Review: Cover FX BB Gel, Mattifying Anti-Blemish Treatment.

It's always been a battle for me to find a good foundation. Between adult acne, acne scars, redness, enlarged pores, under eye circles, deep lines, and an Oily T-Zone... I'm screwed. Ha! Ha! Sorry, you just gotta laugh. I mean, if I ever find anyone with more going on I would have no choice but to cry for them. I also have the annoying issue of my skin sometimes deciding to change its mind during season changes. I can go 6 months with incredibly oily skin and then wake up one morning with my skin so tight and dry it feels like it's about to tear. I sometimes battle dry patches on my chin and by my lips. Which makes no since because I always wear lip balm, moisturizer, and my T-Zone is often so oily you can oil up a hinge with the oil on my face by 3pm. 

I've been hearing raving reviews all over the blogosphere about Cover FX products so when I heard they were coming out with this new BB Gel I instantly knew I would be ordering it. 

Now, this product is not cheap at $45 for 1.0 Fl. Oz. but the consistency is very thin so you could probably get coverage without using a ton of product. Before using give it a good shake. Cover FX recommends using a foundation brush and/or your fingers to apply. You can check out this video from their website. They use a combination of stippling and long fluid strokes. 

The first time I applied this product I used a technique I've been using for the last couple of weeks. I learned about this technique from Phyrra; she mentioned a new technique that Wayne Goss introduced in this video. I moisturize my face and give it 15 - 20 minutes to absorb completely. I apply a light layer of NYX's Mineral 'Set It & Forget It' Finishing Powder to my face. I then use a damp Beauty Blender sponge to apply NYX's BB Cream. I use another light layer of Finishing Powder. I then apply concealer as needed and then set the concealer with the Finishing Powder. This gives me a very natural yet long wearing face. I began the same way but instead of NYX's BB Cream I used this BB Gel. I applied dots of product all over my face and then attempted to stipple it in using the Beauty Blender but the dots of product began to dry too quickly. I was unable to evenly blend it out over my face. The product had caked up where I dotted it on my face.

My 2nd attempt started similarly with the moisturizer and application of Finishing Powder. This time I decided to use my fingers. The problem was I could not successfully blend the product out before it started to dry. I ended up with some areas of heavy caked on steaks of makeup and other areas without coverage. There was no blending it out. It was just dried and caked on.

I was starting to lose faith so my 3rd try started with moisturizer but I nixed the Finishing Powder. This time I applied the sample of Cover FX Mattifying Primer I received. Using a foundation brush I started on my forehead where I currently have a pretty bad acne breakout. I stippled it over my acne and then used long strokes along my temples. It was looking better but still not great. I then attempted to cover my T-Zone and that was the point when I realized this was not the right product for me. I took photos of the end result.

The photos I'm about to show you are very raw. I've been wearing foundation since I was 13 years of age so I know how to apply foundation. Unfortunently this product dries way too quick on my skin and clings to creases, large pores, acne, and dry patches like crazy. It was literally impossible to get even coverage. 

Forehead:

Right side of my face:

Chin:

Left side of my face:

The cakey areas on my nose wouldn't buff out for anything; I tried using the heat of my fingertips to smooth it out but it wouldn't budge. The acne on my forehead and chin really attracted the makeup to collect on it. You can see I didn't get any coverage of my healing acne scars or freckles on my cheeks.

I am really surprised to see this product fail me. It boasted everything that would normally be my holy grail; for oily skin, anti-blemish, and mattifying. Not to mention I see such high praise for the brand. I just saw this video from Phyrra where she applies this BB Gel with ease and it actually looks really nice on her. I also might have received a bad batch. You never know. The nice thing is Cover FX has a 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee so I'm going to be sending this back but I want to try another one of their products. I'm thinking about the CC Cream but I need to look at some videos and reviews first to see if maybe there is a better product for me. Do you have any recommendations?