Product Review: Garnier BB Cream & More

I've been getting a lot of beauty coupons lately that are matching up with good sales. As a result, I've been picking up a lot of new products to try. It's a glorious time :) I picked up a couple of products from Salma Hayek's Nuance line last week, but I haven't had time to try them yet. I will have to save those for the next review.

1. Garnier BB Cream

I've been looking forward to trying this product since I first read about BB (beauty balm) creams, apparently all the rage in Europe. I came to understand that this is a tinted moisturizer. I've never had luck with tinted moisturizers, but I got such a good deal on this I didn't mind dipping my toe in the water. I first tried a tinted moisturizer when Covergirl came out with their CG Smoother's Tinted Moisturizer. Hated it! I even tried Laura Mercier's Tined Moisturizer, which all the celebs rave about. Hated that too! Well, I am officially a tinted moisturizer fan now. I love this stuff! It's my new go-to product for summer. The coverage is very light, but yet it really does even out my skin tone. It definitely doesn't have enough coverage for winter, but in summer you want something light anyways. I will say that this is supposed to take the place of your primer, but I did not find that to be the case. The couple of days I wore this without primer, I got a very dewy look. Some people like the dewy look, I'm not one of them! When I started using this with primer, I found the perfect look. Verdict? I will definitely be purchasing this again, but will stick with my normal foundation for winter. 

2. L'Oreal EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner

So the deal with this product is that you're supposed to be able to skip shampoo with this cleansing conditioner. It provides a low lather that when rinsed away leaves the hair with a soft feeling. The first time I used this, I used this with the intent of blowing my hair out and straightening it. After I had blown out my hair, I noticed the roots were definitely greasy. My hair was not as clean as normal. Not a look I covet when I'm wearing my hair straight. However, the second time I used this I used it with the intent of wearing my hair wavy. This product is perfect for that! I don't like to shampoo when I wear my hair wavy anyway, and this product took care of all my baby hair's and frizz. I've done a lot of research on the Curly Girl Method and I think this product fits that regiment perfectly. The verdict? I will buy this again, with the intent of using this in my wavy hair regiment. I will not be using this for a straight hair look again.

3. L'Oreal Color Riche LeGloss in Raspberry

I bought this #1 because it was on sale, #2 because I needed more dollars added to my L'Oreal deal to get ECB's back, and #3 because the color is so similar to Clinique's Superbalm Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Raspberry. This product is about $10 cheaper than Clinique so I was really hoping to like it. After using this for 2 weeks, I have a good idea of the product. First of all, the color is perfect. It's completely comparable to Clinique's Superbalm. The L'Oreal version does have a light smattering of shimmer in it, whereas the Clinique does not. The L'Oreal version is not as moisturizing as the Clinique though. I can put on Clinique's without chapstick and it's perfectly moisturizing. Not so with the L'Oreal, I definitely need chapstick pre-application. My other complaint with the L'Oreal? The longevity. It doesn't last nearly as long as the Clinique, plus as the Clinique fades it leaves a subtle hint of color behind. In the long run, if you have to apply the L'Oreal 3 times more, are you really saving that much money? The verdict? I'm sticking with Clinique, there are just too many things I love about Clinique to abandon it.