Review - Clarins Eclat du Jour Range...

When I was wandering through Boots in my hometown the other day, I was delighted when I was approached by a Clarins representative, telling me that I could claim three 'Mini-Treats' from Clarins' Eclat du Jour range and have my skin evaluated for free right then and there. Never one to give up a great freebie, my sister and I both went for it!

The lovely lady took a look at our skin and asked us a few questions; you know the sort, 'Are you prone to breakouts?', 'How would you describe your skin's overall health?' etc. So you know, I would say that I am prone to breakouts, around my chin in particular (she determined that this is hormone-based, and when I admitted that these breakouts arrive about a week before my period it was official). I also said that my T-Zone kind of alternates between being greasy and dry. And so it was decided - I have Combination Skin. Once my sister skin was described as falling into the 'Dry' the lady gave is a mini-catalogue each, circling the skincare routine (and hence items) which would be right for us on a daily basis. She then left us for a couple of minutes, and when she returned she had three mini-products for each of us; a cleanser, toner and moisturizer for me, and a cleanser, exfoliating peel and moisturizer for my sister. She showed us how each of the items work (the peel was particularly interesting... whilst I don't fully understand the science behind it, it basically dissolves and dis-attaches the dry skin from your face allowing it all to be rubbed off... definitely an investment I might make in the future!) It was as easy as that! In ten minutes we got three mini Clarins products that were specifically chosen for our skin to go and try in the comfort of our own home for FREE!!! Result :) The best part? The lady on the counter admitted that most Clarins counters provide this service all year round, even though they may not advertise it, so next time you're in Boots or a department store with a Clarins counter, just run along, say something like, 'I'm interesting in purchasing some Clarins

skincare products for my daily routine, but I'd like some samples to try first, could you please help me?' They should be willing and eager if my Boots-lady is anything to go by!

Anyways, so naturally we tried the range as soon as we got home and the mini-products have actually lasted me a whole week when I used them once a day. I can honestly say that the condition of my skin has massively improved. Here are the products I was given and a quick review on each:

Product name: Clarins Daily Energizer Cleansing Gel

Product claim: 'A refreshing foaming cleanser that leaves your face squeaky clean and super soft. Essential skin care for radiant young skin.'

Personal experience: Despite not usually liking foaming cleansers, I actually got on quite well with this. A pea-sized amount was enough for my entire

face and worked up a very rich lather, feeling really luxurious and creamy. Plus the product smells very refreshing and pleasant, although not usually what I would go for... I prefer menthol, or minty smells in my cleansers. Despite my anticipation during use that my face would feel quite moist following use of the product due entirely to the richness of the lather, I was actually quite disappointed as my face felt really quite tight after I'd rinsed it all off and dried my face. However, upon close inspection of my pores, my face was indeed cleaner than it probably had been for a while. I soon got used to the drying quality and I have had quite a 'clear skin week' since starting use

of the product. Also, my skin was super-soft after I'd used it and it was a great wake-up call in the morning Perhaps I'm onto a winner! 8/10

Price in store: £10.50 at www.boots.com

Product name: Clarins Daily Energizer Wake-Up Booster

Product claim: 'Recharges skin energy and revives a healthy glow. Its moisturizing action

ensure a soft, smooth look while its toning benefits refresh and provides a pleasant feeling of well-being. The complexion is radiant and luminous.'

Personal experience: I don't often use toners, and when I do I only use them in the evening to remove any excess make-up my cleanser may have missed. Again the scent was pleasant and the product did remove the remaining traces from the day. However, I did not feel that the action carried out by the product was 'moisturizing' at all, as again I experience the tight, drying feeling. Then again, maybe that is due to my skin being 'toned' as I assume 'toner' is supposed to do... I did like the product, but wouldn't use it every, perhaps only those when I wear make-up as I'm concerned it might dry me out a little too much and it's not very comfortable once it's been used. Again though, it did revive me when I tried it in the morning one day as it's a nice cool liquid with a refreshing smell. Not bad. 6/10

Price in store: £15.00 at www.boots.com

Product name: Clarins Daily Energizer Cream Gel

Product claim: 'A refreshing and light cream-gel that delivers ideal hydration and a matte finish. Non-oily, it’s also a perfect base for make-up. An innovative combination of plant extracts. An energizing cream-gel that refreshes skin, ensures a matte result and ideal moisture balance all day long.'

Personal experience: I can't quite decided how I feel about this product as I usually prefer a thicker, creamier formula. However in this case, the moisturizer is in fact a gel. This is in order to combat any oiliness that may reside in my skin, and I do understand that... And yet I still felt quite tight all over and didn't quite enjoy that sensation. When I was spreading it across my face I felt it turn powdery and matte almost instantly so I eventually worked out that patting it across my face worked better. That isn't to say I didn't like the mattifying effect - quite the opposite, it worked wonders during my foundation routine and I used way less powder than usual - I just didn't want it to dry before it had reached all areas of my face. I found it really interesting that a gel such as this could have as nice an effect as a thicker cream! Great success on the whole, plus I loved the smell. My face stayed pretty matte all day as the brand claims, so I was really quite impressed! 8/10

Price in store: £19.50 at www.boots.com

Overall I was really happy with Clarins. I love a brand which has enough confidence in itself that they provide product samples for free - they know that you'll come back and buy. I am almost positive that once my Liz Earle products are all run out I will be investing in the Clarins cleansing gel and the cream gel also.

So now you know how great my experience with the brand has been, it's up to you! Take care of your skin and don't stay with the products you already have, just because you're used to them. There may be better for you out there, so request samples whenever you can. Your face is on show every day, don't you think it deserves the right treatment? Make sure you make Clarins your first stop!

Take care and thanks for reading :)

gabriellasofia

SPRING Clean Time!

There are many of you out there who are not aware of my most recent project and the reasons why I have taken this on... I guess you could call it a secret which I am now ready to reveal, so you heard it here first; I'm moving home to Stoke-On-Trent next year!

No, I'm not dropping out of uni and pursuing my life-long ambition of searching for a wealthy old man to leave me his fortune following a mysterious and unexpected death. I will be commuting! As this will be my final year at the University of Birmingham I have found myself having to actually make life plans... scary stuff, I know! So next year, due to an assortment of reasons including saving for my masters course, many of my friends heading off for years abroad and the fact that I seem to keep taking on too much in Birmingham whereas here I know my dad will keep me in check, I have made the decision to sacrifice my independence for one last year before entering the big, bad world of horror also known as 'Being a Grown-Up'.

Remind me why I'm telling you my life story? Ah yes, my new project. Thanks to my Big Decision (which, by the way, my mother is trying to persuade me against - I never realized her reluctance to have me at home during sixth form so this must be a new thing) I have finally been faced with the first of what I am sure will be a-million-and-one dilemmas. To which am I referring? Dilemma Number 1: The Dilemma of the Box Room, of course.

Now, might I snipe rather bitterly that this is a problem I would not be facing if my parents hadn't handed my spacious double bedroom of 12 years or so over to my younger sister literally as soon as I moved into halls. Nonetheless, I am a proactive girl with a can-do attitude so let's not dwell but move forward. Although they really should have saved my room. All I'm saying.

Bygones-be-bygones blah blah blah. So all this has resulted in me beginning my latest project of turning a box bedroom into a storage-filled, chic, study bedroom. Unlikely right? Well, you can do anything you set your mind to, doncha know? My initial plans have begun, and although they have been met with disdain from my mom, I am absolutely convinced that I can make it happen!

How? Well, it will involve one of those beds which is raised like a bunk-bed which you see often in a child's bedroom, making the most of literally every piece of floor space and hopefully roping my granddad in to build shelves and wardrobes in sizes not offered in stores... but I am adamant I can make it work.

My vision; you will walk into my room and to the right you will see a white set of drawers which I already have... actually they are my parents' but I'm swapping mine with theirs I think. On top of these drawers on the right side there will be stacked, fabric storage drawers similar to these although I'm not sure what color to go for...

On the left hand side of the storage drawers there will be a massive frameless mirror nailed to the wall with all of my perfumes and everyday beauty products on the white drawers in front of it. Above this mirror I will probably need a book shelf to keep all my beauty books and the season's magazines. To the left of the set of drawers there will be a very narrow wardrobe like this;

except mine will have a full-body length mirror on the front and on the inside of the door. I want a mirror on both sides as mirrors make small rooms look bigger and reflect the light in a pretty way. Usually one on the front of the wardrobe would be enough but because my room is so small, if I want to check out my reflection in a new outfit, I would have to stand too close which is just inconvenient and detrimental to the overall effect. This way I can open the wardrobe door (which will cover the window behind it) and stand by the door to check my ass out :-) Success! Moving on...

So now we will be directly opposite my bedroom door which is where you will find the window. The way the sun shines in through the window it should really catch the mirror and make the room look a whole lot lighter. I am leaning towards having thick black and gold patterned curtains a little like these...

.

This is because I'm liking the idea of a black, white and gold theme, plus because of the side of my house where this bedroom is, it is really difficult to nap during the day with a thin curtain set as the sunlight just streams straight in which is, as you can imagine, very annoying. Plus, I think that color scheme is kind of sophisticated yet warm which is exactly what I am going for!

So after the curtains you will find the side of a tall white book-case which reaches just higher than the top of the bed. I want this book-case like this so that when I am up on the bed I have a shelf within reaching distance where I can put my current magazines, books-for-pleasure, cell-phone and charger and iPod docking station. Also, the bookcase will be perfectly placed so that when I am under the bed in the 'study area' all of my course books are right where I need them. The book shelf will be narrow enough so that it doesn't cover the window or the radiator beneath for safety reasons.

That's enough about the book shelf because right next to it is the head of my bed and hence the ladder! I will sleep with my head nearest the window and the bookshelf with my feet towards the same wall where my door is. I want a white wooden bed stand kind of similar to this one, although this girl obviously has an abundance of space in her room. Ugh, jealous.

I would like the underneath part of my bed as much like this as possible... However, the desk wont be able to come out any further than the side of the bed, and it will need to be shallower, just deep enough to hold my laptop and an A4-sized piece of paper in front of it for in case I need to take notes. Long-ways the desk should be big enough to hold a big open book next to my laptop, a desk lamp, plus a little stationary pot for loose pens and what not. Under the desk will be a shallow drawer where my stationary will be organised. My printer will probably be kept on the floor underneath the desk next to a little waste-paper bin. I will have a little white desk chair and I really love this one as it fits in with the rest of the white wooden furniture but also has wheels on it for when I want to slide across to my mirror to do my make-up in the mornings. Plus it would tuck perfectly under the desk!

Behind the desk chair (and next to the book shelf) I would like a cushioned, comfy-looking sofa-style chair so I can curl up with a book when I need to. I haven't spotted any in particular that I like or think would fit, but something with a black throw and some gold cushions might be nice...

I want gold fairy lights all over my ceiling and in as many places as physically possible and will probably go with a white lamp shade to keep things as light as possible.

Anyway, I'm a long way from that at this stage. But still, I started working towards the dream today by clearing out all of my drawers, getting rid of clothes I no longer need and throwing out all of my old papers and trinkets which just make the place look like a pig sty. Basically making the most of the Spring Clean Cliche. Plus, it seems that my cream carpet should be going down within the next couple of weeks which is great! Following that I'm going to get the walls painted in a kind of just-off-white-nearly-cream color. I know what you're thinking 'White, cream, gold???' In which case I would tell you to open your eyes and check the latest collections on the high street and catwalk. Mixing shades of white was once somewhat taboo, but those days are no more, and hell, how glad am I? This totally works in my favor because my room should look like a regal haven of class and minimalist sophistication. Black, cream, gold and white. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Let me know what you think...

gabriellasofia