The Student Room Group

Foundations - investing in clinique/similar?

Apologies if you've seen this thread several million times, but I'm looking to switch foundations.

I don't wear it often - mainly when I go out in the evenings or the odd day when I'm doing something nice or want a confidence boost. My skin is quite dry on my cheeks, but a little oily around the nose, eyes and chin, so I probably fall under combination skin. But in general I'm happy with it save the odd blemish, so I prefer to let my skin breathe and not wear make up if I'm just in uni or something.

I'm happy to spend a little more than I usually would - I currently have Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse and it's awful for me, shows up my dry spots instead of hiding them! I've heard good things about clinique, but have two main questions - is it worth investing for less frequent wear? And how long would a bottle last?

Thanks!
Hmmm, an interesting one! :smile:

Generally I personally feel foundation is something worth investing in, but if you don't wear it all that often I'm not sure whether it would be worth it for you. They say you should throw liquid/cream foundation out after 6 months to a year (powder lasts a lot longer) but generally most people go by look/smell - if it starts to look icky and smell off, it's time to chuck it :p:

(Some of) the benefits of going for something slightly more pricey are that you can go and get colour matched to make sure the foundation is a good match for your skin, and they will often give you a sample to take away to test for a few days so you can tell whether it will work with your skin, how long it lasts, whether you like how it feels and looks etc. They also tend to have a wider range of shades so you're generally more likely to get a better match.

There are however, some pretty good drugstore foundations (Bourjois and Revlon are a good place to start) so you could probably find something you like and does the job for a little less money and you might find if you don't wear foundation often it's not worth you shelling out for it.

Given you've said your skin is pretty good, you might also want to look into tinted moisturiser instead of foundation? The Clinique one is pretty good actually.

Sorry, I don't know if that's helpful :o:
(edited 12 years ago)
I use clinique, have been for about 7 or 8 months now. SO worth it over the usual drugstore stuff. Like the other poster said, you'll get your colour matched better and you'll also find that you can get your foundation matched to your skin type to ensure it still looks natural but not too dry or too oily.
I'd say its worth it. My foundation makes me feel so much better in myself now I know it suits me perfectly and I look natural :smile:

If you don't use it often then I'd say its worth the money - purely because it'll last you longer. My bottle of clinique foundation lasts me a LONG time. I can't give you an exact length but I always feel like I'm reaching the end and it still keeps coming out for weeks after I think it should! Definitely in the realms of 3 or more months and I wear it everyday :smile:

hope this has helped!
I use Clinique too and I like it on my dry patches of skin. What I would recommend though is go to each counter and ask to be colour matched and ask for a sample of the product so that you can see what it looks like in natural light but also how it affects your skin.

Then you can sample all the ones you like before purchasing and maybe wasting money.
Reply 4
Original post by Zebrastripes
I use Clinique too and I like it on my dry patches of skin. What I would recommend though is go to each counter and ask to be colour matched and ask for a sample of the product so that you can see what it looks like in natural light but also how it affects your skin.

Then you can sample all the ones you like before purchasing and maybe wasting money.


Which Clinique foundation do you use?
Original post by alexmagpie
Which Clinique foundation do you use?


I use the redness solutions one as I get red cheeks, or their superbalanced one, but Clinique will match your skin type and colour to one of their foundations suitable for your skin :smile:
Reply 6
Original post by Zebrastripes
I use the redness solutions one as I get red cheeks, or their superbalanced one, but Clinique will match your skin type and colour to one of their foundations suitable for your skin :smile:


Thanks :smile:

I think I'll go to Debenhams at some point next week and try out a few higher end foundations.

I might pick up a cheaper tinted moisturiser to see if I like it, to use on days when I don't want to use foundation.
Reply 7
Original post by Florence321
Just a warning - when you find a great foundation you will not be able to go out again without it!! I bought my first foundation last year - Diorskin Nude - to wear for prom, and then during the summer I only wore it when I was working as a waitress at weddings as it felt smarter. When I started school though I began to wear it everyday and now I don't really feel comfortable leaving the house without it on, at least on my chin and A-zone. So yeah, I would definitely recommend investing in a more expensive one, but try not to get too reliant on it as I do wish I was confident enough to leave my foundation off more often...


Haha thanks - although I suspect I'm much too lazy for that! :rolleyes:
Reply 8
I have very, very dry and sensitive skin. But I also have very pale skin to boot. Which means all the Clinique foundations are far too dark for me.
I use Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - at nearly 30 pounds a bottle it is pricy. But it's better to invest in a good quality foundation, even if you don't use it every day, if you have dry skin. It really just irritates your skin less.
Reply 9
clinque is very good especially if you want good coverage. However if you're looking for a light coverage that goes on nicely and not cakey then try Chanel Vitaluminere Aqua foundation. Its water based and really light and flawless on the skin. I can not go back to using any other foundation since i discovered this. ( i did my research before and it is a top 3, if not number 1 foundation). You can just feel the difference if you wear a drugstore brand after it. They're not good. Foundation is important as you want to look natural and therefore if you're willing to spend up to £35 its 100 percent worth it and not a rip off. The Chanel bottle is small however it lasts over a year and still going as you only need a touch. if you use a foundation brush this helps it stay on longer :smile: hope that helps sorry for the ramble!
Reply 10
Original post by alexmagpie
Apologies if you've seen this thread several million times, but I'm looking to switch foundations.

I don't wear it often - mainly when I go out in the evenings or the odd day when I'm doing something nice or want a confidence boost. My skin is quite dry on my cheeks, but a little oily around the nose, eyes and chin, so I probably fall under combination skin. But in general I'm happy with it save the odd blemish, so I prefer to let my skin breathe and not wear make up if I'm just in uni or something.

I'm happy to spend a little more than I usually would - I currently have Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse and it's awful for me, shows up my dry spots instead of hiding them! I've heard good things about clinique, but have two main questions - is it worth investing for less frequent wear? And how long would a bottle last?

Thanks!


I think by the sound of your skin you would really like super balance foundation, which is good for combination skin and has medium coverage so will even out your skin tone a bit. I think its worth investing in a good foundation if you find one that you really like and has a good colour match. Superbalance is about £21, i really don't think thats expensive...? maybe its just me but I don't think thats expensive, if you buy a foundation from a cheaper high street brand you will probably end up spending about £10 anyway and you won't be able to take away a sample first so chances are you won't like it and have to buy another one anyway. And i really wouldn't worry about how long a bottle will last, I think you'll be really surprised how long it will last. A tip for saving money is instead of buying a new foundation and a separate tinted moisturiser is find a good foundation that you really like and then mix your own tinted moisturiser from that- mix moisturiser and foundation in a jar, adding more foundation until you get the right consistency/coverage you need.
I've tried quite a few higher end foundations over the last year or so. I also have combination skin so this will hopefully help you a bit! I've also tried Dream Matte Mousse and found it the same as you, terrible foundation imo!

Used MAC Studio Fix Fluid for a while but even their lightest shade was too dark for my face and it seemed to be a bit cakey which put me off.

I've tried one of the Clinique foundations, the anti blemish one and I felt that it helped keep my spots at bay but the coverage wasn't great. I'd only recommend that one if you feel you suffer from spots a lot. Recently though I've been really put off Clinique as I tried their 3 step skin care and my skin reacted terribly to it, a lot of people seem to have had the same to them as I googled it and found countless complaints. However some people love the stuff so suppose it depends.

Last week I went to Estee Lauder and they give you a 7 day sample to try out at home. I tried the Double Wear one and I LOVE it. Amazing coverage and I feel it's really good for combination skin as it helps both dry and oily areas. I'd recommend you try that out, nothing to lose really as there's a week worth of foundation for free from their counters :smile:

Clarins Everlasting Foundation is one of my favourites, second to Estee Lauder. Left the dry parts of my skin feeling moisturised and I didn't get the usual shiny T Zone that I'm unfortunately used to having!

Finally.. I also got a sample from Bobbi Brown of their Natural Finish Long Lasting foundation and it was as they state long lasting, the colours are all yellow based and I felt it was the closest match to my skin colour of any foundation I've tried. However, the coverage wasn't full enough for me as I like a really full coverage..but if you want a natual finish I'd recommend it!

I would suggest you go round a local Debenhams, Boots etc and ask for samples as most of the counters will give you some to take home and try, then you can find your favourite which will help save you money, as it's the worst when you spend a lot of money on a product and it isn't right for you. Hope this helped a little :smile:
Reply 12
I agree it's worth paying a bit more for a good foundation. About £20-30 for something you use nearly every day and lasts ages is definitely worth it IMO as they usually are much better than drugstore quality.

I haven't used any Clinique foundations (not sure why tbh) but I love their Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser and find them a really good brand in general. If you do want to get a foundation from Clinique, go to Boots because they have Bonus Time on at the moment til the end of the month so you'll get a bag of freebies if you buy 2 things.

Original post by itsdanielle

I've tried one of the Clinique foundations, the anti blemish one and I felt that it helped keep my spots at bay but the coverage wasn't great. I'd only recommend that one if you feel you suffer from spots a lot. Recently though I've been really put off Clinique as I tried their 3 step skin care and my skin reacted terribly to it, a lot of people seem to have had the same to them as I googled it and found countless complaints. However some people love the stuff so suppose it depends.

Last week I went to Estee Lauder and they give you a 7 day sample to try out at home. I tried the Double Wear one and I LOVE it. Amazing coverage and I feel it's really good for combination skin as it helps both dry and oily areas. I'd recommend you try that out, nothing to lose really as there's a week worth of foundation for free from their counters :smile:



I think Clinique 3 step is quite "love it or hate it". Personally I really love it but I have heard some people slating it, saying that Clinique wants to get your skin "addicted", it's harsh etc... but it works great for me! I happily use different cleansers but I wouldn't want to change steps 2 and 3.

Estee Lauder Double Wear is a favourite of mine as well.
Original post by hmaus
I agree it's worth paying a bit more for a good foundation. About £20-30 for something you use nearly every day and lasts ages is definitely worth it IMO as they usually are much better than drugstore quality.

I haven't used any Clinique foundations (not sure why tbh) but I love their Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser and find them a really good brand in general. If you do want to get a foundation from Clinique, go to Boots because they have Bonus Time on at the moment til the end of the month so you'll get a bag of freebies if you buy 2 things.



I think Clinique 3 step is quite "love it or hate it". Personally I really love it but I have heard some people slating it, saying that Clinique wants to get your skin "addicted", it's harsh etc... but it works great for me! I happily use different cleansers but I wouldn't want to change steps 2 and 3.

Estee Lauder Double Wear is a favourite of mine as well.


Yeah I agree about it being 'love it or hate it', some friends of mine love it which is why I bought it but my skin was totally dried out and irritated from it. To be fair to them though, Clinique are really good with their money back guarantee if it doesn't improve your skin, as I got all my money back for it which was a relief!
Generally worth paying more for foundation.

I find Estee Lauder, Givenchy, YSL & Lancome make excellent foundations.
I would say it is worth paying more for a decent foundation but after collecting lots of clinique/chanel samples (I'm lucky that I always fit the 'beige' colour you find in magazines) I don't see the difference in coverage, texture etc. compared to my usual bourjois one. I have combination skin- oily forehead- and I've tried vitalumiere, superbalanced, moisture surge tinted, superfit, and supermoisture. I don't use a lot, so the samples last a few days, and I have asked people if they could tell anything was different and they said they couldn't. I may still be tempted by Diorskin Nude:biggrin: Go to counters and ask for samples- my clinique one usually has a few out (which is why I have so many..) If you genuinely seem interested they don't mind giving you one.
Reply 16
I can agree with OP, Dream Matte Mousse is horrible for my skin! I have oily skin but a dry forehead and I'm sure it makes my spots worse when I bother to wear it, which is why I've stopped for the time being. I desperately need a decent foundation that isn't ridiculously heavy and isn't going to make my spots worse :/
Reply 17
Clinique is a good foundation as well as investment. But since you're planning to switch, I recommend you to use MAC or Covergirl.

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