It’s 2019, but I’m still slowly working my way through the sunscreens in Sephora’s Sun Safety Kit 2018. My goal is to try them all before the 2019 kit comes out (I’m guessing sometime in April-ish?). The brightest (peppiest) option included in the kit was definitely Clinique Pep-Start Hydrorush Moisturizer SPF 20. It comes in a tiny, bright yellow squeeze tube, which makes it look like sunshine in a bottle.

Legally Blonde was on TV this weekend. I happened to catch the part where Elle visits Brooke in jail and brings her a gift basket that includes the full line of Clinique skincare products. It turns out that Clinique has been quite successful at product placement in movies and television. That comes as no surprise—the brand has highly recognizable packaging, including the signature pale yellow color of its Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (and Gel), which is the topic of today’s…

At first glance, gel-based moisturizers seem like a virtuous choice for oily/combination skin. They tend to market themselves with appealing terms like oil-free, non-comedogenic, lightweight, and hydrating. But beneath that innocuous messaging lives a dark, untold truth…many of them contain fragrances and dyes, making them less than ideal for those of us with sensitive skin.