Clarins Gentle Night Cream

Clarins, Clarins, Clarins. We've come a long way. Hello, White Plus HP Essence? When 大姐 gave me her bottle many calendars back, it was my go-to essence/serum for years. While I've tested so many other pots and vials, you're still my favorite skincare brand. Most of your lines, such as the Hydra Quench and Multi-Active, have been great experiences. Except now that my skin has become sensitive and became acquainted to Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate and absolutely loved it, afterwhich it was only natural to venture into your Gentle Night Cream.

It comes in a white box with the peach color scheme of the Gentle Treatment Range. 

Trivia: J.C.C., or Jacques Courtin-Clarins, simply added Clarins to his last name when the brand became increasingly well-known. 

I like the satisfying, secure sound the peach cover makes when capped on the round 50ml bottle. 

Usage instructions.

Clarins is one of the few beauty companies that remains family-owned. I hope they continue to be such for a long, long time, because they have steered clear of chemicals more found in products of beauty conglomerates.  

Product description.

Quite an experience to push the airless pump bottle. 

The product is stark white and quite smooth and creamy. It's moisturizing without being overly oily/rich. 

Spread out, it dries down to a semi-matte finish. It is not a cream that one can use in the day, unless one has very dry skin. It seals in moisture throughout the night. It did not me break out, and gave no redness and irritation either.The nutty scent is quite comforting and dissipates in no time. While my skin was not especially supple or glowing in the morning, it did provide balanced moisture without any negative side effects. This is saying a lot coming from my mildly rosacea-c skin that reacts to almost anything. Overall, I would recommend it to sensitive to hypersensitive skin-types. 

The pamphlet.

Products under the Gentle Treatment Range. 

Ingredients list. 

Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel

It's easy to tell by now that one of my favorite brands is Clarins. During a visit to England, I happened to catch their Daily Energizers range, currently unheard of in Asia.  

Over there, they give samples freely and happily so. Here, I always have to contend with snotty SAs responding to my requests as if I were very odd indeed. 

The small sample I got cleansed my face very well during the wintry time I was in the land of the Queen. It left my face clean, soft, and balanced. So off I went to purchase a full bottle to use at home.

This is the latest range to be introduced to Clarins, and is meant for people from 18 to their late 20s. It is interesting how Clarins is trying to capture the entire spectrum of age groups; whereas before it has only covered the 30s and up market. 

I agreed to the above when I first used up the sample in cold climes. 

The Daily Energizing Cleansing Gel is a gel-type cleanser containing saponaria and moringa seed extracts to refresh and cleanse, respectively.

As always, a message from J.C.C.

Product description.

It comes in a tube bottle that retails for £10, cheaper than most Clarins cleansers as a whole, but its measly 75ml content makes it more expensive per ounce in actuality.  

Once opened, the scent is hard to miss. It is a glorious, lovely scent -- soft citrus with sweet notes that calms and invigorates at the same time. If I could have it my way, I would have all my cleansers smelling like this cleansing gel. 

The cool water in the am and warm water in the pm instruction worked very well when I tried the sample. 

Alas, back in Manila this cleanser did not work. It stung my eyes, for one, which is very odd for I did not have that experience before. It was also very drying, making my face raw and sensitive to touch. It is really peculiar how the same product can vary greatly in results in different locations. I am starting to think it could be because Manila provides soft water, and where I visited they use hard water. Overall, this is a good product but would depend on one's location/type of water used and skin sensitivity. The product also lasted me for only a little over a month, quite fast for a cleanser which I normally go through in three months' time. 

The pamphlet. 

Product description.

Ingredients list. 

Clarins HydraQuench Cream-Mask

I have had a great start with Clarins' HydraQuench line, beginning with the cream-gel moisturizer when it was first released. For those with normal skin, it is one of the good moisturizers around (except that it contains alcohol). Since I started my sheet mask routine some years back, it is a weekly maintenance that has become a habit. The HyraQuench Cream-Mask is a wash off type mask that promises to restore the skins' moisture balance. Let's see about that. 

In recognizable Clarins' packaging.

Product description.

Jacques, yet again.

Cream mask in a tube. 

The SA did say the mask is safe to spread over the eye area, and so far I had no reactions doing so. It is supposed to be left for 5 to 10 minutes, and removed with a toner. I wash it off with water instead. My ideal time with this mask is 5 minutes, any more than that will cause my face to react -- not exactly sure why. When I do follow the 5-minute constraint, I am left with soft supple skin. It is worth noting that I use this after I wash with the Clarisonic Mia; I use both products once a week. 

The hole is small enough so the product is easy to control. The cream smells like the rest of the HyraQuench range -- a fresh, plant-based fragrance.

Creamy white product. Overall, this mask provides basic moisturizing properties; I would probably not repurchase because it does not provide other benefits for me, and it being a tricky business not being able to leave it on for too long without a reaction.

Pamphlet. 

Products under the HydraQuench line. 

Inspiration from nature. 

Ingredients list. 

Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream-Gel

Let's see . . . my dermatologist is aware I am a product junkie . . . what she doesn't know is I have strayed from Neova R2 Serum (her prescription), and have been slapping my face with Clarins Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream-Gel instead. Hee-hee!

The Multi-Active range is an anti-ageing line formulated for women in their 30s. There is a slight disconnect between the SA's spiel and Clarins' official words on the box. According to the Clarins counter this range is for women 25 and up, while the official website and box state that it's for women in their 30s. Regardless, since the Daily Energizers (Clarins' answer to 18 to late 20s skin) are not available in Asia, and the Multi-Actives have excellent reviews from sensitive-skin types, I bought this moisturizer when I finally gave up on Juju Aquamoist Hyaluronic Acid Essence and Mandom Barrier Repair Concentrate Serum. 

The box cover comes with an embossed "C."

Opening . . .

Hello! 

As always, Jacques reminds us of his values from the wings of his boxes. 

The cover is in clear plastic crystal. The body is made of heavy frosted glass. I think this packaging is an earlier version of Multi-Active Day. The most recent release looks like this. 

Inside is a soft pink concoction of heaven. It feels like whipped cream and smells like a garden of delicate flowers (not sure what, exactly). It has a soft, not too powdery, very comforting scent that lingers only as the product is being applied. 

The cream-gel texture is a cross between traditional cream formulas and plain gels. The result is a mixture that gives adequate moisture without an oily residue, which is what is ideal for a day moisturizer. This left a soft, matte finish on my combination/oily sensitive skin. Even after a few days of use I can see that it has been beneficial for my skin. For one, it did not break me out nor clogged my pores. It also made my skin softer and somewhat brighter (looked less stressed). It must be that the product provided proper levels of moisture because that is the only way that the skin can look balanced and more relaxed. My pores were also smaller because of this. I cannot stress enough the importance of moisturizers. A good one can do wonders for the skin.  

Pamphlet intro. 

Nature most often provides the best remedy for humans (with a little help from science). Clarins has been combining its flora knowledge and technological expertise to produce and market their products. I spot the Multi-Active Day Cream contains ambiaty, which can only be obtained from the high planes of Madagascar (vernonia appendiculata leaf extract), katafray, a skin protectant (cedrelopsis grevei bark extract), nipplewort (lapsana communis flower extract), green tea (camellia sinensis leaf extract), and roseroot, which improves mood and alleviates depression (rhodiola rosea root extract). 

This 50ml jar lasted me four months with daily use. This is a moisturizer that I would recommend to everyone who wants a day cream that simply does the job with no fuss and that also includes anti-ageing ingredients. It comes in three variants - cream gel, comfort cream, and one for "all skin types."

Ingredients list. 

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm Collection

Last Christmas I was surprised by my sisters with Clarins' Beauty Flash Balm Collection (thank you 大姐 and 三姐). The Yuletide-themed box features red balls and ribbons.  

It contains the famous Beauty Flash Balm, Instant Definition Mascara in 01 Intense Black, and Natural Lip Perfector in 01 Rose Shimmer. 

The three products are meant to bring instant results into one's beauty regime. 

Opening . . . the box reveals a gold cosmetics case. 

The box states it is made of recycled materials. Eco-friendly is the way to go.

The case features an oval shape made of soft material. It is laterally roomy but may not easily keep tall bottles or bulkier products. These three wonders fit perfectly inside.  

The Beauty Flash Balm comes in its original 50ml size, while the Instant Definition Mascara and Natural Lip Perfector come in 3ml and 5ml sample sizes respectively. 

Beauty Flash comes sealed hygienically with a foil on the opening. This product has actually been around for a long time and is one of Clarins' classic releases. I remember trying this for the first time many years ago and loved the effect it gave. The product comes out as a peachy-flesh color which disappears into the skin when applied. It has a plant-based scent which lingers for a few minutes and dissipates. I find this product to have the best effects when used sparingly. Too much and the skin looks oily and tired. When the perfect amount is used (usually a small squirt) it really does its magic of making the skin look brighter and more revitalized. It can even work as a primer for normal/dry skin types. I personally use it on its own as it is already a little too heavy for me to top up with foundation or powder. I like the glow it gives but I don't use it every day as it has a tendency to clog pores. 

Above the pamphlet introduces two ways of using this product -- as a booster or as a mask. I haven't really tried using this as a mask as this method comes across as too rich for my skin type. 

The Instant Definition Mascara comes in a black tube with a gold metallic cap. 

The pigments in this mascara produces an inky black effect when applied to the lashes. 

The brush has short bristles and tapers to a narrow tip. I find this kind of tip helps reach into the inner lashes more easily. The best way to apply this mascara is to layer when it has slightly dried. It can be a bit too heavy for my sparse lashes, so I only use minimal coatings. Sometimes when I use too much it makes my lashes clump together. However, at the right amount it separates the lashes and gives a dark, smokey effect that is very attractive. It doesn't have curling properties so an eyelash curler is best paired with this product. Overall, this is a mascara that needs an expert hand, and not really one that is easy to use on an everyday basis. It does "dress" the eyes in an instant by giving it a sooty look. 

The Natural Lip Perfector comes in a pink tube befitting its Rose Shimmer shade. The golden cap adds a nice elegant touch to the look. 

Above is the applicator in pristine condition. The white fuzzy-textured tip gives way to a pink shade. This lip product is not really a lip gloss or a balm. It comes out as a pinkish gel-type liquid that coats the lips subtly with color and understated shine. The best part is it moisturizes the lips and makes it healthy-looking. I feel my lips are nourished throughout the time I wear this. There are two other shades in Apricot and Nude Shimmer, which I would definitely look into. This product is probably my favorite lip product of all time because it is practical and satisfies my beauty-related needs at the same time (not to mention the wonderful scent that accompanies it). 

The Instant Light series continues above. 

Ingredients for Beauty Flash Balm. 

Ingredients for Natural Lip Perfector and Instant Definition Mascara.