My new interest in makeup had me very excited for the Clinique Super Real Foundation launch at the Fort yesterday. I’ve been using Clinique’s face powder since high school because my skin would break out every time I used other products. Just this year, I fell in love with Clinique’s 3-step skin care system, particularly the facial wash. Sure, Clinique products don’t come cheap, but they do deliver what they promise. And if you’re careful, those jumbo-sized facial wash and moisturizer bottles can last you for up to a year.
Yesterday’s event wasn’t just simply a launch – it was also an opportunity for us to find out what our foundation shades are. Talk about perfect timing! According to my Internet research, using just face powder simply won’t do; you really have to prep your skin with foundation if you want your makeup to stay and have a nice, even look. After catching up with my friends and sampling the hors d’oeuvres, I made a beeline for the diagnostic computer to take a short quiz about my skin tone and quality. This will help me figure out which Clinique foundation will look best on me. According to the quiz results, I have type 2 skin – dry in some areas but oily in the T-zone. Even though I said I preferred powder foundation to liquid foundation, the quiz ended up recommending the Superbalanced Makeup.
Next to the diagnostic computer was a table laden with Clinique foundations in all sorts of shades and types. After telling the makeup specialist my quiz results, she brought out three shades of Clinique Superbalanced Makeup to swatch on my skin. I asked if maybe I could use powder foundation instead because I really wasn’t confident about using liquid foundation. I hate how they feel like a second layer of skin on my face, and I have no clue as to how to apply it. The Clinique lady assured me that the Superbalanced Makeup foundation is best for evening out the oily parts and the dry parts in order to achieve – as the name says – a balanced look. Well, she’s the expert.
Photo by Noelle
After trying on three different shades, I selected Sunny because it was the least visible of the three. Part of my apprehensions over liquid foundation is that I don’t want to end up looking like, “Hey everyone, see my face? I have FOUNDATION on.” I don’t like how foundation looks so obvious on some women, but I guess that’s probably due to choosing the wrong shade or the wrong application. In any case, I wanted to be safe and pick the most translucent shade. I was already wearing makeup though and Clinique lady could not apply the foundation onto my face, but she did give me some tips on how to use liquid foundation.
To my surprise and delight, we ended up walking away with the foundation shade and type that was recommended to us! And I’m not just talking about tiny samples – they gave us the real thing. I’m not one to blog about the freebies I get from events because I think that’s very tacky, but I see this more as a reward for being a long-time customer of the brand than a freebie.
Last night, I gave the Superbalanced Makeup a try and I found that the Clinique lady was totally right – my skin looked unbelievably smooth and even when I was done! After using this product, I couldn’t believe I had gone 23 years without using foundation unless I absolutely had to. I was also happy with how Sunny was able to cover my blemishes, even though its shade is very close to my own. I felt like such a Neanderthal for using my fingers to apply the foundation instead of a sponge but according to Liz, I probably did the right thing. Since the texture and consistency of the product is more liquid rather than cream, the sponge will absorb the foundation, which means you’ll just end up wasting a lot of it during application. Noelle also suggested using a foundation brush from ELF, but I’m happy with my fingers for now. Expect a more detailed review from me in the future!
