ProductWhores

Blur It Out

There is nothing that could describe me less in the mornings than "peppy."  I basically stumble around like a drunk person and just try to get out of the house in something resembling a normal outfit.  It's pretty hilarious.  Morning people fascinate me because even the thought of jumping out of bed at 6am being all, "Come on, the day is starting!" makes me shudder. That being said, Clinique's Pep-Start Hydroblur Moisturizer is a welcome addition to my morning routine.  (I'd say it's worth getting out of bed for, but let's face it, the only thing worth getting out of bed for is a large caramel latte and a breakfast sandwich).  It basically functions as a moisturizer and a primer because its formula blurs imperfections and controls oil to give your skin a matte finish.  So it's doing dual duty, which is always great time-wise and especially money-wise.  (Also, travel-wise, if you're someone who gallivants around the world a lot.  And if you are, can I be your friend??)  I like it as a moisturizer too - it's keeping my sensitive combination skin hydrated and I like the cooling sensation when it goes on and its fresh scent.  Overall, I'm really digging this one, although I will never, ever be able to describe myself as "peppy."  Luckily I have Clinique to say it for me!

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique

Pop Goes The Liquid

In the category of "Things I Always Thought I Would Hate But Actually Love," matte lip products are at the top of the list. Before they became all the rage in recent years, I thought of matte lips as something for old people.  Grandma lips, if you will.  But they're not.  They're so, so not.  Clinique's new Pop Liquid Matte Lip Colour + Primer is a liquid lipstick with a matte finish that looks fresh and modern on - very 2016.  I love that the finish is matte but not dry - sometimes matte shades show every line or chapped area in your lips and these don't do that at all.  I'm also super excited about how pigmented they are and the choice of shades - these are FULL color lipsticks. No shrinking violets here!  I'm especially in love with Black Licorice Pop - a dark, dark purple-berry shade that looks amazing with an otherwise bare face and a few coats of mascara.  I'm one of those people who gets really mad when I spent money on a lipstick only to have it barely show up on my lips and there's no danger of that here.  (The one above, Flame Pop, is also especially vibrant).  I've been wearing these for the past few days and on me, I can still see color on my lips over eight hours later, even after eating and drinking.  It was faded a little by hour eight, but definitely still visible. These would make a great gift for any of your makeup-loving friends or relatives this holiday season... but you might want to pick up a shade or two (or three!) for yourself too.  Two thumbs way up!  

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique

The Great Charcoal Purification

Oooh, you guys!  This stuff is the bomb!  (I actually almost wrote "the bomb dot com" before I realized it's been, oh, at least a decade since that phrase was popular.  How did that happen?  My life is flying by!)  Anyway, I got Clinique's City Block Purifying Charcoal Clay Mask + Scrub last week and I've actually used it three times since then because damn, this stuff is great.  It has a thick clay-like consistency and goes on as a sort of gray shade, but it quickly (between 5-10 minutes) dries to a light blue color, which is when you know it's done its job and you can take it off.  It gets tighter as it dries (like all clay masks) but I never found it uncomfortable or itchy, like some of them.  The mask contains grains that exfoliate your skin when you take it off (removing it using a washcloth will also help with that) so it'll get rid of any dead skin (especially helpful as we head into the cooler weather.  I really like the way this makes my skin feel - after I take it off, my face feels smoother and (dare I say it) even looks a little brighter.  I also really like the way it preps my face for the rest of my skin care routine - it feels super clean afterwards and my moisturizer just glides on.  This one's definitely going to be a staple in my routine from now on.  Two thumbs up!  

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique

Pop Goes The Lacquer

As it gets warmer here in SoCal, I find myself wearing more glosses instead of lipstick.  Glosses just say "Summer" and "Beach party" to me.  (Let's not speak of the fact that that means bathing suit shopping again).  Clinique's new Pop Lacquer Lip Colour + Primer is available in ten different shades ranging from bright red to nude and at $18 apiece, they're solidly in the mid-range price category.  The glosses themselves are fairly thick and moisturizing and don't have much of a scent to them that I can notice.  I get a solid five hours or so of wear out of them, which is probably due to the fact that they have a built-in primer in the formula.  I tried two of the neutral shades - Nude Pop (a neutral blushed nude) and Sugar Pop (a neutral blush) - and I liked them both.  They gave my lips some color without competing with the smoky eye I was also rocking.  I like that the formula isn't super sticky too.  As I've said many, many times here, sticky glosses are my hair's nemesis and I hate them.  So, so much.  Now I just need to get my hands on Lava Pop, a blue red that is just calling my name, even through my computer screen.  I'm coming for you, Lava Pop!   

Note:  Samples of this product were sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique

The Best Kind Of Chubby

I may be fine doing my usual makeup routine in the morning (I have it down to a science by now!) but when I go out after work, I kind of hate freshening it all up.  I'd rather just get right to the going out part of the day!  So anything that can speed that up always makes me happy.  Enter Clinique's Chubby in the Nude Foundation Stick.  I've been carrying this around with me in my bag and whenever I need to touch up my foundation, I just swipe it over my face, blend, and voila! Instant freshening!  It's really good as both an all-over foundation or just as a concealer/cover up, which is what I use it for when I'm even lazier than usual.  I especially like it because you can decide how much coverage you want with it - it's a buildable formula, so you can get sheer or full coverage from it depending on how much you put on.  I also love the fact that it's a stick formula because it means that you won't ever drop it and shatter the bottle or spill it in your bag (both of which have happened to me).  I also really dig the price tag.  At $24, it's much more affordable than some of the foundations I've tried lately, which is always a good thing. (Plus, come on - that name?  Chubby in the Nude makes me laugh every time I say it or see it on the stick).  This one's a definite must add to your shopping list.  (What?  Everyone doesn't have a makeup shopping list?  Blasphemy!)     

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique

Sweet Pots

This is such a genius idea, I kind of can't believe no one's done it before.  Clinique's Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub & Lip Balm are dual-sided pots, one end of which has a sugar-smoothing lip scrub in it, and the other side has a sheer, tinted balm in a matching shade.  It's perfect for those of us who get chapped lips, but even if you don't, everyone could use a good lip scrub every now and then and it's so convenient to have the two things in one container.  (I say this as someone who once spent an entire weekend trying to find a container of Sara Happ's Lip Scrub that I just KNEW I had somewhere in my condo.  It took me until Sunday night to ferret it out, but that was a sweet, sweet victory).  The balm shades range from red to pink - there's even one in their coveted Black Honey shade - so you're definitely going to find one (or more!) that you fall in love with. At $19.50, they're a little pricey for a sheer balm, but getting the lip scrub too makes it worth it, even just for the convenience alone.  Definitely picking up a few of these the next time I'm at the mall (so fine, this weekend...) 

A Mini Mask Break

I enjoy a good face mask, but I usually get bored of them WAY before the bottle runs out.  So I'm loving the idea of Clinique's new Mask Mini Set.  For $9.50, you get four masks, each in a .1 ounce size - Turnaround Revitalizing Instant Facial, Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, Even Better Brightening Moisture Mask and Pore Refining Solutions Charcoal Mask.  You can use them separately or create your own customized mask by mixing two or more of them together.  Plus, they're small enough to buy and keep for traveling - nothing more relaxing than ordering room service and then taking a long, hot bath while wearing a face mask.  If I had a job that required travel, it would almost be worth it just for those nights.  (But not really.  I hate traveling when it's not for fun).  Adding this to my shopping list right now...

Kiss Me, Honey

Ooh, more Black Honey!  Clinique's Black Honey shade is a classic for a reason - it's one of the all time greats - and as far as I'm concerned, there can never be enough Black Honey products.  It's just the perfect color.  So you can bet that I'll be getting my hands on the new Kiss Me, Honey set ASAP.  (Also, the name is adorable).  For $17, you get a Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Richer Raisin, an Almost Lipstick in Black Honey and a Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Black Honey.  They're all smaller than the regular full-sized products, but not so tiny you'll run out immediately (I like to think of them as party clutch sized!)  I'm such a fan of all three of these products that to grab all of them for $17 is a no brainer.  (One can never have too much Black Honey.  Words to live by).  And if you STILL need convincing, Marsala is the color of the moment right now, so all the cool kids are wearing it.  And you want to be cool, don't you?  DON'T YOU??!!

Wear Everywhere

Clinique is really knocking it out of the park lately, you guys.  I'm OBSESSED with their new All About Shadow 8-Pan Palettes.  Super, super cute.  Each one of them comes with 8 different shades (obv!) and they're in color families - Nudes, Pinks, Greys, Greens, Blues and two others - Neutral Territory 2 and A Black Honey Affair.  All of them are so pretty and the shades go together so well.  I love that you can create daytime and nighttime looks with them and that it takes all the guesswork out of doing your eyes.  You just pick the color family you want to wear and go!  The formula is great too - the shades are soft, blend easily, and last all day on me with a primer base.  (As a bonus, they don't irritate my contacts, which seems to happen more and more often lately, so kudos, Clinique!)  And for the amount of shadow you get, $36 is a serious steal.  This is definitely one of those products I can see myself collecting every single one of - especially since Clinique always has such great gift with purchases.  It would be stupid NOT to buy them!

Note:  Samples of the above items were sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique

The Nutcracker Suite

You know what I love?  Eye shadow compacts that come with blush too.  Because I find it a little difficult (I mean, just a little - it's not exactly brain surgery) matching my blush to my shadow sometimes.  But in Clinique's new The Nutcracker Act I Compact and The Nutcracker Act II Compact, you'll find four shades of shadow with a matching blush that goes perfectly.  It's like they read my lazy brain and thought, "Hey, let's help Stacey out!"  Act I is the pinks (above) and Act II is the violets (below) and they're both just super soft and pretty.

I'm a tiny bit more partial to Act I, only because I love the sparkly black shadow in it.  It's so, so gorgeous on, especially when paired with the other shades in the compact.  All the shadows in both compacts are buttery soft and blend easily, and I get a full day's wear out of them when I use them with a primer underneath.  And for $36 each, they're a great deal.  Get thee to a Clinique counter quickly because they're part of the holiday collection and they might not be around long! 

Note:  Samples of the above items were sent to me by a PR representative working with Clinique