♡ Product Review: Clinique Skincare ♡

This was my first time using a full set of Clinique skincare products, so I thought I might as well make a review on my experience!

But first, mini story time: Earlier this year, my skin started acting up and breaking out more frequently than it ever had. I'd never had "bad" skin before, so it was extremely concerning for me. I started using Proactive's products, but even that didn't clear me up. I always knew that Clinique was revered for its skin care line, so I decided to give them a go to see if their products would improve my skin.

I went to my nearest Clinique counter, and these are the products that were recommended to me by a professional:

(left to right: Acne Solutions cleanser, clarifying lotion toner for oily/combination skin, moisturizing gel lotion for oily/combination skin, Acne Solutions acne healing gel)

Acne Solutions cleanser: very foamy and watery; gentle
clarifying lotion toner: drying, has a very strong smell, skin/pore tightening
moisturizing gel lotion: watery, mostly moisturizing, slightly drying
Acne Solutions acne healing gel: very drying, makes skin flake, stops blemishes from worsening, recommended to use on worst acne, use sparingly

I had also picked up a pamphlet at the counter and I read on it that skin could possibly become worse before improving because of the shift/lifting of bacteria and impurities from the skin. I didn't think anything of it because no product had ever worsened my skin.
However, that's exactly what happened to me. My skin became 10x worse than it was to start with. So of course, I panicked. But remembering what the pamphlet said, I chose to stick with my new regimen to see if my skin would improve after being in the "worse" stage.

I've been using these products for exactly a week now, and my skin has improved slightly since becoming worse, but enough for me to have hope to continue with my routine. I'll update this post in about another week or so to tell whether or not my skin has changed for the better or worse.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions for future blog posts/reviews!
XO, Blue
(3.24.13)

A week and a half later, here are my results:
My skin honestly hasn't improved. After being in the "worse" stage, it basically went back to how it was before I started using the products. I even stopped using the moisturizer because it ended up drying my skin out and making it flaky (weird for a moisturizer, right?).
So in all, I'm not impressed with Clinique's skincare line. I know it's worked amazingly well for others, but just not for me. Hopefully I find products that work on my skin, soon!

Again, thanks for reading!
XO, Blue
(4.2.13)