Review: Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

I spent the last weekend in Edinburgh belatedly celebrating my 21st birthday. Whilst there, I was (yet again) seduced by a Clinique counter and their amazing 'bonus time' offer, roughly translated as a range of free gifts when you buy two or more products. The Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector was £39.99 and as I also bought an eyeshadow duo, with the two together I received a free goody bag with lots of skin products worth £60 AND a free quickliner for eyes in black. While I'm not normally one for a rash impulse buy, I thought what better occasion to treat yourself at than a 21st birthday weekend!

The Clinical Dark Spot Corrector is a light and creamy serum made to correct skin tone and noticeably lessen the presence of dark spots age spots and traces of past blemishes, resulting in healthy looking and evenly toned skin. It claims to be great for all skin types and tones and is dermatologist-tested. Since buying it I've been using the serum twice a day, after washing my face and before the applying the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion as the lady said this was the best time to use it.

Evening the skin...
After using it for a few days I'm pretty happy with how it has enhanced my complexion already. It is definitely more even in general and while my skin isn't particularly uneven, the impact of any discolouration I did have has lessened considerably. The product does a great job at evening out my skin tone generally; it immediately makes the skin feel very velvety and soft.

Dark Spots...
This one's a little trickier as being 21 I don't actually have that many dark spots or other age-related marks. The lady at the counter assured me that this would still be beneficial to my skin; she uses it and her younger sister and she said they were both more than impressed with the results. The counter lady also said said it would take 4 to 6 weeks before I would notice a difference so the fact I have noticed a change already is very promising.


All in all I would really recommend the Corrector, although I think older ladies or ladies with facial scarring from acne or something similar would really benefit from using it perhaps much more than me. Being a bit of a sun-worshiper however, I think it will benefit me in the long run and maybe even prevent dark spots from developing.

So definitely one to invest in and spoil the Mum's with!

Clinique Strawberry Fudge Eye Shadow Duo

I don't own a great amount of high-end eye shadows because I love to experiment with lots of different colours all the time and this (unfortunately) is not a very cheap hobby to have! When I do dare to part with the pennies however, I know Clinique won't leave me worrying about whether it was quite worth the money spent. Clinique eyeshadows are always soft, versatile and natural and this duo is no different. I've had this product in my make-up bag for quite a while now and I always use it when in need of a fail-safe colour, be it for a daytime or nightime look.

Strawberry Fudge is a golden pink and golden brown duo. The pink is shimmery and light and goes great as a base lid-colour while the brown is a little more sheen and dull and it really sets off the pink when brushed over and into the eye crease. The colours are very classy and feminine and so would really go with most looks, as well as any time of year. As the colours are pale, frosty and not overly harsh I think they would suit most people's skin tones, be it pale or warm skin.

The quality of the product is also very good; it is well pigmented and with a little bit of primer it's sure to stay on all day - it definitely does me anyway.

The packaging, although sleek, is quite fussy which I'm not really wild about - I'd rather just a standard flip-lid than a pull-out tray but that could just be me being lazy. The casing is mirrored which for me is also a negative. Although it's strikingly bright and shiny at first, it does tend to attract LOTS if fingerprints and general smears after even a week or so.

So all in all the packaging is not great but definitely a beautiful, natural colour duo and high quality product, I hope you agree!

Pink on the lid here

P.S. I've had a peek on ebay and these are selling very cheap!

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Foundation

I've made no secret of the fact I adore Clinique. Their counter at my local branch of Boots is almost always my first point of call when I'm looking to buy something new -  I think I'm yet to find a product that I'm not head over heels in love with!

Anyway I've been looking to find a new foundation for a while as unfortunately I think my MAC Studio Fix is causing me to have spot break outs after wearing. A real shame because I love the coverage, I just think the formula is perhaps a little too oily for my already quite greasy skin.

So me being me I hopped, skipped  and practically sprinted down to my nearest Clinique counter to discover the goods they had to offer me. I know they pride themselves on hypo-allergenic, completely fragrance-free products which I really like. They gave me a fabulous consultation and one I would really recommend having even if you're not prepared to buy a foundation - I found out more about my skin than I've known for 20 years! The Foundation Finder on their website is also a great tool for those who don't fancy a trip to the counter.

The lovely lady matched my skin type to a perfect colour and the best foundation for me, which was  the Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Foundation  in the colour Fresh Neutral. It was a close tie between that and the Superbalanced, I decided on the anti-blemish as I'm quite prone to spots!

The foundation is fantastic, it hasn't affected my skin after wearing it and it feels light and fresh on the skin. It does a fantastic job at covering blemishes too, I've found tapping over the area with a foundation brush covers it no problem. The product seems to work well with any primer and is completely satisfactory without. Basically I'm struggling to find any negatives for this product!

If you're looking for something for more everyday use, I would recommend going for the Tinted Moisturizer which is perhaps better as an everyday, light base. However this one is amazing for wearing a couple of times a week. I think that if you want a makeup to even your skin , cover spots and also help to heal them, this is the perfect foundation for you!

Me on the right - not the best shot but as you can see good coverage, no visible spots and not too shiny!

Lip Balm Love

Like most girls, I am a total lip balm addict. Without it I feel something is missing, even on non make-up-wearing days I still use it just to keep my lips feeling fresh and hydrated. I do find the more you wear it the more you feel like you need it, but when your a sucker for buying new cosmetics that shouldn't be a problem, right?

I've been through numerous brands and varieties over the years, here are some of my no-fail favourites:



1) MAC Lip Conditioner

I bought this product a few months ago and I absolutely love it. It leaves the lips feeling soft, well-moisturised and tingly. Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination (£11) but not a complete fortune either. The tube has lasted me a long time as so little needs to be applied to make an impact. I've heard the tinted versions being raved about a lot recently but personally I opted for the clear one so I could apply it without making a difference to my choice of lip colour. A definite recommend! 


2) Mint Julips Lip Scrub 

I love this scrub from Lush; a very innovative and original product. I really like the concept of using mint flavoured sugar to exfoliate your lips, although I'm not sure I would appreciate a bubblegum flavour as much. This scrub makes my lips feel smooth, plump and soft and the fact it's edible is a total bonus! It also provides a good base for lipstick as it really does exfoliate the dry areas. Quite well priced at £4.95 and again will last forever!

3) Clinique Superbalm Lip Treatment

I'm not sure Clinique sells anything I don't love and this lip balm of course does not let me down. This has quite a thick consistency which for me is the only big downside; I don''t like to feel like i have a gloss or heavy layer or product on my lips. On the plus side it can be used more as a gloss and it's super hydrating. It possibly needs less applications as it keeps the dryness from coming back very successfully.



4) Good old Vaseline

It wouldn't be a top lip balm post without the trusty Vaseline! I'm yet to meet anyone that doesn't have at least one tub lying around and the fact it's so cheap makes it an absolute necessity for any make up bag. I really love the Lip Therapy tints that they have brought out in the last couple of years. This rosy one is my favourite as it's very fresh without being too strong a smell or colour. This leaves the lips natural and glossy as I'm sure most readers will know by now. I have however noticed that a few more applications are required than the other ones I've mentioned, but with the product being so cheap I guess it's inevitable.


5) Cowshed Lippy Cow Natural Lip Balm

This all-natural lip balm is packed with essential oils of linden blossom to protect and nourish, rose geranium to help rejuvenate, and ylang ylang to stimulate circulation. It's also free from sulphates, artificial fragrances and colours so you can apply totally green and guilt-free. The texture is quite thin which personally I like. The taste and smell is not particularly amazing; this is perhaps to be expected with it being organic. At around £5 you can't go wrong!


Ones I haven't liked so much: smackers (too sticky), Burts Bees (not a big fan of honey).

Make Up Looks: Spring (Daytime)

After

Before

                                                                              















      I've got HEAPS of work to do at the minute; I'm inbetween my January exams as well as having 2000 words of my dissertation to write. I am the queen of procrastination and have even resorted to deactivating facebook (temporarily). Anyways I've been playing around with apps to waste yet more time. 

This look I created as a Spring-time look; fresh faced, rosy cheeks and a hint of green under the eyes. Apologies for the oldish photo but you need one that is square on and with relatively little make up on.

Here are the products I used:

Mally Eye Shadow in Silk Champagne
Neutrogena Nourishing Eye Duo in Sunlit Sage 60
Stila eye shadow pans in starlight
BeneFit Cosmetics Thrrrob in Thrrrob
Stila convertible color in rose
CoverGirl TruBlend Liquid Makeup in 1 Classic Ivory 410
Clinique High Impact Mascara in black/brown
Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Brun
Stila kajal eye liner in pearl
Stila lip glaze in guava

Edit: I'm also well aware it isn't Spring yet, but I'm feeling optimistic - it's not too far away!