The one product I really love are their Cheek Pops, but I haven’t loved much else (eyeshadow/lip products) in the same vein. I like their skincare, and I think it’s effective without being too pricey.
— Christine
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Big fan of many of their skincare products! And I absolutely ADORE their Sweet Pots.
I own only one product from Clinique, Bottom Lash Mascara. I’m sure they offer some very good products, but I can’t say I’ve ever had the inclination to explore this line. And, other than the mascara, no one has ever recommended something from this line to me.
All I own by Clinique is one solitary Cheek Pop in Cola Pop and a Chubby Stick. That said, I actually love both. Cola Pop looks like a gorgeous, natural wind kissed flush on me! Red, but not ridiculous or fake looking at all. My Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry comes in handy for casual days where all I need is moisture with a natural color added.
I have a lot of respect for Clinique as a brand that doesn’t appear to compromise its image or morals for the sake of bringing in more customers. It’s got its own unique feel as a brand and has done well to set itself apart from many of the other companies in the department stores. It’s like “You either like us or you don’t — we’re not going to beg you to be with us” and I dig that! I also feel like their products are more reasonably priced in comparison to other hybrid skincare/makeup brands.
Yup! You said it!
Their Cheek Pops are the bomb, some of their foundations are fairly nice (and comparatively affordable), and I do like their Almost Lipstick. I’ve never been interested in much else from them, as their skincare didn’t get along with my fussy skin and I find their color cosmetics lackluster.
First brand I used when I bought high end, mid high end rather at the age of 14.
I bought the three step cleanser, foundation, blusher, eyeshadow, liner….just about everything …since it was my first brand… The girls at my school used this brand. And getting gifts with purchase was a nice bonus. When newer brands came along and my taste got more refined ( or so I thought), I stopped buying it. I did like the like the prices, but the products were not stellar…the liners, mascara, soap was too drying, shadows…i still remember Clinique with fond memories as I was a young girl trying new makeup. My mother criticizes everthing I do, but she never criticized how much makeup I bought.
I also am a big fan of Clinique Cheek Pops, and also their Quickliner eye liners. I don’t mind their Lips Pops, and used to be a fan of the Different Lipstick, but aside from one colour, don’t use those anymore. I use Touch Base for Eyes often as a shadow base, but really don’t like most of their eye shadows I’ve tried. I used to use mostly Clinique products because they are what my mother used (allergies) Over time I have experimented with many brands and have found so many products I prefer.
I always have viewed Clinique as an old, reliable brand. I like their skincare, although my eyes tend to react badly to some of their products, so I’m cautious about what I try. I haven’t really gotten into their makeup simply because it doesn’t excite me. When I go into a store, like Sephora, I tend to wander to the pretty shelves of YSL and Nars; Clinique just seems kind of meh in comparison.
I have never owned a Clinique product in my life! It was the RAGE in my teen years and early 20s! I couldn’t afford any of that during those years (too busy working for tuition) so I guess I never got on that boat.
I can still remember the 3-step Skin Care System! Revolutionary I tell you (at the time). 🙂
I’ve used their SuperDefense face cream almost forever and will continue to use it. I like some of their Cheek Pops and have a special place in my heart for Aromatics Elixir. Quite some time ago, I bought their Sleeping Mask and I wish it came with better instructions/directions! I’m old enough to remember when Clinique was the modern, scientific company, compared with all the old lady/old school companies like Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubenstein, etc. and they advocated SOAP (rather than greasy, old-school cleansing creams) to clean your face. I loved them when I was 17, but now, I don’t really look to them for much besides that face cream and Aromatics Elixir.
Oh gee…how could I forget to mention all their “Take the Day Off” products? The balm, the eye makeup remover and (less loved), the oil (not my fave from that line).
Black Honey was one of the first lipsticks that I felt like I could wear and looked good on me, and I remember being really pleased that it didn’t clash with my hair color (since I had been told growing up I couldn’t wear lipstick with red hair… nonsense!) and I LOVE their cheek pop blush formula. I love their foundation + concealer formula but that applicator is silly.
I don’t love their eyeshadows and none of their skincare has really wowed me enough to buy. Also they seem to be disappearing from Ulta… that is a bit alarming because there are a few staples in that line I would really love to be able to repurchase many years from now.
Interestingly, I just recently purchased a three step skin care line from Clinique for my daughter who has been having some trouble with acne. So far she is liking the products. She also purchased their newer foundation, which I cannot remember the name but it is a “foundation/concealer” with nearly full coverage. She is enjoying the coverage. I personally have used the cheek pops and one of my favorites is the black cherry cheek pop. I like their intense hydration moisturizer for under my makeup because I have very dry skin and this works really well in keeping my skin hydrated. The only other product that I have tried is the cake eye liner and I have used that for probably 25 years. It can be used wet or dry and it lasts really well on my eyes. Other than that I haven’t used any of their makeup line. In my head I see them as a mostly skin care driven line and I think that is where they have excelled in the past. I don’t know much else about the company.
Clinique is a dependable, fragrance free all time favorite of mine and my first foray into high end makeup. Their “Take the Day Off” makeup remover is the absolute best to remove eye makeup. I adore their Clarifying Lotion 2 for face makeup removal and All About Eyes for light moisture around the eye. Their Pretty Easy Eyeliner Pen and Cheek Pops are delightful, and the new eye shadow Palette on their website has been a surprisingly good find. In the past I’ve used just about everything from them without ever having a great disappointment or the need to return anything. Their Sales Associates are knowledgeable and friendly. That said, my small complaints would include a lack of variation in makeup skin shades, especially for the very fair. Also their lipsticks and eye shadows are not long lasting on me, although I like their colors. Still Clinique is a solid makeup line, and visiting their counters is a joy.
I like the Cheek Pops, the Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, and the (I think now discontinued) Soft Matte lipsticks, but most of the brand just doesn’t appeal to me that much; occasionally they come out with a new product that I’m curious to try, but not that often. It’s been years since I tried the skin care products, but I did not find some of them to actually be all that kind to my sensitive skin. Their skin care classification system also did not work especially well with my combination, sensitive, rosaceaic skin.
I like their mascara, lip, and cheek products. Their brow products also work flawlessly for me but I have naturally fairly full brows. Happy is an all time favorite as is black honey.
A few of their skin product are alright for me.
I really don’t like their foundations, they oxidize so badly and the shades just seem off. I’ve only had a few foundations ball up, and they are one of them.
Their foundation and powder shades are the worst for fair skin! I bought the Blended Face Powder in Invisible Blend, thinking it would be a colorless setting powder, and it turns a light beige on me.
No one mentioned their High Impact Mascara yet! It’s my HG mascara… makes my lashes fluffy and long 🙂
It is one of the best mascaras I have ever tried. Got the mini in a GWP and ended up buying the full version. Love it.
Yup, I was about to. I really like several Clinique mascaras, but especially High Impact, and it comes in brown! And is not outrageously expensive. Lash Power is a very good tubing mascara, for those who prefer that. (Also available in brown!)
Some Clinique skin care products are great, some less so; I check Beautypedia before buying.
I have a million Clinique lipsticks and like them all but they are not long-lasting – not even Long Last Lipstick! Colors are great.
Yeah, I have been looking up some things on Beautypedia too recently… Some of their skin care lines contain alcohol… I really didn’t expect that from Clinique!
i have several of the pop blushes. I use one of their eye moisturizers and my husband uses their men’ s line. I am interested in trying one of their liquid foundations.
I have not tried many products. There is a coverage foundation, I do not know the name at the moment, which is very good but I ordered the lightest shade from the USA because we do not have it in Germany and it is still tooooo dark. Now I bought some mascaras to try.
Ditto on the Cheek Pops. My favorite blush ever! And thank you for the review on the Black Honey – went out and bought it and it’s now my HG day (Cola is night)
Rave: Their skincare products are really good and easily available, sometimes on sale. The brand often has great skincare care kits and a generous GWP. Their foundations, mascaras and lipsticks are pretty good too.
I like the Chubby stick cream crayons as well. The Cheek pop range was excellent.
Rant: Their eyeshadow formulas are a tad average.
Oh and their Aromatics perfume is just divine – have it in all variations and wear it constantly.
I absolutely adore their cheek pop blushes. I also love their skincare which as you said isn’t too expensive.
I’ve never had much luck with their foundation, eyeshadow and lipstick. Because my skin isn’t overly sensitive to cosmetics in general, I really haven’t explored the brand too much. I bought the cheek pops because of your review, so thank you for that 🙂
I like their eyeshadow singles for single or two color eyeshadow looks (great for work), Cheek Pops, High Impact mascara and I’m still a really big fan of all their makeup removing products. I used to really like their concealer as well, it’s still good but others outperform it now.
Bought their skincare stuff in college because they had a spot in our campus store and didn’t really like it. I find their “Almost lipsticks” to be very so-so — they look like they should be hydrating but are not. They also make my lips look smaller somehow. I am very interested in their blush range, though, because of your swatches!
I regularly use their Lash Power long wearing mascara since it is a tubing mascara that is less expensive than other brands (EL and Blinc). I also use the All About Eyes cream which smooths the eye area prior to makeup. I’ve tried other items that come in the GWPs but have only actually purchased one chubby stick lip color which I like.
I dont know really, I’ve tried their skincare but it didnt really perform that well. Even sunscreen caused some eye irritation. The chubby sticks made my lips super dry. Their other makeup products are just ok. Am not too impressed esp with the price.
Like others, I ‘met’ Clinique via 3-step cleaning program, back in the day. Lately no product has drawn me in except cheek pops. But I understand its skin products are good so I’ve been thinking about it. Recently a friend who’d sworn off makeup because of very troubled skin tried some Clinique eyeshadow and other products, and they didn’t upset her skin; I was impressed.
I love Clinique’s wide range of colors for lips and skin. What I think I like best is their advertising. It is unique that Clinique has never had a “face” for the brand. We all associate a brand with a face: 80s Cover Girl = Christie Brinkley, 90s Revlon = Cindy Crawford. But I think not having a spokesmodel makes their ad photos stand out more. The ads show the product and not much else. I find that refreshing even after all these years.
They’ve got quite good skincare, and their Cheek Pop blushes and bottom lash mascara is good. I used to like their chubby stick lip crayons but decluttered them for better items. Otherwise I don’t find them very inventive, and their makeup line is quite blasé.
I remember be obsessed with a Clinique lipgloss my sister had when she was in high school in the early 2000s, and I was a couple years younger. For some reason I remember it being named “Sweet Honey,” or something similar, and I have searched for it randomly as an adult and never found it.
Anyway, I never really used Clinique’s skincare as a teen and I feel I’m kind of the exception. I do really enjoy Clinique as a brand, though, and I feel their quality has vastly improved in the last few years. They seem very no-nonsense: no extravagant packaging and marketing, just focusing on making simple, basic products that are reasonably priced.
I started off loving the Black Honey Almost Lipstick when I first got into makeup, then I got Black Honey eyeshadow single, then I started collecting their Cheek Pops. I also love their Chubby Sticks. Like others, I also like the High Impact mascara but I rarely buy high end mascaras. And most recently, I’ve been extremely impressed with the Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer. It’s a really amazing foundation.
I used to love a pot gloss from Clinique called “Meadow Flower Honey” – it looked rosy in the pot but applied almost as a clear gloss on the lips – I wore it every day. Maybe that is what you remember? I also had a lipstick around the same time called “Honey Gloss” – this was a champagne beige bullet that looked more like a gloss than a lipstick on.
Clinique’s skincare line was my first line of defense in my fight to control acne. I used it for a while, and got my boyfriend into it which resulted in beautiful skin for him. I remember enjoying their bonus event to replenish my skincare with freebies to boot! I’ve since moved on from their skincare, but I’ve used other Clinique products. I have one of their foundations in my rotation, Superbalanced, which is a great color match (looks like I have perfect skin) and feels light. I also have the classic lip balm/gloss hybrid, Black Honey which is nice to have on hand for a quick and simple juicy lip.
My only rant about Clinique is I wish they would ride the current wave of everything being about beautiful skin. Being the skincare pioneer that Clinique is, use the trend to their advantage and reintroduce their skincare to the world. Clinique may even revamp some parts of 3-step system with some of the latest developments in skincare. I would hate to see them disappear in the ever-expanding skincare market and be forgotten.
I feel like their pep-start line is their new “3-step system”, with revamped packaging and “new” ingredients: peptides. (It’s only new to Clinique but you know what I mean).
They’ve actually been using peptides for years! I use the smart serum from them and it has peptides in it. I think even repair wear serum which has been around for a long time now has peptides in it.
Rave: I’m using a number of skincare products from Clinique and I have to say that I’m more than pleased with the results. I’m 51 and my main problem is extremely dry, brittle skin, fine lines and loss of elasticity. I started using the Clinique serums and cremes eighteen months ago and there’s visible improvement on my skin. The only product I can’t use is their toner, even the softest one is too harsh for my skin. They’re sending generous samples and gifts with every purchase and I tend to buy full sizes of certain products once I try them over a fee weeks.
Rant: Their makeup products are/were not very exciting. However, the cheek pops are great quality and I also bought a few lip pops, which I need to try out. I love their eyeliners, but they last about fifteen minutes on my extremely hooded eyes (a general problem with pencil eyeliners, that’s why I prefer gels). Their eyeshadows are usually of poor quality. Still have to try the eye pops.
Rave: Cheek Pop blushes are fabulous. Chubby Sticks are great. I really like the All About Shadows 8-pan Palettes, especially Wear Everywhere Greens. I like that the brands’ products have never irritated my sensitive skin and eyes. I’m nostalgic for the brand: It was my first high end cosmetic brand. I wore a Clinique blush and lipstick to my wedding (1991).
Rant: I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t get the fuss about Black Honey lipcolor. I don’t find it especially flattering, pretty, or exciting. It’s just OK. The Lid Pop eyeshadows were disappointing. I think their eyeshadow offerings in general can be hit or miss.
I love and trust their skin care, I love their SuperBalanced foundation and the SuperPowder. I have had good luck with all of their products that I have tested, and have been using Clinique for well over 30 years. The only thing that bothers me is that Clinique is not cruelty free.
This was my first makeup and I still do like some of the products I had 25 years ago – Black Honey Almost Lipstick and the Naturally Glossy mascara are great products. I have a Chubby Stick in Heaping Hazelnut that I like, and the Nude Pop Cheek Pop is a seriously fantastic blush.
I used Clinique base products for years and years, really only switching it up in my 30s when BB creams came into vogue; this is also when I realized Clinique stuff is a little too pink for my skin, but I think the products are good.
I tried the skincare as a teenager and found it too harsh, but used to use it whenever I got GWPs. I always liked the gel version of the yellow moisturizer (the name escapes me).
I think what makes me overlook Clinique now is that most of their stuff is meant for a very natural, subtle look and I developed a taste for more dramatic/brighter makeup as I got older. The pigmentation in a lot of their products just doesn’t wow me. But I will always wear Black Honey!
Clinique is not a brand I would recommend to the Urban Decay, Make Up Forever, MAC crowd because they have never had offerings that I would call daring or bold. They do, however, provide very good skin care at a price that is more accessible than similar quality skincare brands. They have some great moisturizers, such as their Moisture Surge face cream. That product is very hydrating and feels so clean and fresh after it is absorbed into the skin. I actually use a blend of Benefit and Clinique products for my skincare, though Lancome is starting to tempt me now that I’m getting older.
Other good Clinique products? Their make-up remover and line of redness calming creams have been great for me too, especially with my rosiness and hyper-pigmentation. Most of all, their foundations have always treated me well. I can use their foundation without ever fearing a break-out, and that is not something I can say for most of the foundation on the market, including Dior, Laura Mercier, NARS, Marc Jacobs, MAC, Urban Decay, LORAC, and all basically all the other big names in make-up. Is Clinique foundation going to give you that perfectly matte, full coverage Insta-ready look we see all over YouTube? No. Most of their foundation provides a natural finish, and that’s probably what most make-up should be like.
Tarte’s Shape Tape is probably the only concealer that has challenged Clinique’s Line Smoothing concealer for me. Just like the foundation, it blends very well and looks natural on the skin. Not perfect, but perfectly imperfect, the way we imagine beautiful skin.
But as for eyeshadow, brows, mascara and lips? You’re better off elsewhere. Their lip chubby line is cute, but has been duped by tons of drugstore brands. I love Revlon for tinted lip balm, especially since they provide both stain and matte offerings.
I absolutely love their cheek pops, especially peach and black honey. But I have to admit that I don’t ever find myself venturing to the Clinique section to look at anything besides blushes.
I’ve been using Clinique skincare for a few years now and I still love it! I especially like their products are unscented, with nice textures and most importantly, effective. My favorite skincare products are the good ol’ Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and their Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. As for their makeup line, I’m not crazy for their eyeshadows, but I do like everything else, especially their Superbalm Moisturizing Glosses, Lash Power and High Impact mascaras. Their cheek pops are of course lovely too!
I feel like their formulations are less friendly to acne prone skin than they used to be several years ago. I used to use them all the time in college (there was counter in our campus bookstore and you could charge purchases to your student account).
But I recently tried some of the same products I used to love (looking at you City Block Daily Face Protector) and they broke me out like no other. My skin hasn’t changed in terms of how it reacts to ingredients, so it made me really sad. Overall it just feels like their products are cheaper.