CoverGirl Coverup: B.B. Cream

Awhile ago, I gushed over the wonder that is B.B. cream and its introduction to the US beauty market. A quick refresher:

• B.B. stands for Beauty Balm or Blemish Balm
• B.B. creams offer a slew of beauty benefits ranging from spf to moisturizer to anti-aging and of course, skin coverage
• Basically, this is makeup that is good for your skin

Garnier’s version was the first one to pop out on the drug-store priced scene. I raved about this stuff, and rightfully so as it was the perfect combination of light to moderate coverage with healthy skin benefits. The only downside was that the texture is somewhat thick, with a slickness that could prove challenging for oily skin types. Nobody wants to glance in the mirror come 3 pm and see a shiny, oily reflection staring back at them no matter how good B.B. cream is for your skin.

So, I resolved to continue my search for the perfect, budget-friendly B.B. cream. Dare I say, perfection in a tube is NOT too much to demand.

Imagine my surprise and excitement, when I strolled past the CoverGirl section in my local CVS and happened to spot their newest release, a CG AquaSmoothers B.B. Cream! Prior to discovering Garnier’s B.B. cream I was a CoverGirl tinted moisturizer addict. It was all I wore for nearly 10 years, so my enthusiasm at discovering this new B.B. cream product was completely genuine, particularly with a price tag of $7.99.

I purchased the item without question, in hopes that I had just found the holy grail of B.B. Creams. The next morning, I opened up the packaging and went to town applying the product liberally. The first thing I noticed was how similar the texture and coverage was the tinted moisturizer product I had previously sworn by. As I am admittedly a huge fan of the tinted moisturizer, I can’t say this was a bad thing, but I expected more coverage…and well, just more from a B.B. cream. That was when I decided to take a second look at the packaging, which clearly advertises the product as a B.B. cream, but then not so clearly states that it is a tinted moisturizer + sunscreen. So which one is it, CoverGirl?

After doing a bit more digging, I am sad to say, the ingredients in the B.B. cream are exactly the same as the CoverGirl CG Smoothers SPF 15 Tinted Moisture product. Now, before I rant a bit, let me say that the tinted moisturizer is a good product that offers light coverage, moisturizer and SPF in one nifty little product. However, for CoverGirl to market this is a brand new product and as a B.B. cream when there are no additional skincare benefits is just plain sneaky. It is no wonder we haven’t seen any advertising for the product!

Moral of the story – don’t get duped. If you’re searching for a budget-friendly B.B. cream, stick to the Garnier brand for now or, if you want to spring for a higher end item, check out Sephora for a dozen (literally) of options that are $30 or more. I’ve heard excellent things about the Smashbox B.B. Cream, perhaps I will splurge on that one next to review. I’d also be interested to see the contrast between a makeup brand B.B. cream and a skincare brand B.B. cream such as Boscia or Dr. Jart+. Leave a recommendation or suggestion in the comments section!