This month French beauty house Clarins brings out its limited edition Contouring Perfection Palette (£36) which comes with a specially shaped curve brush to give the ultimate contour to faces, whatever their shape. This first contouring palette for the beauty giants will help to create flattering angles which will enhance features for a complexion that is luminous with defined contours and sculpted cheekbones.
The sleekly designed gold box contains three shades perfectly tailored to suit all skin tones. The formula is enriched with plant extracts to nourish the skin, whilst Clarins exclusive Anti-Pollution Complex protects from external aggressors.
Demo’s and trials are available on-counter at Clarins counters nationwide, but, in short, the way to achieve contouring perfection in three easy steps is, I’m told, by using the matte beige to highlight and illuminate, bronze to add depth and contour and rose to add a pop of colour. And not a Kardashian face in sight. Simple!
The full downlow is that the highlighting shade creates volume, brightens areas to be highlighted and illuminates the face. This shade should be applied to the arch of the eyebrow, under the eyes, and as a light touch on the upper and lower lip. The contouring shade allows you to hollow, sculpt and reshape your face through an optical effect. It is applied evenly to the forehead, moving down over the temples, beneath the cheekbones, the jawline, along the bridge of the nose and on the chin. The blush shade adds a healthy glow as a finishing touch to the apples of the cheeks. The palette includes a beautifully curved make-up brush which will hug facial contours - and allow for easy application too. Boom!
Also new from Clarins is the Instant Eye Reviver, Multi-Active Eye (15ml, £35 - available from February 2017). This fab new eye care product is inspired by the latest technological advances in plant power, and is aimed at counteracting the effects of a stressful lifestyle. Late nights, trouble sleeping, hectic days… You know the drill. The ‘science bit’ of it can be explained by understanding that a hectic lifestyle and lack of sleep can lead to an overproduction of free radicals which attack and wear down the fibroblast, the cell responsible for a youthful eye contour, as well as damaging blood capillaries. When a fibroblast becomes worn out, it no longer plays its part in maintaining the skin’s youthfulness, leading to fine lines and a loss of radiance whilst damage to the blood capillaries can make them become more porous, leading to excessive leakage of blood pigments, causing visible damage to the eye contour (that’s when we say hola! to dark circles and puffiness).
The eye contour area is 3-5 times finer than the rest of the face, meaning that it is usually the first to show visible signs of ageing. Clarins research has shown that the main concern of women in their 30’s & 40s, when it comes to their face, is the eye area, so the refreshing cream-gel texture infused with illuminating pigments, will even out and optically blur the look of fine lines to give an immediate smoothing effect. The cryo-metal tip instantly lightens and brightens the eye area, but users are advised to utilise the pads of the fingers first, applying the cream-gel, pressing lightly for a draining effect from the inner to the outer corner of the eye. Then the cryo-metal tip should be applied in the same way to provide a cooling, de-puffing effect, pressing lightly from the inner to the outer corner of the eye.
At the heart of this product lies teasel extract which is used in two innovative ways. Beneath its prickly exterior, teasel extract helps to revitalise and protect tired, stressed skin by encouraging the production of the energising molecule Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP) that helps fight free radicals. And then there’s the encapsulated teasel extract. It’s complex to explain, but Clarins laboratories have used cutting edge technology to develop the Cell Targeting System in which teasel extract is encapsulated for the first time. Once protected from the harmful effects of a stressful lifestyle, the fibroblast is able to stay at full capacity to promote a youthful looking eye area. The encapsulation of the teasel means it directly targets and penetrates the fibroblast where it will release revitalizing teasel, making it 40% more effective in targeting and repairing the fibroblast than if it was not encapsulated.
The fatigue-fighting properties of teasel extract also limit the porosity of blood capillaries helping to fight dark circles and puffiness.
Can I order for life please?!
And just because I spent my late teens and most of my twenties using only Clarins, I thought a little recap from the ‘Multi-Active’ family was timely.
Multi-Active Range Multi-Active Day Cream for All Skin Types
Clarins’ age-defying plant extracts go beyond prevention, helping to visibly correct the appearance of early lines and wrinkles. A perfect formula for neutralising the harmful effects of fatigue, stress, pollution and UV damage — so your skin stays smooth and protected. 50ml jar...£42.00
Multi-Active Day Cream for Dry Skin A rich, moisturising texture, the Multi-Active Day Cream for Dry Skin will nourish and soothe skin whilst fighting the effects of fatigue and stress on the skin. 50ml jar...£42.00
Multi-Active Day Cream SPF20 A silky-smooth cream that will lock in moisture and help to fight the first signs of ageing. Containing SPF 20 skin will stay nourished and protected throughout the day. 50ml jar...£42.00
Multi-Active Lotion SPF15 A light weight lotion to help prevent new wrinkles from forming with SPF 15 protection. A perfect formula for neutralising the harmful effects of fatigue and stress—so your skin stays smooth and protected. 50ml pump bottle...£42.00
Multi-Active Night Cream for Normal to Combination Skin Think of this as eight hours of sleep in a jar. Clarins’ moisture-rich, anti-stress treatment works the nightshift, when skin is most receptive to renewal. Enriched with California Poppy, a flower that closes its petals at night and regenerates itself, you will wake feeling refreshed and revived. 50ml jar...£44.00
Multi-Active Night Cream for Normal to Dry Skin A rich textured cream that works the nightshift, when skin is most receptive to renewal. Enriched with California Poppy, a flower that closes its petals at night and regenerates itself, you will wake feeling refreshed and revived. 50ml jar...£44.00