**REVIEW** Garnier 5 Sec Blur

As I mentioned before, I love the box of goodies L'Oreal sent to me. L.O.V.E. it all. I did have some favorites though. This is one of them:

Garnier 5 Sec Blur. Genius.

I probably would not have tried this if not for the gift. Not only did I try it and like it, but I let my sister try it and she went out and got some for herself.

PROS:

• Mattes the face after applying moisturizer and before applying the rest of my makeup. Mattes any shine without drying out the skin.
• Could be worn alone if the shade were slightly darker. My sister can wear it without foundation. 
• Has a really nice feel to it. Goes on like a spreadable powder. 
• Blurs surface imperfections and evens out my skin tone for applying foundation or my shaded powder makeup.
• Helps "set" my foundation. I noticed that my makeup wore better and longer if I used Blur.

CONS:

• Because I have such a dark complection, I can't wear it solo. I have to apply foundation or my tinted powder to get rid of the slightly ashy look.
• Though it does work as a "primer", it doesn't really do as much for my fine lines. I think this is only because of the pale shading. If it came in a brown tint, I think the blurring would work on fine lines.

This is really a great product. I'm hoping that someone will come out with it in a variety of shades for more skin tones. When I went with my sister to pick out hers at the store, I noticed that there were at least 4 other brands with a similar product. My sister is a few shades lighter than I am, and she is able to wear the Blur solo. Looks really good on her and saves her having to wear a foundation.

Very light against back of my hand
Powders as you blend in

This side, Blur-free                               This side, Blurred

This is a really good product idea. Going on the search for one in a better shade for me. 

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** L'Oreal's Magic BB Creme

Got my sample of this in the mail a few days ago from SheSpeaks (love those guys). Has only taken using it twice to know that it's not really for me. (BTW: My sample came in the "Deep" shade.)

Cons:

• The creme had a sort of gritty feel when applying it. Almost like a very fine-grained exfoliating cream. (That freaked me out because I almost never use anything exfoliating on my face. No. No. No.)
• The shade was a lot lighter than what most dark-skinned women would want. I would say it best suits someone with a darkly olive tone than someone with a dark red or blue coloring. (I'm just plain dark, with red tones.) I decided I could only use this as an under-eye brighter. ~shrug~
• Once on, the creme dried my face to the point of being uncomfortable. I was afraid to smile because I was sure my smile lines would look like cracks on the bottom of a dry lake bed. The drying effect also made my skin break out just a little. (I don't know what the hell the word "hydrates" is doing in the description on the tube!)

Pros:

• While not for my skin-color or type, this might be okay for someone with very oily skin. Matter of fact, I imagine it would be perfect for the oily skin type. Maybe L'Oreal should break this out (heh heh) by skin types - label this one for oily skin and formulate another that actually does hydrate.
• The tube is cute and will tuck nicely into a handbag. 

Seriously, those are the only positives I can think of for this product.

The one thing I envisioned when I heard about this and other "correcting" creams, is that I could get good effects with minimal coverage. I'm not a full-on makeup type of woman. There are just days when I think I could just use a little bit of help to look my "natural" best. 

No worries yet. I have heard of similar creams by Garnier (comes in only 2 shades, but bound to be reasonably priced) and those put out by Asian companies. See if you can get samples from several producers so you can find your best match. As for me, this one ain't it.

For the other brown gals out there (love that), this might help get you started on a search for your own.

Peace

--Free

Pssst Script:

In case, like me, you were wondering, the "BB" in the name stands for Beauty Balm or Beauty Blemish.

The creams are trendy. In other countries, they might be used differently, but here in the U.S., they seem to basically be tinted moisturizers. Olay is honest and cops to the description. (You know I will be all over the Olay one - depending on the price and shades.)

**DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample to review as part of my SheSpeaks membership**