A Favorite Base: Clinique Even Better Foundation

Clinique has been a staple in my house well before I even started wearing makeup.  I remember rifling through my mother's makeup stash in my pre-school years and coming up holding a few lipsticks in the classic silver-ribbed packaging.  From then on, the makeup bag got harder and harder to locate, but I've looked upon Clinique with fond memories ever since.

It wasn't until the age when I started slathering my face with foundation that I even gave the brand a second thought.  I had just run out of my NARS Sheer Glow (a beautiful foundation that I was completely enabled into buying all thanks to Tanya!), and was looking for a nice, medium coverage foundation that was light enough to wear everyday.  Enter Clinique Even Better.  It took a bit of time for me to find my color match, but I'm notorious for laboriously comparing swatches in different lights all over the store until I finally settle on my choice.  I ended up going with Golden Neutral, and it turned out to be a great choice.  It adds a bit of tan to my face in the winter, and doesn't go ashy on my summer skin.  While it's definitely not a full coverage foundation, I love it because it lets my freckles peek through, while still covering up my trouble spots.  I find it looks best with a primer underneath (I'm really starting to fall in love with my Clarin's Instant Smooth), but it is pictured above without, just for the sake of a true swatch.  Even Better is aimed at evening out skin tone, and while that isn't my main concern, I find the finish rather amazing, being that it is quite natural looking yet still provides a good coverage.  And it doesn't hurt that it only sets you back about $27 USD!

I also love that it comes with a sort of nozzle tip, as it's much less messy to squeeze onto the back of the hand than, say, a pump-less NARS Sheer Glow.  It lasts through my 8-hour work days, but does tend to get a bit shiny without a proper powdering.  As far as application itself, I haven't used any brush besides my Real Techniques Expert Face brush since it came into my life last April.  I tried using regular foundation brushes before with this foundation, but in my opinion it looks much better buffed in than it does sitting on top of the skin.

Clinique's Even Better foundation remains one of my favorite base products that I've ever used, however after squeezing the last dregs out of it to shoot these photos, and contemplating my next base purchase, I've been feeling like trying something new.  In fact, I've barely scratched the surface in the world of tinted moisturizers.  Dare I ask for *crumples up budget* recommendations??