It has been a long time since I discovered one of my favourite skincare products in the history of skincare. I’m talking about the classic Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel. I think that it’s one of the most best selling products from Clinique and I totally get why. Recently I noticed that I was running out of my old bottle, so I hopped over to the Clinique website and discovered they now had this Jumbo Set available. Since I am a huge fan of this moisturiser I obviously immediately ordered it well, I’m over the moon with it. I know I have reviewed this moisturiser already, but that was quite some time ago. Which is why I thought it might be fun to review it again, now that I’ve been using it for a very long time and actually gone through a 125 ml bottle of it. So, if you want to read about my updated opinions about this moisturiser, make sure you continue reading this post!
Let’s start off like we always do by discussing the packaging. I’m pretty sure that most of you have already seen this product a million times. It has been around for absolutely ages and I’m sure it will stick around for much longer. The Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel comes in a lot of different shapes and sizes. There are little tubes of it, pumps and all of those come in lots of different sizes. I personally am the biggest fan of the bottle with the pump, but the tube version is really easy for on the go. Mine is actually currently at my boyfriends’ place, which is why it’s not in the picture. I hope you can forgive me for that.
The thing I really like about the packaging is that it’s just full on yellow. But not an ugly bright kind of yellow. No it’s actually a really pretty shade. The pump on it is silver, which looks really good with the yellow, and I think that it works very well. You can easily dose the amount of product coming out, so nothing will go to waste!
When you’re buying the jumbo set you get a 200 ml sized bottle with pump and in addition to that you also get a tube with 50 ml of product. That means that you are getting a total of 250 ml of moisturiser! That’s a hell of a lot if you ask me. Normally moisturisers come with 30, max 50 ml. Not 250! That’s just insane. And looking at the price it is not expensive at all. If you’d be getting 250 ml of lets say La Roche-Posay Duo Effaclar you’d be down about €95! How impressive is that?!
Clinique Big Genius, Little Genius Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel Set – €45
Before we go any further into this review, I do want to mention that there are two versions of this product available. You have the gel one, which is great for combination to oily skin, but there’s also a lotion version. Lotion might still not sound like an incredibly moisturising thing, but that’s where you’re wrong. I also tried that one and it’s extremely, extremely moisturising. So if you do happen to have somewhat dryer skin, you might want to take a look at that version.
However, I personally have combination to oily skin, which means that the gel version works way better for my skin and my skin problems!
Having said that, let’s take a good look at the claims Clinique has made regarding this product. They say that this moisturiser will soften, smooth and improve the skin. It is customised for oilier skin types and it combines all-day hydration with skin-strengthening ingredients for skin that looks younger, longer. The formula is supposed to be non-greasy and it should absorb easily without residue. They say that the glycerin and sodium hyaluronate in it provide immediate hydration, while the sunflower seed, barley and cucumber extracts help to strengthen the skin so more moisture stays in. The silica absorbs surface oil, helping to balance and refresh oilier skins.
One thing that I really like about the claims is that they say that it will help to balance oily skin. Lot’s of products just take the oil away and leave us feeling very tight and uncomfortable. When something will balance your skin it won’t bluntly take away all of the oil, but it will make sure that there’s no excess oil. Some oil needs to be on your skin in order for your skin to realise it’s okay and no more needs to be produced. By taking away all of the oil, you’ll only make your skin more oily than it already is. I really like that Clinique understood that theory.
And in fact I do think that this is an excellent product for oily skin. I have struggled a lot with my greasy skin and nothing seemed to fix it. Until I found this product. It’s the perfect balance of everything your skin needs. First of all it has a phenomenal texture. It is a gel-based formula which means that it’s pretty lightweight and very easy to massage into the skin. It’s also a very smooth formula to the touch. And that’s a feeling I have never felt before in any skincare product. That’s actually the thing that made me fall in love with this product.
Once you’ve applied it your skin will actually feel really fresh and nice, without feeling dry, tight or greasy. It just feels nice and hydrated. And like Clinique claims, there will be no residue left and your skin will soak up the moisturiser in just a couple of seconds.
In the short term this moisturiser will prep your skin for the day. Whether you’re going to apply makeup on top or not, it’s a great product to use to start your day off. It will make your skin feel really smooth and soft and it will make you feel comfortable. It will take away the excess oil, so you won’t have a sticky, greasy nose. But it won’t make you look dull. It really does it all for you.
In the long term I do like this even more. I have noticed that if I keep using this, without switching it up too much with my other moisturisers, it makes my skin look really nice and calm. It removes the texture on my skin, making it as smooth as never before. It also makes my skin look hydrated and more healthy over time. It really is a clear difference.
In terms of oil production I do think this moisturiser helps me out a lot. In the short term you can already tell some differences, but in the long run these become even more clear. My skin has been so much less oily than it used to be. Especially throughout the day I notice a lot of difference. Normally my skin got so shiny after a couple of hours and when I come home from school my skin is ready to fry some fries. Now it isn’t like that anymore. Of course it doesn’t cure my oily skin, but it does make it more manageable.
The last thing I want to say about this moisturiser is that it’s just the perfect product to use underneath your makeup. I’m not saying it’s like a primer, but in a skincare kinda way. It preps your skin really well by smoothening it and making it less textured. But also by making your skin feel and look hydrated and controlling the grease. This makes my makeup go on so much prettier and better and it makes it look so much prettier throughout the day.
I think it’s pretty clear that I’m in love with the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel. I have to say that normally I do switch my skincare up so often. But lately I’ve been using this exclusively and looking at what it has done for my skin, I’m ready to settle down with it. For years I’ve been on the hunt trying to find the perfect product to control my oily skin and this is it. This is my moisturiser on the white horse. That’s really weird but in a strange way I mean it. It really is the best of the best and I do highly, highly recommend giving it a try if you do struggle with oily skin. It will be worth it!
That’s pretty much it for today. I hope you enjoyed reading today’s review, and be sure to let me know what you think of the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel. And if you haven’t tried it, let me know if you’d ever want to or not and why!
Eigenlijk heb ik dit product nog nooit echt uitgeprobeerd, maar het ziet er wel enorm fijn uit zeg <3!