For reference, I test lip balms over months, not weeks or months, as I like to test them under a variety of conditions. My lips are usually what I’d say are “normal,” where they’re not dry, chapped, or cracked, and don’t feel like I need to wear lip balm all the time. As a result, a lot of lip balms are more than adequate for my day-to-day needs, which is why I end up testing them over prolonged periods of time so I can catch my lips when they’re worse as well. I typically test lip balms in the early morning, late evening, and overnight. These are a few I’ve tested (but haven’t gotten around to reviewing) over the last year and a half to two years:
Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm ($24.00 for 0.50 fl. oz.) is supposed to have “intensive hydration for dry, chapped lips.” After trying this last year, it became my “holy grail” of lip balms (though there are others I still love and use!). The reason I love it is for how hydrating it is without ever feeling heavy, clingy, or tacky. It has a really smooth, more gel-like consistency on the lips that still lasts for hours but is incredibly comfortable to wear. There’s a subtle, sweet rose scent but no discernible taste–the scent was so subtle to my nose that I forgot it was scented until I sat down to write the review.
For me, the formula works well as a night time lip balm as well as a daytime one, as it can go under lipsticks well, too. This is the lip balm I reach for at night time, and it has worked well whether my lips are dry from too much swatching or testing of drying lip products as well as just when my lips are in “maintenance mode.” I’ve repurchased this one a few times since initially trying.
Clarins Nude (01) Eyeshadow Palette ($43.00 for 0.20 oz.) is consists of four powder eyeshadows that are supposed to be usable both wet and dry and have long-wearing results. It’s a peachy twist on neutrals–not quite orange, not quite pink. I like that there was a really deep shade, which made it more versatile and added much-needed contrast to the palette. While you can apply them wet or dry, I only felt one of the four shades really benefited from damp application significantly, so it is definitely wearable if you prefer to use your eyeshadows dry.
Clarins Brown (03) Eyeshadow Palette ($43.00 for 0.20 oz.) is consists of four powder eyeshadows that are supposed to be usable both wet and dry and have long-wearing results. I think that, despite being a neutral palette, it is not quite as dupable as is typical, because there is a lot less warmth coming from orange tones. It’s also more subdued, which may make it an easy to wear palette for some.
The texture is much denser and firmer in the pan (but not stiff or difficult to blend out) with greater pigmentation and a smoother, less powdery/dry finish, even when used dry. They reminded me of formulas like Make Up For Ever’s Artist Shadow but not quite as cream-like. This particular set of shades wore fairly well, but I had some issues with the deepest shade when used dry, as it didn’t adhere as well and looked a bit patchy. I liked the finish and intensity of using the shades with a slightly dampened brush more, personally. They are not too different applied dry or damp in coverage, which is good if you don’t typically bother to use a damp brush!
Clarins Rosewood (02) Eyeshadow Palette ($43.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a sultry set of smoky, mauve shades housed in a gold-hued compact. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because this an updated, reformulated version, except the colors are more different than not from what I’ve seen (I don’t recall having the original). The formula is a wet/dry formulation that’s supposed to be long-wearing.
The texture is much denser and firmer in the pan (but not stiff or difficult to blend out) with greater pigmentation and a smoother, less powdery/dry finish, even when used dry. They reminded me of formulas like Make Up For Ever’s Artist Shadow but not quite as cream-like. This particular set of shades wore fairly well, but I had some issues with the deepest shade when used dry, as it didn’t adhere as well and looked a bit patchy. I liked the finish and intensity of using the shades with a slightly dampened brush more, personally. They are not too different applied dry or damp in coverage, which is good if you don’t typically bother to use a damp brush!
Clarins Ombre Iridescente Cream Eyeshadow ($24.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a cream-to-powder eyeshadow that is supposed to adhere well to skin, last long, and give “pure color.” The texture is lightly spongy, where it has give if you press against it, but it doesn’t have the wetness of your traditional cream eyeshadow. The texture is smooth, lightweight, and blendable, while color coverage was mostly opaque to opaque. The three I tried lasted between seven and eight hours on me. You’ll notice that Silver Ivory has come away from the edges of the pot, but it didn’t seem drier in texture compared to the others and pretty much performed similarly!
Clarins Garden Escape Eyeshadow Palette ($45.00 for oz.) is a six-pan eyeshadow palette that ranges from white gold to taupe brown. The formula in the palette is supposed to be a wet and dry one, so you can use it “dry for a soft nuance of color” or “wet for sophisticated elegance.” The texture was on the drier, more powdery side, which made dry application more difficult and messy, as the colors didn’t stick as well to the skin, tended to sheer out, and a lot of product fell underneath the eye when applied. The dampened application made it easier to get more opaque, even color to adhere to the lid, but it seemed to make blending a little harder. Overall, it was okay; not horrible, not great. Also worth mentioning is that the palette contains 0.10 oz. worth of product, which is less than 0.02 oz. per eyeshadow.
Garden Escape #2 is a muted, medium-dark green with cool undertones and a frosted sheen. It had semi-opaque pigmentation applied dry, which intensified to fully opaque coverage when applied wet. The texture was a little dry, and it started to fade after seven and a half hours of wear. Urban Decay Damaged (LE, $18.00) is darker, brighter. Tarina Tarantino Very Wicked (LE, ) is lighter, more muted. MAC My Next Indulgence (LE, $16.50) is warmer. Inglot #414 (P, $6.00) is more shimmery, darker. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
Garden Escape #3 is a mute,d light-medium olive green with warm undertones and a soft, frosted shimmer. It had semi-sheer coverage both wet and dry, though the damp application seemed to bring out the green tones in it. It lasted for seven and a half hours but had a texture that was on the powdery side. Chanel Tisse Fantaisie #3 (LE, ) is darker. theBalm Kawabunga (LE, $16.00) is darker, brighter, warmer. MAC Olive Blend #3 (LE, ) is warmer. Ulta Sage (P, $10.00) is darker, brighter. MAC Cakeshop (LE, ) is more shimmery. MAC Unsurpassable (LE, $21.00) is warmer. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.
