~Instant calm from Clinique~
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Clinique Redness Solutions Protective Base is a primer type skin pre make up/ redness calming preparation product, that I have used at times with mixed yet most often fair results. Having sometimes needed a little help with facial redness during certain times of the year, such as during winter time when the colder weather can dry and crack skin causing it to take on a slightly weathered and unwanted rosy hue, I recall paying a visit to the Clinique counter to see what they could offer to help a little. The resulting skin consultation lead to me going away with a nice selection of skin care products to try which included a range of skin care samples including the Clinique Redness Solutions Protective Base product.

What I liked about the sound of the product was the fact that it could be used either as a stand alone skin primer which you could choose to use before applying your usual foundation product, or you could give the Protective Base an extra helping hand by using some of the other anti redness Clinique skin care products in tandem with it, to help ease the redness of the skin and not just try to mask it. Having used the product in both ways (as a stand alone item and with other Clinique products) my feeling is that you do get slightly better results when using the range of anti redness products together although as a quick fix product this can be of some help.


~Presentation and ease of use~
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The compact plastic squeezy tube that the product comes in carries the usual Clinique logo and is packed into a calming light green shaded pack that clearly shows it is part of the Clinique anti redness solutions range. The added bonus with this product is that it also has an SPF of 15 built in, which helps to protect the skin from over exposure to sun damage and means that even if your foundation product lacks this you still get some protection from this product. The plastic tube is light and easy to handle with it been pliable and easy to hold making it quick and simple to squeeze to release a small amount of product out of the tube to use as and when required.

The light and easy to use silver toned plastic lid twists on and off with light pressure and once the tube is sealed and the lid is in place there are no leaks or spills that I have noticed. The lid can be used as a base on which to stand the tube of cream in an upside down position on a dressing table or in a bathroom cabinet, as it has an even edge to it that offers a smooth secure base with a slightly indented mid section. I usually keep the product in a make up bag and only stand it up like this when I am about to apply it to the skin, although I find that fact that you can stand the tube on a flat surface helpful as it means I can lay out the products I am using at the time and use them in the correct order.


~Allergy tested and fragrance free!~
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The information on the tube of primer cream suggests that the product classed as being allergy free and having used the product I feel that I am able to confirm that I have had no adverse reactions to it. The product is also considered to be fragrance free, although in my honest opinion it does have a very light fragrance to it that I can only assume comes from the ingredients within the blend used to make up the skin primer. In use when applying the cream to the skin, I feel that the cream gives off a very lightly fragranced almost herby and green type of scent which lasts for a short while as the primer sinks softly into the skin.

I have found that over time this light herby green scent does drift away and happily it is never over powering or chemical based in its fragrance, with it giving off a natural scent that is not at all unpleasant. Over the course of a few days the use of the Daily Relief Cream and the matching Soothing Cleanser from the anti redness range can really help the Protective Base to give maximum results, as the skin is slightly less red to start with and takes on a softer less weather prone and damaged look that makes the cream easier to blend into and onto the skin, giving lighter more even looking results once foundation has been applied over the top.


~Texture and tone~
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Out of the tube the primer cream has a rather odd looking light olive and avocado green tone to it, which is what helps to counteract a certain amount of redness of the skin. It almost looks like the kind of product you might choose as a face mask with its soft green colour and it is this light soft green tone which is so helpful when the cream is in use. The texture of the cream is light and and smooth and it has an even feel to it that makes it easy to apply a small amount of product to the skin. As the primer is oil free it never feels too greasy or oily once set in place and allows you to apply a light covering of foundation over the top once the primer has sunk fully into the skin.

You will of course end up with a light green hue/ tone to the skin once the product has been applied, which does take a while to become used to and there is a fine line between applying to much or too little of the product, so some care does need to be taken when using this. I have found that too much of this on the skin can leave you looking oddly grey and ashen faced even after the application of foundation if you over do the primer! The hard learned lesson here is that less of the product is most certainly more when it comes to giving the best results.


~Natural effects with a little effort!~
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In use if wanting to achieve the most natural effect I would recommend a very light application of the primer cream to the skin, followed by a light and natural evenly applied foundation and a radiance boosting brow and cheekbone enhancing highlighter type product to give the skin an ultimate boosted and improved look. Applying the product in this way does help to counteract slight redness of the skin, without having to resort to over heavy make up and foundation in order to cover the problem and although this product will not cure or improve the redness at its source it will certainly help to mask it a little.

Directions for the application of the product do advise that you moisturize your skin prior to applying this and I would tend to agree with these directions. I have found the results to be much better when applied in this way rather than trying to get an evenly blended result on over dry and reddened skin, as dry non moisturized skin tends to soak up too much of the product resulting in an over heavy and grey toned finish. During wear the product stays on well once finished with a foundation product and should last for a full day without the need to re apply it.


~Price and rating~
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As mentioned this is a temporary solution for skin redness and it can only do so much to mask this, however I feel the product is worth trying out for those times when your skin is in need of a more calmed and even looking quick fix. Although Clinique products can be seen as being pricey to buy I have found the Clinque skin care consultants to be very helpful in offering advice, as well as giving out complimentary skin care products which can be tried prior to purchase.

At a cost of around £14.50 for 40mls of product it may seem like a large investment for a small amount of product, however the cream is very light and will last for sometime if used sparingly (which gives the best results on the skin). Over all I feel the product is useful for those times when your skin needs a helping hand in order for you to look and feel your very best which is why I want to give the product a 4 star rating. Care is required when using the product as too much really is too much, although once you get the balance right the resuts can be rather good.