I have always steered clear of the really watery foundation formulas that many people love-like the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet and the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua AND I have always steered clear of BB creams so to be writing a glowing review of this watery BB cream comes as big surprise to me.
I've always gone for the more industrial strength foundation formulas-Estee Lauder Double Wear, MAC Studio Fix/Pro Longwear/ Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Matte-all life. I like coverage. I want plastic skin.
I first heard about the Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions BB cream from Make Up By Tiffany D one of my favourite, no nonsense YouTubers a good few weeks ago and I was pretty sold on it after her review. Then Laura spoke about it and she liked it as well so I headed out to the Mall of the Emirates to track it down. The SPF40 in it was a bit of an additional selling point given we were just about to go on holiday when I bought it.
A couple of negatives/points to be aware of:
a) if you're buying this in Dubai, don't expect the SA to know much about it. The SA in Harvey Nichols couldn't even find this product on her counter
b) the shade range is poor. Only 5 shades. I bought the lightest (obviously). Even that looked scarily orange and almost put me off buying it
c) it's not with the make up on counter, it's either with the skincare (specifically the anti blemish solutions range) or hidden away on a small standalone tray, not even on general display (as in the Harvey Nichols case)
d) it doesn't contain spot fighting ingredients as far as I can see-like salicylic acid for example-this is more of a 'non irritating' rather than a 'treatment' formula. Don't be put off by the 'anti blemish solutions' tag if you have overall good skin
e) I wouldn't wear this for a night out where my photo might get taken as the SPF in theory will cause horrendous flashback
f) when you wear something that has this amount of SPF you must must must (preferably double) cleanse well as SPF is designed to stick to your skin and not removing it properly could lead to breakouts
So yes, the formula is very very watery and thin and the bottle needs a good shake before using to ensure none of the product is separated and all the pigment is mixed well. Personally I think it applies well with something like the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush or a similar dense foundation brush or your fingers. This is like no 'bb' cream I have ever tried before.
- It gives great coverage. It pretty much covers all my redness and old scars and if I have no active breakouts I don't need any additional concealer.
- When I first apply it, the colour seems to match my skintone perfectly. It does oxidise a little bit so I make sure I blend really really well down my neck as that is significantly paler than my face because I have quite strong red undertones on my face.
- It's incredibly lightweight, it feels like there is nothing on your skin.
- Initially the coverage is matte (without being flat or powdery) but as my natural oils come though it does go more dewy-but actually I am ok with it. It's really natural and doesn't settle into those annoying tiny pores I have round my cheeks/nose
- It's easy to blend-9 times out of 10 I use a brush to apply foundation but there are no annoying brush strokes that take ages to blend in.
- It's not drying in the slightest which you might expect from the 'anti blemish' tagline.
- It lasts all day on me with minimal re-touch ups of powder. I do use a primer and I have found whether I use a mattifying or a radiance primer this 'bb cream' sits well over both.
- It doesn't break me out
Personally I think Clinique are missing a whole market by targeting this is an acne product. It would be much more interesting to market it as a non-comedogenic lightweight liquid foundation akin to the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet but with a much more accessible price tag.
What do you think? Is this new foundation something that has been on your radar or have you overlooked it as something for a very specific skin type?
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