Clarins Winter 2011 Releases

Makeup for me stays pretty constant throughout the year – quite a tanned base, bronzed peachy cheeks, lashings of mascara and a nude lip. But sometimes during the winter it is nice to add a touch of glitz and glam with a sprinkling of shimmer here and there and when I saw the new Clarins Christmas 2011 collection, I instantly thought it would be perfect for this! The colours are simple, easily incorporated into my everyday look and add a hint of winter warmth to my makeup. I was lucky enough to be invited to Clarins HQ to have a sneak peek (I took Yu with me, who did a post about it too on her blog), which was a very swanky affair, with a self-opening/slightly creepy big wooden front door kicking off proceedings! The event was really intimate with only a handful of bloggers there which meant we got some real one-on-one advice from the Clarins ladies themselves, who spoke us through their lovely new collection..

Firstly what struck me was the gorgeous gold, and pretty heavy outer casing – it screams luxurious! The Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Smokey Passion contains 3 powder shadows in a reddy copper, cocoa brown and black, plus a silver cream shadow, which can be used for highlighting, layering or adding texture which I thought was a nice addition. I actually wore the copper shade blended all over the lid the other night to a family doo and my Mum loved it so much she wore the same (what a copy-cat)! Now the Rouge Prodige Passion Rose Lipstick isn’t usually a shade that I would go for if I’m honest, a deep plum with a slight hint of bronze running through it, however I find it strangely flattered on my lips (they are quite pigmented), and makes a nice change for the winter. I have to say that my favourite piece for the new release is the Passion Face Palette, not only does this palette carry some serious weight (you could use this as a paperweight), it is stunning! It has an art deco design on the outer casing which is also  etched into the powder, it’s a peachy, slightly luminous powder that when dusted all over the face just makes it look glowy and gorgeous. I did think it was a bit shimmery when I first swatched it, but this was just due to a golden spray-on overlay which is easily removed after a few uses and now this powder just ‘finishes’ of my look. Difficult to explain, but just very very nice. At £35 it definitely isn’t the cheapest thing, in fact it’s the most expensive item out of the collection, but if you want a real Christmas treat for yourself – then this is. 

Now onto some skincare. Skincare is my main indulgence at the moment, I love the feeling of taking my makeup off in the evening and slathering on my own mix of cleansers, toners, serums, moisturisers and oils. Mmmm mmm! I had previously been using the Liz Earle SuperSkin Concentrate, which I still rate very highly, but this has been replaced for the last 2 weeks by a recent re-release from Clarins…

Clarins have re-packaged some of their longest standing products; this face oil, along with 2 others for various skintypes and 3 body treatment oils were created back in 1954 and have remained unchanged since – the only thing updated is the packaging! All formulas are 100% natural essential oils and preservative free, the perfect thing to pop on at bedtime. I have been absolutely loving oils at the moment for my hair, body, nails and then this on the face – I don’t think I’ve ever looked so nourished lol! I smoother this on (2 tiny drops is all you need), over my face after toning and then rest my sleepy little head. In the morning my skin looks pretty darn good. It’s £29 for 30ml, and you seriously need the tiniest amount for your whole face – this is gonna last an age! Like I said I have only been using it though for 2 weeks, so I’ll reserve judgement on it just yet. But so far, so good!

What are you thoughts on Clarins? It’s personally a brand that I’ve always had good experiences with! I brought my first ever high-end foundation from them back when I was like 17, plus their Natural Light Lip Perfecter is my fave ever gloss – they have a good track record! 

Much Love,

Vivianna x