The Clinique Three Step System is probably once of the most well-known skin care regimes. It consists of a facial soap, a clarifying lotion and a moisturiser and is designed to be used every day. I got into using this system a long while ago, after a consultation at the Clinique counter in Selfridges and, for a while, I was very happy with the results. Four or five years ago I was definitely a Clinique girl and would happily spend a fortune at the Clinique counter on all kinds of products, but since my cosmetics budget has taken a battering now I only work part-time, I have been much less brand loyal and have been experimenting with a number of different products.

However, during a mammoth de-cluttering session a few weeks ago, I came across a brand new bottle of Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion and decided that I would give it another try. I will admit I'm using it without the rest of the Three Step system at the moment - I'm currently using a Clarins cleanser and a L'Oreal toner alongside it, but I honestly don't believe that should make that much difference.

According to the Clinique website, this product has been "developed by Clinique dermatologists to maintain skin's optimal moisture balance' and it will 'work to soften, smooth, improve the condition and texture of your skin'. It comes in two varieties - the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion which is designed for very dry / dry combination skin types and the Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel which is designed for combination / oily skin types.

Clinque Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion comes in a clear, slightly square, bottle with a silver lid. The packaging is very simple but looks good on my dressing table. You can also buy a version with a pump for slightly more money - I would highly recommend getting the pump version as this product does not come out of the bottle easily. I seem to spend a lot of time holding it upside down and bashing it on the bottom to make the lotion come out - the pump makes the whole process more efficient and means you end up wasting a lot less.

Inside, the lotion is a bright yellow colour. The consistency is fairly thick and creamy, and it feels good when you apply it to your skin. However, I don't find that it absorbs very well and my skin often feels greasy for a couple of hours after application. My skin has been fairly dry recently so I felt like I needed to use a moisturiser designed for a drier skin-type rather than my usual combination skin, but this is far too greasy for me to use every day. It's also not really the kind of product that I'd use to give my skin an occasional moisture boost - Clinique's Moisture Surge does a much better job of that. It also seems to increase my skin's propensity to break out in little spots under the surface, probably because all that grease is clogging up my pores.

On the plus side, I do find that this product works well under make-up, especially if I use a smoothing, skin-priming product on top of it as this kind of blots out the greasiness and allows my foundation to absorb smoothly into my skin. I find that wearing make-up every day can try my skin out more, especially on hot sunny days, so it is beneficial for that purpose.

Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion is priced at £27.00 for the 125ml bottle with a pump, £15 for a 50ml bottle (probably best if you want to just try it out) or £30 for a 100ml bottle without a pump. I think this is very expensive for what you get - there are much better moisturizers out there if you're going to spend that kind of money.

Overall, this is not a product I will be buying again. It worked for me in my younger days but from now on I'm going to be steering well clear of it. It just makes my skin feel greasy, shiny and gives me more spots and I don't think that using it as part of the Three Step system would make any difference to that. The gel version is significantly better as it absorbs much more quickly and feels much lighter on your skin, but even that doesn't give lasting results for me. If you've got really dry skin, it might work for you but if you've got combination skin like me I would definitely avoid it. I'm not even sure that I'm going to finish the bottle - regardless of my budget constraints - because I really don't like the effect it's having on my skin.