My Intro to Clinique
I hate to typecast brands but whenever I think about Clinique I immediately think “old lady brand”. LOL! Trust me when I say I mean this in the least offensive way but Clinique has always felt a little too mature for my taste. Or boring. When I first started as a Prestige Manager at my local Ulta I could have literally jumped for joy when I found out we had a certified Clinique specialist (lab coat and all!) to run the Clinique boutique and steer guests in the right direction because I had the slightest clue on what to do over there. Nor was I interested in learning, to be honest.
However, the more I worked at Ulta, the more I learned how diverse and functional Clinique can be. It’s totally not just for old ladies! In fact, Clinique has a little something for everyone at a reasonable price point that perfectly bridges the gap between drugstore skincare and makeup and the high end stuff. It wasn’t until I sat in at a cluster training with my beautiful Clinique specialist that I began to develop a strong liking to Clinique.
Clinique was founded back in 1968 as the world’s first dermatologist created and allergy-tested beauty brand to hit the market. The primary focus was the famous 3 step skin system that’s still widely popular today but Clinique has since expanded to an entire skincare and makeup line. Clinique’s makeup is still greatly gaining traction in the beauty world but its bread and butter is definitely skincare. Which makes a lot of sense. Most beauty brands rely on chemists and mass production companies to pioneer their skincare line but Clinique decided to leave it to the true professionals (dermatologist) to create a skincare line that meets the needs of everyone from any walk of life or skin type. Throughout training, I got to demo a few different skincare products all of which I loved and quickly added to my skincare list. The cleaners, serums and moisturizers were at the top of my list and lucky for me I ended up scoring a handful of the things I wanted in my gratis bag including:
- Repairwear Laser Focus Line Smoothing Cream A daily moisturizer with visible effects. Lines and wrinkles seem to evaporate, replaced by plump, vibrant skin alive with collagen and elastin. Skin gains strength over environmental agers and looks younger, longer.
- All About Eyes Cream This lightweight eye cream diminishes the appearance of puffs, underage circles and helps hold eye makeup in place.
- Turnaround Revitalizing Treatment Oil Silky-light oil nourishes skin back to healthy-looking radiance. Locks in revitalizing moisture for a supple look, softer feel. Refines texture, too. Skin looks plumped, smooth and lit from within.
- 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula Dermatologist-developed exfoliating cream deflakes and refines. Helps minimize the appearance of fine lines and clears the way for moisture.
- Turnaround Concentrate Extra Radiance Renewer Advanced serum instantly produces a luminous from within radiance. Next generation formula works to optimize natural renewal, gently, continually replacing what’s dull and cars with skin that’s brighter, healthier, more uniform.
- Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel Results as good as a leading topical prescription in clearing acne. Our daily treatment gel starts cleaning blemishes upon application. Helps prevent new ones from making an unwelcome appearance and makes visibly clearer skin a way of life.
I ended up giving the Turnaround Concentrate Extra Radiance Renewer a quick demo the night I got home and I have a feeling I’m really going to like it. It’s very moisturizing and made my skin look radiant and luminous without looking or feeling greasy. I’m already itching to finish up my Juice Beauty serum (reviewing soon!) so I can add it to my nightly routine. The All About Eyes Cream has been on my list for weeks though so I’ve already started putting it to use. I’ve only been using it for a few days now but I really enjoy the formula so far. It’s one of the most lightweight eye creams I’ve tried so far yet it feels extremely hydrating without leaving a greasy residue or making my makeup slide off.
Now on to the makeup! This is where I felt Clinique had that old lady-ish feel to their line. It’s filled with neutrals and sheer formulas that doesn’t quite scream fun and trendy like other brands. But it’s starting to grow on me a bit. During training, I found myself drooling over the new lid pop eyeshadows and Pop Lacquers which is a lip colour and primer all in one. Clinique’s makeup still has that slight mature feel but I definitely see their latest efforts to be more trendy and fun to appeal to younger customers. They’re definitely trying! Clinique’s latest line of Pop products including the blushes, shadows and lip colors all feature more trendy, edgier colors that are a bit more pigmented than the popular Chubby Sticks and such.
In between playing with the recent Pop line, I also got to learn for myself why the sheer Chubby Sticks and glosses are such a hit at Clinique. They feel really good! Clinique may not be the go to brand for a poppin’ purple matte lip just yet but I’d recommend them in a heartbeat if you’re looking for a practical lip color that’s gentle on the lips with an easy to wear moisturizing formula. Of course, I would have loved to get a Pop shadow or lacquer but I can’t say I wasn’t pleased to receive a couple Chubby Sticks and other goodies in my gratis bag including:
- Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in 07 Super Strawberry Super-nourishing balm is loaded with mango and shea butters. Just what dry, delicate lips need to feel comfortably soft and smooth. Natural looking lip tints have a subtle sheen.
- Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm in 03 Roly Poly Rosy Creamy, mistake proof cheek colour creates a healthy looking glow in an instant
- Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in 02 Raspberry Lip balm with a colourful twist. Luscious, high-gloss shades treat your most under moisturized skin to soothing shine. Instantly relieve dryness, protect with antioxidants and more
- Skinny Stick in 06 Demi-Grape Ultra-fine yet rich colour glides on smoothly to create natural looking definition as close to the lash line as possible. A precise tip every time–no sharpening required.
I’ve tried on the Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, Chubby Stick Cheek Colour and Skinny Stick so far and I understand why they’re such popular products. Both of the Chubby Sticks were super creamy and easy to use with the Balm being nicely moisturizing and the Cheek Colour being pigmented without going overboard and blending well. I still think Clinique has some ways to go before they become one of my favorite brands but I’m a lot more open to explore their products than I was before. Baby steps!
Have you tried any Clinique products before? What’s your fave?
06 Demi-Grape Skinny Stick, 02 Raspberry Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss, 03 Roly Poly Rosy Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm and 07 Super Strawberry Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm
It’s so funny, because back in the day Clinique was the high end brand we gravitated to because we were avoiding “old lady” brands like Estee Lauder, Chanel, and Elizabeth Arden. lol Clinique was my first high end brand back in the late 80s. I wore one of their blushes and lipstick on my wedding day in ’91. But Clinique really didn’t age well, did it? MAC overtook it with the younger set. Clinique still had some good products, like the Chubbies and Black Honey, but they fell off my radar when Sephora came around and introduced brands like Urban Decay, Smashbox, and the Original Hard Candy. I think Clinique is becoming more interesting again. Last year I bought a few of the Wear Everywhere eye palettes and I love them, and I’ve bought 8 (so far) of the Cheek Pops.
I totally agree with you! Back in the 1980s, Clinique was my first foray into HE department store brands, as they were relatively affordable, had nice GWP, and sensitive skin-friendly ingredients. Never touched Estee Lauder or Elizabeth Arden, they were grandma brands! Compared to MAC and UD, Clinique doesn’t have the most exciting colors or formulas, but they tend to be very wearable and safe, so it got kind of boring. But after years of not buying anything from them, I was finally lured back in with their 1 of their Cheek Pops and 2 of their Lid Pops.