Battle of the Blurs

Garnier Perfect Blur vs. L'oreal Miracle Blur

Blur creams are the latest beauty trend taking over the shelves. From high end to drugstore, every other brand seems to have a blurring product out there.

So what are they? They are beauty products that use new optical/light technology to 'blur' your skin and improve the appearance of pores, wrinkles and really any other imperfections you may have. Not all of them call themselves primers, but that's what they essentially are - new and improved, next generation primers.

Two extremely popular offerings that have recently hit Australian drugstore are the Garnier 5 Sec Perfect Blur and L'oreal Revitalift Magic Blur. These are sold everywhere, from local pharmacies to supermarkets, but they are so popular that they are often sold out. The natural question that follows then is, are they worth they hype? And if so, which brand is better?

I've previously done a brief review on the Miracle Blur and I think it's pretty obvious that I'm a fan of blur creams. But with this post now, I thought I'd see how the Perfect Blur stacks up against the Miracle Blur. I'll be considering three elements - price, packaging and the product performance. 

Round One - Price:

Here is a price breakdown based on the Australian standard retail price.

• Garnier Perfect Blur contains 22ml and retails for $16.99 (i.e. $0.77 per ml)
• L'oreal Magic Blur contains 30ml and retails for $24.99 (i.e. $0.83 per ml)

As you can see, Garnier's Perfect Blur is better priced on a per ml basis and offers better overall value

Winner: Garnier Perfect Blur

Round Two - Packaging:

For me, there are two things to consider when looking at a product's packaging - its aesthetics and its practicality.

Overall, I found the Perfect Blur to be more aesthetically pleasing. It looks bright and fresh and very much in line with what the Garnier brand often tries to represent. I cannot say that this is how my ideal blur primer would look like, but I definitely prefer it over the Magic Blur.

I have two issues with the Magic Blur. Firstly, while the matte tube seems fitting considering the 'blur' factor, there's just too much blank, red space on the front and the matte finish just makes it look dull and cheap. Secondly, the shape of the tube reminds me of the competition. Garnier already has two popular products (Pure A moisturiser and Oil Free BB Cream) that come in an identical tube and every time I see the Magic Blur, I just think Garnier!

I also found the Perfect Blur to be more practical and easy to use. The Magic Blur tube is simply too big. Even though it contains more product, it definitely doesn't warrant a tube this size. Not only does it mislead the consumer about how much product they get, it's also frustrating because the half empty tube makes it hard to squeeze out the product. It feels empty quickly and then you are forced to use both hands to get the product out. 

The Perfect Blur comes in a much more compact, convenient and travel friendly size. And it doesn't mislead the consumer about the amount of product they get!

Winner: Garnier Perfect Blur

Round Three: Product Performance

So first and foremost, do the products do as they claim? 

That's a resounding yes for both products. When applied, they both make a noticeable difference and imperfections definitely look blurred. 

Hopefully the photos below give you a better idea of how the products look by themselves and when applied. They both have a similar consistency and appearance but the Magic Blur feels a bit denser between your fingers. 

L-R: Magic Blur; Perfect Blur

L-R: Magic Blur; Perfect Blur (blended)

Now which product performs better?

To really get an idea of how the two blur creams compare, I went for a few days with Perfect Blur on one side of my face and Magic Blur on the other. I even alternated the sides that they were on so the results were more fair. 

After about a week, I noticed that Garnier's Perfect Blur consistently performed better. It gave a much better overall appearance and controlled oil more effectively.

If you look at the photo below, the Perfect Blur on the right has a slightly more pink tinge and when applied on the skin, it seems to do a bit of colour correction. My complexion always looked brighter and better on the Perfect Blur side. 

L-R: Magic Blur; Perfect Blur

Garnier's Perfect Blur was also much better at controlling oil throughout the day. I have quite oily skin and even after 5 hours of wear, the Garnier side only ever had a small 5 cent sized oily patch next to my nose. My make-up lasted better and I really enjoyed not having to blot/touch up my make-up. 

In contrast, the Magic Blur left both my cheeks and forehead very oily after the same amount time. However, it must be noted that the L'oreal website never actually calls it a primer and just tells you to apply after moisturiser. This suggests that it's one of those blur creams that require you to follow up with a primer. When I tried that, I got much better results. But at the end of the day, I want to be able to use my blur cream as a primer as well. The mornings are busy enough and I don't see the point of having blur cream as a separate step when there are products that do both at once!

Winner: Garnier Perfect Blur

Final Thoughts

I know this sounds like I dislike L'oreal's Magic Blur but I don't. After reading/watching reviews online, I actually preferred it and didn't by the Perfect Blur because I was waiting for the arrival of the Magic Blur. And when I finally got it, I really enjoyed it! I liked how it made my skin look and the lack of oil control on its own wasn't an issue because the need to blot/touch-up my make-up wasn't anything new. But my good experience with Magic Blur made me curious about Perfect Blur and the rest was history.

Garnier's Perfect Blur blows L'oreal's Magic Blur right out of the water and it's definitely the one I will be repurchasing!


OVERALL WINNER: Garnier 5 Sec Perfect Blur

xoxo
See you next time my lovelies!