Mommy Talk Show Candid Conversation with a TV Mom
I heard about BB creams last month when I saw a supermodel doing a makeup demonstration on the Today Show. She was showing how was it primes and moisturizes your skin before you apply makeup. So when I got the opportunity to review L’Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream through She Speaks I was excited. Plus, it came in four shades and I selected Deep, the darkest one available.
I wore makeup for 10 hours a day in my former job as a TV news anchor. I learned from some great makeup artists that it’s important to prime your skin and give your makeup a “base.” I have some eye lid primer that does a wonderful job keeping my eyeshadow on when I’m going for a full coverage look vs. a day out shopping look.
What is BB cream?
BB stands for blemish base, blemish balm or beautifying balm. The L’Oreal Magic BB Cream makes four promises on the back of the tube – that it Primes, Perfects, Hydrates and Corrects.
I applied it for the first time right before I hosted a live Mommy Talk Show webcast. You can see from the picture above that it comes out of the tube with a grey appearance and has “beautifying beads.” I dotted it on my face, then applied my pressed powder, blush, eye shadow and lip gloss.
I was shocked that it appeared so grey or “ashy” on my skin. For any woman with olive-toned or dark skin, that’s not the look we’re going for. But my pressed powder covered it up.
Is this L’Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream worth TALKING about?
Performance: Of the four promises that it Primes, Perfects, Hydrates and Corrects I can only say that it primed my skin and gave my makeup a smooth base before I applied it. The L’Oreal Magic BB cream has NO SPF (others on the market do.) It promised “all day moisture” but my skin felt dry for the entire hour I was broadcasting live. Granted, I have very dry skin. But overall, I can’t recommend it.
Price: You can find L’Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream in your local drug store for $10.95. That’s affordable. But if you need a moisturizer and SPF cream too – that will add up.
Recommendation: If L’Oreal creates a new formula with an SPF of 15 or more, more moisturizing ingredients and shades that don’t appear “ashy” on darker skin – I’d be open to try it again.
Other Reviews of the L’Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream
There were a number of bloggers who reviewed the L’Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream who had a better experience than I did. So to be fair, do a Google Search for #MagicBBCream or check out reviews from
Have you tried BB creams? Did you see the results you expected?
Disclosure: I received a complimentary product from L’Oreal Paris
via She Speaks to share my honest opinion.
BB creams in general look ashy. Even on my pale skin, I have to dust on bare minerals warming powder afterwards. But no SPF, that is a crime! The whole point of BB is not having to slather on 5 products.sp
I’ve never tried a BB cream, but L’Oreal makes some great stuff so I’d love to see how it works on my skin.
A very fair review! I have a friend that loves it, and a friends that hates it. To each, their own. But thank you for your open and honest opinion!
I hate putting traditional sunscreen on my face, so I really count on my make up to have spf in it.
thanks for sharing your honest thought on the product. The first BB cream I used came from Korea, I guess based from my experience, Korean BB creams are the best, contain natural ingredients and not really drying the skin in fact in moisturizes the skin giving it that “dewy” look.
I have never tried a BB. I am generally a lipstick only type of person, but I am interested in expanding my repertoire.
Hey first off thanks for the link love on the review. I am happy you gave your honest opinion about it. I wish I could get better pictures of mines because it worked great for me but I don’t wear makeup often at all. The other one I tried was so heavy on my skin it couldn’t breathe. I really liked how light this was.
You’re welcome.
You should try to share as many pictures as possible so people can see what you’re saying!
I have been itching to get my hands on some of this to see if it is all it’s built up to be. Now I am unsure about it. I have fair skin (medium perhaps at best) but I assumed it would just give a nice coverage and even out tone. I will check the other reviews out. Thanks for including them. That is smart. I think that’s fair.
Thanks Paula.
I know we all have a variety of experiences with products, so I wanted to share those too.