Steal of the Week: Clarins "Beauty in a Flash" Kit

Today I'm going to be talking about one of my favorite lines, Clarins. This line has long been a favorite of mine, and I'm sad it doesn't get more of the press it so dearly deserves. I'm not sure why it isn't a more popular line...perhaps due to the chronic understaffing at the counters. I know I personally have a hell of a time finding an SA who actually works for Clarins at the counter. Usually, it's a Shiseido SA, and usually they're trying to convince me to purchase their products instead. Regardless, I've found some real staples from Clarins, and I'm going to make more of a point to review them in the future so you can get a feel for the line. In the meantime, you can read my past reviews for Vital Light Day Cream, Huile Santal Face Treatment Oil, and the Instant Eye Makeup Remover. 

This holiday season, Clarins came out with a wonderful little tin filled with some of Clarins' best goodies. The kit is called the "Beauty In a Flash" kit because it contains a full-size Beauty Flash Balm, among other great products. Beauty Flash Balm is my favorite Clarins product...I use it every single day, and reviewed it here. It's a lovely creamy balm that truly enlivens your complexion and erases many of your skin sins. I like to use it either as my primer over my moisturizer, or under my makeup primer if I think I'm going to have an oily kind of day. It helps foundation stick like glue, smooths and soothes the skin, and wakes up your entire face. I can honestly say that this is one of my very few must-have products, and I've repurchased it multiple times. And I almost never repurchase anything. 

In addition to the Beauty Flash Balm, the kit includes the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, the Instant Smooth Line Correcting Concentrate, and the new Instant Definition Mascara in Intense Black. All of these products are full size. 

This kit is an amazing value at $60 (retail value $122), and the products are all very nice, although I don't know that they will all become holy grail items for me the way the Beauty Flash Balm is. 

Here's a quick roundup of the other three products: 

• Instant Smooth Line Correcting Concentrate: I'm a bit iffy on this one. It's a silicone-y, very thick paste that offers no coverage but claims to smooth out lines and wrinkles. It's rich in a peptide called dermaxyl, which fights wrinkles. In addition, Acacia Micro Pearls help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In my opinion, it looks and feels like spackle, and while it apparently has some beneficial ingredients that normal primers do not, I do not feel it's really all that. I like it, don't love it. Then again, I only have minor fine lines around my eyes, not full-on wrinkles, so maybe I'm just not getting the full effect. 
• Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector: This is a great balm for dry lips. The color in the kit is Rose Shimmer, but I find the shade to be totally undetectable on my lips. There is a slight shimmer that's very pretty, but if you need any real color, this isn't for you. However, I like to use it on my lips before bed...the Lip Perfector leaves them soft and moisturized in the morning. 
• Instant Definition Mascara in Intense Black: This is a nicely volumizing, highly defining, deeply black mascara that makes my lashes pop. I tend to use a lot of different mascaras and often layer them to get the desired effect, and this one has fit in nicely with my favorites. 

Bottom Line: As I stated, this is a great kit at only $60, since the Beauty Flash Balm is worth $45 on its own. That means you're getting to try 3 other full-sized products for only $15, which is a steal. Plus, they're all good products, and you stand a chance of liking all three, and maybe loving one or two! 

The "Beauty In a Flash" kit is still available at Nordstrom.com with free shipping, so get moving!