I really like using Clinique products and had been considering purchasing the 'Repairwear Lift Firming Night Cream' since about Christmas time, although at the time I couldn't justify the £45.00 price tag as I felt it was quite a lot of money for a 50ml pot of face cream. I was explaining this during a recent conversation with my sister who is a huge fan of Clinique products and has been using them for years - I was asking her if she had used the product before and she replied that she had. She then retrieved a small tub of the product for me to try out for myself, which she had got as part of a free gift from the Clinique range and had only used a couple of times.

Delighted at this gift from my sister, I used the Repairwear Lift Night cream that night and continued to do so for around a month to see if I could notice any significant results before deciding whether to purchase the full-sized tub or not. (The tub I have is a mere 15ml in size, and I believe my sister used it once or twice before giving it to me.

I won't go on too much about the packaging for the tub of cream that I have, as I believe it differs quite a lot from the full-sized tub that is available in stores, and most consumers reading this review will be more inclined to try out that size than the trial size I have. However, I will say that the packaging is fairly plain-looking in both cases, although this is of course just my opinion. Consisting of a plastic tub and a plastic screw-off lid, the name of the product and the plastic lid itself are both shades of green, which contrasts quite nicely with the silver-colouring of the plastic tub itself. I believe that the full-sized tub of this product has a slightly 'sleeker' look to it, although in both cases I feel rather uninspired by the packaging, especially given the high price tag for the product.

The Clinique Repairwear Lift Night Cream is available to buy in two skin-type options, so that you can choose the type that will best suit your individual skin type. There is an option for "Combination Oily" or "Combination Dry" skin types. The sample of cream that I have is the 'Combination Dry' option so this is what this review will be based on, as I have not tried out the alternative.

The cream itself is fairly generic looking I have to say. It has a very thick consistency, although this is what I would expect from a night cream, and I have found all similar products that I have used before are quite thick. It is an off-white, sort of pale yellow colour and has quite a glossy look to it. There is a faint smell that is evident from the cream, even as I screw off the plastic lid on top of the tub, and this aroma is, I have to admit, not particularly pleasing. It is a rather clinical smell, with a faint whiff of something quite chemical-based, and overall I can't really say that I care for the aroma that much. This is unfortunate, given that the smell of the cream is quite noticeable to me after it has been applied to my face and neck, and even more unfortunate still, given that the smell is still evident for quite some time after the cream has been applied.

On the plus side, it is obvious even as I first apply the cream to my face that this product is one of a very high quality. I can almost instantly feel the cream seep into my apparently thirsty skin, and it takes a mere moment to spread the cream over my face and neck, which was quite surprising to me, given the thick appearance of the cream itself. I suppose I was expecting the product to be quite heavy or certainly have a more 'robust' feeling than it did; it really felt lovely and light on my face as I was applying it.

Furthermore, the thick, rather velvet-like consistency of the cream means that a little goes a long way, which is a point worth making in a product with such a high price tag as this one. I don't know that many people that would be able to afford to shell out £45 for a tub of face cream all THAT often, so it is worth bearing in mind that a small amount - just a small blob really - has been quite ample for my needs, each time I have come to use the night cream.

Taking care around the delicate eye area, the cream is so easily absorbed that there is no 'slick' like feeling on my face after application has been completed and I can already feel the softening qualities of the cream beginning to work, particularly around my eyebrows, which are always prone to dry skin which looks flaky from time to time. I found the cream was absorbed much quicker and easier than I had expected, which again I can only put down to an assumption I had made based on the initial appearance of the cream... I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the thick-looking cream was not at all greasy or oily-feeling after it had been applied.

I must be honest and say that I have not felt any 'tightening' or 'firming' properties from using the cream although to be fair I am not sure that my own skin is the best judge of this aspect to the cream, given that (in my opinion at least) there is not too much that needs firming up (yet). I am only in my early thirties, and so do not feel that my skin is particularly sagging or aged. I'd guess that in another couple of years this might not be the case, but I do look after my skin and take great care in the sun by using a high SPF product, so I do feel that perhaps my own skin is not the best judge in this respect.

There is, however, a noticeable change in the condition of my skin after using this product for around a month. I have found that the overall 'feeling' of my skin has been greatly improved, and given that this is the only product that I have changed recently, I can only assume that it is this product that has brought these beneficial changes to light. Not only is there a marked improvement to the area of dry skin that I mentioned earlier, but my skin tone overall looks to be much improved, with a slightly 'brighter' appearance being noticeable to the trained eye. Furthermore, I have found that the moisturisation properties of the Repairwear Lift Night Cream are second to none, with my skin feeling much softer and in better condition than usual.

The pros most definitely out-weigh the cons with this product, for me personally at least. However, as the Repairwear Lift Night Cream is sold as a 'firming' face cream, I can't help but feel that other consumers may have more issues with the product than me. I could certainly understand if somebody had bought the cream as a 'firming' product, they may be disappointed with the results. As this was not the main selling point for me personally however, I can't help but be impressed with the results achieved. That said, I will be deducting at least one star from the product rating for this face cream as I do feel it is disappointing in respect of the firming claims made by the product.

However, this is a review based on my own personal experience and I have to confess to being really impressed at the improvement in my skin's softness as well as the improvement to my skin tone and overall appearance. I have been so impressed with these aspects of the cream that I am pretty sure I will buy the full-sized tub of the product, high price tag or not.

There is a whole range of Clinique cosmetics and skincare products that are available to buy in departments stores such as House of Fraser and Debenhams. Some larger stores of Boots also stock the products. In addition, Boots have a website from which you can purchase the cream, and this can be found at www.boots.com. The price for the 50ml tub of Repairwear Lift Night Cream (which is the full-sized tub) is £45.00.