In order to make my makeup routine more environmental I have made it a goal of mine to empty everything I have before buying something new. I keep a huge box in my bathroom with a tonne of sample skincare items that I have gotten in various sets, and now I have set out to empty them all. Today it will be all about Clinique samples that I got in last year’s advent calendar.

I think samples are fun because it will let me know if a product works for my skin and I should purchase the full size product and if not, it is not a big waste (financially or product-wise) if I do not like it (I am aware it is a huge plastic waste but it is better to use the products up than to throw them out!).

Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

I really enjoyed this product. Hands down one of the best and most gentle makeup removers I have used in a long time. It removes normal and waterproof makeup because it has a water and oil base, which also means the product needs to be shaken before use. The only downside with this product was that it would leave behind an oily residue – not a big issue at night but sometimes I will remove a mascara smudge (yes I am clumsy) in the morning and stepping out of the bathroom, my boyfriend would laugh at my panda eyes. The oily residue would make its’ way around my whole eye area and make my makeup smudge before I even left the house in the mornings so beware! I found that this was not an issue once the makeup remover dried into my skin after a few minutes.

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense

Just like Maria, I am totally hooked on the entire moisture surge collection. I have used up a bunch of the products in the series, most recently this; a heavy, thick, and very moisturizing cream. I preferred to use it at night to give it sufficient time to sink in to the skin. My skin was so soft in the mornings, and I could really tell a difference in the evenness of my skin when I switched to using this. My skin has been acting up as it is slowly getting colder here in Denmark, and my skin has spent the past 6 months in high humidity air in Spain and Italy. This product totally saved my skin!

Clinique 7 day Scrub Cream

I do not think I have ever used up a scrub this fast! Partly it is because I would often mistake this and the facial soap mentioned underneath, but also partly because I finally found a scrub I enjoy. The beads are super fine so they do not irritate my sensitive and dry skin, yet I feel like it gets the job done. My skin feels new, refreshed, and clean after use!

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap in mild

I remember using this when I was younger and it was too hard on my skin. I think I had the one for combination skin back then because my skin IS a combination of a little oily, a little dry, a little normal. It is a mess. But as I am getting older, I feel like my skin is getting more sensitive and dry, and I often find that it reacts with heavy chemical products. However, this cleanser worked well for me (note that it is the mild cleanser!). It is not too rough and did not dry out my skin. It gets the job done but it does not do anything “extra”.

Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream

As I said, my skin has gotten more sensitive with age (25 is creeping up on me real fast!) and this is one the products that just does not work for me. It turned my eyes puffy, I was constantly in tears and my eyes were red and itchy. I do not know why. I am sure this is a great product for other people (I gifted the rest to my boyfriend who seemed to enjoy it though he has never used eye cream a day in his life so he might not be the best judge). The texture of the cream is light and easy to smooth out over the skin so if you do not have a sensitive eye area, I would give this cream a go!