17 BB Blemish Balm [Reformulated]

I'm going to start this post by saying that, in general, I'm not a fan of western style BB creams. To me they appear to be glorified tinted moisturisers and I don't think they really offer any long term skincare benefits. Most of the BB creams I've tried have been disappointing in terms of shade, coverage or texture. 

I'm not quite sure what possessed me to purchase the newly reformulated BB cream from 17 but I've been trying it out for the past three weeks or so and I'm pleased to report that I don't hate it. I have the shade Medium which is a tiny bit too light for me but Medium Dark was too dark. The shade range isn't huge (there are three shades available) but it's an improvement on the 'one-shade-fits-all' option several other brands offer.

17 claim that their blemish balm is a wonder product; a make up/skincare hybrid that will even skin tone, cover imperfections, control oil, offer SPF 25 and improve skin within four weeks. I think they got a bit ahead of themselves here because whilst it does somewhat even out my skintone and cover minor imperfections, it's certainly not a miracle product. Some of you might appreciate the higher level of SPF too but I live in Glasgow and the sun doesn't visit often. Overall I didn't notice any improvement in my skin from using this and I don't think it controls oil particularly well either.

I've tried applying this product with my fingers but found that it didn't offer a great deal of coverage when used that way. I prefer to work it into the skin with a buffing brush. My skin is combination/oily and I find that if I don't set this with a powder it starts to move around and slide off after a couple of hours. As I said previously, this product doesn't offer a great deal of oil control but it doesn't look greasy on the skin either. The finish is on the dewy side but nothing a little powder can't fix if you prefer to look more matte. I used concealer on the areas that I felt needed more coverage.

All in all, I actually quite like this product. I wouldn't recommend it if you have very oily skin, a lot of blemishes or if you want a really flawless finish. If you take 17's claims with a pinch of salt and consider this product more like a tinted moisturiser, I think you'll be impressed. 

The 17 BB Blemish Balm (every time I write that I think it sounds like something that would give you spots...) is available in Boots stores and online for £6.99.

Do you have any thoughts on this product or BB creams in general?

Stace xx