Clinique 3-Step Acne Solutions Experience and Review

Disclaimer: I am in no way a skin specialist. This is just my experience with the product and my honest opinion about the product. 

This is a pretty long story about how I ended up purchasing the Clinique 3-Step Acne Solutions and Neutrogena SPF 15 Oil Free Moisturizer... So feel free to skip to bottom where my review is located. :) Also, little note to keep in mind: My skin has been pretty clear (aside from one or two pimples that come and go) up until this past year.

Last week while I was in San Diego, I was recommended by my friend to purchase the Clinique 3-Step System for oily to combination skin 

since my face had been breaking out badly for weeks and none of my current skin cleansers had worked. I walked into Macys with my friend and browsed around the Clinique counter. Macys was having a special gift with any $21.50 purchase from Clinique. (You can read about it here). I picked up the Clinique 3-Step System but was hesitant to buy it because it would have been my first non-drugstore skincare purchase and I kept worrying that it would not work. The manager of the Clinique counter could see I was struggling to make a decision and offered some assistance. I told her I had been breaking out due to stress and none of my cleansers had been working anymore and under my friend's recommendation I should try to use the 3-Step System for Oily-Combination skin. The manager kindly explained to me that what I wanted to do was first use the 3-Step Acne Solutions which can be used for all skin types (dry, dry/combination, oily/combination, oily) to get rid of my acne and then after about three months switch to the 3-Step System for Oily skin. Under the manager's recommendation I ended up purchasing Clinique's 3-Step Acne Solutions. 

The first time I used it the manager at the Clinique counter in Macys demonstrated how it works on my face. She first wiped my face with a cotton ball that had the cleansing foam and then showed me all of the dirt residue that came off of my face and onto the cotton ball... Lets just say I was super embarrassed to see all of that dirt... Especially since I washed my face twice during that day before heading into Macys. Then she wiped my face with a cotton ball soaked with the clarifying lotion and I was doubly embarrassed when I saw the cotton ball. Afterwards she waited about 5 minutes before putting on the clearing moisturizer on my face. By this time my face had a strong tingling feeling... almost a burning sensation over all of my breakout areas. While one of the workers was ringing up my purchase the manager told me to not use the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing lotion that my bonus gift came with because it would break out my skin a lot if I used it with the Acne Solutions skit. She also said that my skin would get worse before getting better, meaning the first week or two would be hell for my skin because all of the oil is purged to the surface. During the first day that I had starting using the product my skin experienced dry flaky skin. From never experiencing dry skin I was befuddled with what was happening to my skin. Until finally about 5 hours later I looked into the mirror and noticed dry flecks peeling off. The very next day I called the Clinique counter and asked whether or not I could use another moisturizer because I was scared of breaking out. The manager said yes, as long as its and oil-free moisturizer. I then rushed to Ulta and bought Neutrogena's SPF 15 Oil Free Moisturizer. 

It has now been a week since I started using Clinique's 3-Step Acne Solutions along with Neutrogena's SPF 15 Oil Free Moisturizer

Blurb from Acne Solutions brochure: 

From day one... Cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize with the Acne Solutions Clear Skin System twice a day, and acne-causing bacteria are instantly shut down.. Shine and flakiness are cleared away. Skin looks and feels cleaner, smoother. Note: As clogged pores start to clean (and "gunk" surfaces) skin might get worse before it gets better. Stick with it and within 4-6 weeks, your pimples should be on their way out.

After one week... Skin is getting the message and looks clearer, calmer, less oily. Less red, too. You've probably noticed skin's glowing with a newfound radiance instead of oily breakthrough. Makeup's going on smoother, staying fresher, longer.

After two weeks... It just keeps getting better. In fact, after just two weeks, you’re guaranteed to see smoother, clearer skin. Midday shine will be pretty much history. Those supersized pores? Less noticeable.

 Active Ingredients: Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide

Clinique 3-Step Acne Solutions Review

Pros:

• After the first week I noticed the bumpiness on my forehead started to diminish
•  I had smoother and softer skin
• Acne scars from before faded 
• Redness around my cheeks started to fade
• Dried the pimples I had on my face in a day or two
• Controlled oil
• The bottles are pretty sanitary (i.e. the foam cleanser has a pump)
• Quick to use

Cons:

• During the first four days my skin burned like crazy, but by the fifth day my skin adjusted to the product and no longer burns 
• The moisturizer that comes with the kit does not moisturize the face well. I experienced dry skin (especially around the corners of my lips) about 15 minutes after applying moisturizer.
• Experienced peeling skin for about a week
• Skin became very sensitive to the weather during the first week. Under direct sunlight my skin started to burn. When it was just slightly windy my skin would dry out. 

Around my fourth day using Clinique's Acne Solutions System I live chatted with one of the consultants online about my peeling skin who explained that my old, "unhealthy" skin was peeling off to make way for newer and healthier skin. Once the majority of my unhealthy skin peeled off my skin felt smoother and softer. My skin was also brighter and less red. As for supersized pores... Well I didn't have supersized pores to start with. I don't notice a difference in my pore size... I think the size of my pores goes unnoticed throughout the day about whether its large or not.  

I didn't experience a lot of breaking out while using this product. I noticed that I did get two extremely large pimples, this would have bothered me, however my pimples did not all come at once. (First I had a huge pimple on my chin, which went away in about 2 days, then I had a huge pimple form on the side of my forehead which disappeared after one day). I figured this was all part of the skin getting worse before getting better part. 

Overall, I do like this product a lot. I did read other reviews that others have written and noticed each person experienced different amounts of time that it took for their skin to get better. It only took between a half a week to a week for me to start seeing positive results. For others its taken between 1-3 weeks and a few lucky people saw positive results in one day. So it does vary between users. 

I do recommend people trying this product, but only if drugstore products haven't been working because compared to drugstore brands Clinique is pricey. Keep in mind when trying this product to have a lot of patience, because as I said before the time it takes for this system to start working varies. For some people it happens very soon, for others it may take a few weeks. Unfortunately, theres no way to tell. If you do end up purchasing this product and don't see positive results right away, I recommend you keep using it for at least 3 weeks before giving up on it. 

If you have any questions or want to share your experience with Clinique 3-Step Acne Solutions System feel free to ask below.

The kit I bought came with a 4.2 fl oz bottle of Foam Cleanser, 6.7 fl oz bottle of Clarifying Lotion, and 1.7 fl. oz tube of Clearing Moisturizer. I also got a bonus gift with my purchase that contained two make up bags (one medium size and one small size, both ave pink floral print), a travel size clinique mascara, a lipstick & lip gloss duo, eyeshadow duo with blush compact, travel size eye make up remover, and small travel size dramatically different moisturizer. (I did not add the names of the products because I'm too lazy to grab them, but I have posted a link at the beginning of the post if you want to know the exact bonus gift). This kit (excluding the bonus gift) retails for about $49.50 (I think).