My Clarins Skin Consultation: Autumn 2015

As you may, or may not, know i really love me some skincare. However, that has actually only been true for the last year, or so. Ever since i really got into beauty, and finally had the income which made it all so much more accessible to me. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of amazing affordable skincare brands - trust me, i know. I spent most of my university life using them, but now i'm fortunate enough to be able to try so much more.

Up until two Summers ago, i had never really thought to look at Clarins. I thought of it as a more mature brand, and perhaps something that wouldn't really cater to me. Well, while i was in London with a friend, i was wandering the John Lewis Oxford Street beauty hall looking for a new foundation when i found myself looking in Clarins. I was helped by a lovely sale assistant who sat me down, colour matched me and talked through with me; what i was looking for, what skin type i had and what i was already using. I walked away with a new foundation in tow plus a concealer to boot. I've only really been back to Clarins a few times since then; a couple of times to repurchase my concealer and once to look for a new cleanser.

I like to think that i'm pretty good with my skincare, and although i don't particularly have a 'regime', i know what to use dependant on how my skin is feeling. I'm thinking about doing a post on my skincare 'shelf' to show you what i switch between. Anyway, if you read, the Queen of skincare, Caroline Hirons' blog, or follow her on Instagram, you'll know what i mean as i know she switches up her skincare on the daily too. Anyway, i digress.

Now that the weather is changing, and as i get older, my skin is less and less predictable. I decided that i wanted to try something new in my skincare routine, so on my most recent trip to London i popped back into the mothership, otherwise known as John Lewis Oxford Street - you'd think i'd had enough after spending all week in my own branch, but there you have it - to have a look around and see what i fancied. Low and behold, i found myself back in Clarins. It was still fairly early on in the morning at this point, probably 11:30am or so, and there was plenty of staff waiting to serve. Usually i hate having help unless i ask for it, but a lovely assistant approached me while i was looking at the swathes of products and asked if i needed any help. All i said was that my skin was fairly oily and i just wanted to try something new, now that the weather is changing. She asked whether i had time for a five minute consultation, i agreed, and she took me to a little table and chairs, asking me to take a seat.

Well, it wasn't at all what i was expecting but i was more than pleasantly surprised. She walked away, coming back holding a small, red, round spray bottle. She asked me to close my eyes, and spritzed whatever it was lightly onto my skin, around my face, and proceeded to give me a shoulder and upper arm massage. It actually took me a little by surprise, but was actually a nice touch. She then sat beside me, cleansed her hands and asked me to explain to her my morning skincare routine. Again, she too me a little by surprise and proceeded to run her hands over my face, gently pulled my head from side to side and inspected down my neck too. It surprised me so much that i couldn't even think about what i did during my morning routine, and took me a second to get my brain to work, so i must have sounded like a bit of a wally. Anyhow, after this she told me the results of her checks which, without be even mentioning anything, were spookily spot on. She explained that; i had combination skin, an oily T-zone and normal cheeks, however i was dehydrated overall, i had an uneven skin texture, an almost clear forehead but acne-prone cheeks and chin, and slightly open pores. Everything was completely spot on and all i had said to her up to this point was that my skin was oily, not once did i mention being combination or acne-prone, dehydrated or had uneven skin.

So she suggested that i try an exfoliating cleanser, explained how it would work and then said she would pop off to get a few more products that she thought would be good for my skin. She came back with three products, and explained that she wanted to give me a basic regime to try and something that i could interchange with the skincare i was already using at home, as i had told her that i used whatever my skin needed that day.

The first product she brought was the One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser, that she had previously suggest i should try. She explained that this would help clean slightly deeper into the skin and pores than a usual cleanser, and that it would be great for gradually helping my uneven skin texture. She told me she wanted me to use this in the morning and could be used daily on it's own or could be used after my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. Now, this smells lovely which comes from the orange extract, which makes it really zingy and great for the morning.

Next, she suggested the Pore Minimizing Serum which not only will be great for smoothing the uneven texture, but it's also good for oil control and for, obviously, minimising pores. It's a lightweight serum that also helps to slightly tighten the skin and is supposed to keep you shine-free all day. She suggested i use this daily under my makeup, and before the next product she picked for me.

Last, but not least, she chose the HydraQuench Lotion for Normal to Combination Skin. She suggested i use this after the serum and before i apply my make up to help with my dehydration and to help my make up apply smoothly. What i thought was really interesting was that this is also supposed to help with banishing shine, all while keeping skin moisturised. It feels really light and not at all heavy and it contains SPF15 which is also a huge plus, for me.

She explained that i needed to apply the serum and lotion by pressing them into the skin, and suggested i use a wave motion with my hands. She demonstrated the products on my hand, while talking me through everything and i was honestly super impressed from start to finish. She had no idea that i was going in there ready to spend a bit of money on skincare, and i really liked that she kept her suggestions to only three products, which for some may seem a lot, but for me she covered everything and kept it simple. I was more than happy to come away with all three and she also gave me a skincare plan where she wrote out how i should use the products, incase i forgot when i got home.

She also told me about the new BeautyBar that opened in May, which i had no idea about, that boasts a range of 30-minute treatments. The BeautyBar is the only one of it's kind in the world, so far, and can only be found in John Lewis Oxford Street. All of the treatments are only £25 for 30 minutes and she suggested for me the SOS Facial, in which the specialists target what your problems are and basically give you a skin analysis. In just 30 minutes they give you a skin overhaul to return your skin to being happy and healthy. It sounded amazing, and the bar looks great so i'd really like to come back to give that a go.

I wasn't paid at all to share this experience with you, and although i do work for John Lewis, i have no affiliation with Clarins. I just happened to have an amazing experience and i wanted to let you all know that if you're looking for some help with your skincare routine, i highly recommend going to Oxford St, if you can, but your local Clarins, if not, to get some sound advice about your next skincare steps.

K|xo