Clinique 3 Step Skin Care System Review
Sep 4, 2011 by Violet
Since moving to Melbourne I’ve had problems with dry skin. The air here is really dry compared to Queensland, honestly going back to Brisbane was like walking into a sauna >_<
Clinique’s PR rep offered to send me their 3 step kit to see if it made a difference to my skin. I haven’t tried Clinique’s skin care before even though I’ve heard a lot about them so I was pretty interested to see how it performed. To be honest I always thought that they would be out of my price range so I didn’t give them much of a look over XD I was sent the #1 pack for dry skin and used it for a couple of weeks to test, it certainly was a mixed bag!
Brand: Clinique
Product: 3-Step Introductory Set – Skin Type 1
Price: AU$49
Available here on the website.
Kit includes:
Liquid Facial Soap Extra-Mild, 50 ml
Clarifying Lotion 1, 100 ml
Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, 30 ml
So the first step in the range is the Facial Soap. The packaging is a standard tube, pretty average. It smelled kind of like cucumber and felt more like moisturiser than soap which was really interesting. It certainly felt like it was giving moisture back to my skin and didn’t leave it with that squeaky feeling some soaps leave. There was nothing about this that I specifically disliked but there was nothing that stood out either so I found it hard to want to keep using when the results weren’t visible.
Next is Toner. To be honest, this is the only thing out of the pack I’m planning to use again and I think it’s a very acquired taste. It smells VERY much like sterilising alcohol/hand sanitiser. Like… exactly like it. For some reason I like the smell but I think it will probably be too strong and hospital-ish for a lot people. In fact I know a lot of my friends who have tried it couldn’t get past the smell. It left my skin feeling super clean and smooth though and I found it was really refreshing right before bed. But yeah this is definitely something you need to smell before you buy it! Packaging was quite nice, felt substantial and not cheap.
Last up we have the moisturiser. First off I hate the bottle, it’s a screw top bottle with no dispenser at the top which is a personal hate of mine because it makes it a pain getting the correct amount out. The smell is kind of generic and fairly subtle. It rubbed in smoothly and feels a bit like velvety or almost sticky when rubbed in. I didn’t mind the texture or smell but again it was fairly average. I don’t think it made a difference to my skin so without being able to see the benefits I don’t think I would use it again.
VERDICT:
I really felt underwhelmed with this set and I don’t know if that was because I had high expectations or if it was just average products. Over the time I used this I didn’t notice any difference in my skin and I think it is just as dry as when I started. It could very well just be that it didn’t work with my skin type so I would totally suggest having a look in store and maybe getting some testers before committing to this or full sized products. The soap and moisturiser weren’t for me but I definitely like the toner and would repurchase it. Price-wise for a higher end starter kit with 3 items I would say AU$49 is on par and probably cheaper than I was expecting. Not for me but can’t hurt to sample and see if it suits your skin!
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Thanks for the honest and detailed review!
I wonder if the toner actually was alcohol based if it smelt so strongly of it. If it is alcohol based I would personally stay away from it with my dry skin.
If I remember correctly, it is alcohol based. The SA said it was when I asked her about it anyways.
If it’s alcohol based, it would be very drying for your skin. Definitely stay away from alcohol-based products if your skin is already dry.
Lesson definitely learned!
Yeah I’m pretty sure it is, I don’t have the bottle anymore to check though.
I think it is which struck me as odd too considering it’s in the “dry skin” pack *_*
Thanks for the review.
Well, I heard Clinique is used to make very strong products, yet really good, so maybe your skin is too delicate for them. And a lady told me that the third step, dramatically different moisturizing lotion, was not as moisturizer, it was way too light, so maybe you should keep using a regular moisturizer after the tree steps.
Yes I definitely needed a second moisturiser after their version, though I think it’s silly to call it “moisturising lotion” if it’s not a moisturiser XD
I’ve never used Clinique personally, but a friend of mine who has super sensitive skin just loves their makeup. I don’t know if she’s used the skin care, but she’s been impressed with the gentleness of the foundation and stuff. I guess it just varies person to person :)
Thanks for the great review!
I love their make up too, the chubby sticks are really nice! Definitely different from person to person!
I can most definitely recommend The Body Shops Vitamin E Range as a wonderful range for dry skin. Unfortunately they don’t do trial sizes, but do do mini facials in store so you get a feel for the products, and they talk about different treats that you can use outside of the usual 3 step routine. When I went in for my facial I was completely upfront about not wanting to buy anything on the day because my skin tends to react to products after 4/5 uses, and the sales assistant gave me some generous sized samples to take home. Completely blown away by the service and the products, and at about $60 for a full size 3 step routine (200ml bottles I think), makes it a whole lot cheaper than a lot of the other products I shelled x amount of $$ for, and it actually worked for me :O
That sounds really good! I’ll definitely head down to the store and have a look. Thanks so much Courteney!
clinique is not my favourite :P
XD Me either now haha
I love Clinques clariying lotion/toner, it works really well. I tend to use a different moisturiser and face soap though.
I havent used alot of their make-up, but what i have used has been really good. Shame they only really do natural shades.
Love your honest review! (and your blog generally).
I’m glad you found it useful :D I like some of their make up ranges too, the quality is really nice!
Thanks for your honest review
I have used clinique for aout a year but went off it because I didn’t really think it was worth the money.
I think if you have the money you should try Shiseido – I tried their products a few years ago and my skin was transformed from quite pimply to nice and clear.
However I am now a uni student and can’t afford to spend so much money on skincare, and after my dabble with clinique I now use Akin which I like because you can buy it easily at Priceline. Its more affordable than clinique or shiseido and the products are natural and have no SLS, parabens etc and its aussie made and owned, a big plus for me. :)
No problems! I definitely will try out Shiseido, I’ve got some other ones on my list first but I’ve heard such good things about it. I love the idea of Akin too and the prices but the smell are too offputting in the products of theirs I’ve tried :(
Ok firstly, thank you for being honest!
I agree i prefer squirt dispensers, it makes everything much cleaner and more accurate.
It goes to show that not every brand is for everyone!
I much prefer to be honest when something doesn’t work, no point saying it’s great if it’s not! No one wins if people lie about experiences!
Thank you for the review!
I was using 3 steps mini kit and after that I bought toner and lotion.
Toner is to strong so I use it only from time to time, but lotion was great for me. I never had better moisturizer before.
Unfortunately this cosmetics are so expensive so I switched to another products.
Haha complete opposite, just goes to show that it really depends on skin type! :D
Thanks for the review! I haven’t tried them myself, but the teachers at my school always said they’re skin care line wasn’t that great. I’d suggest Bioelements to you, but I don’t know if they sell it in Aus (or if they ship overseas) and they tend to be pricey because they’re a professional spa brand.
I haven’t heard of Bioelements but thanks so much for the recommendation I’m definitely on the look out for it now :D
Aww. Sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you except for the toner. Hope you find another skin care package soon.
I’ve got lots of others waiting to be tested :D
i used this stuff when i was younger (like late teens/early 20s) after learning the hard way on how to properly take care of skin.
this was like my first real effort into skincare land based on the time on what was available to me and my age. i have combo skin and i felt like even though i used the system for several years it didn’t do much for me (could also be because of biological factors too).
the price wasn’t that bad, but i got so tired of my face never clearing up that i just one day splurged on shiseido (really not cheap, but after years of really bad bad bad skin & doctor visits, i’ll pay whatever i have to to make it normal) and have had great results for the past few years using it.
I’ve heard so many recommendations for Shiseido, I really want to try it! Thanks so much for your comment!
Ooh! I tried this ten years ago and this did a lot of damage to my skin! TMI warning, the next part is gross!
I ended up getting these spots all over my face that couldn’t seem to decide if they wanted to be zits or sores! Normally if I get pimples, I’ll just get one big one in the middle of my face, lol! But this made me spotty all around my chin to both cheeks. And it itched like MAD!
Even after I stopped using it, it took a long time for me to fix the skin problems it’d created.
Ouch!! Zomg that sounds horrible *_* I’m glad it’s all fixed now though!
I love clinique and I made a few changes to the recommended routine. I use the toner only at night and use the yellow moisturizer first then layer with the superdefense for dry skin with spf. Also u should try the eye surge cream its so velvety :-)
Thanks for the suggestions lainie! I’ll give it a try and see how it goes for me :D