Event: Clarins

Clarins is one of those brands that I feel aren't talked about enough, even amongst us who prefer high end brands. I've approached them so many times over the last year, for lipgloss, eyeshadow, foundation and cleanser out of pure curiousity, but I never know what they're really about. So when Anna invited me to be her plus one for the Clarin's blogger event, I was more than happy to join her!

Now I haven't even been to that many events (i.e. I've been to 1), but I felt it was such an informative event! It was hosted in their head offices in Cavendish Place - needless to say, our jaws kind of dropped when we rang the bell and the heavy wooden door slowly opened automatically.. FANCY! (I didn't tell Anna this but my inner Sherlock Holmes fan girl was squealing as this is where Dr. Watson moves out of Baker Street to :P)

There was a lot of swatching going on, but that's a given at a beauty event. I think the thing that set it apart was how engaging the hosts were. Not only did they entertain us with Jini's Michael Buble stalking expeditions, but she told us so much about all the products we were oo-ing and ah-ing over. It was kind of like, "Ooo what's that?" "How about this?" "And this?!" and they'd be like a little encyclopedia for us! :P The most interesting things I found out were..

1) Clarins' make up is also skincare. They will always have incorporated some sort of their skincare technology into the make-up products.

2) They are all about natural finishes - even the hottest pink lipstick is sheer and wearable.

3) The products centre around plants and their natural power (however they never seem to explicitly claim their ingredients are all natural - so a bit confusing/misleading with all the plant pictures - that's marketing for you I guess! :P However, I've found out they never test on animals! :))

4) They have a fragrance section, of which Thierry Mugler and Swarovski is under! As a Mugler noob, it was so interesting to hear about how revolutionary he actually was! He was the first one to dye the liquid, and he doesn't use a single floral tone?!

Thierry Mugler atm has several limited edition EDPs of Alien, Angel and Womanity. One of the sets is Taste of Fragrance, where he's added a food to the original formula! Swarovski also has limited editions of their Aura perfume, including one with a refillable bottle (which will be good for all you faithful Aura lovers - eco warrior mode!) and a whopping jeweled shell-like bottle with concentrated Aura sold for £950 - caj ("casual".. in case that wasn't clear :P).

The event was arranged in such a great way and in an appropriate sized space for the amount of people there. There were 2 full stands of Clarin's make-up, a wall of Thierry perfumes and an empty space in the middle for us to congregate in, which was nice so we could have a chat with each other and with the staff.

One of my favourite things at the event was the individual consultations we all got with their head of treatment, Marie. She walked us through this Skin Care Planner pamphlet and told us what products would suit us, what the product does and how often we should use them and how. I really appreciated this because it was so individually tailored, relaxed and really informative as to how your skin technically behaves.

All their displays were brand spankin' new and I couldn't help but feel guilty swatching everything and making a right mess! But after all the trying and testing, swatching and speculating I've come up with a list of favourites/potential purchases..

Skincare:
*Gentle Foaming Cleanser for Oily/Combo Skin
*Lotus Face Treatment Oil

*Water Comfort One-Step Cleanser with Peach

*Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner

*Body Treatment Oil "Relax"

Make-Up:

*Everlasting Compact Foundation

*Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour

Perfume:
*Thierry Mugler Alien Taste of Fragrance EDP

We were absolutely spoilt rotten with goodies, which they took the time to customize for us - and I must say they did an amazing job! I'll be sure to be posting about my favourites soon! :)

Usually the sheer amount of product, and simple labels being too simple and not too descriptive, and the French being well.. French to me (har har), I never knew what anything was, or how they were organized. But seeing it in a pamphlet and having them talk us through it was really helpful and it really organized the brand out in my head. If they had something like the pamphlet on the counters, I think it'd be loads more approachable, cuz looking at the range, it's clear they've thought through every potential skin problem incredibly thoroughly! :)

So thank you to Anna for inviting me, and the Clarin's team for having me - I had such a great evening, and it was such a good opportunity to learn more about the brand!

Have you tried anything from Clarins before?

What are your favourites? :)

<3yu

*PR Event