L’Oreal Paris Sublimist BB cream 6 in 1 Instant perfection in colour light

During the summer I like wearing lighter foundations, either in form of BB cream or BB cream with light coverage foundation on top. Apart from colour, they promise to give benefits of face lotion to the skin so they can replace two products in one which makes skin feel lighter in this hot weather.

Price: it depends where you buy it, in Belgium drugstores it costs 13-14€ for 50ml.

Smell: it doesn’t have distinctive scent; it little bit like a sunscreen.

Colour: light neutral, slightly warm colour similar to Estee Lauder or Smashbox BB creams in colour light (review here).

Texture and finish: it has creamy texture, not overly thick or liquid type of product. Its finish is natural so neither matt nor dewy.

L'Oreal Sublimist BB cream

Application: I used my fingers to apply it as I would apply regular daily moisturiser (since it has SPF 25 I was using it instead of it). Firstly I applied my serum and eye cream, followed by this BB cream and then some foundation. I tried to use eye cream over it but it would move so definitely apply all you need before it. It didn’t soak in the skin immediately as for example Estee Lauder BB cream and it stayed little bit sticky (like a lotion) all day. I also tried applying creamy blushes (first Benefit Benetint and then Tarte cheek stain) over it but it completely moved in this area and uncovered my dark spots. If you want to use any colourful product on top of it I would suggest powdering it first.

Coverage: it has good coverage for a BB cream, less coverage then Estee Lauder or Smashbox but it is quite comparable. It can be built to some extend but since it doesn’t soak and set completely I would not apply more than 2 layers.

Longevity: without setting it with powder (which beats the purpose of “not wearing any makeup” feel) it doesn’t last very long. If you wear it alone, it lasts about 4 hours. If you wear foundation over it, it wears ok, it doesn’t mess it up.

L'Oreal Sublimist BB cream ini colour Light

What it promises (from the packaging):

1. Hydrates skin for 24 hours (skin felt moisturised for quite a long time, but I haven’t worn it for 24 hours) 
2. Reduces redness (if you have heavy redness it won’t help, it doesn’t have coverage high enough to do so) 
3. Reduces imperfections (ok for minor imperfection, if you have pimple you may still need concealer) 
4. Smoothes skin (yes in case of minor scars and unevenness) 
5. Unifies and boost radiance (it unifies skin but I don’t feel it’s radiant as its finish is natural not dewy). 
6. Protects from sun radiation (yes, it has SPF 25 which is quite high, just make sure you cover your face well to ensure SPF’s effectiveness and reapply after 4 hours or sooner). 

Final verdict: It is quite comparable to Estee Lauder or Smashbox if you want to spend less money but keep in mind that it doesn’t wear alone for long and you cannot put any creamy products over it. On the other hand I liked using it as my daily moisturiser under the foundation as it gave some coverage and I needed less foundation to use. I will definitely use it up but won’t repurchase it. I’m still looking for something like my Garnier Ambre Solaire BB cream SPF 30/50 but in lighter colour (for my pale skin days).