Battle of the Makeup Foundations: Clinique Makeup Versus Cover Girl Makeup

Ever since I was a teenager, I have worn make up. In fact, I rarely leave home without at least putting on foundation. Even though I have a fair complexion, I often have trouble finding a shade of foundation which matches my skin tone and does not leave me with harsh lines around my jaw and a noticeable break in color from the skin tone of my neck. I also struggle with finding a foundation which will not cause my skin to breakout or dry out. So when I find a foundation which not only matches my skin tone but also is good to my skin itself, I tend to stick with it!

My brand of choice is usually Clinique Superfit Foundation. At $18.50 a bottle, it is more expensive than the types commonly found in drugstores, but in my opinion it has been worth it. However, a few weeks ago, while on vacation I ran out of my Clinique Superfit Foundation. Left with the choice of either trying a drugstore brand or going without any coverage, I opted to try the Cover Girl Fresh Look Foundation.

Cover Girl Fresh Look Foundation is a new liquid foundation. It has an SPF of 15 (4% titanium dioxide) and describes itself as being "oil free" as does Clinique Superfit Foundation. The color selection was very good and surprisingly had no trouble finding a shade which matched my skin tone even better than my usual shade of Clinique Superfit Foundation.

In applying the foundation, when I opened the bottle, the first thing I noticed was the smell - in my opinion it had a strong "drugstore" smell to it. This surprised me as I am used to Clinique Superfit Foundation, which is fragrance free. I forgot some cosmetics have a certain odor to them.
The application of the foundation was simple and it went on smoothly but it felt "oily". When it dried, the Cover Girl Fresh Look Foundation appeared shiny. My Clinique Superfit Foundation goes on even smoother and dries to a matte finish, which is the look I prefer. Both blend well with my skin and neither left behind harsh jaw lines.

I quickly learned I needed to be careful after applying the Cover Girl Fresh Look Foundation as it had a tendency to rub off onto clothes and fabrics. This was not something I had experienced with Clinique Superfit Foundation. Also, my blush tended to be harder blend with the Cover Girl Fresh Look foundation. Blending both eye shadow and blush seemed to be easier when I used Clinique Superfit Foundation.

When it came to covering up flaws and problem areas, the Cover Girl Fresh Look Foundation provided light to medium coverage. I did find myself having to touch up my make up periodically through the day. Clinique Superfit Foundation has allowed me to go up to 10 hours in the past without needing to re-do or touch up any areas.

When it came to removing the make up, I did not notice any difference between the two as far as ease of removal. I did notice my skin appeared oilier after I took off the Cover Girl Fresh Look Foundation. (I know Clinique Superfit Foundation contains isostearyl palmitate which can cause people with sensitive skin to breakout. However, I have never had that happen during the time I have used this product.)
Overall, I prefer my usual foundation - Clinique Superfit. If you are interested in trying Clinique Superfit foundation but are hesitant to spend $18.50 on a product you are unfamiliar with, I would suggest asking the Clinique representative at the sales counter for a sample. In my experience, the sales personnel for Clinique have been very helpful and more than willing to accommodate requests such as this. Also, the few times I have had problems with any of their products, I have been able to return the unused portion to the Clinique counter and get a refund.