Review and Swatches: Rimmel London BB cream in Light

Hello!

Still haven't found the right BB cream? Today I'm reviewing the Rimmel London BB Cream 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup SPF 25 in Light. I don't remember where I read that this was good, but it stuck with me enough that when Rimmel had a promotion going the other day (gift with purchase over $20; my other purchase was the Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in No.10), I decided to try it out.

Rimmel London BB Cream 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup SPF 25 in Light

How much product I used for my swatch of Rimmel London BB Cream 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup SPF 25 in Light

Swatch of Rimmel London BB Cream 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup SPF 25 in Light;
one swipe

Swatch of Rimmel London BB Cream 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup SPF 25 in Light;
blended out. The two outermost lines show the full area of the swatch, the middle (higher)
line shows the stronger edge where the initial swipe was made.

Review:

• Packaging: Standard screw-top squeezy tube. Again, flip tops are better- easier to work with in a rush.
• Fragrance: This does have a fragrance to it, most noticeable on initial application. I think it's quite nice, but if you're hypersensitive to fragrance, this is something you should consider before you buy.
• Colour: This comes in three colours- light, medium, and medium/dark. That's not great. There needs to be a wider range of colours. I have Light, which is just half-to-one shade too dark for my pale self, but because it's summer, it can be made to look OK with some bronzer.
• Finish: It's a demi-matte. It looks natural- like your skin but better. To control shine on the T-zone, you would need some mattifying powder over the top.
• Texture: This product has a nice texture. It's a thick fluid- just runny enough to be easily spreadable, just thick enough not to run everywhere and need four layers to build it up.
• Coverage: This doesn't pretend to be a full-coverage foundation and it's not. It does, however, have pretty good coverage for a BB cream. It's about the same as the Smashbox BB cream, or dare I say, a bit better? In terms of a comparison to foundation, it's got the coverage of a light coverage foundation. This is buildable, and it increases coverage without caking. Buildable is a word I hate with expensive products (Naked Foundation and Smashbox BB cream) but this one is so affordable that I don't mind having to use a bit more. I was pretty happy with it, although I am having an unusually good skin week. One layer gave me a more even skin tone and some redness coverage, the second gave me complete redness coverage and some acne hyperpigmentation coverage, but I still need concealer to fully cover my acne.
• SPF: This is SPF 25 but it doesn't say whether it's broad spectrum or not, so I'd still say you should use a broad spectrum moisturiser/sunscreen before heading out in the sun.
• Cost: AUD$11.95- very affordable. I have ranted and raved about poor coverage expensive products in the past, but this isn't one of them. Yes, you need twice as much product to achieve the level of coverage of a foundation, but no, it will not put you out of house and home.

Final Verdict: A-
Affordable, nicely formulated BB cream with better-than-average coverage. The downside? Very limited colour range.

Have you tried this product?
What did you think?

xo
Anna