Products We Love: Garnier Beauty Balm Crème

If you’re a makeup junkie like I am, you know you can hardly ever resist impulse-buying products on sale or just products with great prices. I’m currently holed up in Ctown (somewhere in Francophone West Africa…007 business) and I went to the nearest Pharmacy to restock my wipes and cleansers; that was when I saw this product: Garnier BB Crème Miracle Skin Perfecteur  What actually caught my eye was the packaging, It was sitting in that counter looking all “green & Eco- friendly” and I just thought that I’d be doing a good deed by buying it …*side eye*   Well, I did myself a whole world of favour. I’m amongst the very few who are blessed with little or no skin imperfections, as per rare instances of breakouts, acne and its minions; So full-coverage / heavy-duty makeup (foundations) doesn’t interest me. I happily use tinted moisturizers, lightweight foundations (like Revlon Nearly Naked foundation) and co; sheer coverage and I’m good to go. If you have acne problems, click here for the solution.  

This product I reckon only comes in 3 shades: light, medium and dark. If you’re dark skinned (chocolatey not deeply dark aka Lupita Nyong’o), the Dark (Foncé) is for you. Most alphabet creams: “BB creams, CC creams” hardly cater for the really dark skinned women … it’s the sad reality and I really hope cosmetic companies step-up their game in that aspect. Company Claim: Renews Brightens Evens skin tone Protects Hydrates 24H   Downsides: •If you have serious skin imperfections e.g acne and dark spots, you should most definitely mix this with a full coverage concealer for better coverage. •This particular type is only suitable for dry and normal skin type because of its serious hydrating/moisturizing properties (although there’s another Garnier BB cream for oily/combination skin). So, find out what skin type you are (post for another day) and buy accordingly. • It only has SPF 15, which is a tad too little in this day of acute global warming. Upsides: • It Contains vitamin C which we all know helps to reduce the appearance of brown spots and other types of sun damage, boost healthy collagen production (hello, firmer skin!), increase the effectiveness of your sunscreens and boost your skin’s defense against UV exposure. • It works great with sunscreens • The mineral pigments give your skin a healthy glow • It actually allows your skin to “breathe” thanks to its sheerness. • Evens out skin tone • It is buildable (you can keep going until you’re satisfied with the coverage) • It’s affordable, (It was labelled 5000 FCFA (approximately 1700 NGN) where I got it} Verdict:

It was a good buy. I reluctantly wear foundations, but this one is a good substitute. With its SPF, Vitamin C & Mineral “glow” pigments properties and the price, I like!   Bon weekend tous!   See seven BB creams Nigerians absolutely love   About the Writer: Zuka Williams is an Economist, a make-up artist and a beauty blogger. She blogs at www.maketopiaofficiel.com and tweets @ZuWilliams_ –