Total-Double Serum / Age Control Extra Firming Serum
When Heather asked me to test Clarins Total-Double Serum / Age Control Extra Firming Serum, I figured it was worth a try, as I was going through a between seasons skin change. The weather in Washington varies from season to season, and my skin varies with the weather!

For starters, let me say that this is the kind of product that I would never give a second glance to in a store, so I was rather dubious about whether it would do anything for me or not. It is expensive. $75 for a .5 oz. container. In a two chamber pump, the serum is comprised of elements of both oil and water, but feels very much like oil when it comes out of the pump. Most of the ingredients are herb and plant derivatives and Clarins claims that there are 42 such ingredients contained in this item! (Unfortunately, while I was able to read a list of plant extracts which it contains, I never found a list of other ingredients on the Clarins website.) My reaction, the first time I used this was "How can I ever recommend an oil to our readers.especially when so many are concerned about oily skin?!!". Well, I needn't have worried, because by the time I was ready to apply my makeup, the serum had completely been absorbed by my skin and no trace of oiliness was to be found!

Directions called for me to use my usual skin care routine after letting the serum soak in for a few minutes, so that is what I have been doing. In the morning I've followed the serum with either my regular SPF cream or a light moisturizer, followed by my foundation. In the evening, after applying the serum, I alternated nights with a light moisturizer such as Renee Rouleau's Calming Bio Lipid Repair Fluid or Hydrating Vitamin Cream or, on nights when I need extra moisture, Hawaiian Nourishing Cream.

The results of using this product for over a month have been nothing but positive! The texture and color tone of my skin look great! In fact, my skin has never looked better! It's now December and I'm still wearing my sheer summertime makeup. i.e. Prescriptive Traceless, Bliss Spa's Skin Twin and Changeable Real Skin. when by this time of year, I've usually moved to a heavier foundation!

I would hesitate to recommend this product to those with very oily or problem skin, but for those with aging, normal to dry skin that can use a little oomph, and would like to see improvement in skin texture, Clarins Age-Control Extra-Firming Serum is definitely worth a try! It's going to become part of my regular anti-aging arsenal!

review: 12/02

Multi-Matte Foundation ($32.50)
A new entry from Clarins in the foundation department is Multi-Matte Foundation, a lovely cream foundation that is suitable to all skin types. In the past, Clarins foundations that I have tried have left my face feeling greasy or shiny by mid day, but this oil-free formula has a long-lasting finish that stays matte and in place all day long. Clarins, Keeping up with the trend in foundations, claims to play with light by coating their pigments with silica, which diffuse light and keep skintone even. Whether or not this is true... and I am always skeptical about the claims of lights and mirrors... I can put this foundation on early in the day.. in my case usually at 6 am .. and still have a streak free, matte finish when I leave work at 5:30pm.

Promoted for oily or combination skin, I found this foundation worked just as well on dry-skin days for me, as long as I wear a good moisturizer. While many oil-free foundations settle into my fine lines...( a polite way of describing my mid-50's skin!)... I had no problem with this product.

The color I chose was (02) Pale Ivory. Extremely blendable, you can wear Multi-Matte Foundation as sheer or as heavy as you prefer. I tend to go somewhere in the middle.

Most Clarins products are lightly scented and this one is no exception. I prefer scented products, but know that many allergy-sensitive people do not.

All in all, this is a lovely product if you're looking for a medium-weight foundation that works well with oily or combination skin, but at a hefty price of $32.50, it is disappointing to know that Clarins has include no SPF in this product. You'll have to provide your own.

You can find Clarins online at Gloss.com, Nordstrom, Macys and at cosmetic counters at most major department stores.

review: 4/02

A dry skin problem that I am always trying to solve is lipstick feathering. As I've aged, the skin around my mouth has become thinner, and much more wrinkled when not properly moisturized. Clarins Extra-Firming Age-Control Lip and Contour Care is a great product to try to help alleviate this problem. Applied as a primer for your lipstick and again at bedtime, it does a great job of smoothing liplines and helps to prevent feathering. An easy to apply non-greasy cream which comes in a tube, I found myself applying it more than recommended, as I find myself chewing off my lipstick when my lips feel dry, which they have been since cold weather set in.

Containing vitamin E, with ingredients including licorice and mango extract, and with a pleasant fragrance and taste, the main downside about this product is that you have to wait a few minutes for it to dry before you apply your lipstick. I think it might have been easier to apply in lipstick format instead of a cream. Although it does a nice job and definitely helps correct the feathering problem, Elizabeth Arden's Lip-Fix is a similar product and costs about $10 less!

Clarins Extra-Firming Age-Control Lip and Contour Care is $29.50 and can be found at many Sephora locations and on the Internet at Gloss.com and Nordstrom.com.

Happy Shopping!

review: 2/02