Clinique Update

01/01/2010

OKAY, so at the beginning of this month I posted a small Clinique haul and said I'd be back for an UPDATE! Well, it's been about 2 weeks, so here are my thoughts on the products I purchased.
Of course, keep in mind that these are just the way the products interacted with my crazy skin. Your results, of course, may vary.
Starting with this one.....

Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam

Well, it's not actually fair for me to review this one yet, as I've heard it takes FOREVER to start impacting the skin. In two weeks, I haven't had a bit of difference in the number/size of breakouts. The foam is gentle, and it definitely doesn't give me any redness or drying, which is extremely rare for acne products. (Don't get me started on Proactiv! Wow, what a BAD match for sensitive skin!) So far, it's perfectly fine as a cleanser... I'm just not seeing any difference yet in what it claims to do... clear acne! I'll continue to use this one another few weeks and report back.


That's all well and good, but OMG, this one.....


Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
This one was a nightmare for my skin! If you recall from my Clinique haul, I have stubborn skin which is fairly dry but also sensitive and acne prone. I was having pretty good luck with Lush Cosmetics skincare, then ended up at the Clinique counter and let myself get talked into the 3 Step Skin system. I started out with the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, which actually DID manage to do a good job moisturizing my skin, but it broke me out... and continued to break me out for about 3 weeks afterwards.

So, I went back to the Clinique counter, where I was CONVINCED by the makeup lady that the GEL would be perfect for my skin! Okay, so I gave it a try, starting about two weeks ago. Not only does this NOT really moisturize my skin, it broke me out about 10 times WORSE than the lotion! I actually just discontinued it yesterday. I was trying to keep pushing, thinking this stuff might be purging my skin and healing over time. Uhhh, I don't care now WHAT it was doing, but my skin looks the worst it's looked in my grown-up life. This stuff has GOT to go!
Now, I'm thinking there must be some chemical or product in this stuff that just doesn't react well with me. I've heard many, many people say they ADORE Clinique skin care. I've also heard several with sensitive skin report back unfortunate results like my own.
This may work for you, but it totally didn't work for me. If you have sensitive or acne prone skin, please test this stuff out on a patch of your skin to make sure it doesn't eat you alive too!!


Moving on to the makeup....

3. Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup


I didn't love this at first, because it makes my skin looks dry and my pores look huge. However, over time, I've come to love it more and more each day. Now, it's not by all means a perfect foundation. It STILL makes my skin look dry and my pores look huge. HOWEVER, it actually DOES last all day long, which is fabulous. When I'm ready to wash off my makeup and go to bed, my foundation looks just the same as it did when I applied it in the morning.

The coverage on this foundation is pretty much medium/moderate. It does a great job covering redness in my skin, but it does a horrible job covering acne. You will definitely need a concealer with this one, for sure, if you're intending on covering any major imperfections.

This is oil free and formulated to not irritate acne, which is nice. It might be a little heavy for folks with almost-perfect skin, and is probably better for those who don't have dry or flaky skin. I think I probably will actually repurchase this foundation, though, if only for its staying power. So many foundations CLAIM to stay all day, but they don't. This one does.
Oh, and this foundation has one of the best color selections available at Clinique.


And finally....
4.
Clinique Advanced Concealer

I didn't love this one at first either, but again I'm enjoying this product a little more each day. Now, this one claims to be long-lasting as well, and it is... but not quite as enduring as the actual foundation. (But, remember, the foundation does nothing to cover breakouts!)
The coverage on this concealer is "full" and as such, I would not recommend this for under the eyes. It's just too heavy and too drying. The color selection here is pretty lousy (I think there are two shades) but luckily the lighter shade works perfectly for me and seems to be pretty blendable. While I normally have issues with concealer LOOKING like concealer dots on my face, this one went pretty seamlessly into the foundation.

It does a great job for major breakouts, but it may be too heavy if your skin isn't THAT problematic. Also, it is a bit drying as well.

I will probably repurchase this one, though. The pros outweigh the cons for me, I think.

However, I will NEVER touch Clinique skincare again! I've switched back to LUSH and am using Aqua Marina, a cleanser for sensitive skin that has a calamine and seaweed base. I'll update on THAT later as well.

Give me your thoughts on your favorite foundation or your experiences with the Clinique skincare below! Thanks for reading!

And remember, just because the Clinique Skincare was the devil for me, I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad product at all. It's bad for me, but it just may be perfect for your skin!