Hello beauties, I hope you’re all feeling great! I thought that it’s high time to review my most-repurchased foundation that I have been using since I was 19 – Clinique Anti-blemish solutions liquid makeup that is meant for oily and acne-prone skin. In the United States Clinique’s Anti-blemish range is called Acne solutions but it’s pretty much the same.

As always I’ll start with the packaging. It comes in a 30ml squeezy tube that is small, handy and hygenic. The plastic is very thick so there’s no way that the the product will spill when squeezed into a makeup bag or when travelling. I love that about it as well as the overall look.

I picked out the shade 02 Fresh Ivory that is the second lightest one. It’s more of my summer shade but I can pull it off in winter as well if I blend it thoroughly with my fingers.

Ingredients: Methyl Trimethicone, Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol denat., Nylon-12, Butylene Glycol, Talc, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Silica, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Calcium Stearate, Isosonyl Isononanoate, Caffeine, Glycerin, Hydroxyapatite, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Salicylic Acid, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylysilane, Quaternium-90 bentonite, 10-Hydroxydecanoid Acid, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Sodium Chloride, Tromethamine, Propylene Carbonate, Alumina, Disodium Edta, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol. (May contain: Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Mica).

When I first started using this foundation, my skin was almost completely covered in blemishes so I didn’t really notice if a new product is breaking me out or not. Now that my skin is mainly clear, unless it is the certain time of the month or I’m really stressed out, I can tell which products break me out and this foundation, ironically, does that. It doesn’t cause a major breakout but after I use it I usually get a few pimples and I blame the heavy silicones for that – Methyl Trimethicone and Dimethicone, I’m looking at you. The product also contains talc which can clog pores and alcohol denat. that is a potential irritant. For anti – acne properties it contains Salicylic Acid.

The formula isn’t too runny or too thick – I would say it’s exactly in between these two. It applies smoothly and I prefer to apply it with my fingers for a quick makeup or with a Beauty Blender for more coverage that is buildable medium.

The foundation dries quickly on the skin to a powdery finish so it doesn’t need topping with a powder unless your skin gets very oily or you need the makeup to last 8+ hours. It gives the skin that smooth and healthy look but at the same time it’s very mattifying – it was the only product that would have kept my face from looking super oily when I was younger. It’s not one of those flat-mattes that look like masks. I have to say that it does feel a little bit heavy on the skin and it bothers me after a whole day of wear. It starts to fade after a few hours but it still looks decent even after 15hours because that’s I guess how much I’ve wornit the longest.

It photographs nicely but of course it cannot be compared to products like Make Up For Ever Ultra HD foundation. I would avoid wearing it when you’re planning to have your pictures taken with flash – it gives a white cast due to containing Titanium Dioxide.

In the picture below I’m wearing the mentioned foundation with a bit of my Rimmel Lasting Finish concealer on dark spots and Bourjois Healthy Balance powder in my T-zone. On my cheeks I used Clinique Chubby Stick blush in 01 Amp’d up apple and for the picture I wore Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick by Bourjois in 01 Don’t pink of it!. I liked how it looked in the photo but I changed it afterwards because it started cracking on my lips and that is not the look I’d like to go for, definitely.

Pros:

+packaging

+very mattifying

+natural finish

+applies smoothly and quickly, can be applied with fingers

+long-lasting

+fragrance-free

Cons:

-some of the ingredients can cause breakouts/clogged pores (what happened in my case)

-feels heavy

-white cast in flash photography

I would say it’s a perfect foundation for someone with oily to very oily skin who wants their skin to be matte and the makeup to look good all day. However, if your skin is prone to breakouts after trying new products I think it’s better to go for something that is not as packed with silicones as this one. I don’t think that this foundation could actually reduce acne on its own, but it could aggravate it if your skin is sensitive to silicones. I guess it would be too drying for normal or dry skin.

Have you tried this foundation? What are your favourite foundations for oily skin?