Clinique Daily Protective Base: Another Redness Solution

**Scheduled post: Wendy is moving!**

Today's review is for a product that I have used steadily for nearly a year now and am absolutely in love with. You may remember my Clinique Redness Solutions cleanser review and how it really helped to clear up the problem areas on my face. Well, I've got something that I use daily to help protect my skin from the sun, make my foundation last longer, AND conceal redness... how cool is that?!

























Let me start off by saying that this will be a rave review. This product has become a part of my daily routine.



















Clinique describes this as "Protects skin from the UVA/UVB exposure that can aggravate skins with Rosacea or reactive redness. Does it without chemical sunscreens. Comforting, oil-free makeup primer with a sheer green tint visually corrects redness, evens skin tone. "

You get 1.35oz for $18.50, which has lasted me for well over a year on near daily use.

Swatches:










































It's hard to see on my skin but when applied to my face, the green tone helps to counteract the natural pink/red in my skin and visibly brightens the area. I can't say that if you apply it to a pimple, it's going to counteract that... but as an all-over cream, it definitely does it's job.

There's a slight fragrance but it's quite fresh smelling... almost like cucumber mixed with something else. It's not unpleasant and it hasn't gotten sour over the year I've had the tube... it also fades after application.

In terms of feeling, this feels like a thick moisturizer. It thins out once it hits your skin but a little definitely goes a long way. The amount you see in the swatch is the amount I would use to cover my entire face!

The spf 15 could be higher, of course, but I love that it's an easy step for me in terms of applying sunscreen and also helping my makeup to last longer. The green tint in this helps make my skin look more flawless once I've applied my makeup. As I wear powder, this helps that powder to last throughout the day (we're talking at least doubling the wear time from 4 hours to a minimum of 8) by providing a slightly tacky base that is still comfortable to wear.

What else can I say? This is truly an amazing product. I just bought a new tube of it as mine is getting quite low. I will also occasionally mix it with a tinted moisturizer and I'll get an absolutely dewy, glowy finish. Further, get this: it lasts ALL DAY. Tinted moisturizers are notorious for fading quite quickly and this will help it to easily last through my work day. If I want to really make it last, I'll layer this on first, then my tinted moisturizer, and finally my Mac MSF Natural over top of that. We're talking 12 hours of coverage there... no oilyness or fading whatsoever.

Definitely two, three, four thumbs up for this product. If you've been wanting to try a foundation primer and don't like a heavy, silicone feel, this is for you! I love that it multitasks and I think it'd be great for any of my readers - those with redness especially, but even those without (you're still getting a makeup base and sunscreen together!)

Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser Review

I've always had redness issues with my skin for as far back as I can remember. I have two types of redness: local skin reactions and flushing. When I get hot or angry, I tend to get blotchy, inflamed cheeks and even my jaw line will start to patch up. I also have (or had) splotchy redness focused on the apples of my cheeks. It never itched or burned really, it was just there.

When I posted on Twitter that I was thinking about doing a review on this cleanser, I was really surprised at the response I received. Apparently a lot of my fellow bloggers experience redness too! Well, hopefully I have a solution for you...

























Clinique's Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser is $20.50 (US) for 5 oz or 150mL. It comes in a green tube with a screw off cap, see below:

Clinique claims that this is an "extra-gentle, non-drying cream-gel melts away makeup and impurities. Helps calm visible redness, irritation while preserving skin's moisture balance. Smooths with mild exfoliation. Leaves skin clean, comforted."

It is stated that this cleanser is suitable for all skin types.

Now, I want to start off with the only thing I do not like about this cleanser -- the dispenser. The screw off lid is, I guess, a cool little thing to make this different... but why?

























First off, you're going to use this in the shower or at night; therefore, your hands will be wet. Ever tried to unscrew a metal top with soaking wet hands? It doesn't work too well. On top of it, the screw off cap is also how the bottle stands up. So the dispenser where your product comes out is sitting directly against your shower... uhhh... gross? I lay mine down but still don't feel like that is very cleanly. I am going to get a pump dispenser to empty this into so that I don't feel like I'm rubbing stuff from my shower walls on my face. Make this into a flip top lid, Clinique, seriously!

That being said, I pretty much love everything else about this cleanser. It is gentle -- I don't get any irritation or burning sensation on my cheeks from using it, and I don't feel that it is abrasive. I only use this in the morning as I feel like I do need something a little stronger to remove my face makeup at night. It does do a nice job at removing eye makeup, however... I actually have to work less to get the remainder off than I did with my old cleanser. I also feel like this would work for all skin types -- it is a creamy consistency but doesn't leave my dry skin feeling tight, and it's not greasy so an oilier person wouldn't have issues. It lathers decently well, I wouldn't call it a "high lather" cleanser.

I am considering getting a face brush to work this into my skin, just so that my face feels even cleaner and smoother -- but honestly, it works fine on its own. It does have a slight exfoliating property (I still exfoliate 2-3 times per week) so I like how "baby smooth" my skin feels when I get out of the shower.

I mean... this review wouldn't be complete without before and after pictures, would it? The before picture you may recognize -- it's from my MUFE HD foundation review. Not the most flattering picture but hey, it works. This was taken around noon, about an hour after showering. Notice how inflamed and irritated my cheeks and forehead are.
















































You can see it running down into my jaw line.

These are the after pictures -- taken on December 11. I don't have one of my forehead unfortunately -- that has cleared up but it is still a little irritated just from being dry.
















































There is no light trick or photo editing here - the after pictures are my cheeks with no makeup, after using the cleanser for about 2-3 weeks straight. I still have some residual redness around my nose (see first picture) but I think that may be my application method of the cleanser. I tend to be quite groggy in the morning and focus it on my cheeks and forehead, and forget to really work it into my nose and chin.

I am impressed with the results. I don't feel so uncomfortable walking around without makeup on anymore. I do still get reactive redness when I am hot and whatnot, but I don't think there's much I can do to combat that. The only thing I've noticed is that you do need to keep using it. I went a couple of days without it and ended up with reactive redness just before bed. It wasn't as severe, but it was definitely there.

Hopefully this helps anyone looking for a redness solution. I think it would work on most people -- you just have to be prepared to switch out the god awful bottle.