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My Clinique Skincare Routine & Review

As you can see, I quite like Clinique and its products for skincare. Clinique is well known for its 3-step range and I have been using it for years, specifically on and off for around seven years. Clinique is a high end brand, and so the prices are not cheap. I tend to try and buy them at airports or get them as birthday or christmas gifts. I do have Clinique makeup removers as well, but thought I'd stick to just my basic 3-step routine today. Enjoy!

Clinique 3-Step

I have combination of dry and oily skin, so I have been advised to use the dry combination which is the Mild Facial Soap and the number 2 Clarifying Lotion and the standard Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +. I very seldom get breakouts, if I do it's because I couldn't be bothered to take my makeup off after a night out or if I'm eating my body weight in chocolate every day of the week. So I like using skincare products just to keep my skin healthy and clean, especially as I do wear a fair amount of makeup. I am not using it for any specific purpose.

This combination works really well for me and I think it may be the most common combination. Like I have said, it can be expensive, especially when all bought together. I have not used any of the products in any other skincare routine, I have always stuck to using the three together. I have used many other skincare ranges in the past, for example Nivea and Witch but I always went back to Clinique. I felt I was always running out of the other products whereas Clinique would last forever, so I felt like I was actually spending less on Clinique in the long term. As they are designed to be used together, I do feel like you get the most out of your products by using them together. On a smaller note, I really love the minimal design to the products and the colours of the packaging.

As for my daily routine, I don't really have one. I like to use the products whilst in the shower, so depending on lectures/plans for the day that is when I'll wash my face and go through the motions. I used to wash my face twice a day, morning and night but I felt like it was too much for my skin and so I stuck to doing it once a day. As a rule, I wash my face before I put makeup on. Makeup sits on my skin much better than without and I feel like I'm not clogging up my skin by doing it this way.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild

The first step is the facial wash. I really like this wash as it is really gentle on the skin and eyes. It leaves skin feeling soft and clean. The dispenser means that you get as much as you need from just one pump. A tiny amount of this product goes a really long way, I remember being advised to use a pea sized amount and it is so true. I have the 200ml bottle and I started using this bottle last summer, perhaps around August. I'm not even half way through and it is now February so by that logic it should last me an entire year. For me, £16 is not expensive for something that lasts a year. I am essentially paying £1.34 a month for it. The product foams up really easily in your hands and is easy to distribute over the skin with your hands. It is fragrance free which is something I like about it, as I feel like I'm using less chemicals on my skin. There are also soap bars but I personally do not like bars of soap and prefer liquid consistency to my facial wash.

Price: £16.00

http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/1572/8279/3--step/Step-1-Cleanse/Liquid-Facial-Soap


Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2

I really like this step because I can feel it working on my skin. I use it with a small cotton pad and just swipe it allover my face. It feels slightly cold on the skin and leaves my skin looking shiny and clean. It does need moisture afterwards though as skin does feel a bit tight. I particularly like it on my blackhead area, although it doesn't clean them in depth, I still have to exfoliate and use nose strips, but it does work well on the surface and it keeps on top of my pores. They do look smaller after using the lotion. Although it's called a lotion, it has a water liquid type consistency. I took a new 200ml bottle with me when I moved to France, last September and I would say I've used around 1/5 of it so far. The bottle was £26.50 and so far I've spent £5.30 on it for 5 months, so technically it should last me another 20 months. I like maths.

Price: £26.50

http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/1573/15502/3--step/Step-2-Exfoliate/Clarifying-Lotion-2


Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion +

This is one of my favourite products of all time. You really need the tiniest amount and it goes a really long way. It is a thick moisturiser but you can always use it with a bit of water if you want a lighter application. I do think it works best after washing your face but I do sometimes use it without, before putting foundation on. I think it works really well with my Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation. It can take a while for it to all sink in properly, and you can feel like you have a thin layer of moisturiser on for a long time, I like that feeling as I feel like it's still working on my skin. But if you put on foundation straight away, this feeling quickly disappears. Out of all of the 3-step products, this is the one that could easily be used in a different skincare routine. It is a really nice moisturiser which does exactly what it says it will, it's long lasting on the skin and is non greasy. This 125ml bottle was a Christmas gift from 2013 and is still going strong, so it has lasted over a year and there seems to be around a quarter left. The pump gives you exactly the right amount needed whilst also making sure you don't waste any of the product. It is the most expensive of the three products, at £30. But like I said, it has already lasted over a year so it really can be regarded as an investment.

Price: £30.00

http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/1574/26651/3--step/Step-3-Moisturize/Dramatically-Different-Moisturizing-Lotion

Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing System

This was a gift this year for Christmas so I'm not able to give an in-depth review on this but so far I really like it. It is very minimal and easy to use, it's easy to charge and is waterproof. I use it before the 3-step routine. There are two different types of bristles, the white are soft and are for all of your skin and the green are harder bristles for the T-zone. I couldn't say I've noticed a long term difference as I haven't had it very long, but I do notice a difference after I use it. My pores are smaller and my skin feels softer and clearer. Once the button is pressed, it works for 30 seconds, you can just press the button again for another 30 seconds, very easy to use. My only issue with this is that I needed to buy the Foaming Sonic Facial Soap to go with it. When I asked Santa for it, I assumed it would work with the 3-step without buying any extras. When I first started using it, I used it with the facial wash and I just felt like I would have had the same results with or without the brush. So I found out that there was an accompanying soap and bought it and have found that the brush works much better. The soap wasn't too expensive so it wasn't too much of a blow. Perhaps Clinique should have included a sample of the soap with the brush. In comparison to other well known sonic systems such as Clarisonic, the Clinique version is cheaper. Although I really like this myself, from my limited experience I would not say it is a must-have in the world of skincare.

Price: £79.00

http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/12516/31789/Skin-Care/Devices/NEW-Clinique-Sonic-System-Purifying-Cleansing-Brush


Clinique Foaming Sonic Facial Soap

Despite my annoyance at having to buy this product, I do like it and it does work well with the sonic system. I usually put it onto the brush head and let it lather that way, but if I'm feeling a bit wild I will distribute it allover my face first. It is more of a cream based texture in comparison to the wash. It is more soap like, and leaves skin that weird squeaky clean feeling that you get from an old fashioned bar of soap. I don't tend to like that kind of feeling but I can feel it working and giving me a deeper clean so I don't mind. I bought 150ml for 22€, and £16 in the UK. So next time I will be making sure to buy it in the UK!

Price: £16.00

http://www.clinique.co.uk/product/1673/31385/Skin-Care/CleansersMakeup-Removers/Foaming-Sonic-Facial-Soap

Thank you for reading my blog post today, hope it has been informative! I recently went to Vienna, Austria for the weekend. It was so pretty, the buildings were so nice. I would definitely recommend a visit if you have the time/money! Unfortunately it was snowing quite heavily whilst we were there, so we didn't get to see as much as we wanted. But here's a picture of me and Emily in front of the Schönbrunn Palace. Lots of G love xxxxxx