I apply the BB cream I don't have many blemishes or imperfections on my face so it's perfect for light coverage and it gives me a really natural look. It blends and melts into the skin really nice, it has a nice consistency and it's reasonably priced too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. seems BB creams are not for me :( I have oily skin

    ReplyDelete
  9. it is good, though i have a medium oily skin. i moisturize the skin before maybelline, so it stays longer on me. i also use a transparent fixing powder on it, thus i can go for several hours without taking a look in the mirror. i love the way it freshens the face (i hate totally matte coverage) and it really covers your imperfections which was like a shock to me, i didn't even think it could even out the skin and hide my postacne (reasonably, of course). it's a great product

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have this and I love it! I've hardly used foundation since purchasing this product!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have been happy with this product for the summer months. My skin is very dry & I actually need a moisturizer underneath, and brush on Physician's Formula Mineral Airbrushing pressed powder on top. Between the two, the coverage is fine.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I have dry to combination skin, and this product does a great job of evening out my skin tone without pooling in my pores or accentuating dry patches on my skin.

    But... (there's always one, right?) It makes my face shine in spots in a couple of hours, too. I have to set it with powder— plus blot. That's not a step I usually have to do with other foundations. I usually have to use a moisturizer with sunblock right before applying to keep the foundation from looking to dry on my face.

    Still, with that said, I still like this product enough that I am willing to blot throughout the day. I can skip the moisturizer step when I use this, so that is a win, too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What are some names of the Asian BB creams you like? Where would I buy it/them from?
    Love you blog!! It is the ONLY one I look ate almost everyday!!


    Blessings,
    Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  14. What are some names of the Asian BB creams you like? Where would I buy it/them from?
    Love you blog!! It is the ONLY one I look ate almost everyday!!


    Blessings,
    Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  15. Does anyone besides me think that these aren't "true" BB creams? I find them to be slightly more than tinted moisturizers. Don't get me wrong I do like them-BUT I don't consider them a BB cream-perhaps a North Americanized BB?

    BTW, I agree with your comparison of the L'Oreal and Maybelline. I can appreciate the Maybelline finish but like you, it comes right off within hours. Color-match wise, the Maybelline is perfection for me.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've been waiting patiently for this review!! Thanks for posting!!

    It sounds to me that I'd be happier with the Maybelline formula vs the L'Oreal due to the lack of beads and the white self-adjusting formula. But I am very disappointed by the low percentage of sunscreen. It leaves me wondering if it would be sufficient.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I agree with you, G.: It's a nice tinted moisturizer. I picked the Maybelline cream up (with a coupon -- woo-hoo!) and it's definitely affordable and it does a decent job, but no miracle work. Though in terms of benefits, I think I expect the same or more from the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer (with retinol) or the Aveeno Positively Radiant tinted moisturizer (with SPF 30, too), the latter seems to makes at least some of the BB cream promises, but it came out before the the trend took hold in the U.S. Still, the Maybelline is a nice tinted moisturizer, and I like the portability of it, for quick touch-ups on the go, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I got the Light-Medium Maybelline BB cream and like it on my older dry-normal skin. Seems to minimize my pores, which is good.

    ReplyDelete
  19. hi all. I am a 53 african american woman. I dont have wrinkles yet ( genetics thank god) and my skin is pretty good. i just started wearing makeup and doing skin care last year because my skin looked dull to me. tried foundation and it was too much. i bought this BB cream in dark tint and I LOVE IT!!!!!!!! I have normal to dry skin and have dark circles. I do use eve pearl salmon concealer. with this BB cream and my concealer I hit the jackpot. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I may have to use the medium deep in the fall when my tan fades. Medium deep is a tiny bit light for me. I can use NW 45 and NC50 concealers depending on the time of year. Your blog rocks. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I haven't tried any of them because of my oily skin. I really think I will bypass, but your review still leaves me curious, LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I don't think they're really BB creams the way the Asian ones are. But I think if they were "all that," then they would be priced out of the general U.S. drugstore market (Maybelline, Cover Girl, etc.). Just MHO.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a great post G!!! I love that you pointed out the percentages of titanium dioxide. I never rely solely on my foundations for sun protection...but, many out there do. So, it is good to note that it might not fully protect. This BB Cream sounds amazing! Agreed...really, it is a tinted moisturizer; but, it just sounds exactly like what I am looking for. I have normal-dry skin (really, it is just "normal" in the summer) and I am a NC 15. So, if it was a tad to light for you, it will likely be just right for me. Fabulous review! Your blog is just amazing and I don't know if I tell you that enough!!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love this product! It's seriously the best thing I've ever used on me. I have dry/normal skin. I wear CeraVe day moisturizer (spf 30), primer, Almay Smart Shade Concealer (the best concealer I've ever used but I don't really have dark circles, my problem is white circles actually because I never go outside without sunglasses, rain or shine),and then this. Sometimes I'll throw on PF Mineral Pressed Powder if I think I need it. Honestly I've never used something that actually makes my skin "glow" but this does it! I'm curious if this will work in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm glad to hear I am not the only who has the issue of shiny skin after wearing this stuff. I tried it out today and my face was a full grease ball after a few hours. Using powder did nothing, it was really horrible. I really wanted to like this product, but its not working for my skin type!

    ReplyDelete
  25. i just bought this today after eyeing it for like a month! finally, my cvs coupons worked in my favor!

    i've used missha 31, and it's pretty good, but it puts a weird texture on my skin. i really liked physician's formula's tinted moisturizer, but it's a tad light for me...it's november now, so i'm thinking in january or feb it might work?

    most of the other makeup i use and sometimes even tinted moisturizers put a grey cast on me. i always used to identify it with things that had spf in it. and my other makeups are still a BIT too light! just a bit! you can check my blogs here on blogspot to see my skin. i don't write about makeup, but my pictures are there ;o) i'm like a medium-dark olive...

    so, i've been trying to get it right. i got matched at sephora for tarte, i was h12, but that still was a bit too light, and nothing else from them matched. and i was trying to stay natural, at least paraben-free.

    i didn't want to try anything else drugstore, bc everything seemed to not match. but cvs is great at returns, and so i bought both the darkest, and the next darkest. i figured that the darkest would be WAY too dark, but man...after so much greyness i was like EFF IT! lol

    but #4 works great on me...i love how it actually feels like a moisturizer. that's another thing i found, is that with almost all of my makeups, and tinted moisturizers, even my missha 31, i was dry after a few hours. so along with ash, i would have dry, and grey. not a good thing on your face! and no matter how lightly i applied it, i would still have cakeface...and i'm talking about a LIGHT application! but i really don't need a LOT of coverage. not because my skin is so perfect, it's just really noticeable when my skin has something on it...hard to describe. it has a unique color and sheen to it, so a lot of makeups deaden that. i actually think it's not so unique, i think that happens to a lot of people.

    but this bb..i've only had it on 30 min..tried it for a fer hrs on my skin, and overall so far so good! i can take oiliness after a few hrs, bc that means i can use a blotting paper and reapply, and that's ok bc i'd probably need to refresh my spf anyways...so cool!

    thanks for the blog :o)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I bought it about a week ago since it's getting cold and dry here (I live in Montreal and the weather here is already quite wintery). I do like it, but I have naturally oily skin and wouldn't dream of wearing this in the summer, when you reviewed this. Now that it's drier out I don't get the sheen, but I know I would if it were summer. So if you have cold winters where you live, I recommend this product for sure for easy day wear (I am not a fan of too much coverage, I usually like products that just even the skin out a bit, like this one does). For evening I would probably put my Mac Studio Finish powder on top.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love this bb cream, although the coverage is minimal for me due to brown spots on my face, it gives satisfactory results on my skin and looks natural compared to the bb garnier for oily skin which gives maximum coverage but I feel that I've got heavy stuff on my face and it's drying my skin. I am above 40 so this bb cream works perfectly for me. Even if my brown spots still appear, I just set it with my channel double cake foundation and it's perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I think this BB cream is great, I have also done a review would be great if you checked it out :) x

    ReplyDelete
  29. My skin is super dry and I have many dry patches. Is it suitable for me?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you for this review Mrs......I can not begin to say enough about Maybelline's BB CREAM. I live on the island of Newfoundland it takes 13 hrs to get from one side of her to the other and nowhere at this time can one find a tube of the second darkest is there to be found of this product. What is wrong ? In desperation I have thrown away me good pension money on more expensive products that don't measure up. I actually bought two tubes that were in rough shape and used as testers, thats how desperate I was to f
    ind some? Where can I find this product or whats wrong.. jessie St Georges Newfoundland Canada .

    ReplyDelete

I love and encourage comments here at Nouveau Cheap, and I do not censor comments unless they violate my comment policy, which you can view here.

Please refrain from comments that contain:
• Links to your own blog or website
• Advertisements or referral links

Thanks very much for your help in keeping this a spam-free zone.

© 2009- Nouveau Cheap. All rights reserved.
BLOGGER TEMPLATE MADE BY pipdig