I'm usually guilty of buying foundation brands such as Rimmel and Maybelline from drug stores, and my biggest splurge prior to this product had been Boots No 7 foundation. I find that the cheaper foundation brands look fine when initially applied, but as the day or night goes on, they tend to wear off and don't have particularly good staying power. I had never really expected much more of a foundation since I had been used to this for as long as I can remember, but then I realised I would have to make an investment in a much better quality product in order to see a difference.

Clinique is a brand that has a great reputation worldwide, and so I decided to try some of their foundation. I was obviously aware that the Clinique name brings with it higher prices, and I was quite reluctant to splurge on a product that I wasn't entirely sure would work. Therefore, I went into the House of Fraser on a recent shopping trip and the Clinique sales assistant offered to let me try out the various foundations they had before I bought one. This is the first foundation that I tried. She firstly cleansed my skin using the three products from the Clinique 3 Step Skin Care line; the facial soap, clarifying lotion and the moisturising lotion (all three of which I have recently reviewed), before applying this foundation using the Clinique foundation brush (also recently reviewed). I was really pleased with how the foundation looked on my skin, and so decided to buy it. It cost £20 for a 30ml bottle, but I have been advised that it can be found for £18 in Debenhams. Alternatively, you could always look only on websites such as eBay, Amazon, or cheapsmells.co.uk. If you're reluctant to splurge on such an expensive foundation before trying it, it's worth looking online to see if any sites offer free samples, and you might even find a small tester bottle available on eBay, for example.

The Clinique Superbalanced Foundation comes in a total of 17 different shades. I think this is a great since many brands only produce their foundations in 5 or 6 different colours. I personally use the 04 Cream Chamois shade, which suits my fair to medium skin really well. On most websites, this is the shade that seems to be sold out the most, and hence I would imagine it is the most popular of all 17. I can only comment on this particular shade since it is the only one that I have used, but I imagine that with so many different shades, you will be sure to find one to match your skin tone.

The foundation comes in a square glass bottle that is transparent, with a silver, screw on lid. The bottle has the 'Clinique' logo and the name of the foundation printed in white on the front, and on the back is a little information about the product. The bottle in which the foundation comes is quite dinky and cute, but it is quite heavy and a little awkward to fit into your make up bag. I personally prefer foundation to come in a sort of squeezy bottle. One downside of the design of the bottle is that the only way to dispense the foundation is to tip the bottle upside down and simply let it run out of the neck of the bottle, which is quite wide. This is a problem since you usually end up pouring far too much foundation out of the bottle, leading to wastage and a bit of a mess. I would advise you that a little goes a long way with this foundation and less is definitely more. Try using a little bit of the product first and then adding more if you need to, rather than applying too much and making yourself look like a plastic doll!

The foundation is a liquid foundation and has quite a runny consistency, but with a silky texture. I find it best to pour the foundation from the bottle onto the back of my hand and then apply it to the face using the Clinique foundation brush. When I spoke to the sales assistant before purchasing this foundation, she advised me to apply it in a 'butterfly' pattern: You should stroke the brush down the centre of your forehead, nose and chin in one long vertical line. Then, the foundation should be applied in a horizontal line across the cheek, starting at the corner of the eye and sweeping outwards along the cheekbone. You should then fill the gaps with strokes of the brush, starting at the centre of the face and sweeping outwards. The best way to blend in this foundation is either with a brush or with the fingers. However, using the fingers tends to spread grease around the face and doesn't always distribute the make up evenly. My personal preference is to spread out the foundation using the Clinique foundation brush, and then blend it in if necessary using your fingertips.

The foundation blends into the skin very well, and I think that this was the big selling point for me. It doesn't feel heavy on the surface of the skin, nor does it leave the skin feeling greasy. I have found that the foundation can be more difficult to blend in around the eye and mouth areas, but this is the case with the majority of foundations, and using the fingertips to touch up these areas seems to do the trick. The foundation looks very natural and doesn't have an orange tint to it at all. It is great for every day use although you might want or need to add a little bronzer on the cheekbones if you're heading out on the town for the night. Clinique Superbalanced Foundation leaves my skin with a kind of 'dewy' look, which is something that I absolutely love about this product. It gives the illusion of clear, bright skin without even having to use blush or powder. The foundation also gives a matte finish to the skin, contributing to the natural look that it has.

With regards to staying power, this foundation is an absolute winner. I apply the foundation every morning before leaving the house, and it really doesn't look that much different at 8pm! I don't even tend to use powder or blush, and hence the foundation is totally on its own. It doesn't rub off easily onto clothes which is great, and seems to stay put on the skin without 'sliding' around. All that said, it is really easily removed using a simple cleansing face wash. If I go out clubbing at night, I wear this foundation with a little bronzer over the top on the cheekbones. Prior to discovering this product, I would be horrified when I looked in the mirror after a couple of hours of dancing and a few too many glasses of wine, but this foundation seems to stick to my face regardless! This is exactly what I have been looking for in a foundation, and I'm absolutely delighted that this product achieves what I want it to.

All in all, this is a great foundation. It is easy to apply and has a light texture, and most importantly it doesn't leave the skin feeling greasy. It blends in well and looks a lot more natural than other foundations I have used in the past. The colour that it gives to the skin is bright and clear, and my face looks fresh even without powder or blush. The one thing I don't like about the product is the design of the bottle and the way in which you have to dispense the foundation, but if this really bothers you too, you could always transfer it to a plastic travel size bottle, which can be bought from most Poundstores and chemists. Despite the badly designed bottle, this is a wonderful product that is more than worth the price tag it carries.