Review of Maybelline Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream by christi4200
Well, I guess it's about time I reviewed this, I've had it for a few wks now. I purchased this from Walmart for $7.44. I'll start with the negatives. Ok, not to be completely repetitive, but this definitely isn't a "BB cream," simply because it doesn't have any skin beneficial ingredients, coverage, etc.I understand that American BB creams can be different than Asian ones, and I'm totally fine with that. But the whole idea of a BB cream is that it's a skin treatment as well as offering coverage for flaws. Would it have killed Maybelline to throw some antioxidants in here? And I don't mean a slight useless dusting at the very end of the ingredients list, I mean a good amount, like Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Enhancer TM, which is much more of a "BB Cream" than this product if u wanna get technical. It has a high amount of retinol, antioxidants & SPF. (I do prefer the look of this TM over that one tho) Now, this TM claims to have SPF 30, yet it only has 1.15% Titanium Dioxide. I have other foundations, moisturizers, & TMs that are also 1 oz. that have 5% & more of Titanium Dioxide and only claim to be SPF 15 or 20. How is that possible? Basically, there's no way in hell this has SPF 30. So, please don't rely on this for SPF people!
Ok, onto the positives! :) I actually do really like this TM. This is wonderful for normal to dry skin like mine, & I feel it would work for combo skin if you powdered over it. Idk if very oily skin would be able to pull this off, but YMMV of course. You never know till u try it! I'm NC15 ( in winter) & NC20 (in summer), and the shade light blends perfectly into my skin. Even in the winter, when I'm super pale, I feel I will be able to wear this. Light is an alarming shade of orange/peach when u squeeze it out of the tube, but as soon as u begin blending it in, it lightens up a great deal. I swatched the tester on my hand in the store, and immediately thought, "oompa loompa," but i rubbed it in to see if it would get lighter, & much to my surprise & delight it did! I certainly don't believe all that "skin adjusting" marketing crap, no cream can just magically "sense" what ur skintone is and then magically "adjust" to it. The thing is, because this is so sheer, it will blend in, even if the color isn't perfect, therefore "adjusting" to ur skintone. If ur paler than NC15, this might not work for you, but I'd still @ least try it out if ur interested. There's testers of every shade @ all the displays I've seen of this. It feels wonderful going on ur skin, very moisturizing & refreshing, and it really does blur imperfections. Now, I have good skin as far as no acne, however it's not perfect by any means. I occassionally get some spots, and I do have a few hyperpigmentation marks from leftover pimples, as well as the normal redness most women get around their nose due to our lovely hormones. I also have dark circles, thanks to my Italian heritage, which is my biggest issue. I don't wear foundation regularly, and I much prefer an ultra lite one if I do, or a TM. My HG is MAC F&B, to give u an idea of the type of base I like.
This def gives me a glow, but has no sparkles or shimmer at all, even in the brightest sunlight. (Believe me, I've checked!) Like all water based products, it can separate. It's better if u take the lid off and cover the opening with ur finger and give it a few good shakes, it works better this way than shaking it with the lid on, which gets messy. I do find I can layer this for more coverage, I'm able to add more around my nose, chin, & undereyes w/o it looking cakey at all. This doesn't completely cover my dark circles, but definitely makes them alot less noticeable. This feels very thin & liquidy, but it thickens up as I rub it in. It doesn't settle into fine lines due to the thinness of it, which is awesome! I feel that putting a sheer base like this all over, then going back in with a concealer in the areas I need more coverage looks so much more beautiful & natural than applying a full coverage foundation all over. As far as application, my good ol' hands work the best, & I love a product that doesn't require me to dirty a brush. I do also enjoy using my RT buffing brush, expert face brush, Sigma F80 or F82 to apply this.
To summarize: this is a great TM provided you're using sunscreen underneath & not relying on it for your main SPF. It's a very light, hydrating, water based TM that will give u enough coverage to blur your imperfections. It's buildable & can be layered for more coverage in certain areas w/out looking at all cakey. This also stays on in 95 degree heat! It comes in 5 shades, & there's options for palies like me & darker skins, which is awesome. It would be nice if they had a "fair" shade tho, because the lightest shade is still too dark for some. Despite the negatives I pointed out about this, I love it! It gives a very fresh, healthy, dewy (but NOT oily or sparkly), & glowing look to my skin- perfect for summer! If it wasn't for them lying about the SPF & also calling it a "BB Cream," I'd have given it 5 stars. I totally recommend this to anyone looking for a sheer, summertime, (or anytime) fresh faced look! Perfect for "no makeup makeup!"