Clinique dramatically different moisturising lotion

I might be fired as a beauty blogger for writing this post, but here it goes.  I would love some comments from people who can educate me.

I lived for a year as a poor student in Manhattan when I was in my early 30's.  This year Clinique really became my go-to beauty brand; mostly because of the price.  Clinique is an American product, made in America, and therefore much cheaper in America than the French products.  In South Africa there is much less of a price difference and Clinique is not so much cheaper than other brands. 

That year I started using dramatically different moisturizing lotion.  I have used it for years since.

I bought a nice big bottle of this last year in order to get the free gift.  I therefore still had a full bottle of Clinique when I became interested in beauty products and started reading up on products.  I soon learnt that this was not a good product.  It is full of mineral oils, which apparently are really bad for you.  I have not used this bottle in more than a year.  I live in Durban, which is humid, and do not struggle with dry skin.  And then winter came around, and things became a lot dryer, and my skin always felt dry.  One day I used this, kind of out of desperation between trying out some other products.  And low and behold, my skin stopped feeling dry. 

My understanding of why mineral oils are bad for you.  These oils sit on top and do not penetrate your skin.  It therefore does not moisturise deep inside where it is needed most.  Combining mineral oils with other products is a bad idea, because the mineral oils cause the other great ingredients to also sit on top.  Mineral oils are used by cosmetic companies because they provide a barrier and therefore make the skin feel moisturised.

Image from: http://www.ponikuta.com/

My take on this:  In winter I need a barrier between me and the harsh world outside.  The mineral oils in Dramatically Different Moisturiser provides this barrier.  It worked brilliantly.  My skin felt soft and plump and moisturised.

My compromise:  I do not use it at night any more, because I also use a serum at night and want that serum to penetrate deeply and do its work down there.  I use it in the morning under my make-up to keep my skin plump and hydrated all day.  That way I feel I get the best of best worlds, my skin is treated at night with something that penetrates and in the day it is nicely moisturised with a skin between me and the outside world.

Pros:  My skin feels soft and hydrated when used.
It is not too expensive.
It provides good moisturising without being oily and greasy.
No smell.
A pump bottle (which keeps the product hygienic).
Easily disappears into the skin.

Cons:
All those mineral oils.
No SPF.

I am not sure whether I will repurchase, but it is a lovely product.

There are so many reviews about this.  I just chose this one because it is very balanced.

Please leave a comment telling me how you feel about mineral oils.  Are they evil?

 

You can read a very critical review from Paula's choice.

Clinique Long Last Glosswear

I just finished this very nice lipgloss.  It is quite dark and provided lovely colour for my lips.  I sometimes wore it with lipstick, but I mostly used it alone and it provided enough colour.  It is glossy and fairly sticky.  I guess the only complaint would be its extreme stickiness.  It was quite long lasting.  The colour I had was called bonfire.  You can see other colours here.

Just one complaint to the engineers designing these kind of things.  Why do you make the applicator too short to reach to the bottom of the tube?  I could not reach about the last 1/5 of the tube. 

This tube is very old, and looks slightly battered after years of travelling in my handbag.

The length of the applicator means you are not able to get to the last bit in the tube.   

 

 

Saving on cosmetics

There is no need to pay full price for skin care products.  I like using Clinique. For its price it offers good value.  I used to live in New York for a short while and started using it there because it was so much cheaper than anything else.  It is an American product and outside of America it is a bit more expensive relative to other brands than it was in America.  Lucky readers who travel can pick it up there.

Clinique runs specials from time to time where you need to purchase one or two products and then get a free gift.  I only ever buy my Clinique when these specials are on.  Just keep your eyes open when your bottle is less than half full and buy the next time the special comes around.

The last time I bought a special they had this offer.  The gift was claimed to be worth R1000.  It included: 

• A large cosmetic bag (one I actually use daily),
• Key ring change purse (which I also use in my handbag)
• 7 Day Scrub Cream
• Dramatically Different Moisturiser (30 ml)
• Youth Surge SPF 15 Decelerating Moisturiser
• Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector
• Eyes 1 2 3 Colour Compact
• High Impact Mascara
• Superbalm Moisturising Gloss (7 ml)
• Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream

 I liked all these products and have reviewed some on my blog; just click on the product above for the reviews on my blog. 

This boils down to half price cosmetics, since I paid about R 900 for the two products I had to buy to get this gift.

Someone else also thinks these gifts are cool.

I know this Clinique gift does not help the reader, since it is an old offer.
Currently Clarins has similar offers of free gifts of travel sized products when you buy two products.  These are worth checking out.

Clinique youth surge SPF 15, age decelerating moisturizer for dry/combination skin

I have an amazing husband.  The kind you can send to the store to buy you tampons.  The only requirement is that you give very clear instructions, like brand names and sizes.  Dear husband offered the other day to buy my moisturiser for me.  I could not get to the mall and he could and I needed it, etc.  I love Clinique and gave him instructions to buy a Clinique moisturiser for my skin type.  It seems that was not clear enough.  They have a version for younger skin and one for older skin and since I did not specify which I needed he was lost.  Clever man that he is, he asked the sales lady, and clever sales lady that she is, she asked him how old his wife was.  Well, given my age, he came home with the version for older skin.  I have only ever used the version for younger skin.  I spent about a day being upset that I was considered old, and that my husband bought a much more expensive product than I had hoped for.  (Yes, I know, I should buy these things myself.)  After all my unhappiness I started using the tub, and have now just finished it.  I love it.  (Proof that I am old?)

Clinique's description of "Youth surge SPF 15, age decelerating moisturizer for dry/combination skin" : Leveraging Sirtuin technology, Clinique science uses youth-extending agents to create 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. Looks younger, longer.

This cream is incredibly moisturising, it was a little bit on the oily side, but I liked it.  I often used it as a night cream, I think because it was so very creamy.  It really fed a winter skin nicely. Maybe it would be a bit rich in summer.  I am not so sure about the looking younger part, though !

It comes in a jar, which I know many people complain about.  It costs around R565 for 50 ml.  I was told by a Clinique sales lady that they have a money back guarantee on all products, even if already opened and used.

Here is a review.

Clinique Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream

What Clinique claims: Treat hands to 12-hour hydration, soothing comfort. Rich, restorative cream strengthens skin's moisture barrier against environmental stressors. Even boosts skin's ability to retain moisture-so hands look and feel smoother. Conditions cuticles and nails.

I really liked this cream.  A small amount goes a long way and a it was not greasy.

Pros

Need a small amount

Not greasy

Moisturised hands very well

Penetrates rather than sits on top

Great tube – squeezes out a small amount easily

In between

Smell is subtle, forgettable

Cons

Although there are no cons for the product, it is a bit expensive, but probably worth the money.

This is sold at Edgars, Red Square, Truworths and probably a few other places as well

You can read a review for it here and here.