As summer approaches and we leave winter far behind, my skin feels progressively better every day. I find I’m able to replace the thick, heavy-duty creams I rely on in the cold winter months with lighter moisturizers like Clinique’s new Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, a fantastic face moisturizer half way between a gel and a cream. I can already tell it’s going to be a star in my summertime skin care routine.
Fast acting; not sticky
With the exception of Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, which breaks me out somethin’ fierce, my skin tolerates Clinique moisturizers very well. Knowing the brand, I wasn’t worried at all about potential pimples when I slathered peachy Moisture Surge Extended Relief all over my face before bed a few nights ago.
Right off the bat I noticed it felt a little lighter and more refreshing than my beloved Clinique Moisture On-line, which I used regularly last fall and winter. Moisture Surge absorbs faster than Moisture On-Line does, is nearly as hydrating and doesn’t leave a sticky residue.
After a couple days of use, my skin was clear and blemish-free, and I’ve been slathering it on at least twice per day — in the morning before applying sunscreen and at night before bed.
Blinding you with science…
According to Clinique, Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief is more moisturizing than the previous version. I’d never used the last version of the product, but now I wish I had.
Rapid temperature and humidity swings wreak havoc on skin. When we leave a heated building and head out into the cold, or enter an air conditioned building on a hot day, our skin works to maintain its moisture balance, and while it’s adjusting to environmental swings, skin will delay its own ability to repair.
Clinique claims that Moisture Surge maintains the natural balance of moisture in skin during environmental shifts, thanks to ingredients like sorbitol, trehalose and glycerin that bind extremely well to water. While in a proper state of moisture balance, skin becomes more receptive to beneficial ingredients and also stays in its optimal repair mode all day long.
Great Moisturizer…
Using Moisture Surge I definitely feel that my skin is properly moisturized. In the past, with other lightweight moisturizers, my skin starts to tighten up by midday. That hasn’t happened with Moisture Surge. Plus, it doesn’t break me out, huzzah!
I’ve also used it as a mask, applying a thicker-than-usual layer to damp, freshly-cleansed skin, and letting it work while I watched a cat fight on Flavor of Love 3. After 10 minutes, I massaged the mask into the skin on my face until it was thoroughly absorbed.
I *love* using Moisture Surge as a mask. It made my skin feel soft, hydrated and just very comfortable.
Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief Moisturizer
Price: $34 for a 1.7 oz jar
Use: A lightweight face moisturizer; doubles as a moisturizing mask
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Dry skin? Try Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief.
WOW! Now that my coffee has begun to work its magic, I feel superb! Happy, happy Monday, friends!
Anything good happen to ya so far today?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hi Karen,
I’ve noticed that you use quite a few Clinique skincare products and seem to like them. I dont know your skin but thought I’d pass along some info. I saw a dermitologist last year when I was having some skin issues and one of the first questions out of her mouth was whether I ever used Clinique. At the time I did. According to her, Clinique is developed for a younger set of skin (think teenagers). She said that the ingredients they often use are really harsh and meant for young, adolescent skin that tends to be oily and can take the harsh chemicals better than older and more sensitive skin can. She said that studies had actually been done where Clinique products were compared to other “big lines” (Estee Lauder, Lancome, etc) and smaller lines (Kiehls, organic, etc) and the disintegration of cell structure and damage from those using Clinique were drastically worse (up to 15 times) when compared with the other lines. I dont know what products they were comparing exactly but she said it was “pretty bad stuff for your skin.” (As an aside, she wasnt selling any brand of skincare or anything like that- she advocated Cetaphil but pretty much refrained from making recs for other brands. I asked her what she personally used and she said she used a Cetaphil cleanser, a Dermalogica masque, Kinerase eye cream and a Chanel moisturizer). Since that day I stopped using Clinique products all together and the problems dissappeared practically overnight. Like I said, not sure of your skin type but thought I’d pass it along for what it’s worth…
Hi Meaghan,
As with all products, there will be people who both love and hate them. On the opposite side of the spectrum of the dermatologist you spoke with, I’ve interviewed doctors who recommended several different products from the line. Glad to hear your skin problems cleared up, though. That’s always a good thing!
Goes to show you! Out of curiousity, what products did they recommend? (I actually really liked most of the Clinique products but felt I had to swear them off so I am always up for trying things again!)
I don’t remember them all but one thing I do remember is the mild exfoliating toner (the milky green one – it’s a BHA). The reason why I remember this product is because I used it and I loved it. I noticed a huge difference in my skin and it never dried it out.
I have been using this product for months now and i’m loving it!!! i guess it really depends on your skin condition, if it works for you or not. so far..it works so well for me I don’t have dry skin no more 🙂 Hi karen dear!
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i love clinique moisturizer! i use it every time i go to the mainland because my skin isn’t used to the dryness and gets really tight. the precision one from chanel was pretty good too!
Yay, coffee magic!
I have so many deluxe samples of moisturizers right now, I’m not sure I’ll ever need to buy any again! 😛 If I do, maybe I’ll check this out!
Hi Nikki dear!
Dry skin is a pain, yah? I’m glad it works for you. Do you have the original one, or the new extended thirst relief version? Try it as a mask sometime, girl!
Hi Lindsay,
Oh! I haven’t tried the precision one from Chanel. I probably shouldn’t because knowing me I’d fall madly and deeply in love with it.
I *miss* Hawaii’s humidity. I barely have to use lotion when I’m there!
Hi Glosslizard,
You and me both girl! I have so many random tubes all over the house and clearly not enough skin.
I just realized that I am totally out of ground coffee. And I have to wake up early in the morning. ARGHHHHHH!
I have used both the old one and the new one (this one only in samples) 🙂 Yes, i’ll give this a try …mask huh..never thought about it 🙂 thanks karen
Nikkis last blog post..Askmewhats Version: "Strawberry Short Cake" Look
YAY! So I haven’t tried this version, but I’ve been using the original Moisture surge and the moisture surge extra of the moisture surge spray (which I typically use with the regular moisture surge)…oh say since I was 12 or 13. Every Day. EVERY DAY. So going with 13…I’ve used this roughly 5,110 days of my life. 🙂 I’ll have to pick up the new formula and see if it has changed. There was indeed a vast improvement between the original and the moisture surge extra…so who knows? That’s definitely exciting though because sometimes I have to pair this one with another moisturizer for dry days.
What is your skin type? I’m in need of a new moisturizer and wonder if this would work for combination skin.
Hi Nikki,
You’re welcome! Yes, the mask is fab! 🙂
Hi Megan!
I remember you telling me that you loooooved this stuff. I hope that the reformulation is as just as great as the old one… wow, that’s amazing that you’ve been using this every day since you were a teenager! Talk about holy grails!
I saw the Moisture Surge Spray on the Clinique site and was very tempted. It looks really refreshing.
This is one of my HOLY GRAIL of moisturizers! My skin has never felt so soft and moisturized without being oily with this. I love it to bit. But my only complain is that I go through it really fast and it’s a tad bit pricey for me. AH the price you pay for a nicely moisturized face.
I believe it just depends on the person & their skin.I have been using clinique for over 27 Yrs.& people cannot believe how young i look & i believe my secret is Clinique.Will use it till the day i die.