A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Not another wine lipstick I hear you say!

Well sorry chaps, my infatuation is far from over.  Not only that but today brings another Clarins offering, similar but (at the same time) quite, quite different from the Clarins Rouge Prodige that I showed you last week.

Unlike the Rouge Prodige, the colour of this one when applied is as you would expect from looking at the bullet, there are no shade surprises here.  The new range of Rouge Eclat lipsticks offer what Clarins claim to be their first age-defying formula that boosts collagen and protects against dehydration.

From reading the blurb, you’d expect to find a super-glossy lipstick with a slippery formula and incredibly light texture, not so.  I found this Rouge Eclat to offer more substance, a firm texture and a pigmented finish.  There’s enough slip to keep it feeling comfortable but no more than is strictly necessary.  Something which affords the lipstick greater longevity, in other words… you’re not sacrificing a long-lasting lipstick for greater hydration.

The packaging is frankly, a bit of a disappointment. It reminds me of Bourjois Sweet Kiss in terms of styling but without the nifty opening mechanism.  Basically, it’s not up to Clarins’ usual luxe standards, too much acrylic and not enough gold.  When you do something so well Clarins, keep doing it!

The scent is the same across the line of lippies, quite pronounced… fruity, I’ve always called it fig… Clarins call it blackberry & liquorice(!) so never trust a fragrance review from me ever again.

#107 Red Wine* leans to the cooler side of the spectrum with a distinctly mauve edge, it’s quite a vampy choice for Spring but looks beautiful when patted onto the lips more lightly than in the swatch above.

Overall, the Rouge Eclat lineup fills a niche within the brand’s current range but I was less impressed with the packaging and I wasn’t entirely sold on this shade.  Emma from Escentual has done some great arm swatches of the range and I have to say, #05 Pink Berry and #08 Coral Pink look like cracking shades for Spring.

Clarins Rouge Eclat #107 Red Wine is available to buy on counter, priced at £18.50 and online from escentual.com, priced at £14.80

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I can’t remember on whose blog it was that I first saw Dark Cherry from the Clarins Rouge Prodige lineup of lipsticks but it spoke to me.  It’s one of those lipsticks that hits the perfect balance between a number of shades to create “the ultimate” lust-have.  I actually don’t think it’s a very “cherry” shade despite Clarins telling me that it so is.  It seems to contain the magic amount of brown to create a neutral vampy lip that leans neither to cool nor too warm.

I’m aware that I’m not making much sense… but to be honest, I bought this lipstick based on shade alone and I am genuinely struggling to put into words just why I felt that I had to own it.  All I can say is, I’m pleased that I do.

Yeah, I nicked the bullet.  BIG SOB.  *applies lipstick*.  Over it already.

Said it before, say it again – Clarins do yum-yum packaging that’s kinda old-lady without being remotely old-lady.  Still not making sense.  The thing is, it’s all weighty and shiny… the gold is straight out of Nana’s handbag and yet, let’s face it… Nana’s wouldn’t have all those bevelled edges and tasty angles.  The formula is consistent with the other Rouge Prodige lipsticks I own, a tiny bit draggy until it warms up (which it does quickly), intensely scented (fig I believe?), and lasts very nicely thanks to a grippy-grippy formula.

You can see that it applies lighter on the lips than it looks in the tube, and really suits (if I do say so myself) my cool-toned colouring.

Clarins Rouge Prodige Dark Cherry Lipstick is available to buy online from www.escentual.com, priced at £14.00 (bargain!)

Can we please have an all-together-now chorus of “it’s tooooo cold!”.  Is anyone else finding it harder-than-usual to adjust to the plummeting temperatures?  I was doing ok until about a week ago, when things seemed to take a leap from chilly to arctic.  Anyway, with the big freeze only just beginning, I’ve been battling it off with this lovely face and blush powder from Clarins.  Part of their Autumn/Winter collection, it gently injects a little warmth and colour without looking “bronzy”.

As much as I want a bit of warmth on my face, I don’t want to look like I’m desperately hankering after a bit-part in Benidorm.

I will never tire of the classic elegance of Clarin’s packaging.

The Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder offers a trio of shades that should suit all skintones, I’ve swatched them below and you can see that there is slightly less difference on the skin as there appears to be in the pan between the two tan shades.  I would say that the darker section is slightly more orange-toned, and the lighter tan a little cooler, which is why this set doesn’t “oompah, loompah” me.

Unlike the more summery offerings, this palette is also very matte.  There’s no shimmer and not even a hint of luminosity – which is actually a bit of a shame because Clarins does luminosity in their face powders better than any other brand I know.

Having said that, on my skintone, this works more as a blush than a face powder and I don’t have any issues adding some highlighter to my foundation instead.

 Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder is a very nice choice for adding some warmth to your complexion without looking like a summer-desperado.

This limited edition product won’t be around too much longer but is still available online at clarins.co.uk (£30) or even better, you can currently grab it at the special price of £24, from escentual.com

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My fondness for mineral powder foundations seems so at odds with my complaints about the pesky flaky bits that my combo/dry skin enjoys tormenting me with but as-long as I don’t go overboard, I nearly always get good results from them.  Having said that, I’m quite particular about how I apply them…

I prefer to use them to “boost” coverage over a light liquid base.  I rarely apply mineral power foundation onto bare skin. I’m sure that’s probably quite unusual… but I find that I get really good lighter-looking, full-coverage results doing it this way.

Clarins have released a new mineral powder foundation, Skin Illusion Mineral Powder Foundation.  The packaging although as luxurious-looking as you’d expect from the brand, is a little bit of a pain to work with in reality.  After grappling with the brush a few times, I’ve now ditched it – not because of quality issues, but just because it’s easier to treat the pot as a generic container rather than an entire application system.

The shade shown is #105 Nude – the lightest shade available in the UK and two shades darker than the lightest available in the U.S.  The fact that this shade even works on my skintone should give some idea about the versatility of the product.  I’d say that it’s a touch too yellow for my very pale, cool skin-tone but as you’ll see at the end of the post, it doesn’t make an awful lot of difference.

The powder is finely milled, velvety in texture and once applied, I’d describe it as medium to full coverage.  The overall finish appears matte but not completely flat, I’m assuming that this is down to the pink opal powder which promises to deliver luminance to the skin.

In the before/after picture below you’ll see that my skin was pretty red and blotchy – definitely a full-coverage day.  As I’ve said already, if I want a full-coverage base, I’d usually start off with a tinted moisturiser rather than build up layer after layer of powder foundation but for the purposes of this review, I applied just a single layer of the new Clarins Skin Illusion Mineral Powder Foundation onto bare skin instead.  I’d also usually finish off the application with a light spritz of toner to ensure that the product fuses with my skin and removes any powdery residue – but again, I haven’t done that on this occasion.

I’m pretty impressed with the coverage (for a single layer) and it definitely doesn’t look too matte.  Longevity was fine and actually, it’s only now that I’m writing the review that I’m appreciating how well it manages to control oil as my nose rarely shows signs of losing coverage halfway through the day when I’m wearing this.

Clarins Skin Illusion Mineral Powder Foundation is priced at £28 and available to buy on counter and online at clarins.co.uk (but I’d recommend checking Escentual.com for a MUCH better price first!)

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I don’t know if I’m just naturally stupid or if it’s developed with age but I only realised this week that prunes… you know those wrinkly things that your Nan used to serve you with custard to keep you regular, are in fact, plums.  Dried plums.  Did you know this?!  Why didn’t anyone TELL me?  I mean… I never thought there were such things as prune trees but I didn’t make the connection either!

Anyway, huge tangent aside…

Clarins have released a new mascara for Autumn, and in their infinite wisdom, have decided not to call in Prune mascara.  No Sir!  This is Plum mascara – see how that sounds so much better?

Clarins Instant Definition mascara in Intense Plum is a hit of purple-y goodness that stays natural looking, there’s no electric violet lash injections going on here.  This is a mascara that won’t limit your choice of eyeshadow when you wear it and works nicely to jazz things up a little bit in the eye makeup department.

The formula is on the dry side – something I favour in a mascara for giving greater control during application and quicker va-va-voom results but these drier formulas do sometimes last a little less time before hardening in the tube – although the neck seal on this one does feel pretty tight.  The wand is interesting, quite rigid and small – making it great for stubby lashes with an even narrower tip to tickle even the tiniest of corner lashes with colour.

Overall, the results are pretty.  There is clumping on the second coat, but I don’t mind defining the above as pretty clumping.  I have enough lashes in the lash-line for a little bit of clumping to work for the effect rather than against it but if you crave total separation and flutter… you might not like.  I felt that this one gave me Bambi lashes that looked really nice from a distance of more than 3 foot – any closer and I was a little bit aware of da clump.  The colour was a nice touch that didn’t overpower but gave an added interest.  No problems with longevity/flaking/smudging etc. etc.

Clarins Instant Definition Mascara in Intense Plum is priced at £20.00 – it’s a Limited Edition release for Autumn and is unlikely to be available for much longer.

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I’m very slowly building up steam and finally have more than just my fish-eye lens in situ at the new place, time for some swatches!  Clarins have released an entire rainbow of new mineral (pressed) eyeshadows that are designed to be used both wet and dry.  I was sent a selection to take a look at and they’re classically Clarins, both in appearance and in application.

I’ll go through the shades, one by one.

White Sparkle (01) makes for a great tear duct highlighter, it has that sheer luminosity thing going on without too much of a metallic edge.  I can see this shade also working very well to introduce a bit of sparkle as a layering shadow. Like all of the shades I’ve tried, it’s sheer but build-able and of course, can be applied with a wet brush to create a more intense effect.

Auburn (07) is a warm-toned brown with a light shimmer.  Some skin-tones may struggle with the red hues in this shade but if you’ve got green eyes and pale skin, you’re onto a winner with this one!  Used wet, it also makes for a pretty variation on your usual eyeliner.

Aubergine (12) was a slight disappointment, I found this satin shade applied with more patchiness than I’d like and also had a harder texture in the pan than the others.  Nevertheless, a very pretty shade for brown-eyed girls in particular.

Platinum (14) is a steel grey with a hint of sparkle, there’s a slight colour shift in there that reminds me more of something that you’d find in one of my violet-toned taupes than a silver/grey!  It’s a pretty shade that’s deceptively complex when compared to how it looks in the pan.

Vibrant Violet (16) is the classic violet satin with a distinctive blue flash – this was another which felt slightly more firmly-textured but still imparted an impressive streak of colour to my lids.

As with all Clarins’ releases, the packaging is satisfyingly luxurious and touchable.  The large mirror is generous and actually pretty usable in a real-life situation.  Formulas were a little variable in the batch that I swatched but were, as you’d expect, generally sheer but build-able.  This is something that I’ve come to appreciate Clarins do very well – gone are the days that I want instant and deep pigmentation (unless it’s a black!), these are all infinitely layer-able but ultimately won’t disappoint you when it comes to colour payoff either.  If your heart does desire va-va-voom style pigmentation, you could apply these with a wet brush – or go seek out a Sleek counter.

Longevity was good, I don’t apply an eye primer every morning nowadays (pure laziness) and these easily stayed put for the working day, around 7/8 hours before fading – there was no slidey migration into the socket crease at all.

The new range of Clarins Mineral Eyeshadows are available to purchase in a total of 16 shades, available now on counter or online, priced at £16 each.  Alternatively, head to the lovely Escentual.com who are always more than competitive on the Clarins range, where you’ll find them priced at an extremely palatable £12.80 a-piece.

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I’ve been wearing a lot of kohl lately, reaching over my usual liquid liners in favour of a smudgier, more deconstructed look than normal.  This Summer, Clarins have released one of the most-beautiful-to-hold kohl liners that I’ve ever used.  The Clarins Kohl Kajal promises a soft, creamy texture that’s both deeply-pigmented and delivers a long-lasting formula.

I know that there are many different methods of applying kohl kajal and I tend to hold the larger-than-normal nib horizontally, running it along the lower waterline back and forth to build pigmentation before squeezing my eyes shut and hoping for a good amount of transfer to the top lashline!  I’ve never really been able to simultaneously run the nib along both upper and lower lashlines.  At least, not without my eyes watering.

The beauty of kohl is that its softness really delivers product into the base of the lashes, making them appear thicker and giving your eyes greater definition.  The Clarin’s version allows great manouverability with the application thanks to the cleverly designed packaging, you can tell I’m digging the packaging right?

It’s not all good stuff though as this doesn’t deliver enough pigmentation to make me delirious with joy.  Although quickly buildable, if you do the transfer method of application like me, you’ll be squinting like nobody’s business in an attempt to increase the depth of colour.  This does make it more suitable for work-appropriate looks but I do like a bit of inky blackness from my kohls!

The formula smudges easily (in a good way) but resists migration down my face admirably despite the warmer weekend weather.  I wouldn’t say that it ever fully “set” on my eyes (I was able to go back in and blend out further an hour later) but it remained on my waterline for a good few hours and between my lashes for the entire day.  It’s perhaps the perfect solution if you’re looking for a subtler version of the Indian kohl pencils.

Clarins Kohl Kajal is available to buy on counter and online at Clarins.com, priced at £15.00

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I adore these collector face palettes that Clarins release, I don’t know how they manage to create such softly luminous powders but whatever it is, it’s working.  Really, really well.  I can speak only for my combo/dry skin type but for me, powders are a tricky thing.  I want something that will set my foundation, concealer and cream blush but I don’t want it to mattify too heavily.  Sure, I need to take the edge off the shine on my t-zone but I also want it to impart a luminosity to my complexion.  Basically, I want it all.

Clarins’ Spring 2012 offering is more warm-toned than their Autumn face palette.  I find it perfectly wearable on my cool-toned skin though, so don’t let that put you off.  The Colour Breeze Face & Blush Powder* imparts the same kind of luminosity whilst setting both liquid and creme products well.  It’s sheer and it’s flattering.  Ultimately, it’s everything I’m looking for.  Again.

It’s not quite as pretty as previous versions but I’m not afraid to use my makeup and take off the oversprays etc, so that doesn’t bother me.  Between these and the Guerlain Meteorites, I just don’t think that I need to explore any other powder options for dry skin.  Holy Grail people, holy. grail.

Also, just to be super-brilliant, Escentual.com are currently offering this at a saving.  You can buy online for £25.00 (that’s £5 less than RRP).

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Palettes are a busy girl’s best friend.  They require no effort when it comes to colour-matching, you just pull it out and get applying, safe in the knowledge that you’re not gonna look hideously “wrong” afterward.

I thought I’d quickly share my current three favourite neutral palettes.  Well, seeing as I mostly just wear neutrals, they’re probably my three favourite palettes full stop.

1.  Clarins Ombre Minerale 4 Couleurs Eye Quartet in Rosewood – review and swatches here

2.  Elizabeth Arden Color Intrigue Eyeshadow Quad in Velvet Plumtones – review and swatches here

3.  Wet n’ Wild Color Icon Trio Eyeshadows in Silent Treatment – review and swatches here

Told you it was a quick one!  Do you have a current favourite neutral palette or are you more of a singles girl?

Three new lip colours have joined the permanent range of Clarins Rouge Prodige lipsticks this Autumn and although they’re new shades for fall, they hark back to the Summer we never had.  Let me tell you why…

Summer 2011 was all about the glossy, sheer look for lips with shades like Chanel’s Boy making the biggest waves across the beauty blogosphere.  Clarin’s Autumn lineup has included three new Rouge Prodige colours* that replicate the sheer, glossy trend but in a more Winter-appropriate formula that’s less balmy and longer-lasting than the Summer offerings.

Rouge Prodige True-Hold Colour & Shine Lipsticks include include the new shades:

#105 Peach Sorbet
#115 Rosy Coral
#123 Creamy Toffee

Here’s a closer look…

The Rouge Prodige formula continues to feel quite different to most other lipsticks.  For a long-wearing texture, it feels moisturising on the lips and fairly tacky, though not in a gloopy, lipgloss way.  These don’t dry my lips at all but you may find the stickiness a little awkward if you’re prefer a matte-r feeling.

Here’s how they look applied and in context with the rest of the face.  You can see here that each shade is fairly transparent with a hint of base colour.  The most pigmented is #105 and I felt that each shade would particularly suit specific skintones: #105 for warmer skins, #115 for cooler skintones and #123 for darker complexions.

The new shades add polish and shine to a made-up face without injecting too much colour.  Balm fans will be delighted to find a longer-lasting alternative to the Summer trends, colour-freaks?  Not so much.

The new Clarins Rouge Prodige shades are available to buy now online at Clarins.com and on counter, priced at £17.00 each.

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Phew, what a mouthful!

Clarins Ombre Minerale 4 Couleurs Eye Quartet in Rosewood is a new release from the French brand and comprises one palette from the new 6-piece eye collection for Autumn/Winter.

The packaging includes a face chart displaying some useful positioning tips for makeup newbies.

Four mineral shades that can be used wet or dry.  Two satin shades, a darker eye shadow liner and an iridescent highlighter.  The highlighter is very sheer and provides a sophisticated sparkle rather than any real colour.

Swatched dry without base or primer.  Around two/three swipes each.

The Rosewood palette contains four very wearable, neutral shades that would suit most skintones.  It’s a sheer but buildable palette – something that I’ve come to expect from Clarins.  If you want immediate, intense pigmentation – you’re looking in the wrong place.  If you want something that you can wear to work without fear of overcooking it, this could be just what you need.

You can see from this (rather goofy) FOTD that the palette provides a delicate iridescence.  I think it would really suit anyone who feels they might be a bit too mature for sparkle or metallics but aren’t quite ready to go down the all matte route just yet.  I found the shades to be exceptionally long-lasting though the darkest (and most matte) was not quite as smooth as I would have liked.

Clarins Ombre Minerale 4 Couleurs Eye Quartet in Rosewood is available to buy on counter or online at Clarins.com, priced at £30.00

* press sample

Clarins have released a radiance powder this Autumn which promises to melt into the skin for a naturally radiant complexion.  For a dry-skinned gal like me, those claims make my heart beat just a little bit faster.

Let’s take a look at their new and limited Color Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder…

The theory behind the varying hues in the palette remind me of my Guerlain Meteorites.  My understanding of this colour correction is that the lilac tones should normalize any sallowness while the deeper pink will give a lift/highlight to the complexion.  Those harder working pixels sit on a base combination of beige and peach to create an overall luminous finish.

Isn’t it pretty?  OK, so it’s lacking the WOW! factor that the Guerlain delivers but as a Computer Repair chick in my alternate life, that pixellation speaks to me.

The packaging is as luxe as you would expect from Clarins, the signature pale gold – so shiny that the outside totally works as a mirror.  I should know, I plucked my eyebrows using it because I was both too lazy to find my proper mirror OR actually bother opening the compact to use the ‘proper’ mirror provided.

The Color Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder is firmly textured, I don’t get any product dust when sweeping my brush over the surface.  I’d recommend using a natural hair brush to pick up the powder as you could well be there all day with something that doesn’t grab product so efficiently.

The effect is subtle but noticeable, it seems to soften the effect of my pores but unlike my Guerlain Meteorites, leaves behind no trace of sparkle.  If you’ve always wanted the luminizing, softening effect of the Meteorites but were concerned about the sparkle, this could be the product you’ve been waiting for.  There *is* sparkle in the peach shade (the indented parts of the palette) but this doesn’t seem visible on my skin.

The swatch shows it looking quite pigmented, but it’s not – You’d have great difficulty using this as a blush… which is just as well really, seeing as it, err, isn’t one.

Overall, this is a really strong offering from Clarins and if there is nothing similar in their core product line, it SO shouldn’t be Limited Edition.  I’m flagging this one up as something that should be checked out on counter ASAP – it’s cheaper than the Guerlain, sensitive noses will be pleased to hear that this isn’t highly-scented and will be more forgiving on oilier skins.  It’s a realistic and worthy alternative to the iconic Guerlain Meteorites.

A FOTD showing a sheer/medium coverage foundation with the Clarins face powder dusted ontop (and a bit of a “Tim Nice but Dim” smile).

Clarins Color Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder is regularly priced at £30 and available on counter and online from Clarins, FeelUnique (*cough* £27) and Escentual.com (£24 *chokes*)

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