Samples

Hiris by Olivia Giacobetti for Hermès 1999

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Post by Anne-Marie

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Often on a Sunday afternoon after a busy weekend I wind down with a bath and a book. The fragrance for afterwards has to be gentle and subtle to keep me content for the evening, before a new week cranks up again. At the moment, Hermès Hiris is the perfect accompaniment to this ritual.

Hiris by Olivia Giacobetti for Hermès 1999

Hiris Hermes FRagranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Coriander, amber, iris, carnation
Heart: Iris, neroli, rose
Base: Honey, vanilla, cedar, almond tree

What works for me in Hiris is the contrast of cool and warm notes. Cool iris is dominant all the way through but is warmed and made easeful by spices (I love the coriander in the opening moments), and the subtlest touch of vanilla later on. (If there is honey in there I don’t perceive it unless it’s that touch of skin-alike sweetness in the base.) I don’t get the ‘carroty’ note in Hiris that other people notice. Earth certainly, but I smell no carrots. Hiris is dreamy and remote, but it likes you. Hiris wants to settle on your skin and stay there.

Hiris Hermes Iris_flowers WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Other iris fragrances vying for our attention on the department store shelves, such as Prada’s Infusion d’Iris and Chanel’s No 19 Poudré, combine iris with gigantic quantities of pillowy white musk, but Hiris retains a dewy clarity that has nothing to do with musk. Neither the Prada or the Chanel appeal to me. Initially I loved No 19 Poudré but the musk was just too … well … dull. And I have trouble smelling Infusion d’Iris.
What bothers me sometimes in Hiris is a kind of musty soapiness. ‘Clothes washed in unscented fabric softener’ is how Luca Turin describes it, and while I would not go that far, I do see what he means, unfortunately.

Hiris HermesPhoto Stolen Hermès

I’m fine with Hiris not being a statement fragrance. To my mind Hiris is Hermès’ contribution to the 90s style of uncomplicated fragrances that seek only to make us feel clean and smell good. Thankfully it’s not as dated as many others in this genre. If the sillage is only moderate, Hiris veils beautifully. People will sense rather than really know that there is a lovely fragrance nearby.

Hiris Hermes Irises-Vincent_van_Gogh WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Although the soapiness prevents me from loving Hiris, I persevere. I wear it out, wear it at home, wear it to bed. Where I live it’s winter, so who knows? Maybe Hiris will work better in warmer weather. I spray generously. It’s the best way to get to know a fragrance. Luckily I picked up my bottle at very little cost via local online classifieds, and it’s got about 60mls left, so I don’t have to be frugal. Mine’s the deep blue bottle. I’ve not seen the new one; do comment if you have compared them.

Further reading: Non Blonde and Olfactoria’s Travels
Hiris can be found at Hermès online and all Hermès stores
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $3/ml

Do you have a favourite quiet fragrance for those in-between times, when you just want to smell good to yourself?
‘Til next time, keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie xx

Le Male by Francis Kurkdjian for Jean Paul Gaultier 1995

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Post by Portia

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Hi there Fumies.

I have been wearing this gem since it was launched. At the time I was living in England and a couple of my mates were models for JPG at the time. They were pierced and tattooed like crazy with shaven heads and killer bodies. It was this use of street kids in his parades that added an extra dimension of reality to everything he created. I was mainly an owner of his Gaultier Junior stuff, basically the diffusion line but I was ever so proud to be a billboard for this crazy designer that seemed to have grabbed the zeitgeist. I had some lovely navy blue leggings with a fabulous sewn patch and a maroon and white crop top. Of his pret-a-porter line I had only a cow print skivvy made of the softest and warmest mohair, I loved it so much and wore it till a couple of years ago I passed it onto a girlfriend who wears it infinitely more fabulously than I do.

Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier 1995

Le Male by Francis Kurkdjian

Le Male Jean Paul Gaultier FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mint, lavender, cardamom, artemesia, bergamot
Heart: Cinnamon, cumin/caraway (depending where you read), orange blossom
Base: Vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, amber, cedarwood

My experience of Le Male is not like any other fragrance in my cupboards. I refuse to parse the notes and enjoy the experience from beginning to end. The bright, sparkling opening through the sweet heart and the warm resinous dry down. It is a scent of its own and nothing on earth comes close. Francis Kurkdjian’s first blockbuster and he continues to make flanker after flanker, still I am drawn to the original.

Le Male Jean Paul Gaultier Photo by Jean-Baptiste Mondino TheCoincidentalDandy FlickrPhoto Stolen Flickr

These are scents that tell the story of my life. There were years where I would follow handsome men around clubs smelling their hefty Le Male sillage. One of these men even became my partner for a year or so and every time he spritzed I would be madly, truly and deeply in love with his aroma. It was the wildest sex of my life too, completely and utterly uninhibited. This is the scent I would wear for drag work on and off for years and always felt it was an interesting dichotomy how beautifully the scent fits being in drag and its name.

Nowadays Le Male gets less wear than it did. My scent wardrobe is so full of choice yet I do come back maybe ten times a year and wear it for two days straight. I am at the end of this current two days and Le Male will now go back into the cupboard till next time.

Le Male Jean Paul Gaultier Suzanne_Valadon WikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Further reading: Now Smell This and EauMG
Parfum1 has $48/75ml
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml to $7/5ml

What is your Le Male story?
Portia xx

Jersey Parfum by Jacques Polge for CHANEL 2014

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Hello to my fellow fumeheads!

Today, I am zeroing in on a breathtaking parfum that surprised me when I sniffed it in person. Last year, I wandered into Boston’s Chanel boutique with fragrance friends, eyes sparkling with delight in the luxe venue. I went in with laser focus, intent on purchasing Chanel No. 22 parfum from the Les Exclusifs line. I then went on to sniff the other boutique-exclusive offerings, and was shocked to fall in love with:

CHANEL Jersey parfum Les Exclusifs de Chanel

CHANEL Jersey parfum by Jacques Polge

Chanel Jersey Parfum Chanel FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lavender, musk, vanilla, wildflowers, grass, rose, jasmine and tonka bean

Wearing Jersey today, I sense a spark of clean lavender, awash in the white-hot rays of the solstice sun. The meadow rolls over tumbling hills, emeralds and amethysts glistening as far as the eye can see. Freshly laundered sheets billow crisply on a clothesline, as signature Chanel aldehydes pierce the air. The lazy breeze carries these cool, soothing fragrances like a drifting song, the hollow tones of a silver flute choir.

And yet, although my visions glow beneath the brightest sunbeams, Jersey is an evening fragrance for me. It is a scent for a quietly classic night on the town, freshly showered and dolled up in a favorite new dress and a string of pearls. I strongly associate lavender with the cold light of the stars, as I often use it for sleep aromatherapy. However, as it joyfully dances among distinctive aldehydes and a waft of rose petal, this lavender is calm and graceful, not sleepy.

Chanel Jersey Parfum Chanel Lavender_in_Provence WikiMediaPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

From CHANEL: Jersey had only been used for sailors’ sweaters and men’s undergarments until, in the 1920’s, Mademoiselle Chanel made it the instrument of a new elegance for women. Like Mademoiselle, Jacques Polge has also revealed the chic and feminine treasures of a material considered to be masculine and modest: lavender. He has chosen an exceptional essence and given it the sensuality of musk and the delicious richness of vanilla. And so it is that lavender has been transfigured and become deliciously sophisticated. Successfully transformed, it has lost its masculine connotations.

Chanel Jersey Parfum Chanel EricaPhoto Donated Erica

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and A Model Recommends
CHANEL Les Exclusives are available at CHANEL online or larger department stores
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $8/.25ml

Have you tried any Chanel Exclusifs? Do you have a favorite? Let’s dish!

Scented hugs, Erica

Sarrasins by Christopher Sheldrake + Serge Lutens 2007

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Post by Liam

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Sarrasins: A severe perfume.

There are a lot of noir scents on the market. Or better put, there are a lot of noir flankers on the market. Tom Ford’s Noir, Chanel’s Coco Noir, and Van Cleef and Arpels’ Cologne Noire to name a few fumes.

The word noir, whether it’s used to mod a title or used as a title on its own really fascinates me.

On one hand, noir and nuit go hand-in-hand and evoke feelings of a cool and steely midnight in winter. On another, noir seems to be a term impetuously placed on labels as it suggests a darkened fragrance that is largely more severe.

Unfortunately, this is not the usual case. Coco Noir is described as a ‘nocturnal baroque scent’ … with grapefruit?! No no no. That’s not noir. That’s a flirtatious teen girl late at night.

Sarrasins by Serge Lutens 2007

Sarrasins by Christopher Sheldrake + Serge Lutens

Sarrasins Serge Lutens FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Blossoms
Heart: Carnation, jasmine
Base: Musk

Sarrasins is noir. True noir. Sarrasins wraps me in its beauty and then strangles me gently. A metallic note opens floating ephemerally at the top of the overdosing of rich moreish jasmine. I suspect a drop of aldehydes lifts the fragrance and adds some initial space in the beginning, as the narcotic flower begins to bloom on the skin. This effect, a floral dipped in a touch of something artificial, reminds me of Serge Luten’s masterful Tuberuse Criminelle where a scene plays out on the skin as a murder occurs in a room full of tuberose flowers. This almost bloody accord is further tweaked with something undeniably clean – a Luten’s style musk note; camphoraceous and cool.

From here, the jasmine reveals itself emerging like a spike from the skin. It poses danger but never cuts as it is placated with its innate white floral creaminess. Thus its sweet and indolic moments are to be expected and these are spiced with a carnation note that recalls many early vintage scents I have smelled before. Despite the linear nature of the scent, the jasmine note pulls itself down into darker regions. It sways between dead and alive like flowers limply wilting and wrinkling like old leather.

Serge Lutens Palais Royal

‘Warm’ is best used to describe this stage, underscored with a majestic leatheriness and animalics as the jasmine showcases its green facet – here we find resolution between two clashes that learn to exist together in harmony. The sweetness now comes off as fruity and herbal, yet it appears to forever colour itself nostalgically purple and melancholically grey with its impossibly dusty undertones.

So, a noir scent like Sarrasins recalls something tender, tragic and emotionally palpable. Longing but not obtainable. It’s everything you expect from the Serge Lutens’ aesthetic and the noir labelling, a style of fragrance possessed only by truly the most exhaled scents. Anyway, evil is not a bad descriptor at all…

Sarrasins Serge Lutens Moon UnSplash PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

In terms of longevity and sillage, Sarrasins trails me like a spectre. Close, intimate, and radiating energy and a cold stately mood. Moderate.

Further reading: Perfume Shrine and Smelly Thoughts
Serge Lutens can be purchased at Serge Lutens online or in most larger department stores
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $4/.5ml

So! What do you think a true noir perfume is?

-Liam (turning 18 soon – how should I spoil myself?)

Move On Monday Club

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Post by Holly

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Hiya APJ gang!

I have formed a club, and I’m recruiting members! There are no requirements, no dues to be paid, no meetings and your participation is gonna be mostly in your own head! That’s where most things start anyway, right? You don’t even have to declare your membership. In fact, I will now assume that you are all members of The Move On Monday Club. Welcome!

Move On Monday Club

No doubt you’re wondering “what the hell does this have to do with perfume?” Good question! You see, over the last year I got myself into a pickle with my um, sincerely enthusiastic purchasing of perfume samples. I had my reasons, but now it’s time to move on. No whining, cringing, hand-wringing, sobbing, reviews of my PayPal account, denial or regret. So I’m hoping you’ll help me out. My Move on Mondays are my way of dealing with thoughts, feelings and things that have been lurking in the depths and need to be addressed. I like the alliteration, and the mindset helps set the tone for the week for me.

Frag Samples 2015

I have more than 300 samples. All from the last eighteen months. Yep, I went apeshit crazy! Then suddenly, about six months ago, I became overwhelmed. I stopped opening the Olfactif boxes and envelopes from decanters and so on and so forth. I kept ordering. I’d get to it. Then, I put the boxes in a huge box, and envelopes in giant trash bags, and tossed them into closets. Nut job! Move on.

Now I know that there are many people who have tons of samples and are comfortable with that. I personally am not. For a while, I created an image of The Sample Sea, where my samples are gently drifting in and out, and I thought that eventually I’d surf the sea and accept whatever drifts along my way. That has been a comforting image for a while, but now the sirens are singing and the samples are hissing and spitting and demanding attention. The Sample Sea is a gyre, replete with plastic bags, paper envelopes, cardboard boxes and detritus.

Frag Samples 2015a

So what I’d like to know is what is your perfume sampling journey like these days?
Do you have a clear sense of your style and prefer to stick with it? Has it been consistent?
Do you like to experiment and will try almost anything?
Do you consider what you have to be a collection, or kinda willy-nilly?
Do you plan your purchases?
Do you organize your samples?
How do you sample? Do you pick one at a time, or five or ten?
Do you have a yes, a no, and a maybe pile?

How do you decide what is full-bottle worthy? Do you have particular requirements such as price, sillage, longevity, consistency from the top notes through the dry down?

Some popular Sample Sites include: Surrender To Chance, Posh Peasant, My Perfume Samples

Them there’s a lotta questions! Whew! I hope this doesn’t look like homework, and that you’ll enjoy sharing some of your insights. Thank you in advance.
Love and hugs to all,
Holly xo

Surrender To Chance GIVEAWAY WINNER

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Thank You APJ,

What a wealth of great feedback. You are the best and I have read and read again your comments.

Stars_Gift_Certificate SmartDraw

Our winner of the $50 Surrendeer To Chance GIFT VOUCHER is LENA

Please get in touch Lena with your email address to: portia (underscore) turbo (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au and I’ll send your voucher

THANKS,
Portia xx

Bergamoss by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier 2015

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Post by Poodle

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I love listening to the rain on a summer night. I love the morning after even more. I often step outside in the morning and just take a few deep breaths. In those early moments I feel as though I can smell all of nature. The sun begins to peek through the clouds, everything is still wet, and the summer warmth amplifies all the aromas. I can smell all the lush green leaves. The loamy wet soil smells fresh and new. There’s a damp, mossy smell but it’s like the rain has washed away that mustiness that you sometimes smell on hot, humid days. Instead the air is sweet and fresh. I can smell flowers but the rain has almost blurred their scents. As the sun rises higher things begin to warm and dry. Slowly the aroma of warming woods and earth pushes through the fresh green of the morning. I decide it’s time to step away from the quiet beauty of the morning and get started with my day.

Bergamoss by Mandy Aftel for Aftelier 2015

Bergamoss Aftelier FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Bergamot, wild sweet orange
Heart: Peach, citronellol, nutmeg
Base: Oakmoss, flouvre absolute, coumarin, antique civet

That’s what I thought of when I smelled Bergamoss for the first time.

Bergamoss is the latest release from Mandy Aftel. I admit when I saw it was a chypre I was worried. Often they leave me smelling like I’ve spent too much time in a damp cellar. Not so with Bergamoss. It’s mossy, lush, bright and green, with just enough warmth and earthiness to keep it interesting. Bergamot and orange give it sparkle. Citronellol from scented geraniums gives the fragrance that herbal yet slightly rosy scent the plants are known for. Nutmeg and civet add depth and keep things from smelling too clean and oakmoss adds that classic chypre complexity.

Bergamoss Aftelier glamour_garden liudochka DeviantArtPhoto Stolen DeviantArt

Bergamoss is beautifully blended. Yes, you can pick out notes but the overall effect on me is a soft blur of scent. Longevity might be an issue. One would need to reapply through the day I think but this is a solid perfume and one of the joys is in the application. Unlike a spray you choose exactly where to anoint yourself with it. Also, like most fragrances in that format, it’s not something that’s going to project across the room. I would say it’s more of a personal scent. The only people that would smell this on me are those I allow to get “thisclose”.

Bergamoss Aftelier ThisClose WikiCommonsPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

Knowing my love of big perfumes I was shocked to find myself happily huffing my wrist not caring that I wasn’t sharing my fragrance with the world. Sometimes you just don’t want to share and just want to be alone with your thoughts. Bergamoss is a scent of quiet beauty. It’s not going to shout to be heard. It has plenty to say but you need to take a quiet moment to listen.

Further reading: Now Smell This and I Scent You A Day
Aftelier has Bergamoss from $6

Do you wear solid perfumes? What’s your favorite perfume for quiet moments?
Poodle xx

Kiki by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo (EdP, VdE, Ex)

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Post by Val the Cookie Queen

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Lavender? Free Your Mind.

.vero.profumo.

KIKI Eau de Parfum 2010
KIKI Voile d´Extrait 2013 All by Vero Kern.
KIKI Extrait 2007

A Tale of Two Kikis

Cacatua_leadbeateri_-SW_Queensland-8Photo Stolen Wikipedia

The first Kiki in my life was Jack’s pet parrot from Enid Blyton´s “Adventure” series. Kiki is a standard feature in each novel providing both comic relief and as a saviour from tight situations. Kiki has an enormous reserve of phrases and strange noises. I loved these books and they remain a part of an England that once was. The illustrations were done by Stuart Tresilian a British artist and illustrator. Along with Blyton´s Adventure Series he also illustrated Rudyard Kipling´s Animal Stories and a Mowgli stories. This is not the Kiki referenced for Vero Kern´s three Kiki fragrances.

Vero Kern Kiki Vero Profumo 2015Photo Donated Vero Kern

Vero Profumo´s Kiki is named as a tribute to Alice Ernestine Prin (1901 – 1953), most often known as Kiki de Montparnasse. Embracing the single name “Kiki” she became a fixture in the Montparnasse social scene in Paris and popular artist´s model. She gained experience when she was only fourteen, posing nude for sculptors. Her companion for most of the 1920´s was Man Ray, the American photographer and painter. Kiki is such a fascinating woman I can only encourage you to take some time to discover her.

Kiki by Vero Kern for Vero Profumo

Kiki – A Sorcerer’s Lavender

CQ Vero Milan 2013 #2Vero & Val

Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Citruses, Lavender oil, Black currant
Heart: Lavender absolute, Geranium
Base: Patchouli, Cedar, Opoponax, Caramel, Musk

Kiki was the last of the Vero Profumos to creep its way under my skin, but the first bottle to be emptied. More than half way through the Voile and on the second Extrait. I hate lavender. But there are exceptions to every rule. Forget every preconceived idea of lavender and free your mind.

kiki eau de parfum Vero Profumo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

KIKI EdP. Sensual. Erotic passion fruit. Desirable. Voluptuous. Green lavender whipped into a caramelized patchouli. Luscious. Absolutely fabulous.

Kiki Voile d`Extrait Vero Profumo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

KIKI Voile d’Extrait. Seriously beautiful. Elegant. Uplifting. Self assured. Revitalizing. Velvety. Amethyst lavender. Related but quite different to the EdP.

kiki Vero Profumo FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

KIKI Extrait. Intimate. Warm. Royal purple lavender. Musky. Opoponax whisps. A hint of amber making it denser than the Voile. Magnificent.
(It is to be noted that the Voiles although sharing most of the Extrait DNA – are not quite the same. Not all secrets are shared. )

Further reading: Smelly Thoughts and Chemist In A Bottle
Bloom, First In Fragrance and LuckyScent all carry Vero Profumo
Surrender To Chance has Kiki EdP & Extrait

These are not your grandmother´s lavender bag.

Kiki Vero ProfumoPhoto Donated Val

Have you tried the Kiki range? Do you have a lavender you love?

Violaceous Bussis.
CQ

Calvin Klein Obsession Woman & Man

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Post by Azar

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Hello APJ,

This summer the Pacific Northwest USA has been uncharacteristically hot and dry. To make matters worse, less than 30% of the homes have central air-conditioning. Ours is one of the hot ones! I have yet to acclimate to the 95-100 degree F temperatures that continue to blister the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

In an attempt to deal with the sweltering heat I pulled out my big, refrigerated bottles of Italian colognes. Sadly, these refreshing fragrances have done little to alleviate the effects of the breathtaking temperatures. The alcohol evaporates too quickly to be effective, leaving not a trace of comforting scent on my skin.

Calvin Klein Obsession

Calvin Klein Obsession for Woman by Jean Guichard 1985

Obsession Calvin Klein women FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top:  Green notes, mandarin orange, vanilla, peach, basil, bergamot, lemon
Heart:  Spices, coriander, sandalwood, orange blossom, jasmine, oakmoss, cedar, rose
Base:  Amber, musk, civet, vetiver, incense

Sweating over a solution, I recalled a recent comment by Cookie Queen suggesting the use of big orientals in hot climates.  Her timely advice and Anne-Marie’s recent post inspired me to dig out the squat, kidney shaped bottle of the original Calvin Klein Obsession for Women from its cool, dark tomb in the lower floor storage.  Even though I had a vague recollection of Calvin Klein Obsession for Women as nothing more than a spicy cliché typical of many 80s bombastic orientals, I was desperate enough to give it another try.  I resurrected Calvin Klein Obsession for Women from the nether regions and carried her up into the bright and toasty upstairs living area.  I gave myself a quick splash and WHAMMO…!  The power of Obsession was so uplifting and distracting that I totally forgot the scorching heat.  The juice in the old bottle had aged to perfection and provided me with a much-needed respite from the stagnant summer air.  The overheated atmosphere of the house also revealed the beauty and complexity of Obsession.  After 30 years of neglect I was finally enjoying fragrance notes I had never detected before, including almost everything on Fragrantica’s list. I fell madly for my old cologne and hurried to purchase more vintage Obsession for Women. 

Male_Underwear_Model_John_Quinlan_in_Calvin_KleinPhoto Stolen WikiMedia

Calvin Klein Obsession for Men by Bob Slattery 1986

Obsession for Men Calvin Klein FrsagranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top:  Tangerine/mandarin, grapefruit, lime, bergamot, coriander, lavender, cinnamon
Heart:  Nutmeg, carnation, jasmine, sage, Brazilian rosewood, pine, myrrh, red berries
Base:  Amber, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, vanilla, vetiver

I was even able to find the original 1986 Calvin Klein Obsession for Men and imagine that almost every element of CK Obsession for Men (and for Women) is synthetic. The jasmine in my vintage version is probably hedione (methyl dihydrojasmonate) and the musk is most likely civetone. For me Obsession for Men packs the distracting punch of the distaff version and is refreshing as well.  I also find CK Obsession for Men to be incredibly sexy!  My reaction is probably related to hedione.  Recent research suggests that this old aroma-chemical activates a specific region of the hypothalamus associated with the release of sex hormones, especially in women.  In other words, hedione might actually turn women on!

Amanda_Bach,_a_sexy_fashion_model_iconPhoto Stolen WikiCommons

But there is MORE:

Animal behaviorists in South America routinely use Calvin Klein Obsession for Men to lure jaguars to camera traps in the jungle and zookeepers keep their feline charges active and entertained with CK Obsession for Men.

Further reading: Now Smell This and I Smell Therefore I Am
Fragrance Shop has $26/110ml
My Perfume Samples has $2/ml to $7/5ml

I’m wondering if YOU love or hate the various Obsessions? Do you ever wear heavy orientals in the summer heat? Have you tried the Sex Panther fragrance referred to above?

In closing – some like it hot…so be cool!

Azar xx

CLINIQUE 3-Step Skin Care System

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Post by A F Beauty

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The past month I have been trialling the Clinique Three Step Program. I’ve never used the proper three step program before mainly because the cleansing step always used to be a soap bar which I’ve never been keen on. The pack now contains a liquid cleanser, so I gave it a go.

CLINIQUE 3-Step Skin Care System

clinique 3 step cleanser SephoraPhoto Stolen Sephora

I’ll start with the moisturiser. This is a reformulation of the original, now called Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+. They also have a gel formulation. My Clinique skin-type at the time of purchase was Type 2 which recommends the Lotion+. I like this moisturiser a lot. The texture is light, but the moisturisation level good. It’s OK under makeup, but it wouldn’t be enough for night time (for my skin). It is fragrance free, which is OK but either I am heavy handed or they are light on the pack size – the 30ml didn’t last an entire month for me using the system twice daily.

Next the Clarifying Lotion. With this I am very much in two minds. The Type 2 lotion contains menthol which I dislike at the best of times. It smells very chemically and menthol-y. I used it as instructed for most of the trial, but I have noticed towards the end my skin is more sensitive to other products – perhaps because this one is doing the job so well in exfoliating. The intent of this product is to tighten pores and clean the residue off the skin but I noticed as I swept the lotion over my skin it goes slightly pink and feels tight. I don’t like this. Objectively I can’t tell if my pores are any better – I think they are slightly – but is it worth it? If I’m honest with myself, I wouldn’t use this particular clarifying lotion again – I may go and check the others to see if they are of comparable formulation. For my skin I would prefer an exfoliating cleanser, either with texture or AHA/BHA and if absolutely necessary, a more soothing toner – but most likely I’d skip a toner. (The Clinique SA gave me a sharp look when I told her this!)

Lastly the cleanser. This time a gel liquid soap – very thick and glossy, needs a fair bit of water to break down and emulsify. Once it’s done it cleans well – is fragrance free like the moisturiser and the little tube in the sample pack goes a long way. I don’t think it is necessarily better than any other specific foaming cleanser, but it’s good enough. My skin felt pleasantly clean but not tight after using it.

Overall, I’d stick with the moisturiser, I wouldn’t say no to the cleanser and I’d not go back to the toner. The trial pack is a good way to see how your skin will respond to the three-step or to re-try some of Clinique’s products. Do you use any of the Clinique skincare products? Anyone else use a different Clarifying lotion? I’d like to hear reviews on the other three versions.

Clinique Australia has the Gift Set Sampler $39

AF Beauty xx

Side note: Some of Clinique’s website reviews are based on testers who are provided the products at no cost, although they do disclose this in the review. I purchased the Clinique three-step set with my own funds and the review is my opinion only.