REVIEW - CLARINS STARTER KIT HYDRATION BOOSTER
When I travel I try to pack as light as I possibly can, and the idea of packing all my full sized skin care products for just a weekend makes me shiver. So that's why I did some last minute shopping at Kicks before I flew down to Stockholm two weeks ago. Also, I might just be a little bit obsessed with everything travel sized...
This set is really a great deal. You get three of Clarins best selling skin care product and they all come in tubes of 30ml, which is quite a lot considering the price.
From left to right - Beauty Flash Balm, HydraQuench Cram and Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Ingredients - Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Water, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Dimethicone, Lauric Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Tipa-Laureth Sulfate, Glycol Distearate, Glyceryl Behenate, Ozokerite, Parfum/Fragrance, Propylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Edta, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice, Maltodextrin, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Seed Extract, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Lactobacillus, Potassium Sorbate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Bh, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl, Methylpropional, Limonene, Linalool, Ci7789/Titanium Dioxide.
This cleanser claims to be a "non-drying, creamy cleanser that removes impurities, make-up and excess oil while respecting skin’s natural moisture balance". Well, it definately removes impurities, make up and unfotunately every singe trace of oil on your face. I really liked this cleanser while it was foaming because it felt so soft and nice on the skin and around my eyes, but as soon as I rinsed it off my face felt soooo tight! Perfume is also listed very high in the ingedients list, and I am quite sensitive when it comes to perfume in skin care. This is WAY to drying for my face and I feel like I'm washing my face in perfume when I use it, so I would not recommend it. But I will keep on using it - as a brush cleanser.
Ingredients - Beauty Flash Balm
Aqua/Water/Eau, Propylene Glycol, Octyldodecanol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch, Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Bisabolol, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum/Fragrance, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Citrate, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Algae Extract, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Coumarin, Benzyl Salicylate, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Eugenol, Limonene, Isoeugenol, Ci 15985/Yellow 6E
This product I've been wanting to try for years. It is said to be the "ultimate pick-me-up for tired, stressed skin" and claims to eliminate any signs of fatigue in a flash. And who doesn't want that?!
Unfortunately this does not make me go "aah!" and although it works OK as a primer under makeup it does not feel like the miracle cream I thought it would. I will continue to use this and maybe I will learn to love it a bit more, but I don't think I would recommend it. And once again, perfume is really high in the ingredients list which drags this product down quite a lot.
Unfortunately this does not make me go "aah!" and although it works OK as a primer under makeup it does not feel like the miracle cream I thought it would. I will continue to use this and maybe I will learn to love it a bit more, but I don't think I would recommend it. And once again, perfume is really high in the ingredients list which drags this product down quite a lot.
Ingredients - HydraQuench Cream
Aqua, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Silica, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Dipentaerythrityl Tetrahydroxystearate/Tetraisostearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Trehalose, Cetearyl Glucose, Cetyl Alchohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Parfume, Polycrylamide, C13-14 Isoaparaffin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyalauronate, Sodium PCA, Butylene Glycol, Dimethiconol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Laureth-7, Alcohol, BiosaccharideiGum-4, Rubus Chamaemorus (Cloudberry) Seed Oil, Methyllisothiazolinone, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Helianthus Annuus ((Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cedrelopsis Grevei Bark Extract, Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/StemlExtract, Pyrus Sorbus Bud Extract,Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
And last but no least - the HydraQuench Cream! This for me is a love/hate product since I really like how it feels on the skin, but I still fel like there's something missing. It's a great moisturizer, but it doesn't do more than just that - moisturize. And considering the price of this product if you would buy it on it's own, I'd say you could buy a much cheaper face creams that works just as good or even better. And I know I keep repeating myself, but once again perfume is listed pretty high which knocks this moisturizer down a notch.
PRICE - 99 SEK / 10,50 EUR / 11,60 EUR / 7,50 GBP (bought at KICKS)
PROS
- Great value. perfect if you're going on a vacation or just want to try some new products.
- Great combination of products
- Perfect size, you really get a good amount of product!
- The moisturizers, would have preferred this kit without the cleanser
CONS
- The super drying cleanser
- The perfume overload
FINAL VERDICT
This set gets 3 out of 5 points. It's a great kit if you're curious to try out some new products or if you're a hard core Clarins-fan and want travel sizes to keep with you at all times. I wouldn't recommend this if you've got sensitive/dry skin or have an issue with strongly perfumed face products. Over all it's really nice, but because of the perfume I will not be using it frequently.