laura10801's Full Review: Clinique Super City Block Oil Free Daily Face Prot...
I've been using the Clinique City Block Daily Face Protector for several years now. It started with SPF 15, and then moved to SPF 25, and finally Clinique Super City Block Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 40. All of these products have served me well.
First off, allow me to explain that I have Rosacea, a skin condition that causes extreme sensitivity to a boggling assortment of skin products including many sunscreens. There are 2 kinds of sunscreens, chemical sunscreens, and barrier sunscreens (like zinc oxide, which I have always associated with the thick white stuff life guards used to use on their noses). People with Rosacea are much less likely to have a flare up when they use barrier sunscreens. The active ingredient in Clinique Super City Block Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 40 is indeed zinc oxide.
I first heard about Clinique City Block when I was diagnosed with Rosacea. I started doing research into which products are the best to use for people with the condition. I was surprised to discover that there are dozens or hundreds or thousands of products that are specifically for Rosacea sufferers, that actually cause flare ups in large numbers of people with the condition. The one sunscreen that was mentioned repeatedly as being tolerated was Clinique’s City Block. Needless to say, I immediately got the product.
Over the years the line has changed a bit, the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) has gone up and the product is now tinted. This was a big turn off to me initially, but I quickly discovered that the tinting helps hide the Rosacea and is pretty much invisible. I sometimes use this product as a very sheer foundation for makeup. There are claims that it is safe to use on your eyes as a foundation, but I have not given this a try.
It goes on very smoothly and evenly. I have to pay attention because sometimes I cannot tell where I have already applied it. I have found that it does a fine job of protecting me from the sun. Situations that would have given me a sun burn have left me unscathed when I used the product. I’m told by my dermatologist that, even though it is oil free, there is no reason for me to us a moisturizer when I use Clinique Super City Block Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 40 because it does moisturize despite being oil-free.
This is not the perfect product, though. I do not believe this is meant for heavy sweating or swimming. I find that it comes off fairly easily with water, so if you do plan to swim expect to see it on your towel and expect to reapply it. I do not know how it tolerates the sweating that is associated with sports, but I would take a good guess that at least some product might run into your eyes.
On the other hand, Clinique.com gives the following directions for use: “Using fingertips, smooth evenly over cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin. Blend. Follow with foundation, if desired. Must be removed with an appropriate makeup solvent.” This makes me wonder if maybe it is more durable than I believe it to be. Being fair skinned, and very sensitive, I would not take the chance of finding out the hard way.
Comparatively speaking, at $16.50 for 1.4 ounces, you are paying a lot of money for not a lot of product, however if you look at it as a cosmetic, it is a bargain. As far as I am concerned, anything that protects my skin, moisturizes, and doesn’t cause a Rosacea flair up is a bargain.
High-level daily sun protection in a sheer, weightless formula. For all skins, even the most sensitive. Offers SPF 40 protection from sun's UVA/UVB ra...More at Sephora
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