Some things may be better back in the USA (Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil Free Make Up)

Name: Delicate_Orchid1

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Product:	Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil Free Make Up
Date:	04.12.05 (1890 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: covers up well, hides minor spots and blemishes

Disadvantages: does not hide larger spots or outbreaks, may dry out skin

When I was still getting spots in my 20's, the appearance of Neutrogena's skin clearing facial make-up was like an answer to my prayers. Finally there was a foundation that did two things at once - it evened out the colour of my skin, it covered up minor spots and blemishes and it fought spots while hiding them.

For years I would stock up on this product every time I went to the US. Then it suddenly appeared on the UK market and I was more than thrilled. That is, until I tried it on my skin. Don't get me wrong, this product is still excellent in many ways, but it does not seem to have quite the same effect as the same product sold in the US markets. I am no make-up or chemistry specialist, but could it simply be that the ingredients are not 100% the same here as they are in the US? If anyone knows the answer to this, I would be happy to hear from you.


***The product***

Neutrogena's SkinClearing oil-free make-up comes in a see-through stand-up rectangular bottle and contains 1 fl oz (30 ml) of product. The silver screw is very easy to open. Be careful, though, when unscrewing the bottle: There is no protective cover on the opening of it. In fact, you are greeted by a rather wide opening. This makes it very difficult to remove only little amounts of product from the bottle.

The individual colour of each see-through bottle will differ depending on the shade you have bought. There are 12 different natural-looking shades of colours, ranging from very light to quite dark. The lovely shades are:

- Classic Porcelain
- Blushing Ivory
- Softest Gold
- Natural Buff
- Buff Blush
- Rose Cream
- Warm Beige
- Golden Bisque
- Copper Sand
- Toasted Honey
- Spiced Almond

According to the Neutrogena website, the product is meant to clear blemishes and prevent future outbreaks. It also is supposed to contain oil-absorbing powders to control shine. It is meant to clear pores and minimise their appearance. In addition, it apparently contains a multi-vitamin complex that helps your skin maintain its healthy look.

Little of this information actually appears on the bottle. The bottle merely states that the product is supposed to help ypur skin look clearer every time you wear it. It does also mention that this is an oil-free, oil-absorbing formula that helps control shine. And it is supposed to provide you clear and natural looking coverage.

The product contains Salicylic Acid, which is a substance widely used in American medication against spots.

In addition, the product is dermatologist tested and fragrance free.


***Price and availabilty***

I have not seen this product in many places. My local Boots used to carry it, but now have discontinued it. I have not seen it in any other Boots. I bought my bottle at Superdrug for £7.99 a while back. When I checked Superdrug today, it was selling for £5 and was on clearance sale, so I am not entirely sure if that means that this product will be removed from the market entirely.

In any event, if you want the product, I recommend you act fast before it does disappear!!


***Use and application***

Before applying the make-up, you need to shake the bottle firmly, otherwise the consistency of the product is simply too watery. Make sure that you cleanse your skin thoroughly before application. This does not necessarily have to be with another Neutrogena product, other cleansing products will work as well.

The bottle states that you should apply a thin layer only. I usually apply a thin layer over most of my skin and then follow up with a bit more on areas where I have spots.

Some people I know have experienced dryness and irritation with this product, so if this does occur, you should reduce usage to every other day. If that does not help, you should probably talk to your doctor and discontinue use.


***My experience***

I have tried two shades of this foundation: Blushing Ivory and Natural Buff. I have to admit that even though I am rather pale, the Blushing Ivory was too pale to cover up any blemishes on my skin. So over time I became very loyal to the Natural Buff version. If you look at it in the store you may think it is rather dark looking, but you have to bear in mind that these colours to appear very different on your skin as opposed to when looking at them in the bottle.

When I first used the product in this country, I was rather disappointed. Even though I shook the bottle as directed, when I applied the product to my face, I found that the consistency was still very thin and watery. In fact, I found that I needed to apply quite a bit more of product than I used to in order to cover up the spots.

I did find that it would cover up blemishes and most minor spots very well, even to the point of disappearance. However, lately I have had some pretty bad outbreaks that this product simply cannot deal with. As a result I have found myself applying pressed powder after applying the foundation.

The product itself dries quite quickly when you apply it to your skin and certainly does not leave any shine or stickiness. In fact, if you apply it too often, you will find that it may dry our your skin both in your face and on the hand you have used to apply this product. This is probably due to the salicyclic acid.

When you use the product on its own on minor outbreaks, it does seem to cover up for a substantial amount of time, ie. 6 to 8 hours. When you use the product on big spots which verge on acne, however, the coverage duration is a lot less. I often find that after 3 hours I already feel the need to re-apply the make-up to the infected areas.

A bottle of this make-up lasts me about 4-6 months.


***Other tips***

As I stated before, the opening of the bottle is rather wide. Be careful when turning it upside down to get some of the product on your fingertips. Occassionally I found that it would splash on my clothing. That is a stain that cannot easily be rubbed out with a wet cloth, so you will have to change and throw your clothes in the washing machine.

If you only have a couple of spots, it may well be worth just taking out a bit of the foundation with a cotton bud. Then you can apply it directly to the spots instead of applying it on the whole face. It also avoids any mess on your clothes.


***The verdict***

As long as this product is on the UK market, I will be loyal to it. It is certainly the best foundation I have ever used in my life. However, I cannot recommend this product as the miracle cure to acne and spots. It certainly is not. It will help out those of you who have minor spots here and there. It won't help those of you who suffer from major breakouts.

I think the biggest disappointment to me is that this used to be the answer to my skin problems when I used the American product. I had really clear skin, all of the time. Yet, since I have been using the UK product, I am suffering from spots not experienced before. The bottle looks exactly the same, so why is there a difference in effect?

I intend to get in touch with the manufacturers to see if there are local variations which might account for the varied effects I have experienced. I will update you on my findings as and when I get them.


***Further info***

www.neutrogena.com

If you look at the products on this website, you will actually be able to view all the different shades. Just bear in mind that they look a lot different on your skin!

Summary: A very good and effective foundation that also fights spots.