Clinique 3 Step

A few weeks ago, I picked up the Clinique 3 Step starter kit at Boots in Westfield. My skin has been a nightmare since I tried the Clarisonic in early March this year, with serious inflammation around my chin/cheek area - I'm talking burning, small red bumps beneath my skin, not a nice experience - plus very dry cheeks and an oily T-zone. Trying to find a suitable range for my troubled skin has been an absolute mission and I was becoming annoyed at trying to find something effective which wouldn't inflame my sensitivity.

For this reason, the Clinique 'Fragrance-free' banner caught my eye and whilst I was having a look, I got chatting with one of their skincare consultants who did a whole analysis on my skin and recommended the Type 2 programme. I'd always thought my skin was oily-combination but turns out I was wrong, and I'm dry-combination (dry, uncomfortable cheeks and oily T-zone). For £20, I think the starter kit is very reasonable and have heard a lot of reviews which made me even more curious!

THE CRUNCH: I love, absolutely adore the Clinique 3 Step system. It is a dream for my skin and has not only restored it back to good health, my skin has never actually looked or felt better! This is the best step I've taken for my skin after trying out numerous brands and I am very impressed. The face wash and toner (or shall we say liquid exfoliator) really cleanses my skin without stripping it and the Dramatically Different Moisturiser is just fantastic. Using this routine constantly for over 2 weeks, my skin feels clean, smooth and dewy and without any irritation at all. Finally!

• The face wash (or liquid mild soap) is a very thick gel which lathers up luxuriously and is a delight to use. It smells fresh, and does make my skin feel squeaky clean after use. It doesn't tighten up my skin which is a huge plus as I hate that feeling, although it does dry skin out very slightly. 
• The clarifying toner comes next, and I love this stuff! This is a strange one for me - it contains alcohol which I usually avoid for fear of inflaming my skin further and overly drying out my skin. However, this somehow works and doesn't irritate my skin at all but instead deeply cleanses it and controls the oiliness. It has been really effective in clearing away any breakouts, and I love the tingly refreshing feeling it gives when used. Clinique claim this is not just a cleanser but also an exfoliator which works in a non-abrasive manner - I must say, I've used it for over 2 weeks and feel that it has kept my skin very smooth.
• The Dramatically Different moisturiser - where has this been all my life? This is the perfect moisturiser for dry-combination skin. It applies very smoothly over the skin, hydrating my dry cheek area AND my oily T-Zone without making it oily. Keeps my face matte and soft, and I can see this product becoming a holy grail in the near future.

Overall, I love this routine and will be sticking to it for as long as it continues to work wonders for me!

UPDATE: 28th August 2013
As the weather has started to cool down in the UK, the Clinique face wash is becoming much more drying on my skin than in the hot summer months. For that reason, I switched this with the La Roche Posay Purifying Foaming Gel which I love. It does seem to do the job and doesn't dry out my skin afterwards, however I don't feel it gives me as deep a clean as the Clinique fash wash. I may switch back, or see if Clinique offer another alternative. I am still in love with the Clarifying lotion, it is becoming a holy grail product; my skin loves salicylic acid and this is one of the key ingredients. I do love the moisturizer a lot so for now, will be sticking to it. Thumbs up, Clinique!