*PR Samples
I first tried the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors in 2012, I know that because that's when they first featured on this blog. In fact, I've been wearing Clarins lip products for almost 20 years! My first Clarins lip product that I still think about was the Colour Quench Lip Balm and I still remember that I wore shade 11 Poppy. I have a distinct memory of wearing it for my secondary school graduation night out before social media as we know it was even dreamt about. I've been using and loving the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors for years and I've had 01 Rose Shimmer, 02 Apricot Shimmer and 05 Candy Shimmer in that time. If they’re good enough for Kate Middleton!
A couple of months ago I attended a press event in the Clarins Boutique and Spa in Dublin and we were shown the Summer Collection as well as the new Lip Perfector Glow. This new addition to the Lip Perfector family comes in 6 shades 20 Translucent Glow, 21 Soft Pink Glow, 22 Peach Glow, 23 Pomegranate Glow, 24 Fuchsia Glow and 25 Mulberry Glow. They have been formulated for use on both lips and cheeks which seems to be a trend that isn't going anywhere any time soon. They contain shea butter, mango butter and a peptide volume booster. One of the main ingredients is mineral oil which is one of those ingredients that tends to get a bad rap, however, it is excellent for dry skin types as it acts as an occlusive layer to help with hydration. It also helps to give your lips a more smooth appearance. The difference between the new Lip Perfector Glow and the Instant Light Natural Perfector is that the former is more of a hybrid lip and cheek product, it's more glossy and comes in more saturated shades whereas the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector is what I would describe as a tinted glossy balm. I would say they are quite similar in what they do so it's more down to which shades you prefer and whether you want something that you can also use on your cheeks.
As you can see from the close-up photos below, both shades I received have some minuscule shimmer particles in them which I love as it helps to reflect the light. It's something worth noting if you plan on wearing them on your cheeks as you can see the shimmer up close but it's not something you'd notice much and I quite like how it looks. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to like them on my cheeks. I thought they would be too sticky and uncomfortable but I quite liked how they looked and I didn't find them any more sticky than any of my other liquid blushes or highlighters. You probably wouldn't apply enough of a shade like Pomegranate Glow to get the kind of opacity that you can achieve on your lips, but in the photos below you can see how it gives a subtle rosy sheen to my skin. If you have a deeper skin tone than me, they might act more as a dewy highlighter than a blush.
It was great for me to be able to test a lighter shade as well as a brighter shade with more pigment in it. As you can see from the lip and arm swatches, the Pomegranate Glow shade can be built up to a more opaque finish depending on how much you apply. It's such an easy shade of red to wear. If you decide to build it up so it's more opaque, it will fade as you wear it which leaves a translucent red with an even finish. They have that Goldilocks level of slip that is just right, it's not sticky but it has enough grip to keep it on my lips and prevent it from feathering outside of my lip lines.
You can see below how the Peach Glow shade looks with and without lip liner. I tend to wear them without liner because for me they are more of a low maintenance, apply it without a mirror as you're going out the door kind of product. As you can see Peach Glow is almost the same colour as my skin which is why I wanted to show it with lip liner as it does give my lips more definition and shape. They have the same (or at least very similar) soft vanilla scent as the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector and the same practical packaging and soft applicator.
