Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Makeup

I’m quite conscious that the start to my blogging life is a bit ‘clinique mad’, but hey ho, I do absolutely love it.

Being such a huge fan of their anti-blemish 3 step range, I thought; why not try the anti-blemish make-up too? I popped in to my local boots to pick up a tester of the foundation from their counter – I didn’t want to make the official purchase until I’d actually given it a good go! Actually, on that note, their tester pots are actually a really good size. I got 3 pots, in shades 1, 2 & 3 and each pot lasted me over a week. Obviously it will depend how much foundation you like to use, I’m not too heavy handed with the ole’ liquid so it lasted me well :). I ended up going for shade2 in Fresh Ivory – dry combination to oily. It’s slightly darker than my skin tone, but I always prefer to do that; I find that if I go for an exact match my face ends up looking like casper and if I go darker, I look like an orange, so I figured just slightly darker would tick all the boxes! I must say, I’m really impressed. It’s a medium coverage, that’s buildable; it’s not cakey or too light, just right in my opinion. Usually, I’m a powder girl (huge bare minerals fan), so I don’t proclaim to be at all in-the-know when it comes to liquid foundations by any means, but for me I think I’ve found ‘the one’. And with just a little drop it helps to conceal any blemishes, whilst giving a more even skin tone.

The staying power is undeniably fantastic. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t know many foundations that when you look in the mirror at the end of a long day, look freshly applied, and this definitely does. I have had repeated compliments since this purchase of people telling me how great my skin looks etc. Which is such a confidence boost when you’ve been feeling really crappy about your skin. Excuse the gross photo, I was in a bit of a rush to go out for my brother’s 16^th birthday meal; but I wanted to show you what it looks like on without any editing etc :)

I really lack any form of self control when it comes to any sort of shopping. So obviously, I got roped in to purchasing the concealer too: shade1 clearing concealer. Now, this is definitely a thick concealer, I don’t think it would be something I would ever use under my eyes, unless I mixed it with an illuminator or something like that, well, just because I think it might be a bit cakey for my liking. And I don’t like cakey-ness of any sort on my disgustingly dark bags that seem to take up half my face (for this I am a raving fan of touché clat, but i’m rambling now, and that’s another story). However, this is very very good at covering up blemishes; the coverage is immense and definitely ‘full’. Along with the foundation, it’s staying power is spot on, excuse the pun ;). For application on both, I use the Real Techniques - Core Collection brushes - Ah-mazeeee-ing, check them out here.

clearing concealer

liquid foundation

Have any of you tried these little gems, if so, what did you think? Or do you have a foundation that you’d recommend for spot prone skin?

A spot of bother

First post :) not expecting anyone to actually read this, but thank you if you do!


l-r: 1. spot treatment gel 2. cleansing foam 3. clarifying lotion 4. clearing moisturiser

I was always classed as the lucky one through my teenage years; perfectly clear skin, with perhaps one evil spot that would make an appearance when it was that time of the month.  But when I turned 21 this all seemed to change. Spots were appearing far more frequently, instead of just one or two my face was covered in up to 40 spots at a time (yes I kept count!). I understand that this amount may seem tiny compared to more aggressive forms of acne; but it really is such a huge confidence knock and I was feeling terribly self-conscious, to the point going out and seeing people made me feel ill. I had tried various products, ranging from the gentlest of beauty care Liz Earle to prescribed Duac Gel (benzoyl peroxide) and nothing seemed to work, all of them caused even larger flare-ups. That was until I discovered Clinique’s ant blemish solutions. There are three main steps to the range, of which I will describe in further detail below, along with a little extra:

Step 1: Cleansing Foam – Firstly, I love the design of the product. Having a pump nozzle means no fuss with dispensing and it is far less messy than most cleansers. The cleanser itself is a light foam, so you only need a tiny bit to go a long way. I must admit the smell isn’t heavenly, it is slightly chemically, but don’t be put off by this. I have super sensitive skin, and I was always wary of Clinique before, thinking their products would be too harsh, this hasn’t been the case at all. I use this morning and night and feel so refreshed and clean afterwards. The main purpose for the entire range is to reduce the soreness, itchiness and redness in your blemishes; and if you just want a cleanser to add to your daily routine this definitely does that. Being cautious of the brand originally, I started off with just the cleanser and found using that alone my spots were reducing in size, they weren’t as painful and weren’t lasting half as long as they were before.



cleansing foam



Step 2: Clarifying Lotion – Once I was feeling a little more confident with the brand I went on and purchased the Clarifying Lotion. This is slightly stronger than the cleanser, but again, i suffered no bad reactions. At the bottom of the bottle there is a layer of a white powered substance; these are tiny exfoliating particles, so you have to shake the bottle thoroughly before use. This lotion works in the same way as the cleanser, reducing redness etc. However the exfoliating properties help to clear up dead skin cells and reduce excess oil that can lead to breakouts. I have always had quite an oily t-zone with the rest of my face being quite dry and this lotion has cleared up my oiliness almost completely and hasn’t dried out my cheeks. I do always splash my face with some cold water a few minutes after applying as it can sometimes leave a tingly sensation.

Step 3: Clearing Moisturiser – This is a really lightweight moisturiser, and I find that it sinks in to my skin almost immediately, but leaves it SO soft! Personally, I think this moisturiser is a bit of a god send, it’s been perfect for my skin and does exactly what it says on the tin: Fights blemishes and treats existing ones. Since suffering with spots I have also suffered with the scar tissue left from the little terrors. Some lasting up to 6 months at a time, which is such a pain, and to be honest makes me so mad. This moisturiser has helped to reduce scarring on new spots, and has completely removed some existing ones!

Now this next one isn’t in the daily step routine, but it is AMAZING....

Spot Treatment Gel – It’s a lovely size so can easily be carried around in your handbag for those ‘emergency’ spots. Again, a little goes a long way. You simply dab (not rub) a teeny bit over the spot in question and it almost immediately numbs the area to which it has been applied, forming almost a film barrier over the blemish – magic! You can apply as often as required, and obviously the more regularly it is used, the quicker the spots will reduce. The beauty of this one is that it can be applied over your makeup/foundation and you won’t even notice. It does sting a little bit, but it’s bloomin’ wonderful!

As a whole I couldn’t praise this beauty regime enough. It’s definitely a staple in my routine and I won’t be changing it until I know my skin has given up on breaking out forever! (Unlikely). I now have far less breakouts, and when they do come along they are gone nearly as quickly as they came; and my complexion as a whole is much more even and 100% clearer than before. Dare I say I’m nearly back to my teenage skin?!

The entire range is quite affordable, and you can find it here at boots and at clinique too.

Sorry for the humongous post; but I feel so passionate about this product range and want anyone that’s suffering the way I did to have something they can relate to!