BB Cream Showdown: Olay vs. L'OREAL

Have you ever had those moments in your life where something keeps recurring or popping up in unexpected places? I've often wondered what all the fuss is about when it comes to BB creams but lately it's been that recurring object in my life and I figured I should finally just give them a try.

For those that aren't aware, BB Creams (aka beauty or blemish balms) have been making their way into North American beauty regimens since around 2011. Originally developed by a German dermatologist, it became a huge hit in Asia and has now made it’s way over to our homeland. 

Taking into consideration that a high quality and what appears to be a small container of BB cream can cost around the $40-$50 - it’s been a pretty huge success. But is the success all hype from thousands of woman loving the idea of the product rather than its actual performance, or does it actually work? BB cream is marketed as the miracle worker of all beauty products, it’s a foundation, sunscreen, moisturizer and supposed all-around time saver. Intended to replace many of your normal beauty regimen steps, like foundation, concealer, bronzer and moisturizer, one could really benefit from a product like this that actually holds true to its claims.

I tested out two different brands as to not leave a bad taste in my mouth if the first one didn't pull through. This gave me a solid foundation to base a review on these two products, and I'm glad I did because one turned out to be substantially better than the other.

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream in Light to Medium

This was the first one I tried on and to be honest, I wasn't overly impressed since the last thing this product made my skin feel was fresh. After performing a bit of research on the active and inactive ingredients, I did find out that the majority of them are organic compounds that are insoluble in water which explains why it felt oily and left my face with a less than pleasant shine. The fragrance was a little overwhelming at the start, which I eventually got used to, but for anyone with sensitive skin or perfume allergies, this is probably a good way to steer clear of. Aside from the greasy feeling and scent, there is no way I could use this BB cream to replace a concealer or foundation, it simply didn't provide the coverage I was looking for. 

L'OREAL Youth Code BB Cream in Medium

After feeling less than satisfied with how my last BB cream experience went, I decided to try out L'OREAL's Youth Code BB Cream to see if price actually makes a difference. Coming in around $26 it's certainly not the most expensive but still more than the Olay's Fresh Effects. I also decided to try out just a Medium shade instead of light-to-medium just because I have so many freckles that I can usually get away with something a little darker than my actual skin tone. 

I preferred this one as it didn't leave my skin feeling oily, the scent was there but not over powering and it provided great coverage. Unlike it's contender, if I'm going for a more relaxed beauty routine I could totally replace my concealer and foundation with just this for the day if I felt the drive to do so. Not only that, but I didn't need to use anymore than a dime size to cover my face and neck. The colour adapted and blended into my skin tone nicely and I didn't need to worry about the makeup lines I get sometimes from my foundation. 

- Lyss