beauty

"I tried Vitamin C beauty products and my skin's never been so good."

Clinique
Thanks to our brand partner, Clinique

When you work in an office where beauty products are delivered as though every day is Christmas, it’s easy to become a bit of a hoarder. Sitting across from the Beauty Editor, I managed to collect bottle after bottle of every potion and lotion you could think of. While it was always fun to ‘ohhh’ over their colourful bottles and ‘ahhh’ over their fancy ingredients, it did mean there was no rhyme or reason to my skincare routine. And much like the patchwork of products I was using, my skin showed, becoming more of a testing ground than anything else.

That was until one day I decided I needed to cut my skin some slack and introduce some consistency. As I began to Kondo on my bathroom cupboard, nestled in the back of my suddenly shrinking arsenal was a Clinique three-step skincare system. Like many women my age, Clinique was my first real introduction to the world of beauty. My mum had handed me some of their products as a teen and it suddenly felt like going home after a long and exhausting trip down a never-ending beauty aisle.

"When Clinique launch a new product my inner skincare obsessive comes out to play."

I knew then and there it was time to commit and I haven't looked back since. My skin is finally so much better for it. I'll shift from range to range depending on the needs of my skin as well as the season but I've found there's always something there for me.

Yet when Clinique launch a new product my inner skincare obsessive comes out to play. I’ve always been an avid user of anti-ageing products because I think the earlier you start using them, the better. That's why I couldn't wait to get my hands on their Fresh Pressed 7-Day System with Pure Vitamin C.

We all know that Vitamin C is kick-ass against fighting the signs of ageing and is great for our skin, but it's even better if it's fresh. That's why Clinique have introduced special protective packaging to maintain their products' potency with every use. The system itself comes with two elements: a fresh pressed powder cleanser which you use in the morning and a fresh pressed daily booster which you use morning and night.

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"We all know that Vitamin C is kick-ass against fighting the signs of ageing and is great for our skin." Image: supplied.

The fresh pressed powder comes in a sachet and I used it after my coffee first thing in the AM to jump start my skin's renewal. All you have to do is wet your face and your hands, pour the powder into your palm, work it into a lather and use it to cleanse your face as normal. I then left it on for a minute or so to do to its thing before rinsing it off really well.

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And I could definitely feel it working from the second I put it on my face. As I massaged the product all over my skin I could feel it tightening without making me feel dry. After a few days, the texture of my skin felt much smoother and looked more plumped. I also seemed brighter and more awake, which usually only happens after my makeup wizardry...

After preparing my skin in the morning, I then used the booster in combination with my regular moisturiser (I use Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief) to give my skin an even bigger dose of Vitamin C. It contains 10 percent pure Vitamin C, which activates when you pump the inner bulb to release it and shake for 15 seconds to mix it with the soothing emulsion. Cool, right?

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"After preparing my skin in the morning, I then used the booster in combination with my regular moisturiser." Image: istock

I popped two drops of the booster in the palm of my hand and mixed it with my moisturiser lathering it all over my face and neck (rookie error: never forget your neck). The booster itself lasts for seven days and it even has a section to mark the date on it so you can keep track which is nifty for those of us with a stretched memory.

The booster, in combination with the powder, has already made a drastic difference to my skin and I've only been using it for a WEEK. Similar to when I cleansed, I could also feel a tightening of my skin after applying the booster. I generally have larger pores but since using this system they look a lot smaller. My skin also feels much more supple and looks a far more even in tone.

The Fresh Pressed 7-Day System with Pure Vitamin C is anti-ageing skincare for the impatient. Also known as... me and probably you too. Now that I've tried it, there's no going back and I'll be using it regularly in combination with my other faithful Clinique products. I guess it was much harder to shake that beauty hoarding habit than I thought it would be, after all.

What is your skincare secret that keeps your skin fresh?

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner Clinique.