Review: Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Swirl Compact SPF30PA++

Who isn’t familiar with CC Creams by now? You aren’t? Where have you been, dude? It was all about BB Creams and now I think most brands already came up with CC Creams. CC Creams are usually colour correcting creams, and this one by Clinique is no different. The only difference, compared to the rest I’ve tried, is that this comes in a compact.

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Swirl Compact is a lightweight formula that provides sheer to medium coverage. It is not called Moisture Surge for no reason. If you’ve read my review on Clinique Moisture Surge, you’d know that it provides hydration to the skin. So what’s in a name when it doesn’t do what it’s called? This CC Cream provides hydration and UV protection of SPF30. I would still wear sunscreen underneath merely because I don’t use enough of this CC Cream. I tried several application techniques, from using the sponge provided, to brush to fingers, and find that less is more. I’d take some product using my fingers, swipe some on my face and blend it out using a brush. Applying with a sponge feels too heavy, and dipping a brush into the pan takes too much product, hence a heavy application again.

This CC Cream is supposed to help create a natural, healthy glow by neutralizing the look of imperfections with three Colour Correcting (CC) optics that are swirled into the entire formula:
- White swirl helps brighten skin.
- Pink swirl helps correct dull, tired-looking skin.
- Peach swirl helps correct sallow, unhealthy-looking skin.

Yes, that’s the swirl you see in the middle of the compact. A friend commented it looked like coffee to her. LOL! Picture below shows you that once I used the compact, the swirl isn’t as apparent anymore. I still see a trace of it, so I’m pretty sure it’s consistent throughout the pan. The CC Cream only comes in 3 shades which are Natural Fair (featured here), Natural and Natural Beige. It definitely looked much darker in the pan than when swatched. Natural Fair suits my skintone quite well. It is light with slight yellow undertones. I would say it is more of a neutral. For reference, my skin at the moment is about MAC shade NC15-20. As you can see on the unblended swatch on my arm, the pink and peach are quite prominent. However, when worn, it just blends in perfectly.

This is how it wears on my skin, as I wore it for the Matte Beauty post. It looks natural, applies smoothly, and evens out my skintone. I don’t need full coverage at the moment, so this is enough for me. I do set it with powder because it’s a habit of mine, and even when I don’t set it with powder, my face doesn’t get oily. I also noticed this CC Cream doesn’t oxidise on me, so the colour remains consistent. It wears quite well – everything still looks fresh after the 5 hour mark

One thing you might want to note is that the refill pan and the case are sold separately. The refill comes with a sponge and it retails for RM125, while the compact case is RM50. If you need another sponge, it’ll set you back RM18. Again, if they won’t be changing the packaging in the next few years, then I’m all for this more environmental friendly concept. However, it does piss me off when they change the packaging or the size of the pans every year, making it pointless having refills and cases separate. The Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Swirl Compact is available at all Clinique counters nationwide, and you can also purchase it online.

xoxo Lily