Review: Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

This stuff is so great that I just had to write about it as soon as possible. A few days ago I splurged and got a little something for myself. I had recently seen some ads while flipping through Elle magazine for a couple of new makeup products labeling themselves as "BB cream." "What was this mysterious new product?" I thought to myself. After comparing two ads that looked extremely similar, claiming mostly the same benefits, I decided to try them out next time I got the chance. I imagined them as translucent, colour-free balms such as Benefit's the PoreFessional pore minimizing balm. Luckily my local Shoppers Drug Mart carried both of these products and had testers out for both as well, and I discovered that I was wrong. One was the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream, the other was Marcelle's BB Cream. I put one of the products on one half of my face, and another on the other side, and the difference was immediately clear--Marcelle's was heavier and more obvious-looking, and also looked darker (which is a problem when you're already testing the lightest shade they have.) Maybelline was the clear winner, and let me tell you why.

The product itself is more or less a tinted moisturizer. This kind of thing is appealing to me because 90% of the time I dislike the look of regular liquid foundation; it's too obvious, looking heavy and makeup-y and far too much coverage for daily use. This type of makeup is only appropriate for very few situations and should be saved for a fancy night out, or a photoshoot, when your skin needs to look absolutely flawless as a backdrop for dramatic eyes and lips. But for more casual occasions, like heading to class or out for a meal with friends, I hate feeling over-done and too made up. I hate feeling like it looks like I'm trying too hard. I'm fortunate to have pretty good skin; save for some minor imperfections it behaves pretty well most of the time.
In the past year or so I'd been gifted a few tester tubes of Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, and really loved the medium coverage they provided. I could put a little of it in the main areas of my face (nose, cheeks, chin) and other spots if needed. Then I would apply a bit of powder to set it all (PurMinerals, which by the way is awesome). My tester tube was on its last legs, forcing me to squeeze the living daylights out of it to get the last remaining bit, and thus I needed to find a replacement. Maybelline's Dream Fresh is that replacement. It is smooth, light, and feels fresh upon application. It blends easily and doesn't set too quickly. It proclaims itself as an "8-in-1 beauty balm" with the eight benefits listed on the back of the tube:

1. With SPF30 helps prevent sunburn.
2. Helps blur the look of imperfections.
3. Creates a natural looking glow.
4. Skin looks visibly smoother.
5. Compliments skin-tone.
6. Hydrates all day.
7. Feels fresh.
8. Oil free.

The last four of these eight benefits can pretty much be thrown away; they're basically useless, but eight is a higher number than four, and thus they are listed as benefits. It is lovely that it's oil-free, but so are most things we put on our face nowadays. The one that was a clincher for me was the SPF30. Until now, the highest SPF factor I had in my makeup bag was SPF20, and that was my Laura Mercier tester tube of tinted moisturizer. The only facial SPF30 product I own is a daily moisturizer by Aveeno which claims to calm redness by way of deep daily hydration. This is a lie. This product is so extremely greasy that there is absolutely no way anyone could use it as a daily moisturizer. It feels just like regular sunscreen, and smells like it too. For this reason it has been living in my purse as a last-minute bit of sunscreen in case I end up in the sun for longer than I planned, or if I'm going to the beach. (Even then, it's so thick that it barely absorbs into my skin, and it usually just wipes off with the slightest amount of moisture on my face, which in the scorching summer heat is pretty common.) So I had been looking for something better. My best option seemed to be an expensive SPF serum that was upwards of $50 for a teeny tiny bottle. Until I discovered this stuff. It's fantastic and comes in I think 4 or 5 shades. It's extremely reasonable at about $15 per 30ml tube. And if you're like me, you'll only need a little dab about half the size of the tip of your finger to cover the important bits of your face. You can wear it alone or under a powder. For day or night. And even out in the sun. This stuff definitely gets my seal of approval for value and quality. It has been added to the short list of products that I buy over and over again because they're so great.

NOTE: there was no entry in the GoodGuide databases about this product at the time I wrote this article, likely since it's such a new product. I will however keep checking back occasionally and will update with new information as it becomes available.