Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream: Review & Swatches

Since I'm on a BB Cream kick, figure might as well bring up another one. The Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream in Fair to Light. There are 2 color ranges offered (I believe the other is Light to Medium, but don't quote me on that). I was excited to see these when it hit the shelves because I generally love Aveeno products.  Especially a BB cream that has my minimum requirement of SPF 30? Hell ya, bring it on!

To continue reading the review and see swatches, click the link below.
The Clear Complexion line is meant to help those who are acne/blemish prone by helping to even tone and fade dark spots/marks for a more "flawless, naturally beautiful skin". The product is made from a total soy complex that Aveeno has marketed as Active Naturals. This product has natural light reflecting minerals, so it's a dewey finish. I personally have plenty of dark spots that I want gone, so this was an exciting claim to test out.

The claims it makes (as seen on the packaging) are that:

• Instantly evens and brightens complexion
• Helps blend away imperfections from breakouts
• Helps fade the look of marks from past breakouts
• Moisutrizes and nourishes
• Helps protect skin from future damage
• Sunscreen active ingredients: Homosalate, Octinoxate, Octisalate, and Oxybenzone

Does it live up to the claims? For the most part, yes. The tint in this BB cream is strong enough to help even out the skin tone (covers redness and most of my freckles), and a very fine shimmer (almost negligible) particles do help to brighten the complexion. I don't know if it helped to prevent/decrease breakouts, but at the very least using the product didn't cause any. I personally didn't notice marks from past breakouts reducing, but I don't think I've used it long enough to get it a fair go. The BB cream is very moisturizing, at times too much since it leaves quite a dewey, almost shiny appearance. I have to personally set this BB cream with a powder if I don't want a disco ball effect. Last, but not least, with SPF 30, it truly does help protect skin from future damage.

Thus far it seems like a miracle BB cream, and it does do a lot for the skin as a traditional Asian BB cream would (something I prefer). It also has a thicker consistency compare to US alternatives. It's definitely one of the closer versions to the Asian (supreme in my opinion) BB creams. The only downfall for me personally is that even this lighter shade is a little too dark for me. It blends nicely into the skin and doesn't look weird on, but when you compare it to my neck/chest, my face looks darker when applied. Perhaps now that I've been walking outside daily, I might be able to color match better. I haven't used this in the past couple of weeks since the color doesn't match.

Swatches

As you can see (if you look closely) at the blob of swatch, you can see some fine reflecting particles within the BB cream.  Once blended into the skin, it leaves a dewey finish that can turn super oily if you are prone to oily skin.

Bottom Line: Although it's not the best option for me personally, it is a nice product. This is another dewey formula of BB Cream with a nice thick texture (more reminescent of it's Asian counterparts). This formula is moisturizing, so not recommended for oily skin. It has plenty of added benefits with long term use (besides the tinted moisturizer aspect), to make it a more inclusive product to use (you may be able to cut out extra skin care steps). Also of note, lighter skin tones might find this too dark for them.