Wednesday 29 June 2011

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm Review


  Hello my lovelies!  I'd heard about Clarins Beauty Flash Balm in magazines, beauty blogs, etc – along with Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, aka the ‘smell from hell’ (if you are a hardcore beauty addict like me.. you know what I mean!)-  and it seems to be one of those products which beauty gurus are always rambling on about not being able to live without. Strange enough, the Pixiwoos have never mentioned it, or at least I haven’t heard anything about it. Has any of you maybe?  Up until recently, I never really got round to buying it; this changed when I saw Lisa Eldridge raving about it in one of her videos. I was hooked! Well, it did seem a bit expensive, and I wasn't altogether clear what it was supposed to do but according to Clarins, it is “ideal for a quick pick me up before an evening out or whenever you want to erase signs of fatigue”. Kind of an emergency repair kit for your face…and quite an indulgence if I may add!

 Clarins says: 

- promotes immediate and long-lasting radiance   
- firms and helps minimise fine lines
- smoothes and softens skin 
- strengthens and refines the contours of the face; skin regains firmness and suppleness 
- make-up looks exceptionally radiant
- can be used as a moisturiser/mask/primer


  The balm comes in a squeezy tube.  The stuff itself is a peachy coloured cream with a pleasant, light fragrance.  I personally find it very addictive! The instructions advise you to "apply without rubbing a very thin layer all over the face, including the eye area (am I the only one that finds this a bit weird?) and then apply make-up immediately". It absorbs incredibly well, and leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and cushioned.  Also, it doesn’t leave any oil residue onto the skin at all. It's very nice as a make-up base too.  I did notice that make-up went on more smoothly but it didn’t really seem to last any longer than usual; actually when not wearing make-up, there was a more visible improvement in the appearance and texture of my skin. I found it to be glowy…ok this might be just wishful thinking but I honestly think it makes my skin look radiant, a bit like having applied some MAC strobe cream on your face...but better!  It does seem to increase firmness and even out skin tone. My cheeks seemed to be less pigmented than usual. The product worked so well in this regard that I didn’t feel the need for a full coverage foundation, a tinted moisturiser would suffice. 

  Beauty Flash Balm is recommended once or twice a week. Otherwise, it might stop being that effective. Still, this is a statement quite debatable.  In many reviews I’ve read recently around the blogosphere, numerous people would mention how much they love this product and that they use it as their everyday moisturiser.  I’m not sure how this would end up after 3 months of use.  I think skin would be so much adjusted to it that it would stop being so amazingly effective. I would really be interested in reading how it all went for people that have used this everyday though.

  Finally, the product contains algae extracts, which are supposed to provide a pick me up benefit; olive, which has a toning action; rice and witch hazel, which has astringent and anti-free radical properties and comes in a tube of 50 ml.  It might be a bit expensive but for those of you that want a radiance boost before a night out, as miracle workers in a tube go, this is pretty good and will certainly deliver!





Here it is in all its glory..

                                                


A little teaser from my next blog post: Estee Lauder Summer Melon and Portofino lipsticks
               

                 

11 comments:

  1. Hi! Great post!
    I have the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and it is really nice!!! I don't use it every day...I don't want my skin to get used to it! There is another product that Lisa Eldridge has raved about in her videos and that is the Gatineau 3D Lift Mask (which unfortunately the site feelunique.com has stopped selling...*sad face*), and it is supposed to be even better than the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm!

    As far as the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, I've bought it and I'm in two minds about it... It's very moisturizing (especially if you have cracked lips it's the best!) but the smell and the taste of it it's awful!!! So I don't know if I love it or hate it!!! lol

    Wow that's a looooong comment! Sorry about that! The summer melon lipstick looks amazing! Can't wait to see swatches! x

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  2. Hi..thanks for your kind words :)

    I had never heard of Gatineau 3D..did you ever get the chance to use it before they stopped selling it in feelunique? Still, if that is a Mask, then it wouldn't have the added benefit of being a primer..hmm I'm still tempted..I'll go search it online and read some reviews :Pp

    Now the Eight Hour Cream..sometimes I get this sense of this just being a glorified vaseline and other times it's just ok..It does the job but I really can't wear it outside the comfort of my own house. I find it greasy, and the smell..oooh the smell..plain horrible! I used to buy it in the past but I kind of fell for it when I saw the Pixiwoo sisters using it high on their cheeks as a highlighter or combined with MAC Melon pigment again on theis cheeks (cause the pigment would stick on and thus wouldn't move for hours...) So, just like you I really can't decide whether I like it or not :Pp

    Long comments are well-appreciated..especially from newbies like me (*shy face*) So no reason for being sorry!

    Summer Melon is more of an everyday shade..when you'll see Portofino - if you're not easily intimidated by brights- it will make an impression on you :) for sure :P

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  3. Lovely review I've heard about the cream but it is too pricey for me!

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  4. It is indeed quite expensive..still if you use it once/twice a week as a pick me up, the tube will probably last for ages..When it comes to high end products, I usually buy them when there is the 25% discount at Hondos Center. It eases the pain..and makes the price more reasonable, still this is an indulgence, not a staple for skincare regime, I guess :)

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  5. ps. thank you for your lovely words too :)

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  6. I use this as my every day mousturiser, day and night, and LOVE it! It's the only product that I can honestly say has made an obvious improvement on my skin. I'm about to purchase my second bottle, it's that good :p Great review hun xx

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  7. @UrbanMermaid: well Nadia when I mentioned in the review:

    ''In many reviews I’ve read recently around the blogosphere, numerous people would mention how much they love this product and that they use it as their everyday moisturiser''

    you were one of those people as I've been reading your blog for almost a year now..thank you for taking the time to comment (shy face) You and Tiffany from 'Will Work for MakeUp' were pretty much the reason I started blogging :)

    Well, I'll probably start using Beauty Flash Balm on my face as an everyday moisturiser and see how it goes..

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  8. welcome! i dont like clarins beauty flash balm at all. i have also used the eyecream but didnt anything for me. i would never use it as a moisturiser either. it is defo not a pick me up for me. i had very bad experience with it to be honest. in other news, i love the coral lippis by estee lauder

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  9. Hi λειντι ντι! Thank you for your warm welcome and also for stopping by! When you say that you had a very bad experience with it, what do you mean? Did you develop a rash or something??

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  10. Hello again! grafis toso oraia!!!
    My mother has this Beauty Flash Balm and she loves it! She has already bought her second tube, haha. She uses it on its own, for radiance. I don't think us young girls really need such a product, since we already have firm, nice skin. hm maybe for a bit of glow. I could use that, I'll be honest haha.

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  11. Hi Denise! Σ'ευχαριστω! Well, the thing is that it smells sooo nice that I can't really put the tube down!haha!I just can't resist..love it!x

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