Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream Review and Swatches

Every brand is bringing out their own version of BB cream at the moment and now Boots's own brand, No 7 has one as well. I had heard about it being a good one, so I thought I'd give it a go. As I had a £5 No 7 voucher, I only has £7.95 to lose. But actually, it was money well spent.

No 7 Beautiful Skin BB cream comes in 2 different shades (fair and medium) and also there are 3 different versions according to your skin type (normal/oily skin, normal/dry skin, dry/very dry skin). So other than dark skinned ladies, everyone can find their own match (and yes, there should be a dark shade!).

I bought the shade fair and as I have a normal/combination skin, I opted for the normal/oily version. The colour is a pretty good match for me and the consistency works well with my skin type. It did need blotting/powdering halfway through the day, but that's normal for me. The coverage is medium and the cream doesn't feel at all heavy on my skin. Blends in like a dream, doesn't feel at all tacky and doesn't make my face shiny. I really like this one.

It also qualifies as an actual BB cream as it has skincare elements as well as SPF15 and 5 star UVA protection, and it's also a pretty good tinted moisturiser/foundation. I can't confirm whether it's moisturising on its own or not, because I always use my usual daycream under it, but it's certainly not drying on me.

I think this BB cream is comparable to the 17 Blemish Balm, but it's more lightweight, has a slightly less coverage, has less SPF and is more expensive. So there are pros and cons to it. This one costs £12.95, but if you manage to get hold of a £5 off No 7 voucher (Boots are handing them out right now!), it is a very good deal as you get 40 ml with this, whereas the 17 Blemish Balm is just 30 ml. 

So all in all, I think this is a very good BB cream and would happily recommend it. I really like that they cater for different skin types. On that note, has anyone tried the new Garnier BB cream for oily skin? Is it any good? I'm too scared to buy one, I hated the original one so much.

See more pictures after the jump!

Ginvera Green Tea Day and Night Creams

A little while ago I was sent these face creams to try out by Janiro, the UK distributor of Ginvera products. They are part of Ginvera's extensive green tea skincare range that also includes the Whitening Marvel Gel and the Nude Cover BB Cream, both of which I have already reviewed on here.

First impressions: the outer packaging is awful. In this day and age when we're all about trying to do things for the environment I don't understand why some cosmetics brands are still using plastic for the outer packaging. I don't mean the container, I mean the box it comes in. You end up throwing it out, so why can't it just be made of cardboard? The jars are actually glass which is much more environment friendly.

See more pictures and read my complete review after the jump! 

MUA Beauty Balm BB Cream Review

It seems every brand is coming out with their own version of BB cream at the moment, and this time it's Make Up Academy's (MUA) turn. Their version is called Beauty Balm instead of Blemish Balm, but since they put a big BB on it, we'll just assume that's supposed to be the same thing.

Although technically this is not a BB cream, because it doesn't include any SPF. They claim the all in one, multi-functional formula primes, protects and conceals. I'm not sure how it's supposed to protect your skin without any SPF though. Okay, so what does it do? It's basically a medium coverage foundation as far as I can see. For the price it's not a bad one either. The formula is a little on the thick side for my liking, but it does blend out eventually, and it gives a good medium coverage, so I don't need extra concealer on my spots/scars. I chose the medium shade as the light one was too light for me (it comes in 3 shades by the way), and other than being a little pink for my colouring, it's a very good match. It has a slight scent, but it doesn't bother me and fades away quickly anyway. I always set my foundation, so didn't test it without setting powder, but with it this lasted on me for a good few hours before I had to do some blotting, which is very much the same as any other foundation I own.

I'd say for £4 (or rather £3 at the moment in Superdrug!) this is a good foundation. It's a good size at 30 ml too. I would prefer it to have some SPF, but for the price it's really hard to fault it. Out of the four BB creams I have tried so far (MUA, 17, Garnier and Ginvera) this is not my favourite, but probably comes close to the 17 one. The Ginvera BB cream is still leading, although it contains the least product and costs the most, so I'd probably go for the 17 one when it came to repurchasing. I hated the Garnier one so much, I got rid of it, but I will be keeping and using this one, however, probably won't repurchase it if I ever run out. 

See more pictures after the jump!

Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream Review

BB Creams are the new big thing in the UK and every brand seems to be bringing out their version of it at the moment. Some seem to be better than others, some labelled as BB Creams are no more than tinted moisturisers, but some are really worth paying attention to. Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream is certainly one of the good ones, in fact I will go as far as saying that it's the best one I've tried so far. (I have already reviewed a couple: Garnier BB Cream and Boots 17 BB Cream, click on the links for the reviews.)

The most unique thing about this BB Cream is that unlike the others I have tried, this has a nude shade, so not so pink as some others. When you apply it in fact, it looks quite grey on the skin, but it blends in really nicely and gives you a great skintone by enhancing your natural tone rather than covering it. Coverage is light to medium I'd say, not as heavy as the 17 BB Cream, but certainly a lot better than the Garnier BB Cream. It doesn't come in more than one shades and says it's suitable for all skin tones, but I would struggle to see this work for very light or very dark skintones. I haven't tested this though, so don't take my word for it!

Once again there are a lot of claims this product has to live up to and it actually does what it says "on the tin". It does blend easily, gives a natural matte finish that lasts, evens out skintone, and it has an SPF30 sun protection which is really good. I can't say it gives a completely flawless coverage, although if you have relatively good skin, then I guess it would, and I can't really comment on whether it's hydrating (although it's not drying on my skin) or whether it helps reduce the formation of lines, which I guess you'd only notice after long term use. All in all this is a good BB Cream, and I would happily recommend this.

My only complaint is the price tag, this is the most expensive one I've tried so far at £20 and you only get 25 ml, so it's also the smallest. Although you can currently get it for just £15 (plus p&p) from Janiro, the new UK distributor of Ginvera products. You can also request a free sample before committing to buying the full size product by clicking here.

See more pictures after the jump!

L'Occitane Shea Butter Defense - Supreme Winter Protection

So what happened to spring? Just the other day I was wondering what springtime fragrance I should wear as the weather was getting milder (well, the whole winter had been pretty mild in the UK to be fair, up until now that is) and my Harajuku Lovers holiday fragrance was beginning to feel a bit out of place. And then bang! The temperature suddenly plummeted and last weekend it even snowed. So what better time to be sent some lovely shea butter face care products from L'Occitane to try out.

Firstly I'd like to point out that I don't normally suffer from dry skin (on my face anyway), my skin is normal with oily bits (T-zone). But even so, when the temperature is near zero and the wind is blowing in your face, a bit of extra moisture doesn't hurt anyone. I was sent two kinds of face creams to try out, the Ultra Rich Face Cream that contains 25% shea butter and the Ultra Gentle Moisturiser that contains 8%. First one is recommended for dry to very dry skin, so I thought I'd try it as my night cream, in case it makes my face more oily, and the second one as a day cream as that is recommended for normal to dry skin (and also sensitive skin). I was also sent a 100% pure shea butter beauty balm that is handy on the go and ideal for chapped lips.

Carry on reading to find out what I thought about these products!

17 Blemish Balm All In One Magic Make Up Review - This One Is Good!

After the disappointment that was the Garnier B.B. cream I swore I wasn't gonna buy another one, but somehow I ended up getting the new 17 B.B. cream. I actually like this one though, so it wasn't a waste of money.

The formula is much thicker than the Garnier one and as a result provides a much better coverage. They claim it's full coverage, but I wouldn't go that far, however you certainly get a decent medium coverage. It feels more like a foundation than a tinted moisturiser to me actually. I got the light shade and it's a very good match for me, but I suspect it will be too dark for those who have a lighter skintone (I'm a Mac light medium (NC/W20-ish) in winter). I think this only comes in light and medium, so there won't be a match for everyone for sure. It lasted very well on me, and I only had to touch up my oily bits once, but that's the same with other foundations too (if I'm lucky). This certainly doesn't make my face look oily or dewey like the Garnier one did, so that's a major plus too. It also hasn't made me break out which that did, so another plus goes to 17's B.B. cream.

I still don't like the use of the word magic in the title because quite frankly it's not. It's a decent tinted moisturiser/foundation, but I see nothing magic about it. It's great that it has SPF25 as I'm lazy about my suncream in winter, so that gives enough protection for me. I can't really say if it's moisturising, but it's certainly non drying, and I would also disagree with the weightless formula because it actually feels a bit heavy on my skin, but like I said, at least this way it gives a good coverage.

You get 30 ml for £6.99 which makes it more expensive than the Garnier B.B. cream, but it's on par with 17 foundations, so it's fine (plus I'd much rather pay more for a better product anyway). So all in all I would recommend this, but I really need to add that this is in no way a miracle product, so as long as you're not expecting one, you'll be fine.

See more pictures after the jump!

Garnier Miracle Skin Protector Daily All-In-One B.B. Cream Review

I hadn't even heard about BB creams until just a few months ago (I know, call myself a beauty addict?), but once I read up on them and realised that there were a few coming out in the UK, I thought it was time for me to try them out as well. So I bought Garnier's Miracle Skin Protector Daily All-In-One B.B. Cream (from now on just BB cream). As my skintone is light to medium, I picked up the colour light which actually suits my skintone pretty well.

My problem with this product, that once the word "miracle" is in the title, it's hard not to expect just that. Having heard that BB creams are these fantastic all-in-one cream/foundation/primer/magic potions, I had huge expectations for this one. Did it live up to them? Sadly, no.

I mean, it's not a bad product, it's a decent tinted moisturiser, but I'm afraid it did not live up to all the claims. It's supposed to immediately perfect my skin, giving an even skintone and healthy glow, blur imperfections, hide redness, smooth the appearance of fine lines, hydrate for 24 hours and protect the skin with SPF15. It is hydrating and it does give a glow (ie leaves my face shiny), but it did not cover up any imperfections on my face whatsoever and my skintone was not evened out in the slightest either. Once I set it with Mac MSF Natural, it looked fine, but to be honest, my skin would look the same with normal moisturiser and Mac MSF Natural. The coverage is so light, I really can't say it's an all-in-one product, because I still need a concealer and foundation to cover the redness and imperfections. I also has some breakouts while using the product, but I can't say for sure whether it was related or not.

It's not too expensive at £9.99, but equally not that cheap for something that doesn't actually live up to its claims. You get 50 ml, and little goes a long way, so it will last you for a good while, but I just can't see myself reaching for this regularly I'm afraid.

See more pictures after the jump!

Finished! The July edition

Here are the products I finished in the month of July. Not to shabby, although sadly only 3 make up items.Still, my collection of cleansers/scrubs need using up as well. Let's have a look at what I managed to finish last month, shall we?

First up is Maybelline Dream Satin liquid foundation in 020 Cameo. I have reviewed it already, you can read my review here. I don't love it, it doesn't really work for me, it's greasy and leaves my face quite shiny too, so won't be repurchasing this. I still have another half a bottle though, so you can expect that to appear in another Finished! post soon. Available from Boots, Superdrug, etc. £8.19 at Boots with a 3 for 2 offer currently on.

Keep reading to find out what other products I have finished this month!

Finished! The May edition

This month's damage: 5 products. Well, 4 and a half. I'll tell you why in a minute. But first up here's something I have repurchased many times in the past and will do again. One of my favourite perfumes ever: Yves Saint Laurent Paris. I have loved this since I was about 18 and in fact this was my very first "proper" perfume. I love the bottle, I love the scent, I love everything about it. Even though I own 40+ different perfumes, I know I will repurchase this one as not many other scents have come close to it in my heart.

See what other products I've finished after the jump!