Clinique’s New Foundation Feels Like A Skin Tint — But Wears Like Makeup

When it comes to iconic American beauty brands, Clinique is firmly on my Mount Rushmore — to borrow another made-in-USA metaphor. Some of my most formative beauty memories revolve around Clinique: Growing up, I’d often accompany my mom to the impeccably lit Clinique counter at our local mall department store. (If I were on my best behavior, I’d get to keep the free gift-with-purchase bag of minis as a reward.) Years later, the brand is still one of my mom’s go-tos — and mine, too. From the epic resurgence of Black Honey lipstick to the hydrating Moisture Surge skincare, the brand isn’t lacking in bestselling products — and I think I just found a new one in the making.

Enter: Clinique’s new Even Better Clinical Foundation, which combines sheer coverage with broad-spectrum SPF 45 protection. 

If you’ve ever tried the brand’s Even Better Clinical Serum, you know that the brightening benefits are next-level; IMO, if that serum had a baby with your favorite skin tint, the result would be this foundation. It’s super lightweight and feels like skincare, but adds a sheer, buildable amount of coverage that never looks like makeup — just naturally radiant, healthy skin.

I don’t necessarily need my makeup to do my skincare’s job, but I do love that this stuff contains loads of ingredients that I’d normally find in serums and moisturizers: There’s vitamins C and E to brighten and strengthen skin, plus vitamin B3 (aka niacinamide) to keep pores clear. Plus, it’s waterproof, sweat- and humidity-resistant, oil-free, and non-comedogenic, so it shouldn’t break you out.

I love a lightweight, buildable foundation, and this one immediately impressed me. It’s got a bit of a dewy finish, which normally wouldn’t work with my oily skin, but this makeup hits a perfect sweet spot of glow that makes me look like I just left the spa, not a workout.

I use two pumps of product to cover my entire face, and mix the shades Light Medium Warm 1 and Light Medium Warm 2 to get my perfect match. (Because the sheer coverage is flexible, multiple shades in the 27-shade range could work across multiple skin tones. I’m just a perfectionist.) 

Happily, our beauty director, Jacqueline Kilikita, found a perfect shade match in Light Medium Cool 1. “At first swipe, I was taken aback by how perfectly shade Light Medium Cool 1 matched my skin tone — it disappeared instantly and blended in seamlessly with a brush,” she says. She used the website’s handy QR code, which matched her effortlessly and seamlessly. When it comes to coverage? “It’s pretty weightless but subtly blurred the post-acne pigmentation on my cheeks and softened the look of my dark circles,” she adds. “I’m hopeful the added vitamin C will help brighten things up even more, which makes me excited to keep using it.”

My favorite way to apply it is with a fluffy brush using lightweight strokes, and then setting with loose powder on my T-zone.) 

Since my skin is oily, I found that I could boost the longevity by following up with setting powder and setting spray, but how well it lasts might depend on your skin type. Kilikita has skin that's on the drier side: “That's thanks to using strong retinoids recently, so my skin drank this foundation right up,” she says. “I think that’s why the finish leaned more matte than dewy on me, which I actually prefer in the summer. It makes me look and feel fresh.”

If you’re looking for full coverage, you might prefer Clinique’s Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation, which has similar skincare benefits with medium to full coverage. That said, I loved the Even Better Clinical Foundation for an everyday beat. It’s as lightweight as a skin tint, but with more pigment, and plays nice with concealer for extra coverage where needed. At $48, it’s priced on par with my mid- to high-end foundations, and certainly feels like a luxury product. My new go-to summer foundation? You’re looking right at it.