Clinique Superbalanced Makeup Foundation Review

I used this product several times only, in scorching heat, three days in a row. I can usually decide whether I like a product after one use only, the verdict depending on how it reacts on my skin and the longevity of the finish. It's because 99% of the time I use the exact same products (moisturizer and primer) so I know that, except for drastic weather conditions, it is going to be the same story every time I am going to use it. This is valid for foundations only. 

I got my hands on several samples of the Clinique Superbalanced foundation so I decided to (finally) use it; I haven't purchased the product so it wasn't a waste for me. The samples were more than enough for my five uses, which I find quite nice (usually samples contain a few drops of product that aren't sufficient for my entire face). So I guess if you're trying to decide on this product, getting a sample or two would be the best alternative since you can really see how it works when you use a little bit only, when you build up several layers, etc.

The sample was in Ivory VF-N. Don't really know what the abbreviations stand for since I am not into Clinique foundations. It must be some symbol for 'neutral' or their shades' gradation, though on the website they have one Ivory only and several others that suggest lighter/darker variation of the shade- Alabaster, Light, Fair, Petal, etc. 

The consistency of the foundation is that of a liquid, but not extremely runny. I'd say it belongs to the generic category of fluid foundations, with no 'special' qualities such as gel-like appearance, a mousse-like texture or anything creamier than your liquid foundation. 

I applied it on the back of my palm first, then used my Isadora large domed kabuki brush (natural bristles). This is one of the best brushes I have ever encountered, far better than  anything MAC, Sephora Platinum or any other foundation brush I have ever tried. 

The shade is light but it definitely suits my skintone. It's my face's natural color with only one problem- when on the back of my hand, it looked exactly like my natural skin, with mellow cream undertones, while once applied on the face it got rather pink undertones. Nothing strong, nothing visible, but I personally saw it. It didn't transfer into the pictures which was a relief, however I still think it's visible. Oh well. 

Foundation only. Facing natural light.

Facing natural light. Bourjois Rose d'Or Baked Blush on the cheeks only.

It does look natural in pictures, especially in natural light.

The first impression was 'wow'. It has great coverage and doesn't feel oily on the skin, yet allows for multiple layers (on the chin and under the eyes in my case). It has a bit of 'glow' on the pore areas- the inner cheeks, chin and forehead- which tends to fade off as soon as the foundation has dried out. It doesn't look oily at all.

However, and this isn't visible in the picture, it doesn't look natural on my skin. The shade just 'took over' my entire face and didn't let the skin 'breathe'. I felt like this foundation is a mellower Estee Lauder Double Wear minus the 'paint-like' aspect and endurance. It looked as if I had already set it with powder, and on the forehead it wasn't doing a great job with the pores and expression lines (the photos I took don't include the forehead, unfortunately).

It gets really dry, very quickly, and I could literally feel my skin pulling, especially around the mouth and the temples. I have combination skin and an oily forehead, therefore I didn't think this would be a problem; after setting it with a bit of powder (Chanel Poudre Universelle pressed powder) it really got extremely dry; however, it wasn't such a problem for my forehead since I had to take a long walk and the temperature was really high, the foundation + powder helping a great deal in this department. However, it did feel dry...even after a long day in the sun.

I am always going for the dewey yet not-oily aspect of the foundation, even after setting it with powder (forehead, nose and chin); it doesn't really happen with most products since it's difficult to achieve that finish with a liquid/cream foundation. So in this department, I might have to say my demands were a bit over the top.

However, I do think this foundation might be great for oily-very oily complexions because it absorbs the sebum of the skin, pretty much like Vichy Normablend. The only difference is the texture- thick and unnatural.

Therefore, I will not purchase this foundation because I feel like I am getting the same results with my Vichy one, minus the mask effect and a less rosy toned shade.