Clarins | Brand & Product First Impressions

Clarins is a brand I’ve honestly hardly given a second glance to. I’ve tried their Waterproof Mascara and while it was good – I just don’t love waterproof mascaras… so I didn’t take my Clarins trial much further.

Enter Clarins engaging one of Australia’s top PR firms and suddenly I can’t stop seeing it all over my Instagram feed. Thankfully I was lucky enough to receive some goodies from the brand (with no obligation to share, may I add) and I was very excited to be able to trial them – and have some reviews to share with you today!

I received the Skin Illusion Natural Hydrating Foundation, SOS Redness Primer and three of their Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils.

First up, let’s chat primer. I used to use anti-redness primers constantly two years back when I had a lot more skin issues than I do now. When I first saw this I wasn’t all that excited until I realised – I tend to do my makeup post-gym of a morning and I don’t know about you, but my face goes tomato red after I work out so it’s definitely a product that has come in handy. I still use my usual mattifying primer on my t-zone and use this over my cheeks and forehead.

The formula is very creamy – the only other anti-redness primers I’ve used have felt more silicone-based so this was a very welcome and pleasant surprise when I first used it. I’m not sure how it goes regarding adding longevity to my makeup, but it creates a nice base and I quite liked how products applied over the top. It didn’t leave my face looking super green afterwards but did make a difference to the redness level on my face.

*also VERY important to note – this primer has a pump, so it’s a 10/10 on packaging.

Here’s a little swatch!

Next up we have their Skin Illusion SPF15 Natural Hydrating Foundation. I was matched to the shade 100.5 Cream which is the lightest shade in their range, and as you can see from the swatches below it is a very good match… initially.

I’m torn by this foundation. I want to love it, but I also don’t.

It has a beautiful light-medium yet buildable coverage. Basically you can do whatever you like with it. I built it to a medium coverage so you could still see freckles poking through. It’s a foundation that leaves your skin still looking like skin – it really is a natural looking foundation. It wears well throughout the day on the majority of my face – naturally it does wear off on my nose, and it does so by the oils seeking through and looking ‘wet’ rather than the product breaking up. That’s my preference – because a quick dab of powder has it looking fresh again. All in all performance wise it’s pretty fantastic so far. I can’t say that I agree or disagree with the ‘hydrating’ claim – but it definitely didn’t dry out my skin

My problem with this foundation is it oxidises SO bad. I thought it did the first two times I tried it so the next time I trialled it I tested a quick drop of the product on my hand before applying it to my face, then swiped another next to it around 15 minutes later after finishing a full face.

This is the result…

Yeah. It speaks for itself really, doesn’t it? It’s disappointing because other than this I adore the foundation – the finish and wear is beautiful, but the colour just changes so badly. If you’re maybe around an NC20 in Mac this would work for you because of how it darkens, but if you’re much lighter you won’t find a match unfortunately.

I’m going to keep playing around with this foundation because other than the oxidisation it’s pretty much ideal – so if I make it work I’ll be sure to update you! My plan is to play with some lightening drops… or fake tan!

Swatches Bottom – Top: Clarins 100.5, Revlon Colorstay Buff 150, Too Faced ‘Swan’, Urban Decay Naked Skin 1.0

Next up we have three of their Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils. The Clarins website describes these as “lip care that nourishes and comforts [and] deposits a non-sticky, subtly sweet coat of shine on the lips”.

My first impression of these was a bit of a struggle – the applicator as you can see is larger than your average doe-foot contraption and I found it pretty difficult to wiggle out of the packaging. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing though – I’ve had lip oil products leak in the past so I take comfort in the challenge.

I definitely agree that these are comfortable to wear on the lips – it is a thick, hydrating oil and it definitely isn’t sticky which is something I’m incredibly grateful for. All of the oils smell delicious and have a unique and sweet scent that thankfully isn’t overpowering.

Bottom – Top : Shade 1 Honey, Shade 2 Raspberry, Shade 3 Red Berry.

I wish that the oils were a little more pigmented, but that isn’t the aim of the product. The tint and the oil last around 3-4 hours without wearing off unless eating or drinking which is something I really love. It is a product that’s so easy to apply and so comfortable to wear and I’ve been reaching for them daily – in fact the Honey shade has been living in my car recently because it is just so hydrating.

Overall, my first impression with Clarins products is pretty great! I’m a big fan of the primer and an even bigger fan of the Lip Oils. I desperately want to be a fan of the foundation and I’m going to be trialling lightening drops and things to hopefully counter the effect of the oxidisation because the formula is so absolutely lovely ! The foundation is something I’d recommend testing a sample of before purchasing to make sure your shade stays your shade… but the rest I’d recommend purchasing in a heartbeat!

I can’t wait to try more from the brand – thoughts?