Adrianne's Current Skincare Routine

After a lot of experimenting with different products over the years, I’ve finally settled on a skincare routine that works for me. Although it’s kind of a mish-mash of products from a few different brands, I’m happy with the combination. Of course I get the usual skincare concerns, but overall I feel much more comfortable and confident with my skin than I did just a few years ago.

Morning

• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
• Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer with Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15– Sensitive
• Lip balm or gloss with SPF (varies)
• Jergens Original Scent Cherry-Almond Moisturizer

Every morning I use Cetaphil’s Gentle Skin Cleanser. I’m not sure what I did before I found this face wash. It’s extremely gentle and does a good job of removing any oil from the face without drying the skin. I follow up by patting my skin dry and applying Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer to my face, neck and ears. Depending on how I’ve done my makeup, I use either a lip balm or gloss. One additional product I use is Jergens lotion—I douse myself in it after I shower. This is a must for me because of my dry skin.

Evening

• Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes
• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
• Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover
• Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion
• Olay Night of Olay Firming Cream
• Clinique All About Eyes Rich
• Eos Lip Balm Smooth Sphere
• Jergens Original Scent Cherry-Almond Moisturizer

My night routine is a little more time-consuming. First, I use a makeup wipe to gently take away some of my makeup. Then I use my Cetaphil cleanser and pat my skin dry. I soak a cotton ball in Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover to take away remnants of eye makeup and mascara. After that, I soak a cotton ball with Clinique’s Mild Clarifying Lotion. This stuff is great for removing those last traces of makeup and toning the skin. Then, I apply Night of Olay Firming Cream all over my face and target the skin around my eyes with Clinique’s All About Eyes Rich (click here for my review). I finish off my facial routine by applying Eos Lip Balm (click here for my review). One of the last things I do before I go to bed every night is massage some Jergens lotion into my feet and put on a pair of cotton socks. This does wonders for smoothing out dry patches.

Body and Miscellaneous

• Clinique Acne Solutions Spot Healing Gel
• St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub

There are a few skincare products that I don’t use every day, but they are important to my routine. I exfoliate once or twice per week (always at night) with St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub. My mom introduced me to this product years ago and it’s always been a go-to of mine—cheap and effective. I’ve also been using Clinique’s Spot Healing Gel (see my review here) to target blemishes.

Even though I’m happy with my routine, I’m always searching for new products to try, particularly those that can help heal or fade dark spots and the occasional blemish.

Tell us about your skincare routine! What are your must-have products?

Clinique Product Review: Part Two

If you didn’t get a chance to check out part one of my Clinique products review, click here. For this post, I’ll be reviewing two different concealers and a lip gloss. 

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

In my first review, I wrote about Clinique’s All About Eyes Rich eye cream. Part of the reason I bought the eye cream was to help treat fine lines, puffiness and dark circles around my eyes. Since I’ve always had a problem with dark circles and it’s too soon to see results from the eye cream, I decided to purchase Clinique’s Airbrush Concealer.

The concealer comes in a tube with a brush affixed on the end for easy application. The product itself is a liquid intended to provide sheer coverage and soften lines and wrinkles and brighten any discoloration or shadows under the eyes. It comes in three shades—fair, medium and neutral fair. I purchased mine in shade neutral fair. 

To use the concealer, all you have to do is twist the bottom of the applicator until the product appears at the tip. Then, just brush it on underneath under the eyes. Since it’s an illuminator, it can also be used on other areas on the face that you want to brighten, like the sides of the nose. After applying, gently pat the product on the skin with your finger to blend. I use the product after applying my foundation and eye makeup.

So far, I’ve been happy with the results. It’s not a miracle product that completely erases all of my undereye darkness, but it does do a good job of brightening the area and providing some coverage. I look more awake when wearing the concealer. It also matches my skin perfectly. The liquid consistency is excellent and easy to blend, unlike some heavier cream concealers. 

One tube of product costs $19.50. Definitely worth it if you are looking for a sheer liquid undereye concealer. If you suffer from extreme dark circles or discoloration under your eyes, you might want to skip this one in favor of something that offers more coverage. 

Clinique Even Better Concealer

Yes, another concealer! I purchased this one to cover up blemishes and dark spots on my skin. I’ve been using Benefit’s Erase Paste for the past year or two and I’ve been pretty happy with the results, but I’ve noticed that the areas where I apply it look dry and/or flaky after hours of wear. So, I was looking for something to provide full coverage and work on my dry skin.

The concealer comes in 12 shades and can be purchased for $19.50. That may seem a little steep, but a little of the product goes a long way and it will last you a very long time.

To apply, you can either use a concealer brush to pat the product on the skin or your finger to dab it on. (I prefer using my finger—the warmth helps blend out the product.)

So far I’m on the fence with this one. The color I purchased, Buttermilk, is the perfect match for me and it does cover. However, the product is thick and a little difficult to blend. Clinique also claims that the concealer has a brightening effect, but I’ve not noticed this. 

Some of the customers who posted reviews about the product on Clinique’s site say that they use the product for undereye circles. I can’t image using this concealer for that purpose! I assume because of the consistency that it would accentuate any fine lines. And, because I found it hard to blend I wouldn’t want to use it on the delicate skin under my eyes.

The bottom line is that the concealer does work in terms of covering blemishes—you may just have to spend some extra time blending.

Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Air Kiss

I discovered Clinique’s Long Last Glosswear through a sample from Sephora. When my sample ran out, I knew I had to get my hands on the full-size product. The gloss comes in 18 shades; three are non-shimmery. It’s $15 for one tube—not too bad considering how long it will last. 

I purchased the color Air Kiss, which Clinique describes as a midtone pink with gold shimmer. I would actually classify it as more of a very faint peach. The color is very neutral and provides a subtle hint of color and high shine to the lips. I really think it’s one of those rare universal colors that will look good on anyone with any kind of skin tone. It looks good with any type of makeup I choose to wear. And, you don’t have to wear the gloss alone. It can be layered over a lipstick or lip liner to add a layer of shine. 

Clinique claims that the gloss will last for eight hours. Though I haven’t experienced wear that long, the gloss does stay on quite a while. It will come off when eating or drinking or after a few hours, but overall I’m happy with the results. It’s a little bit sticky, but that stickiness helps the gloss stay on. I’ve found with other sticky glosses that they tend to dry out my lips, but this gloss does nothing of the sort. It’s also very thick. Some people may not like that, but I do like a thick coat of gloss on my lips. 

As you can probably tell, I’m hooked on this gloss and am really looking forward to trying it in a few other colors!

Are you a Clinique fan? What are your favorite products?

Clinique Product Review: Part One

I recently got my hands on a few Clinique products that I’ve been really anxious to try. Since I bought five different products, I’ll be breaking my review up into two parts. I got a good assortment of products that I’m very excited to share!

Clinique Acne Solutions Spot Healing Gel

My skin has been going through a rough patch lately. It’s been extremely dry and parched, but it’s completely broken out. Very frustrating. So even though I haven’t been looking for a product to help me get rid of breakouts, the way my skin has been looking prompted this buy.

The product is a thin clear gel that dries on the skin very quickly. All you need to do is apply the gel to your blemishes in the morning and at night. I’ve been following my normal skincare routine and applying the gel when I’m finished. One of the best parts about the gel is that you can use it underneath makeup without any problems. I’ve tried various spot treatments in the past and they tend to flake when makeup is applied over them or even after a while of wearing the treatment.

So far I’ve been loving this product. In just two days, it’s reduced the size of all of my breakouts and cleared up a lot of the redness. Though I don’t think it’s a miracle product, it’s certainly been helping clear up my breakouts more quickly. My skin isn’t so bad that I need to switch to a full acne clearing regimen, so this spot healing gel is the perfect addition to my current skincare routine.

Another great thing about the gel is that I’ve felt no irritation when applying or wearing it. Most acne spot treatments caution that they may dry or irritate the skin because of the salicylic acid content. I’ve experienced this before, but not with Clinique’s gel. 

The price tag isn’t too shabby: 0.5 ounces for $16.00. From what I can tell so far, it’s going to last quite a while. 

Clinique All About Eyes Rich 

Oh, the joys of getting older. I’ve been noticing more fine lines around my eyes. In addition to that, I’ve got dark circles that never seem to go away no matter how much sleep I get or water I drink. I’ve been looking for an undereye cream to help with all of these problems and I have definitely found something promising.

Clinique’s All About Eyes Rich is a moisturizing undereye treatment intended to help with dark circles, shadows and fine lines. If that isn’t enough, it calms the skin and helps de-puff the eye area.

I LOVE this cream!

The product can be used morning and night. I’m always a little skeptical to use an eye treatment in the morning before applying my makeup, but this cream won’t affect the way your makeup looks or feels—aside from making your eye area appear more moisturized. It’s not like many other creams that make your makeup slide or run. 

As soon as I apply the cream, I notice that my skin looks extremely hydrated. My fine lines are less noticeable and it’s helped calm some puffiness I’ve been experiencing. My skin feels soft and smooth after using. I’ve only been using it a few days, so I haven’t been able to tell whether it’s helping my dark circles yet.  

The biggest downside of this product is the price: $30 for 0.5 ounces and $50 for 1.0 ounce. But, it’s definitely worth it if you’re looking for a solid eye treatment. If you’re going to spend money, I think skincare is the area to do it. 

Stay tuned for part two of my Clinique review… have a great weekend!