A Look That Lasts

A few weeks ago, I stopped into Sephora to add to my collection of Clinique cosmetics. But before I continue, I just need to state one thing: Sephora is an incredibly dangerous store!!! And it doesn’t help that I work across the street from the mall that it’s in. Come October, I’ll be working in a store directly above it. This may, or may not, be good. Good for my makeup collection, perhaps, but not so good for my pocketbook.

From L to R: Clinique Blended Face Powder, compact mirror,
Clinique All About Shadow in Jenna's Essentials.

Well, I walked into the Sephora store intent on picking up only one item. I ended up picking up three things. Clinique Blended Face Powder in Transparency Neutral (it even comes with its own brush!), Clinique All About Shadow Quad in Jenna’s Essentials, and a small, compact mirror. The eye shadow quad was a suggestion on the Clinique website, and while the darkest colour in the quad was a little scary at first, the way it’s used makes it awesome. The Blended Face Powder has become my go-to foundation. It is a loose powder, which for someone who doesn’t like wearing a lot of foundation, is perfect. I don’t like the feeling of heavy foundations, and is one of the reasons I stay away from liquid foundations; they just seem to feel heavy to me. (Plus, I have trouble finding a liquid foundation that works with my combination dry/oily skin.) The powder is great. As its name suggests, it’s nearly transparent, so it lets my own skin tone come through. With it being a loose powder, it’s easy to blend and it’s easy to build. (Not that I do a lot of building.) Plus, the little brush that comes with it is pretty cool. The only downside to this product is the size of the container it’s in. It’s not exactly commuter friendly, however, I have a Cover Girl pressed powder foundation that is, and it now stays in my purse in case I need to touch anything up (which the little powder brush that came with the Clinique powder comes in very handy for). Of course, I do have a bad habit of forgetting to touch up throughout the day. Which leads me to the eye shadow.

The eye shadow quad is amazing. I don’t like having to touch up my eye shadow throughout the day, because when I do, it tends to crease. And I HATE creased eye shadow. It’s just not pretty. Now, if I’ve had my eye shadow on for 12-14+ hours (which does happen), then a little bit of creasing doesn’t bother me because, let’s face it, I’ve been wearing for 14 hours! For the most part, I like to put my makeup on before I leave home and not have to touch it up for the rest of the day (unless I’m able to come home in between work and play). Well, with the All About Shadow Quad, I don’t have to touch it up at all. The shades are wonderfully neutral, but pigmented enough that it’s a look I can wear from day into night. And that dark colour I was afraid of? It’s used as an eyeliner of sorts. Really, I think it’s only supposed to darken the outside corner (at least that’s what the little picture in the shadow compact suggests), but I use it as an eyeliner. And the great part about it? It doesn’t move! Well, okay, by the end of the day, some of the shadow-used-as-eyeliner has worn off a bit (which is typical of almost all makeup, save the eyeliner I reviewed in a previous post – that stuff stays on for TWO DAYS if you don’t wash it off), but it’s excellent. This eye shadow quad is my go-to if I want a smoky, yet professional look for work, or a neutral nighttime look. I usually finish it off with Revlon Powder Blush in Tawny Peach (bright coloured blushes just scare me), and layered lip colour with Cover Girl’s Naturluxe Gloss Balm in Hibiscus and Clinique’s Buttershine Lipstick in Adore U. The Adore U is a neutral shade that allows the natural colour of my lips to come through. I put the balm on first to add a bit of colour, and then layer it with the lipstick. The result is this very light pink-neutral, shiny lip colour that lasts at least until the end of my 4 hour shifts at work. The balm hydrates my lips (I tend to use it as a lip balm in the winter) and the lipstick is just super smooth and awesome.

So far, I’ve been incredibly happy with the products I’ve bought from Clinique. Maybe it’s something similar to falling in love with the first car you test drive in that Clinique is the first higher-end makeup brand I’ve bought, or because I’ve received some samples from my aunt in the past and know I like it. I have yet to try other brands, though Urban Decay’s Naked Palette and Naked2 are incredibly appealing. I still have my department store favourites like Cover Girl and Revlon, which are excellent in a pinch, but when my funds allow, you can find me in the Clinique section of Sephora (if I’m not debating whether or not I should splurge on the Urban Decay Naked palettes).

The finished look.

What do you think?

Do any of you have a go-to makeup brand? What is it? Have you ever tried any Clinique products?

(For more Clinique products, check out their website.)