Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream - review

The BB cream craze is still in full effect, and more and more US brands are coming out with their own version.  Now, as many have noted, US BB creams are not really comparable to the Asian variety.  The American variety are basically tinted moisturizers with added benefits, while the Asian creams tend to be less sheer and more focused on actual skin treatment.  I have and adore a couple of true Asian BB creams, but I am not comparing these American ones to those...rather, I'm trying evaluate them on their own merits instead of getting too hung up on whether or not they should use the term "BB cream" for the American product.

As someone who, in general, is not a fan of foundation, I gravitate toward all-in-one products like these and have been trying to try as many as possible. I've decided to start sharing my thoughts on each here! I recently picked up Maybelline's version and have been trying it out for a few days.

This cost me just a bit less than $9 for 1 ounce. One nice thing about the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream is that it comes in five shades. This means that darker skinned girls might actually find a shade that works for them! Traditional BB creams come in only one shade and are tailored to Asian skin tones, so they don't suit all Western faces. I am super pale, so I got the lightest shade.

Note that it describes itself as a sheer tint. It does not try to be a full or heavy coverage product. This product promises 8 benefits to the skin: blurs imperfections, brightens, evens skin tone, smoothes, hydrates, enhances, and provides sun protection. It includes SPF 30, which is a great benefit, in my opinion.

When I squeezed some out, I noted that it's a bit thinner than most other BB creams I've tried, but it is not at all runny. I wondered at first if it would be a bit too dark, but that was not the case at all.

Partially blended out, you can see that it is a pretty good match for my skintone (my hands are just a tiny bit darker than my face) and it is pretty easy to blend.

Once fully blended in, I am happy with the color. I am relieved that there is no orange cast, as I've had a couple of other similar products go a bit orange or dark on me. The texture is nice - just a tiny bit dewy, but not at all greasy. 

And here it is on my otherwise bare face after about 15 minutes. As you can see, the coverage is sheer. It does even out my skintone well, but don't count on it to hide a breakout. It feels nice on my skin, and the color never oxidizes on me.

In all, I think this is a pretty good product! It's more sheer than the Garnier version, but has a much nicer finish and color variety.

Have you tried any of the new US BB creams? What do you think of them?