12 Days of Giveaways - Day 11 - Clarins

Day 11? Already? We're nearly there everyone. How's the shopping going?

Clarins fans brace yourselves. One lucky winner - living anywhere in the world - will win all of the below aaand a Limited Edition money-can't-buy box of Luxury Clarins Hand-Made Christmas Crackers containing some of Clarins' Hero Products.

To win all of the below:

Blue Orchid Facial Oil
Tonic Body Polisher
Tonic Bath and Shower Concentrate
Tonic Body Oil
Tonic Body Balm
3 wick Tonic Candle
Luxury Christmas Crackers

Simply enter via Rafflecopter as usual:


a Rafflecopter giveaway


*This post contains no affiliate links.
See my full disclaimer here: http://bit.ly/1rpEmSq The views expressed on this site are the author's own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical or other such advice and you are always advised to seek the advice of a suitable professional should you have any such concerns.

Incoming, Upcoming, and Outgoing

Outgoing: my beloved Fig Clarins Hand Cream, sadly only available in a small size as a Limited Edition in a three pack with other flavours. Please, please, please, Clarins, make this in full size. I'm begging. And not above bribery. Help a girl out.

Advent madness:

'It's the most wonderful time of the year.......'

Well, almost. (Let's get through Halloween first eh?)

 First up - Liberty's mammoth Beauty Advent Calendar. This is £165.00, but the contents are properly hefty.

I don't always list the contents of these calendars but if you're shelling out that much, you want to know what you're getting for your money...

Hidden behind the doors is the following..

Aveda Hand Relief, 40ml

Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer, 30ml

Votary Facial Oil, 30ml (full size)

Davines Oi All in One Milk, 50ml (full size)

Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo, 30ml

Byredo Bal d’Afrique Hand Cream, 30ml (full size)

Le Labo Santal 33 or The Noir 29, 15ml (full size)

NARS Mini Laguna Bronzer or Mini Babydoll Lip Gloss

Marvis Toothpaste, 2 x 10ml

Surratt Blush (full size)

Diptyque Mini Candle, 70g (full size)

ESPA Overnight Hydration Therapy, 30ml

JINsoon Coquette Nail Varnish (full size)

Dr Sebagh Serum Repair, 20ml (full size)

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Powder Pink (full size)

Aurelia Refine & Polish Miracle Balm with Cloth, 20ml

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, 13g

Malin + Goetz Vitamin E Face Moisturiser, 30ml

C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve in a Tube (full size)

Trish McEvoy Lip Colour in Pink Nude (full size)

Skin Laundry Gentle Foaming Face Wash, 50ml

Blink Brow Night Balm (full size)

Eve Lom Cleanser and Cloth, 30ml

Kai Body Lotion, 60ml

ODeJo Fragrance, 50ml (full size) 

Next up is M&S. When you spend £35 or over in beauty, clothing or home, this is available for £35.00. Available on 10th November. Get it while you can, they go ridiculously quickly. Here's your link if you want to save it for the 10th. www.marksandspencer.com/beauty-advent-calendar

Back to Clarins: Ok I don't know what is in this, and I'm actually hiding this one from the teenager and keeping it for myself. The list is available online but I'm avoiding it. What I do know is that it is extremely limited and £95.00. Again, it sold out insanely quickly last year. Available now from Clarins.com.

Ciate Mini Mani Month is available now from ASOS at £50.00 and contains polishes, files and base and top coats. asos.com

And rounding up the new with a nod to the established. Bobbi Brown is 25 years old this year and there are numerous limited products released to celebrate, including this gorgeous 40-pan Dare to Shine Palette available now at £145.00. At the moment it's showing as sold out on Selfridges.com - but keep an eye. It's gone from Bobbibrown.com. Sorry.

Thank you so much to everyone that came to Stylist Live last week - it was so lovely to meet you all.

This week Amanda and I are off to Liverpool and Manchester with Pixi and Marks & Spencer.

I literally cannot wait to go home to the Red land and hope to meet loads of you there.

One of my lovely readers Ashleigh has an Etsy store and sells unique cutout cards - she gifted me this in Newcastle. How spectacular is that?? You can find Ashleigh's shop here: www.etsy.com/PerfectlyPapercuts

Thanks Ashleigh - it's going in a frame in my office next to my qualifications, where it belongs. ;)

Further info if you're coming along this week:

Liverpool
Marks & Spencer
35 Church Street
Liverpool, L1 1DF
Thursday, October 27th 2016
12PM – 4PM - with 2 Q&As at 12pm and 2pm.


Manchester
Marks & Spencer
7 Market Street
Manchester, M1 1WT
Friday, October 28th 2016
12PM – 4PM with 2 Q&As at 12pm and 2pm.


And finally a couple of personal ones if you don't mind indulging me...

Please follow the lovely Lauren via @girlstolelondon as she starts her treatment for breast cancer. She's already tackling it head on and I'm sure she would appreciate your good thoughts. www.instagram.com/girlstolelondon

My lovely nephew Joe married his gorgeous fiancee Rowena yesterday. Welcome to the family Row. Congratulations Guiseppe. ;)

And lastly, it's my gorgeous nephew's birthday today. Happy Birthday Ethan. Lots of Love from Auntie Caroline. x

See you next week!







*This post contains some affiliate links. If you are happy to click on them and support the blog, thank you very much. If you would rather not, just google the product. It's all good. See my full disclaimer here: http://bit.ly/1rpEmSq The views expressed on this site are the author's own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical or other such advice and you are always advised to seek the advice of a suitable professional should you have any such concerns.

Instagram Update

Where does the time go? It's over a month since my last update and although it's been typically quiet in the beauty industry, I still have some lovely updates for those of you not on Insta. :)

I bought this from Amazon after seeing Trinny Woodall using it on her Facebook page. It's a slightly fancier version of the Body Shop roller.

This Jeunvie Balm was described as 'excellent, better than most I've used' by my eldest son, who has had severe eczema since he was born. He has tried everything on the market so that's a pretty solid claim. Outside of sunshine and salty sea water, this is one of the few things that seems to have genuinely helped.

Availabel from Jeunvie.co.uk

My current lifeline supplement-wise. Folate and Zinc from Solgar and Spatone to boost my iron levels. I'm a long-term anaemic and thus far, this is working better than Floradix and prescription folic acid. Thank you to those of you that recommended the changes.  

Alyson Walsh is the blogger behind the brilliant That's Not My Age - a site for over 40s who refuse to be told how to dress just because they (we) are not 20. Style Forever is a great read and available from Amazon.

Out next week are new additions to Estee Lauder's Re-Nutriv line, including Ultimate Lift Regenerating Youth Serum and Regenerating Youth Creme. Thus far: lush.

I found myself using these almost exclusively over the last few weeks. (The other lip products I used on holiday will be up later this week). Still available on Clarins.co.uk for £18.00.

Cornwall skincare was low-key:

De Mamiel Pure Calm Cleansing Dew

Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Gentle Peel Pads 

Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator 

MD Solar Sciences Daily Eye Repair Emulsion

May Lindstrom Youth Dew and Blue Cocoon

I took Chanel's La Solution 10 but it was empty after three pumps. GGRR. Next time I'll check the weight before I pack!

Maria Tash opened in Liberty and I've already been in twice. Addictive.

Saw my Mrs at the Gleam Summer Party, where the young'uns partied all night in hot tubs (really) and we drank tea/hot chocolate in the corner talking about what we'd been watching on telly. Much more fun. :)

I bought this hardback of Estee Lauder's 1985 book, A Success Story from a third party on Amazon, and it turned up autographed!! Thrilled doesn't come close. I got it from this seller who still has some left. When I emailed them to ask if they had anymore with signatures inside, they offered me a full refund in case I was 'unhappy that it was inscribed'! No matey, I was very happy. 

So summer is coming to a close, I'm shopping for school uniforms and planning Christmas. Before you know it I'll be watching Elf and wrapping presents.

SPF: the post-holiday breakdown

After the recent City SPF video I had quite a few questions about what products I would use to actually sit on a beach/go on a sunny holiday, so just before we left for the airport, I fired off these pictures of our lineup.

A few notes on my experience/surroundings:

• We went to Greece for one week. Me, the Mr, Ava and Max. Four people of varying sizes and skin gradings on the Fitzpatrick scale. I would say Jim is a 3, Max is between a 3 and 4, Ava is a 4 and although I would identify as a 4, I tan like a 5 due to my background.

For your reference

• I reapplied at least every hour, on myself and Max. Ava took care of herself and reapplied more often as she was in water 90% of the time.
• The temperature was between 26 and 30 degrees daily (85 fahrenheit approx)

Left to right:

Vichy Ideal Soleil SPF 50 (spray) - this was Ava's favourite by far for the body. It was empty by around Day 4. Very good. She's extremely sporty and wanted a spray for ease. I supervised the first few applications to make sure she wasn't cutting corners and after that she was fine. She didn't burn on her body and I would definitely repurchase/recommend.
Available from FeelUnique.com and Boots.com

Sisley Super Soin Solaire Facial Sun Care SPF 30 - rather excruciatingly, this was Ava's favourite for face. In the spirit of fully disclosing, Sisley sent this to me for review, and although it is absolutely beautiful, I winced at the price tag. If you can afford it, it's lovely, if you can't, don't sweat it. (See what I did there?)
Absolutely no burn, no sting and great texture.

Available from Liberty and John Lewis

Clarins has been my choice of SPF for nearly 20 years. The smell of it alone reminds me of holidays and puts me in a good mood. I used the 50 spray on top of the 30 cream in some hard-to-reach areas and we all used the SPF50 (not pictured) for face for the first few days (we used it up) and then moved to the 30 around Day 4. The body products were similarly good, the spray being very handy for the kids and Jim and I both found it helpful for backs of legs, feet etc. The 50 spray was mainly used on Max, who had no complaints and did not burn at all.

Available from John Lewis and Nordstrom

Clinique make brilliant SPF products that are also fragrance-free. We had an issue with the packaging though. The lids on the larger body bottles kept popping open in transit. Luckily I am anal and pack SPF in ziplock bags so when we arrived to find one had opened and spilled out, it was just a case of cleaning the other bottles, not all our clothes. It did it again in our bags when we were out in the town, meaning we ended up only using it poolside because it couldn't be trusted.

Having said that, the SPF in the bottles is so good that I would still recommend. Jim would only use the 'little white one' on his face and we had three body, which all got used. Brilliant, brilliant SPF with packaging that you need to sellotape. :)

Available in the UK from Clinique.co.uk and then Clinique.com for other countries. The new mineral sunscreens that we used seem to be sold out in a lot of places - you may have to hunt around for them.

Hair-wise, I've used Phtyo Plage since I was first trained in it in SpaceNK twenty years ago. Some old habits die hard. :) I gave Ava the one on the left, I used the one for ultra dry hair. Sprayed on hair liberally, although I generally only reapplied once more during the day, usually after lunch.

Available from Sephora and lookfantastic.com

I found the next three in Greece. I've loved Hei Poa ever since I first found it in Paris years ago, but this was the first time I bought the SPF. I loved it. The smell, the texture, not too oily, absorbs nicely and is not extortionate. Available on Amazon so probably in most countries.

You can't talk about SPF without mentioning Lancaster. Lancaster has an almost iconic status in SPF land (certainly in Europe), but their distribution in the UK has never been organised very well and between pulling out of the country altogether years ago and then coming back far too quietly (I'd have been screaming it to the press), they have kind of slipped off the radar. Not in Europe however, every pharmacy in Paris carries pretty much the whole range and in super sizes (how rude).
The Dry Touch Gel SPF20 won 'Best Packaging' hands down on this trip. Soft touch tube, pump dispenser, no mess anywhere, and not runny. Excellent product, excellent packaging. The SPF15 Silky Milk Sublime Tan was used the last couple of days on holiday and although great as an SPF, it's incredibly runny and the opening at the top is too large for the texture of the formula, leading to a lot of (entertaining) incidents with Mr Hirons swearing and asking us if we needed anymore SPF as he had half the contents of his bottle in his hand. Great product, annoying packaging.

Available on Amazon

After Sun:
Mixed results and reactions with these. The Clarins Creams were more popular than the Gel, and the Clinique Rescue Balm was easiest the nicest one to use. Calming, soothing and hydrating. The Clarins Facial After Sun stung at the end of the day so we switched to La Roche Posay Toleraine which I had luckily thrown into the case at the last minute.
The Toleraine was pretty much the perfect after sun. Used in the evenings before bed, the skin was left hydrated and nourished with no spots the next day. Also obviously a brilliant moisturiser for dry skins...

Clarins After Suns are available from John Lewis and Nordstrom
La Roche Posay Toleraine Ultra Nuit is available from Look Fantastic









*For those of you already asking - it all went in Max's suitcase. He's small, he only packs shorts and vests and even WITH the sun creams his case was 8kg. :))



I sometimes (not always) use affiliate links. If you are happy to click on the link and support this blog in that way, thank you very much. If you would prefer not to, just google the brand and the item, it's all cool. :)
I do not use affiliate links on products belonging to brands that I work with on a professional basis.
See my full disclaimer here:
http://bit.ly/1rpEmSq

The views expressed on this site are the author's own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical or other such advice and you are always advised to seek the advice of a suitable professional should you have any such concerns.

Fave Fives: City SPFs - August 2016

Hi Everyone!

Some city SPFs for you. All my previous SPF videos/blog posts are here:

SPF with Dr Marko Lens Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIxMaRj9z6U

SPF with Dr Marko Lens Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEhRhDt1Pco

SPF Cheat Sheet: http://www.carolinehirons.com/2015/07/spf-cheat-sheet.html

All my SPF posts: http://www.carolinehirons.com/search/label/SPF

Products Discussed:

ZELENS DAILY DEFENCE:
SPF30, no tint.
£55.00/$85.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2beT5lo

USA: http://bit.ly/2be7k8W


RADICAL SKIN PERFECTING SCREEN:
SPF30, tinted.
£38.00/$55.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2beTuEG

USA: http://bit.ly/2aQ5qHN


CLARINS UV PLUS :
SPF50, no tint.
£32.00/$42.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2bpJPaA

USA: http://bit.ly/2aSSeEU (closest to it - SPF rules are different in the US)


CLINIQUE CITY BLOCK SHEER:
SPF25
£18.00/$24.50

UK: http://bit.ly/2beTR21

USA: http://bit.ly/2bpJViA


CLINIQUE SUPER CITY BLOCK:
SPF 40
£18.00/$24.50

UK: http://bit.ly/2bfDduY

USA: http://bit.ly/2bpK9WI


CHANEL UV ESSENTIEL SPF 30:
No tint.
£42.00/$55.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2aSUgou

USA: http://bit.ly/2be9aqa


CHANEL UV ESSENTIEL SPF 50:
No tint.
£42.00/$55.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2bpKVmQ

USA: http://bit.ly/2bsjHjy


LA ROCHE POSAY ANTHELIOS:
SPF30, no tint, although tinted versions are available.
£16.50

Worldwide: http://bit.ly/2bpKZCN


SKINCEUTICALS MINERAL DEFENCE
SPF50, tinted.
£39.00/$34.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2bpL5KJ

USA: http://bit.ly/2bpMn8I  (different in USA)


ARMANI MAESTRO UV SPF50:
No tint.
£40.00/$64.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2beVxbu

USA: http://bit.ly/2beURDb


KATE SOMERVILLE DAILY DEFLECTOR SPF50
No tint.
$48.00

UK: http://bit.ly/2bpLMUm

USA: http://bit.ly/2beVigW



OTHER PLACES TO FIND ME:

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/carolinehirons

Instagram:
http://www.instagram.com/carolinehirons

Pinterest:
http://gb.pinterest.com/carolinehirons/

Snapchat:
@carolinehirons

Bloglovin':
http://bit.ly/1fuzPqQ

Caroline Hirons c/o
Gleam Futures
6th Floor
60 Charlotte Street
London W1T 2NU
caroline@gleamfutures.com  (skincare queries cannot be answered at this address)

I sometimes (not always) use affiliate links. If you are happy to click on the link and support this blog in that way, thank you very much. If you would prefer not to, just google the brand and the item, it's all cool. :) For absolute clarity: I do not use affiliate links on products belonging to brands that I work with on a professional basis.
See my full disclaimer here:
http://bit.ly/1rpEmSq

The views expressed on this site are the author's own and are provided for informational purposes only. The author makes no warranties about the suitability of any product or treatment referenced or reviewed here for any person other than herself and any reliance placed on these reviews or references by you is done so solely at your own risk. Nothing on this site shall be construed as providing dermatological, medical or other such advice and you are always advised to seek the advice of a suitable professional should you have any such concerns.

Clarins Joli Rouge aka Lipstick Nirvana

Some lipstick porn for my fellow addicts, this time from Clarins. The revamped Joli Rouge range has 25 colours and is available from September.

They smell like red berries, come in every colour under the sun and have a six hour life on the lips. 

PHWOARR. 

Available here in September: www.clarins.co.uk/PHWOARRR

SPF BODY Recommendations Round-up

I've had some urgent requests on social media and in the comments section from people going away on holiday imminently that want SPF recommendations 'NOW'. LOL

So let's make like speed-dating and run through some of my favourites - I don't want to get shouted at for being too slow! ;)

It is worth remembering that:

SPF items are the most widely-varied legislated beauty products on the market. An ingredient that I mention in a product might be completely different in the US or Australia. Do your research in your own country before you buy. The main differences are between Australia, Europe and the US. For the rest of you it will depend where the brands that are sold in your country are made. 

Things to look out for: fragrance or alcohol really high on the inci list - probably best avoided if you're sensitive.

Try and avoid methylisothiazolinone if you can see an ingredients list and are particularly sensitive - it's one of the biggest allergens around at the moment in leave-on products and although Europe is ahead of the game, it's still readily used in the US in particular. I tried to include Ulta own-brand SPFs in this overview because they look good from the outset but they all contain it so I left them out.

Once-a-day formulas. Not a fan of promoting once-a-day SPFs. And frankly, using them on children and actually not reapplying them throughout the day is tantamount to child abuse. What I would do, is use them in the morning and top up with a spray. But only applying SPF once a day and never reapplying is too dangerous, especially on children.

Supermarket/chemist (Boots/Superdrug/Sainsbury's etc in the UK) products are incredibly cheap, but can come with more fragrance and higher levels of alcohol - do your research - and by all means if you find a great one, share in the comments! The huge exception is below in the overview as a Star Buy.

If in doubt, don't go over a 50. I personally tend to stick to 30 on my body these days as I know I have to reapply it, whereas a 50 makes me think 'It'll be ok'. The difference in strength between a 30 and 50 is between 1% and 4% depending on the product - its not an 'extra 20'.

This is an overview and obviously won't be in-depth, but if you are happy to roll with my recommendations (plus boring stock pictures) and check the details out for yourself - I'll provide links - then off we go:

What I take on holiday for me:

Clarins
I know they've been on the blog already with the face, but this is an evergreen product range for us. We've never burned or had any issues. Broad Spectrum. This SPF30 is the best IMO. It's £19.50 for 125ml.

There is also an SPF20 that comes in a 200ml size for £21.00. Both great and available here. 

Clinique

Ava has just been dispatched on her hols with this SPF35 stick by Clinique - fragrance-free and perfect for kids as they seem to find it easier to apply that a lotion. She has creams as well of course, but she actually enjoys using this and with children/teens, that's half the battle right there.

Clinique SPP body products are especially great for those of you with fragrance issues. Being Clinique, all of the sun products are fragrance and oil free (check your region) and Broad Spectrum (across the board). Available here.

Marks & Spencer - *STAR BUY*

This is the exception to the own-label warning in the bullet points at the beginning. Good old M&S list their ingredients, have all the appropriate warnings, are Made in England, in an eco-factory, BUAV approved (cruelty-free) at source, vegetarian and HALF PRICE at the moment. 

UK people: run, do not walk, to your local M&S and clear the shelves. Also available here.

Decleor

Decleor have long made great sun products and I know it's not relevant, but their red, soft touch packaging is easily my favourite. The 50 for body is a good place to start. It's £24.00 for 150ml and available here.

Hawaiian Tropic

I include this as I've probably used a bottle of some sort of Hawaiian Tropic every year of my life. What we won't do is talk about/recommend the SPF4/6 etc because that's just crazy talk. Stick to the 30s and 50s, enjoy the scent and reminisce and laugh about my generation that would lie on foil and use baby oil. Or you know, don't. *fries* Available here.

Coola

Coola has one of the best websites I've seen for descriptions, warnings and clear ingredient listings. It puts everyone else to shame. They're clear about nano, fragrance and give true water-resistant times. The 30 in the picture above is particularly lush. Available here. 

Bioderma

Available everywhere in mainland Europe and not extortionate, stick with the 50s as the 20 and 30 only come in sprays. Available here. 

Hampton Sun

I've worked with Hampton Sun for nearly 5 years. Just putting that out there. I stay with them because I love the products. That's why they are listed here, not the former. This in particular, is wonderful as a baby body SPF OR facial SPF for an adult. I use it on Max, Ava and myself. Available here.


If you have any other quick yes or no questions do please leave me a comment below and I'll do my best to answer them in a timely fashion! :)