rockfotze | Makeup Review: Clinique Superbalanced Powder Makeup (Reply)

I recently bought Clinique’s Superbalanced Powder Makeup. I am a very big fan of all mineral foundations and have used a few different brands (such as Revlon, Natio and Loreal, which has so far been my pick). I was actually wondering if ever Clinique would get on the bandwagon and release their own version (they probably had already but had never noticed), and it was only recently that I discovered finally did. First and foremost, I am a massive fan of Clinique. While most bloggers go for the fancy, colourful and trendy MAC, I go for the slightly daggier Clinique. I have reasonably sensitive skin so I like how they don’t add perfumes and other irritating ingredients to their makeup. I also love how they give free stuff away all the time which means I rarely have to pay for mascara, moisturiser or eye creams!

The only reason I took as long as I did to buy this product was because of the cost, a whopping $65. I’ve always known this brand is more expensive than your Revlon-type brands, but even I was taken aback by the cost. But I kept gazing at it longingly, marveling at the excellent way you get product out (more on that soon) and eventually I had enough and bought it (and got some great freebies to boot).

First of all, you don’t get product out like the standard mineral makeups, you have to turn the inner white dial clockwise which kind of grates off some powder to use. That alone makes it almost worth the money in my opinion. It also seems to minimise waste and spillage and given the size of the container it will probably last me a lot longer than the typical mineral foundation. So far the money seems like it might be justified after all. The brush you get is a tad small but kind of thick so it does spread out a bit and gives you more coverage per swipe than you might expect.

When I first bought it, the sales attendant put the smallest amount on me which made it look as though I had nothing on at all. It almost put me off, but I had a good feeling I could work it better than she showed me. To be honest, this stuff is a lot lighter than the other types I’ve used and does need a lot more than a Clinique staff member might tell you to use. But if you do a good job and prep your face properly first, it does look great.

Steps to making the most of Clinique’s Superbalanced Powder Makeup:

Moisturise like you would any other day. Applying mineral makeup direct to dry skin will make it look splotchy and hideous.

Apply some sort of primer. I can’t get enough of primer, it makes such a difference. I use Clinique City Block which is mainly a skin protector from sun and nasty stuff that cities ruin your face with. But it’s also an effective primer and as I use the SPF30 one, I know it’s helping protect my skin while helping my makeup look better.

Use any other products that you’d normally use before putting your face on. I use a concealer as I get dark circles under my eyes.

Apply your first coat of mascara .

Start to apply the Superbalanced Powder Makeup. I brush downwards in large circles, starting on my cheeks, then going to my nose, chin, around my mouth, the forehead/temples and then my eyelids. Not to say this is the best way to do it, but I like to keep a routine and this works well for me. I especially do the area around my mouth as that’s where I lose makeup first because I am a slob when I eat/drink. Apply liberally until you’re satisfied all is covered evenly. I use about two twists (one twist means moving the dial about 10 degrees) for my face which is at least twice as what was recommended to me.

Apply some light blush as you will look washed out without any cheek colour, but make it light as this makeup is going to be a hell of a lot lighter than your usual foundation/powder look. Likewise if you fill in your eyebrows, as I do. You don’t need to go as dark because your makeup is not as heavy.

Finish with a final coat of mascara and colour your lips, and you’re done!

This is how I looked before, with only my mascara and primer on:

And here I am after:

Apologies for the crappy webcam photos, I am still yet to get my camera fixed. As a result the after photo is not crash hot and I actually seem to have more shadows on my face than in the before image. But let’s just assume the light sucked and that you get the general idea.

In conclusion, I like this product and will wear it to work everyday so I don’t feel overdone with a full face of makeup. I don’t think the coverage is a good as it could be, and the price was pretty steep considering I have to use more product than with other brands of mineral powder. But with a bit of experimentation it does look good. You still need to prep your face properly as with any other type of makeup, but overall I save a good five minutes every morning with this stuff than by using foundation with a translucent powder, and to me that is a HUGE plus.