Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base Primer

While I'm waiting for the discoloration on my swatch hand to fade, it seems perfect to discuss a green product. In full disclosure, I found this post photographed and saved as a draft when I restarted the blog. I checked to see if the product had been reformulated in the interim. It hasn't, so my feelings on it are still valid.

Let me be blunt: I am a naturally pink human being. That said, I suffer from mild rosacea on my cheeks that requires a hefty quantity of concealer to cover. So when Clinique's Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base SPF 15 ($23) was recommended to me, I was so happy to give it a try.

It's a great value- $23 for 1.35oz of a multitasking primer/sunscreen/corrector. I assume that the SPF is functional since I never burned while using this tube up. That's about all I can say about this product in a positive manner.

Let's take a look at just how green this is:

For those who don't understand color theory, it's supposed to cancel out red. So, I blended it out on my very pink skin:

Do you see problem #1? There's essentially no difference between the area on which it was applied and my bare skin. Using this primer didn't reduce the amount of concealer that I had to use- which is the main reason why I was testing this primer out! I have other primers that perform much better for just priming.

Problem #2 is just that: it's a mediocre primer when paired with my usual foundations. Perhaps it has much better performance with Clinique's own line but I really didn't like this as a primer.

So, it's a poor primer and doesn't color conceal. That leaves just sunscreen; I swear by SPF50 rather than 15! Overall, this product just doesn't perform up to expectation. I'll still be pushing for an effective color corrector, but this Clinique primer just isn't it.