currently loving: clinique

Clinique is a brand I trust. Everything I have tried from them has been both luxurious and effective. Which is why I tend to visit the makeup counter whenever they have a promotion going on. (Like, spend $40 and get a bag full of goodies for free, for instance!) You may have noticed in my mall hall a little while back, there was a brightly coloured makeup bag shown. That was one of the gifts with purchase that Clinique was giving away.

Though I didn't purchase anything this time (I wanted to buy their new pigment drops but none of them were not a match for me), my mom picked up more than enough products. So, they threw in two gifts with purchase. Score!

The Clinique gift set included:

• Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser
• Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
• Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
• Clinique Colour Compact (All About Shadow Duo and Blushing Blush Powder Blush)
• Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara
• Long Last Lipstick
• Cosmetics Bag

There are few things better than free makeup. Needless to say, I was excited to try out these products. Some, I had already used in the past (like the Moisture Surge...my all time favourite moisturizer) but others were new and exciting (like the Blushing Blush Powder Blush). I love that this set included good sized samples that were still small enough to take away. Which is exactly what I did! Most of these actually came with me on my trip to Las Vegas.

Skin Care Products: The skin care products that came in this set were winners for me. As I mentioned, I adore the Moisture Surge moisturizer. It works well on my dry skin and has a really refreshing finish. Though I hadn't tried the Dramatically Different lotion...it really impressed me. It was for very dry skin and worked wonders. The lotion was lightweight, creamy, and fought dryness well. The Foaming Cleanser was very mild and did a good job of removing leftover dirt, oil, and makeup from my skin. It came in handy during my trip, that's for sure!

Before I talk about the makeup products that were included in this set, here is a closer look at the lipstick shade, eyeshadows, and blush.

Makeup Products: There was a nice assortment of makeup products included in the set. The first was the Chubby Lash mascara. The wand was really cool (rubber bristles with a rounded tip, similar to Benefit's They're Real! mascara but with less definition along the wand) and they added a ton of drama to the lashes. While I enjoyed this....I don't think it will be replacing my go-to mascara. The lipstick (the shade was Watermelon) is a gorgeous spring-infused pink that leaves a bit of a stain. It lasts well and looks really beautiful. I love it!

The little compact had two shadows (Morning Java and Ballet Flats) and one blush (Smoldering Plum) and the colours were natural and romantic. The pigmentation on those two little eyeshadows was intense. I was blown away with how much colour payoff there was. It made me want to try out more Clinique eyeshadows in the future. The pigmentation on the blush was not as impressive and I found the formula to be a little more on the dry side. That being said, the shade is stunning. It was a dusty rose kind of colour and it is beautiful.

Have you tried any of these products? Are you a fan of Clinique?

xo Shannon