Clinique 1 2 3, Why Me?
Some time ago I wrote about Clinique’s All About Eyes Rich. I used it in an attempt to banish the Panda-Eye syndrome. The results were slow, but I could see a difference after about two weeks. Grand I thought. Dandy. I might give Clinique a go. A friend of mine evangelised their products to me some time ago, so why not give them a shot.
As my stocks of Lancome dwindled, I decided to take plunge. Off to House of Fraziers in Dundrum Town Centre I went. Credit card in hand, eager to sample the Clinique system.
I browsed around. It’s amazing how quiet the cosmetics department in HOF is. I’m always astonished by how quiet it is. I, naturally, mention my observations to the girls at various counters. I used to work in retail during college and that line of work has absolutely saints in it. The girls engage nicely, they smile on hearing my observations and say it’s busy at the weekends.
I’m a very easy customer to sell to when I’m interested. I shop like a guy when I know what I want - bung everything into a basket and the job is done. This was something different, however. I needed advice. Good advice. Someone that I could trust with my hard-earned cash.
I’ve got sensitive skin, you see. Sensitive and quite dry. When my skin gets over-dry it gets blotchy and the condition of it takes a nose-dive. I chatted to the cosmetics girl, explaining my skin type. What do I get? Well, in Clinique there isn’t such a thing as skin types. Argh. I should have seen this as the first alarm. Okay, I didn’t buy it. My interest was piqued, but I prodded a bit deeper and listened on. It’s just Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise? I asked after a cleansing lotion. I hate using water on my face. It just plain dries my skin out. No, they didn’t have one. I was told that all that Clinique could offer me was soap (I’m not going there) or facial gel. Okay, I said. Hook me up with the gel.
Next, I ponied up for Toner. A big bottle - cos you know toning is ‘vital for the skin’. Yea - I’m not a five year old. And the the day-cream. Could I get something with SPF, I asked. Of course, she said. She recommended the Super Defence cream w/SPF 15. Grand, I thought. And then I decided, sure why not add a face mask too. I plomped for the Pore Minimising mask too.
You are thinking at this stage, I’m a cosmetics shopoholic. I’m not. I really don’t mind paying for skincare cosmetics as they always do their job to the tee. That’s the clincher.
Like a child ripping open her presents on Christmas morning, I tore through my boxes when I got home. First up came the facial gel. It’s went on with plenty of soft suds, but the smell left little to be desired. Imagine the whiff off a petrochemical factory that has just exploded and magnify that by a hundred-fold. As I rinsed it off, I noticed a small flaring of the skin. I wasn?t allergic, but rather the soap had sapped all of the moisture out of my skin and my face didn’t like that one bit. Not one bit.
I wasn’t overly impressed but moved onto toning. I opened the large bottle of toner and had to close it again immediately. The smell of alcohol from the toner was dizzying. I wasn?t sure if I should use it on my face or throw a few ice cubes into a glass and add a splash of soda. Nonetheless, I braved the stench and dabbed on a little on my face. If the soap hadn’t done the job of sucking the vitality out of my skin, the toner did it. I got that crawly, tight feeling that all dry-skin survivors know as an old, unwanted friend. Bah! That’s two I wasn’t impressed with.
Next up, came the Super Defence. I didn’t hold out much hope at this stage. I felt robbed and just a little grumpy. The texture of the cream is surprising. It was tactile and almost stringy. I liked that. It went on well, but was a tad greasy. It reeked, though, and in the worst way. Every had Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. It’s fine to chew after a batch of garlic bread or when you have that hangover breath. Imagine that smell concentrated in a face cream. It’s fine to chew and spit out, I really don’t want that whiff hovering like halo of banana smell off my face. Well, Super Defence smells like that to me.
Needless to say, my 1, 2, 3 - Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise regime didn’t go to plan. Those products are still sitting on my shelf after the one use. A friend has volunteered to adopt them and give them a new home, so I’ll be taking them on a trip to Limerick next time I go. On the bright-side, the Pore Minimising mask is a dream. It’s a decadent cream that I like to slather on at least one a week.
So, I’m back to Lancome - HydraZen cream day (for dry skins) and night, coupled with HydraIntense mask, Tonique Confort and Confort cleanser. Next time, I may try Shiseido.
[Photo: Courtesy of Patti]