Battle of the BB's | 17 Blemish Balm vs. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB

With the warmer weather we've been having recently here in the UK, I've been reaching for BB creams over foundation for a lighter, barely-there coverage. The two I have been trialling are 17's BB Blemish Balm and Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB; cue the battle of the BB's!

17 BB Blemish Balm in Medium

The 17 packaging is really nice and simple (I know it has been altered more recently, but the difference is minimal), and the product dispenses nicely, without spontaneously leaking out of the nozzle; always a plus for obvious reasons. 

On application it felt lovely, fresh and light on my face. Literally just what you need in the hot weather and in my opinion, perfect if you're jetting off on holiday and don't want to feel caked in makeup.

It blends in really easily to provide an even coverage over blotchy skin, but definitely needs a little help from concealer for covering up those pesky spots.

Overall though, a really pleasant, easy and light product to wear. Definitely gets the thumbs up from me!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB in Universal Glow

Although this Maybelline packaging is easy on the eye, unfortunately the product is so thin and watery that it just seems to leak out into the lid, which is near impossible to avoid and also means that you always dispense way more of the product than you actually need.

Please take that as a word of warning, I can imagine there have been many mishaps involving this BB!

As this shade is called 'Universal Glow', I expected a nice muted, natural colour.

Boy was I wrong.

It's an extremely frightening looking shade of orange (which I've added a picture of below for reference; g'ah!). Because of this, I found it difficult to blend evenly, and it took more effort than I would have liked to get my face to a normal colour. However, when I did finally get to that stage, my skin did actually look quite naturally tanned.

Although it feels quite light once blended, like the 17 BB it isn't great at covering blemishes and needs a little help from a spot or two of concealer.

Overall I haven't really got on with this product too well. Although it does eventually blend in, I don't feel all that comfortable applying such a pigmented and awkward product. It also has a really unusual, strong smell that I can't put my finger on exactly, but slightly resembles gone off fake tan.

Sorry Maybelline, but this really isn't one of my favourites from you guys!

I think it's obvious who wins this battle.

 17 Blemish Balm BB Cream can be purchased here from Boots for £6.99

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB can also be found in Boots for £7.99 here

What's your favourite BB cream?

Love,

Jo xx