Clarins Satin Finish Age Defying Lipstick: 01 Nude Rose

For Spring 2013, Clarins released a new formula in their lipstick range, Rouge Eclat – Satin Finish Age Defying Lipsticks, which combine highly nourishing, age-defying benefits with luminous , satin finish colour. The formula is enriched with plant based waxes of mimosa, jojoba and sunflower, and also contains cocoa butter and a Nutri-Youth Complex, which according to Clarins, helps to create fuller, younger-looking lips with every use. 

There are 15 shades available in the range, which contains some really nice, soft nudes and pinks (sweet Rose & Petal Pink), as well as some brighter, more vibrant colours (Juicy Clementine & Pink Fuchsia). I've been on the hunt for a new nude lipstick recently, so I opted for one of the more natural colours n the line up, 01 Nude Rose, which is a soft, natural, fairly light, nude pink. 

Now, I'm not sure about the Nutri-Youth Complex and antiaging claims, but I will say that the formula, texture and feel of Clarins Age-Defying lipsticks are really lovely. The lipsticks have a blackberry and liquorice scent, which is a bit different and actually quite delicious It's quite strong upon application, but fades fairly quickly after the colour's been applied. The lip colours have a soft, buttery texture, which glides on nicely and creates a full opaque finish with a couple of swipes. The formula feels incredibly comfortable and light-weight (almost balm like but with less slip), and feels quite hydrating, too. I was really quite surprised at how comfy these do actually feel on the lips considering the colour pay off/how pigmented they are. 

Clarins Nude Rose, Armani 04, Dior 384 & Guerlain 550

Above, Nude Rose swatched next to some other pink-y/rose nude shades; Armani Shine Lipstick 04, Dior 384 Rose Scenario, and Guerlain Beige Nude 550. And below, a photo of the shade applied.

As with most hydrating formulas, I don't find lasting power to be great , but I do get a good 4 hours wear before I need to reapply, and a delicate stain is left behind as colour fades. I imagine the subtle stain would be much more noticeable with the darker, more vibrant shades from the range. When the colour does wear off, I've found my currently dry lips still feel quite soft and comfortable, so the cocoa butter, plant based wax formulation does seem to do a pretty good job at keeping lips nicely hydrated. 

Overall, I'm really impressed with these lipsticks. The comfortable, lightweight formula feels lovely, and Nude Rose is a fantastic natural shade that seems to work well on my fairly pigmented lips. I've been a big fan of the brand's foundation for years, but have never paid much attention to the rest of the make-up on offer. After trying their Age-defying lipsticks, I'm very tempted to give some of the lip products a go (the Joli Rouge Brillant Perfect Shine's look like a nice optiion for summer), and have my eye on a few other shades from the Age-Defy range, too.

All of the shades are available from escentual and cost £14.80.

Clarins Everlasting & Clarins Skin Illusion Comparison

Those of you who have read any of my previous posts have probably seen me mention Clarins Everlasting foundation. I've been using it for the last year and a half and really seem to get on well with it. It's one of the few full coverage foundations I've tried which feels light weight and holds up well on my oily skin. Clarins have recently added a new foundation to their range (Skin Illusion), so I decided to grab a couple of samples last week to try, and see how it compares to Everlasting.

Clarins Everlasting Foundation (105 Nude)

 

First up is Clarins Everlasting which is described as 'a long-hold foundation that stays true, ensuring a flawless complexion'. The base is available in fifteen different shades (most swatched here) and also contains an SPF 15. It has quite a thick, creamy consistency, is watermelon scented and is incredibly easy to apply and blend. It's described as medium to full coverage, but I'd definitely say it's more full. It covers any redness and blemishes on my face perfectly without the need for concealer, but doesn't feel heavy or mask like. I'd say the finish is matte, but not overly so. Some matte foundations leave my skin looking really flat, Everlasting mattifies but still looks pretty natural and skin like. As the name and description suggest, it's supposed to be a long-lasting base, and I have to say it does do well. My skin's oily and Everlasting keeps it shine free for five to six hours (longer in the colder, winter months) before I need to blot. It's not the longest lasting foundation I've tried (Estee Lauder Double Wear wins that prize), but it's the longest lasting foundation I've tried which actually looks and feels natural. 

Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation

Next up is Skin Illusion natural radiance foundation which is described as 'a hydrating foundation with a texture that feels as refreshing as a spritz of spring water. A formula which smooths, evens and enhances the complexion, and delivers a spectacular "barely there" finish'. Like Everlasting, Skin Illusion is available in a wide range of shades which cater for a variety of different complexions. It also contains an SPF (only 10) and as far as I can tell, has a similar watermelon scent. The consistency is quite a lot runnier in comparison to Everlasting, but is still easy to apply and blends effortlessly.
Now, I was expecting the base to offer very little coverage after reading the 'barely there' description, so I was quite surprised at how much it covered when I tested it. It definitely doesn't cover as much as Everlasting, but does conceal minor imperfections well and evens out skin tone nicely. I suppose I'd describe coverage as light to medium, probably more so medium, though. The finish is semi matte and leaves skin with a subtle, glowy finish which looks really natural. Skin Illusion is described as hydrating, so I wasn't expecting it to be particularly long lasting on my skin type. After trying it over the last few days, I can say that it doesn't do a bad job. It's definitely not as good at keeping the shine at bay as Everlasting, but I do get around three-four hours of wear before I need to blot my oily areas (t-zone).

L-Clarins Everlasting 105 & R-Skin Illusion 104

(I normally use 105 Nude in Everlasting which seems to match my NC15/NC20 skin tone well. My skin's slightly darker at the moment, though and 104 seems to be a better match in Skin Illusion).

Both are really nice foundations, and both have something slightly different to offer. Everlasting is perfect for those who need a long-lasting, heavier coverage base. Skin Illusion would be great for those who have normal, dry or possibly combination skin and want a base which feels light weight, provides medium coverage and leaves skin with a slightly glowy finish. I'm sticking with Everlasting for now, but may give Skin Illusion another go when the weather cools down and my skin is less oily.

Clarins Truly Matte Foundation Swatches

I've been testing out a new foundation over the past few days (Clarins Truly Matte) which I'm really liking. I'm fairly happy with my current foundation (Clarins Everlasting) but thought I'd give truly matte a go since the weathers starting to get warmer and my skin tends to be really oily in the summer.The base is described as a super-sheer, super-covering stay-fast, oil-free foundation that gives skin a perfect matte finish all day long. Even when it's hot! Coverage is described as medium to full but I'd say it's definitely more medium.

There are only six different shades available (only five at my counter) which seems like a pretty poor selection really, I managed to find quite a good match with Pale Ivory though. It's not a perfect match for my NC15 ish skin tone but it's not bad. The product is fairly runny in consistency and like other Clarins foundations I've tried, quite heavily scented. I actually don't mind this but I know others do. Truly matte seems to apply really well, gives you plenty of time to blend before it starts to dry and feels quite nice on skin too, pretty light weight. Lasting power seems to be great and I've found I need to touch up/blot less when I wear it because my skin stays relatively shine free.

L-R 02 Pale Ivory, 05 Shell, 07 Tender Ivory, 08 Sunlit Beige, 10.5 Apricot

Shade order as above

Overall I really quite like Truly Matte but feel the coverage isn't quite enough for me at the moment. I think I'll be sticking with Everlasting for now and may come back to this when I have slightly less to cover.

Clarins Everlasting Swatches Update

Just a quick post with a few pictures of the Clarins Everlasting swatches I promised last week. I only had time to swatch half of the shades available last time I visited the counter so I've updated with the five darker shades from the range.

Clarins Everlasting L-R 103 Ivory, 104 Cream, 105 Nude, 107 Beige, 108 Sand, 109 Wheat, 110 Honey, 111 Toffee, 112 Amber, 113 Chestnut

As above but with flash

Clarins Everlasting Foundation Swatches

A few weeks ago I posted a little bit about a foundation I'm really loving at the moment, Clarins Everlasting. It's a medium to full coverage base that's designed to be long lasting and natural looking and I have to say, it's really good stuff. I've been using it for the past few months and love the excellent coverage it gives and how light weight it feels when I'm wearing it. I'm also really impressed with the fact that it hasn't irritated my fussy skin or caused any issues with break outs. I only posted a swatch of the colour I'm currently using (105 Nude) when I wrote about it and thought it might be helpful to swatch a few of the other shades on offer so I stopped by at the Clarins counter today.

L-R 103 Ivory, 104 Cream, 105 Nude, 107 Beige, 108 Sand

L-R 109 Wheat, 110 Honey, 111 Toffee, 112 Amber, 113 Chestnut

 

Has anyone else tried Everlasting? What are your thoughts on it?

Clarins Perfecting touch review

According to Clarins, perfecting touch is a product that's designed to smooth skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and imperfections. It's a thick pink paste that can be used either before foundation or base make up application, mixed with foundation or used over specific areas after you've applied make up. It's a product that's supposed to disguise flaws, fill in pores and create a base that make up sticks to for longer. 

How to use it

I normally apply like I would any other primer (before foundation) to areas I feel need it. These are mainly on my cheeks where I have some enlarged pores and also along my jaw where I have a couple of scars from previous blemishes/breakouts. The pink paste becomes colourless and invisible as it's blended on to skin and has a smooth, velvet like texture that I'm not entirely sure I really like.

Clarins Perfecting Touch

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch

Results

After application my skin feels softer, pores look less prominent and my face has a matt appearance. I definitely wouldn't say my flaws disappear which is what you're told this product will do on the Clarins website but my skin certainly looks a lot more even which is great. The velvety texture which I mentioned before is something that I'm not keen on as it makes my skin feel powdery and almost waxy which is a feeling I'm not used to but is something I'm willing to put up with if the look of my skin and foundation is improved. 

The foundation part is where the product fails a bit for me. I find it harder to blend anything properly over the top of the primer, something that surprised me a bit as the product is supposed to make this task easier. I think the fact that it's quite powdery in texture perhaps causes too much foundation to stick to skin? which in turn makes it harder to even the product out. I'm also slightly dissapointed that I've seen no improvment in the lasting power of foundation when I'm using this.

Clarins primer

Will I be buying again?

While this stuff does even out and generally make my bare skin look better, I'm not sure I'll be repurchasing. I rarely go without base make up/foundation so for me perfecting touch seems pretty pointless. For those of you who skip foundation or maybe just apply a little bit of concealor, it might be worth checking it out.

Do you use a primer? Which one?

Clarins Everlasting Foundation

I have to admit I'm a bit of a foundation junkie really, over the years I've tried most of the medium to full coverage foundations out there. I've sampled pretty much everything that Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC, Dior, MUFE, Guerlain and most lower end brands have to offer. The most recent addition to the foundation collection that I've really fallen in love with though, is Clarins Everlasting. Clarins Everlasting is a medium to full coverage base which comes in a fairly large range of shades and is designed to be, as the name suggests, long lasting.

Clarins promise that you'll get up to 15 hours of wear which is a bit of an exaggeration, I find I get a good 8 to 9 with a couple of touch ups on my oily skin. The coverage is medium buildable and does a great job at covering up blemishes and imperfections without feeling heavy on skin and I'd say the finish is matte but very natural looking.

The shade range is pretty good and seems to cater well for lighter skin tones. I tested Cream 104 and Nude 105 which are quite similar but I found Nude was a slightly better match on my NC15 skin, Cream was slightly too dark and looked a little bit orange.

Clarins Everlasting

Clarins Everlasting Foundation: Nude

Clarins Nude 105 Swatch

So how much does a bottle cost? Around £23.50 for a standard 30ml bottle.