CLINIQUE Anti Blemish Solutions BB Cream SPF 40/PA+++ Review

I was in a love-hate relationship with my foundation. I felt like it did its job at covering my cipets and I look BOOTIFUL (from a distance). But in the long run, I realize that it was causing more damage than good (like most relationships I'm exposed to).

I didn't think much of it and continued using that foundation. It was not until one day I found myself strolling down the foundation aisle in Clinique and came across the Anti-Blemish Solution BB Cream. I swatched a few shades on my face and found one that was the closest to my neck. The finish was exactly what I was looking for in an "everyday" foundation. It was lightweight and had a light-to-medium coverage that evened out my skin tone effortlessly.

But with any foundations we try in the store, first impressions aren't always a reliable factor. I've purchased some foundations in the past that eventually turned out to be quite crappy (sounds familiar?). That was not the case with this BB cream. I have been using it for a good 3 months and with each application, I fell deeper in love with it.

PACKAGING

Calling all my girls with attachment issues! If you're anything like me and can't leave the house without bringing your whole makeup bag with you because you fear the day a thief might come into your house and steal your June favourites. Then this BB cream is for you. It's tiny, which means that it won't take up too much space in your bag, which also means you can bring more unnecessary shit in your bag!

COLOUR RANGE

Clinique Malaysia carries this BB cream in 3 shades. Fair, Natural and Natural Beige. I am in the colour Natural Beige, which is the darkest shade available. I have to admit that I wish they had a wider range of colours so that more people can enjoy using this BB cream as much as I do. 

COVERAGE

This BB cream offers a light-to-medium coverage that is easily built to a full coverage depending on the severity of your skin. For an everyday foundation routine, I recommend just using one layer of this to even out the skin tone and then top it off with a setting powder of your choice. But say if you're someone with more pigmentation and texture on the skin, you can get away with 2 to 3 layers of this without looking like a crepe cake.

FINISH

Semi-matte to the touch! As much as I love a dewy finish, my skin can get quite oily by midday. So instead of going for an all-over glow, I keep my whole face matte with this BB cream and use a cream highlighter on the high points of my cheekbones. The perfect solution for my berminyak girls who still want a glow without the sapi.

STAYING POWER

According to the website, it's supposed to stay on for a good 12 hours. Although I do think that it could, I can't say that it does for my nose. I notice that I have to go in with a powder foundation on my nose as the BB cream would have completely worn off by the 6th hour (my nose is an oil rig).

MY TWO CENTS

Hands down, my FAVOURITE everyday foundation. I've been asked whether this BB cream helped cure my acne. And to a certain degree, yes, I think this BB cream did play a part. Looking at the ingredients, I don't think this BB cream is meant to cure or even treat acne. But what I've noticed is that the oil-free and fragrance-free properties of this cream does not aggravate my sensitive skin.

This might come to you as a surprise (or not... Let me feel like a smartass jap..) but fragrance does absolutely nothing to your skin. In fact, fragrance might be the underlying cause to your breakouts. Fragrance causes irritation that may or may not be visible on the surface. If it helps, think of it like smoking a cigarette. You may not see the effects immediately but you know for sure that it will take a toll on your health one day. If you're doing both fragrance and smoking cigarettes, then you're pretty much f@!^ked. 

FINAL VERDICT

★★★★★

Share your thoughts in the comment box below if you've tried this product!

Till my next post!

Be happy! ♥

cipets - what I call my pimples

berminyak - oily 

sapi - ghee

CLINIQUE Cheek Pop Review

I feel like blushers don’t get enough credit. We just swirl our brushes into them for a good 20 seconds and make a whole mess before applying it onto our cheeks. Have you ever thought of thanking them for making you look less dead or maybe compliment them every now and then for the variety of looks you can achieve by changing the shade or even the placement of the blusher? I don’t think so because most of you take your cheek rouge for granted. And why is that? Is it because they’re not the “Windows to your soul” therefore, they don’t deserve a minute of your time like how you would go out of your way perfecting that annoying winged liner? Well guess what?

That’s completely up to you! Haha! I recently discovered the power of blushers. So this is me preaching like any new hardcore believer of something. Be prepared to hear me shove the idea of changing your entire look up with the assortment of shades of blushers available in the market or just by changing the placement of the blusher on your face, over and over again in this blog post. (Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!)

We often see people smoke up their eyes or vamp up their lips when going from a day to a date night look. If I had a life, I would do this too. And while this is completely optional, I also want to point out that I’ve seen some stranded raccoons and the ghost of Heath Ledger as Joker roaming around at night. What I’m trying to say here is that A LOT can go wrong when you’re trying to play up your eye or lip game. It’s risky! Lol not really, I’m just being annoying ✌️.

But a good alternative for beginners or lazy humans like myself, can amp up the cheek colour for a change. Depending on your agenda for the day, whether it is to look innocent (when you’re actually a promiscuous b!tch inside) or to trap a man (yes, I’m quoting Ali Wong because she’s god), a blusher can do all that. I’ll list some of my favourites as well as how I would use them for different scenarios.

08 Melon Pop

This is a satin peachy pink blusher that gives you the perfect flush without looking like you have much on, at least for my skin tone that is. The product itself is finely milled but nowhere near powdery, and this applies to the other two shades as well, which means that you can get great colour payoff without the fallout.

For that perfect "no-makeup makeup look" flush that boys love so much, this shade gives you a very natural punch of colour without scaring them away. Thus, making it the perfect blusher shade for a first date (because remember, you want to reel them in with innocence before you can show them your inner dragqueen).

03 Berry Pop

This is a satin hot pink blusher full stop. What you see in the pan is what you will get on the cheeks. The colour payoff for this blusher is a little scary but when used with a light hand, it is a great pick-me-up blusher shade that can make you look instantly fresh and awake.

I do have to say that this shade looks stunning on medium-to-darker skin tones on its own. But fret not my hot-pink-addict-albinos! You can warm your face up slightly with a touch bronzer and add this blusher shade on top for a smooth transition. I’ve also used this shade on my eyes; so if you would like to check that out, CLICK HERE to be redirected to that video.

15 Pansy Pop

I was a little hesitant to pop this shade on my cheeks when I first got it. It’s purple… But much to my surprise, this is actually a very friendly shade. And by friendly, I mean that it looks amazing on both fair and darker skin tones.

The shade leans more towards the cooler end of the spectrum, which I think is an interesting twist to the common bronzed-beach-bum look I myself am guilty of always going for. A cool pop of colour on the cheeks is a great way to make you look chic, especially when it’s paired with a clean makeup look (think Karima McKimmie from Shameless Fripperies).

These blushers are great to have in your makeup bag because they don't shatter easily. But with that in mind, please don't go throwing them on the ground on purpose just because I said that. I've been using them for close to 2 months now and I've hardly made a dent, so YEAYY for you cheapskates out there! A great value for money since you won't go through them so quickly. Thumbs up for Clinique for keeping us cheapeedees in mind when manufacturing these blushers!

Price point wise, I think it's reasonable for the amount and quality you're getting. Only RM83 a pop! This is turning into an infomercial really quick so I better stop now haha!

Your cheeks are a great place to start when planning your makeup look for the day or night. Give it a try the next time you're caking up for an event!

Till next time, babies!

♥

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