little white truths

A few months ago Adore Beauty had three Clinique promotions running at the same time, so if I bought two Clinique products then I was not only able to claim one of the above deluxe samples, but if I chose items from the Clinique For Men range then I was also able to claim a large gift pack and a couple of travel-sized items per order.

It was a good deal. I made a few orders and stocked up on Christmas and birthday presents for the men in my family, and I was also able to score the above extras for myself. Huzzah.

As you may know, I recently wrote my 2017 skincare inventory - and in that post I mentioned that I have a lot of smaller products to get through because my skincare stores have hit saturation point and I really want to knock out some stuff before anything starts to go off. 

This is also why I'm going on a six-month no buy for skincare. Yes that's a long time, but I've already done one month so at least we're off to a good start.

These are the Clinique products I'll be testing over the next little while:

I'll be able to do full reviews of the first three products because there's enough in each for me to do that, but the two 7ml moisturisers don't contain enough product so I'll only do mini reviews for those.

Let's have a quick look at each item in turn.

Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm

This has been on my wishlist for ages because so many people rave about it and I love a good cleansing balm so I absolutely had to try this one.

It's described as a lightweight makeup remover that quickly dissolves tenacious eye and face makeup, as well as sunscreen. It should transform from a solid balm into a silky oil upon application, and it should also clean thoroughly and rinse off completely. It's suitable for all skin types.

I'm using a cleansing balm from Darphin at the moment and I really don't enjoy that product, so it will be nice to move on to this and see how it fares.

Clinique Pep-Start 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser

This should cleanse and exfoliate in one step. It's described as a cooling hybrid formulation that gently dissolves dirt, excess oil and impurities while sloughing away dulling dead skin cells to reveal a fresh, glowing complexion. It's infused with papaya extract for a gentle but effective enzymatic exfoliation, supported by the manual action of natural silica and bamboo beads.

I haven't used a physical exfoliant for a while (I tend to prefer chemical exfoliants) so it will be nice to use something like this for a change. It's one of those products that's had mixed reviews so I don't know what it will be like, but I'm looking forward to trying it all the same.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+

This should keep the skin hydrated all day long and it's described as a rich, creamy moisturising lotion. It claims to strengthen the skin's own moisture barrier, giving the appearance of a younger looking, healthier complexion. 

I normally associate lotions with normal or oily skin because us dry-skinned lasses need something more creamy, but the description makes this sound like it should work for me so I'm looking forward to trying it. It's 15ml in size so I should be able to review it, and I do have another couple of these little tubes on-hand if I decide that it's the right product for me (at the moment they're in the declutter pile). We'll see.

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

This is apparently a light, comfortable cream/gel that plumps skin with hydration for a full 24 hours. Fine lines, flakiness and tightness are washed away. One ‘drink’ and skin looks and feels happier and healthier.

I have tried this before and I really enjoyed it so I'm super pleased to be trying it again. Indeed, if I like this sample as much as I remember liking the few sachets I've used, I can see myself buying it in future because I'm always up for a decent, everyday moisturiser. Looking forward.

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense

This rich, oil-free cream-gel claims to instantly rehydrate. According to the description, your skin should stay comfortably plumped, even 24 hours after you put it on. Daily use helps fortify and repair the skin's moisture barrier to keep moisture in and environmental irritants out.

I'm looking forward to trying this because I really enjoyed the original Moisture Surge when I sampled that, so hopefully this is even better for my dry, dehydrated skin.

In sum

Just a short post to introduce these products and let you know that I'll be testing them over the next few weeks. 

As mentioned above, I'll be writing full reviews of the larger samples, but as for the two smaller ones, I'll just update this post eventually with mini reviews of everything so you know what I thought of it all.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x