Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum

I LOVE magazine freebies. I’m a sucker for anything free in the title especially when it’s a beauty freebie. Not only is this month’s UK issue of In Style magazine giving away a beauty freebie but it’s a new launch beauty freebie – Clinique’s Smart Custom Repair Serum. I have been trialling the serum for over a week now. The product claims to ‘respond to skin’s individual needs. Visibly repairs lines and wrinkles, dark spots, uneven tone, firms, imparts radiance.’ There is not much written information regarding the product’s ingredients so I’ll just mention a few that are named on the box: grapefruit, mulberry, grape, barley and cucumber. I have to say I have never heard of barley being used before, does anyone know what it’s benefits are?

The sample is a generous size for a serum (10ml). It’s pretty costly in it’s full-size form the retail starting price is over £40. The serum’s texture is not like any other serum I know in that it’s thicker and creamier as most other serums are oil-based. It’s texture is similar to that of a primer such as Benefit’s Porefessional and I think the link between primers and this serum extends in the airbrushing effect that this serum has had on my skin. The serum has evened-out my skin-tone and redness and, most notably for me, reduced the look of my pores – just like a primer would. Except the serum is skincare not makeup, so the effects stay and improve over time. I’ve seen an improvement in tone and radiance over just seven days. As for its effects on wrinkles I confess that due to my age I’m probably not the best person to test that line of the product on.

As those of you with chronic conditions may attest my skin will never be stable, even if I had all the creams in the world so I have learnt to build up an arsenal of skincare weaponry to fight any battle conditions. I have my rosehip oil for extreme dryness, my Liz Earle oil for calm, for example but if I can get over the price of this serum I would very much like to add it to my skin care arsenal to fight uneven terrain.

N.B. On the box it says apply morning and night so it may be viable for some to forgo a primer and use this serum instead in the mornings.