Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream was a product that really excited me; SPF 30, hydrating and… a ‘Very light’ shade. Hurray!
Sadly, this product did not quite meet my expectations of a Clinique product. My main issue with this product is the texture upon application. It’s just too thick and clumsy to spread evenly on the skin. It really takes a lot of working to get a nice even coverage, even with primer and a well-moisturised base.
The coverage is good, about what you’d expect from a CC cream. It won’t cover acne completely; you’ll need some concealer for that. I don’t really have freckles but I reckon it’d hide those and even out skin tone if you put a decent amount on. I find the finish of this one to be slightly…chalky. Not a matte, chalky either, I find that it leave the skin looking a bit flat. This product is not particularly hydrating, in my opinion, for something called ‘moisture surge.’ Nope, no surges of moisture for me with this one. If you have oily skin, this could be a good thing. Incompatible with my normal to dry skin; I find that it settles into lines…not ideal when you are using a product designed to look like your natural skin.
It is confusing why this product is marketed as a ‘CC’ cream. From my knowledge ‘CC’ stands for colour-correcting, and so therefore has certain pigments to act as tone correctors e.g. green hues to combat redness, mauve tones to correct yellowness etc. This product on the other hand is purley skin-toned. Someone please correct (!) me if I have this info wrong.
The ‘very light’ shade is what I have- this product appealed to me because I hadn’t until the release of this product been able to find a product of this type light enough for my skin. ‘Very light’ is ever so slightly dark for my lighter-than-NW10 skin. The colour difference is not bad enough that I can’t use it, though. This would suit NC/NW 15/20 ladies.
The product is 40ml and comes in a simple light pink tube with a squeezy dispenser so you can control how much you put on your face. I find it slightly sunscreen-y smelling, nothing unpleasant. Note the SPF 30.
I expect to slowly finish this product- it’s a product that I reach for when I need a lil’ something on my skin when going to the gym, doing errands etc., but I will not repurchase.
Thus, my epic quest for the perfect tinted moisturizer/ BB/CC/DD/EE…ZZ (when will the fun ever stop?) cream continues. Any suggestions/ reccommendations ladies?
I think the whole 'CC' thing is deceptive here and is just a marketing ploy (and one that'll probably backfire at that - everyone seems so over the whole BB/CC thing that I can imagine lots wouldn't bother trying this simply because of the name). This is basically just a tinted moisturiser with sheer-medium buildable coverage and a natural looking, dewy finish. That said, it feels lovely on the skin. I generally dislike the look and feel of foundation/most base products but as long as it's blended properly this is basically imperceptible. I have combination skin that's also very sensitive and have had no problems with this product. However, I would not recommend (as implied in the description above) using this in place of a moisturiser - I did this for a while and my makeup would often look patchy by the afternoon (i.e. my skin got dehydrated). Basically, I think this is makeup, not skincare, and should be treated as such.
Tips: If you have oily skin, try applying with a brush for longer-lasting coverage and a finish that's more dewy, less sweaty.