Clarins has added a new foundation to its line up; Skin Illusion Mineral & Plant Extracts loose powder foundation. It’s a blend of minerals and plant-based elements that includes pink algae to stimulate and tone your skin as well as Clarin’s exclusive Plant Micropatch; a mix of ingredients that helps create an invisible film on your skin to help seal in its natural moisture.

Packaging-wise, the powder sits in a translucent plastic tub with a twist off gold lid that houses a mini kabuki brush. This makes it awkward to toss in your make-up bag but it looks pretty enough on your dressing table. The brush is fabulous; small enough to get into the nooks and crannies of your face with soft, densely packed bristles that buff the powder in beautifully.

I was given a shade called Honey (110) and it’s a perfect match for my NC25/pale to medium skin tone. At first, it took me a few attempts to get the hang of it. I’d put too much on my forehead which gets oily and would end up looking cakey as well as on the skin on either side of my nose (just below my eyes) where my pores are ever so slightly enlarged and this would highlight them. However, once I learned to go heavy on my temples, nose, chin and lighter everywhere else, it looked absolutely AWESOME. A lovely matte, yet natural-looking finish. I’d then blot my forehead throughout the day with my beloved MAC Blot powder which can be applied ten zillion million times and never ‘build up’.

Anyway, I love that you can build Skin Illusions coverage to the point where you could easily cover something like a spot or pigmentation. But, despite being a powder, it doesn’t look chalky or ‘flat’ thanks to pink opal powder which gives it an ever so slightly reflective quality. The only negatives, as I mentioned before, is that it can highlight enlarged pores and doesn’t play well with oil. Also, if you’ve got the odd dry patch of skin, it’ll draw attention to that too, but so will most other foundations.

If you’ve got a skin type that isn’t mostly oily and are looking for a great buff on mineral foundation, I’m sure you’ll adore Clarins Skin Illusion. I know I do.

Love, love

Leigh