Although I have several friends who swear by Clinique products, to be completely honest, I haven't been a fan of the Clinique line since the early 1980s. I found the skin care line too astringent and drying for my skin. Also, the limited foundation color palette was equally disappointing. However, I have heard so much about their two new products, Superfit Makeup and Stop Signs, an anti-aging serum, I had to give them a try.

Superfit Foundation ($18.50)
Superfit Makeup comes in 10 colors, and is oil and fragrance free. It does contain, in small quantities, isostearyl palmitate, a comedogenic ingredient. Because of this ingredient, I cannot recommend this product for people who have particularly sensitive skin prone to breakouts. And, as usual, few of the foundation shades will be suitable for women of color. However, I settled on "Nutty", a warm beige-brown. Although it was not a perfect match, I was able to blend it so there would be no harsh lines at the jaw. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised with this product. The foundation went on smooth and provided good coverage for my few problem areas, which included during my testing time a small bruise acquired during softball practice. Not only did it give good coverage, it was able to last an entire ten-hour day of the current eastern seaboard heat and humidity wave with only one touch-up. The other thing that surprised me was that the product really was practically transfer free. I didn't get makeup all over my clothes, as I am apt to do during this time of the year due to my oily skin type. Now if Clinique would just expand the color palette.

Stop Signs ($32.50)
I was so happy with the Superfit Makeup, I thought the Stop Signs Anti-aging serum would be a winner, too. Stop Signs is a product that supposedly, when used over a moisturizer, lessens the appearance of lines and wrinkles, reduces the appearance of discoloration and helps prevent further environmental damage to the skin. It should not be used around the eyes at all, which was a little disappointing, since that is where, currently, most of my lines are. It feels good and has good "slip". A little goes a long way, in fact, 3-5 drops does the entire face and neck. So, when I used it over Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, I expected dramatic results. Unfortunately, this was not the case. After three weeks of use, my skin does feel and look a little smoother and my forehead lines appear a little better, but, the areas of discoloration I have (driver's side UV damage) are not improved at all. Also, since it is difficult to measure whether I have reduced the amount of continuing damage to my skin, I don't really know if Stop Signs is living up to that promise. Unfortunately, I can't recommend Stop Signs with any amount of enthusiasm. In my opinion, it's just an expensive "feel good" item.