Last week, while packing for my trip, I couldn’t find my precious little travel-sized bottle of Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple. What a bummer! I love that stuff. It’s my overall, all-time favorite facial cleanser, but it was nowhere to be found, so I tossed a tube of Clinique’s Liquid Facial Soap into my travel bag and hoped for the best.
Risky move? Maybe. Before this week, I’d never used the product before. It came into my life about a month ago as part of a gift with purchase.
I have sensitive skin, prone to breakouts, especially when I use new facial products. I certainly didn’t want to be wrestling with a new crop of zits while on vacation, but because my face generally tolerates Clinique products well, I decided to chance it.
The product comes in two versions, mild and oily (the stronger one). I have the mild version. A dime-sized amount of the clear, non-scented cleanser removes all of my makeup (even the waterproof Clarins Wonder Mint mascara I’ve been wearing every day) and leaves my skin feeling crisp and clean without a lot of tightening. After about a week of use it hasn’t yet broken me out.
But it’s not all roses; as a cleanser, the product gets the job done, but it’s definitely not as moisturizing as Purity Made Simple. Clinique markets it for dry combination skin like mine, but if you have naturally oily skin, it may be a better fit for you than it has been for me.
To Clinique’s credit, they make it extra easy to take this product with you wherever you go. It’s sold nationwide and comes in sets of three tubes for $18.50. Each set contains — yup, you guessed it — three of the little 1.7 oz tubes, so you can keep one tube in your purse, another at home and maybe leave one at the office.
Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, Mild
Price: $18.50 for a set of three 1.7 oz tubes
Use: As a slightly moisturizing makeup remover and cleanser
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B
So, today’s travel adventure began at 4 o’clock this morning. The family is taking the state’s new inter-island Super Ferry from Oahu to Maui.
The ferry, which went into service late last year, makes the trip in about three hours for a cost of $49 per person. It’s a nice way to see another island without having to deal with air travel.
My mission on Maui is to find some local beauty brands I’ve never seen before. Wish me luck!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
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Whoa, check you out, blogging en route! 🙂 That ferry looks great! Do they serve all sorts of goodies on board? The best clam chowder I ever had was on a ferry in Seattle!
It’s good that this cleanser is easily available, but I’m with you, I’ll stick with my Purity Made Simple (PMS? 😉 )!
wow, ok first of all that ferry looks sooo super cool! and fun! have you been to Maui before?
now-the soap-does it do a good job of getting off sunscreen? now that it is summer and I’ve been doing a lot outside I’ve been wearing the heavy duty ss. I have sorta been in the market for a new cleanser. I was actually looking at the new foaming philosophy purity made simple, since I do prefer foamy soaps. what do you think?
that ferry is super cool…..girl you must be having a blast. I can’t wait to see what you find in Maui!! I’m foaming at the mouth a little bit, living vicariously you know!
I might try the clinique cleanser; I have a clinique cleansing bar that I’ve been working on for what feels like years and I’m finally almost out. I heart Clinique!
Good luck on finding local brands, and have fun!
Yeah I rock the old school Clinique facial soap mild…in the bar form. I’ve used it for a long time…but I mix it up too. I think your skin is likely a little drier than mine though. I’ve used the liquid too…I dunno why but for some reason I like the bar a lot. It lasts for EVER…
So question…What primers have you tried (face, not eye)? I really think I’ve seen you review some, but I searched and only saw the Shu underbase. I’ve been thinking i need a primer this summer because my blush/bronzer etc. seems to be sliding off too quickly…but I still don’t want to wear foundation. Any thoughts/recommendations? I saw on one review site that clinique something or other was rated higher than smashbox…but I know i’ve read about smashbox primer being really good… I dunno…
Hi Karen!
I used to be a Clinique junkie-their facial bar does last forever, but the smell turned me off. Would you mind filling me in about Philosophy’s cleanser? 🙂
The ferry looks supercool! I see a day trip back to Oahu on that! 🙂
Have fun today!
Hi Megan!
If you’re near a Sephora, they can set you up with little samples of some of their vast selection of primers so you can see which one you like best! It’s a great way to try out a lot of different kinds of primers with little effort! 🙂
Hi Glosslizard,
The ferry was really spiffy; there was a (free!) internet connection, several snack counters where you could buy breakfast pastries, hot food and coffee, and lots of seating. They even played a movie.
Although I took the free ginger pills they had available I ended up sleeping for most of the trip because there were a few rough patches of sea (I get seasick on most boats.)
Another nice touch is they serve complementary ginger ale and crackers!
Hi Amanda,
I went a few years ago with my girlfriends. It was a lot of fun! We stayed at these condos on the beach and just drove all over the island and did everything.
And yes, this Clinique soap does a great job of removing sunscreen. (I have yet to try the foaming Purity Made Simple… I’m all over that!). It really depends on your skin type, though, and how you feel about smell. Purity Made Simple has an herbal smell that turns a lot of people off. Smell is a big thing for me and it took me awhile to get used to it. The Clinique soap has a light medicinal scent which is kinda nice. If you don’t have to worry about dry skin and like a pleasnt smell I’d say go for the Clinique liquid. 🙂
Hi Abby,
I like a lot of Clinique skin care products, too. My skin reacts to everything and with Clinique I’m pretty much guaranteed to not break out.
Which products are your faves? I like Moisture Online, Moisture Surge (for summer), and the Mild Clarifying Lotion.
Hi Megan,
Oh! I know this is probably not a big surprise, but I really like Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free primer. It’s kinda pricy ($40, I believe) but the tube is huge and it lasts forever and it doesn’t break me out. I actually have a few in my stash that I need to try… one from tarte and one from Lola. The LM one is my favorite so far!
Hi Daya,
Sure! Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple is a non-foaming cleanser and makeup remover. It’s like a souped up version of Cetaphil that doesn’t leave a slimy film on your skin. It’s so fantastic that I bought a huge bottle of it a few months ago and even though it kinda killed me to pay that much $ for it (I believe it was $40) I use it all the time. It also has a weird herbal scent that turns some people off (took me awhile to get used to), but other than that it’s fabulous. It never breaks me out, doesn’t try my skin, and takes off everything.
Good call, Glosslizard, regarding the Sephora samples! You gotta remember to have them label the samples though… on more than one occasion I’ve ended up with mystery tubes!
Ooh, free ginger ale and crackers! That’s awesome (I succumb to the choppiness from time to time myself)! 🙂
I use the extra mild bar facial soap. Can you wash the eye area to clean off mascara and such?