Review of the Clinique 3 Step Skincare System

Long time no blog… Life has been hectic! With exam season over and me deciding not to take classes in the summer semester (for once) I have come back to give blogging a try. Hope you enjoy! Please feel free to leave any comments on blog posts you would like to see. Now on to the review…

So I have been having a horrible time with my skin lately and by that specifically I mean ACNE. Well maybe not so much acne but reoccurring breakouts that seem to go away and come back again and it has not been fun.

Let me start off with a little bit of my skin history just because I feel like it’s relevant in order for you guys to know whether this review is helpful for you or not. All throughout those awkward teen years I never really suffered from too much pimples; don’t get me wrong I would occasionally get some spots and was a bit over dramatic about them (as any pre adolescent girl would be) but fortunately I did not have to deal with them too often. I credit this to the Clean and Clear Advantage 3 in 1 Foaming Acne Wash. It did wonders for my skin. My skin has always been combination; oily in the T-Zone and normal in the cheeks and because I had this skin type my breakouts were always on my forehead (the oiliest part of my face).

Recently my skin has been acting up and I decided to try the Clinique 3 Step Skincare System. The line caught my eye when I watched some YouTube videos of girls talking about how it worked for their skin so I had some high hopes because all the girls who had my skin type were raving about it. My skin type is number 3 on Clinique’s skin type-numbering systems.

What I noticed with my skin after using the system was that I was getting breakouts in places I had never gotten them before. For instance, as I said above, I never got pimples in my cheeks and now all of a sudden they were forming especially close to my lip and chin area. What I realized was that the system was drying my skin out way too much. Even though I was using the skin type number that was right for me, the system just was not working for me. The system was drying my skin out in all the wrong places. The plus side was that my T-Zone was breakout free.

The problem that I have with the Clinique system is the fact that the products for my specific skin type (# 3) did not work as they said they would.

Now I understand that having combination skin is very annoying and it is difficult for products to balance out on the skin but if the product can’t live up to that claim then it shouldn’t make it.

The Clinique 3 Step Skincare System contains, well, 3 steps… The first is a cleanser (you will get a different one based on your skin type) and what I noticed with the cleanser is that both oily skin and oily combination skin received the same cleanser. I think this may have been one of the reasons as to why my skin got so dry in some places. The cleanser was stripping my skin of natural oils which was fine in my T-Zone but not fine anywhere else. The second step, the toner, is more individualized than the cleanser but I still felt that it was too drying for my skin even though it was formulated for my skin type. The last step is moisturizer. If your skin is to the oilier side like mine you will use a moisturizing gel and if you are on the drier side you will use a moisturizing lotion. I did happen to like the moisturizing gel. It was light and seemed to calm my skin down but it was a little too light for me for the night so I have decided to keep using it in the daytime.

The Clinique 3 Step Skincare System is not for me and I would not recommend it for other combination oily skin types. If your skin is truly oily all over it may help.

For now my skin is still in a rut and I am trying to figure out what works for me. I am keeping makeup to a minimal or none at all type of deal. I have just recently been trying some products from Origins that I hope will help. I will do a review on those products as soon as I give them more time to work their magic.

I hope you found this review helpful and keep in mind that all skin types are different so if the Clinique 3 Step Skincare System works for you that is awesome. It just hasn’t for me.

Stay happy!

- Cate W.