Clarins Calm-Essentiel Regime

I received this Calm-Essentiel range as part of a trial team. I have sensitive skin which often reacts to products and also have some red patches, particularly in autumn/ winter, so was interested to try the range and had high hopes. The range is centred around a purified clary sage molecule and other natural ingredients like camellia and apricot oils to soothe, hydrate and protect all skin types with an emphasis on sensitive skin. Of the 3 products in the range, I best liked the 50ml emulsion, which is an easily absorbed white cream, used twice a day after moisturising. The redness corrective gel (30ml) is green and creamy, used in the morning, after cleansing. I generally mixed these two to apply. Both come in tubes with pumps, so easy to dispense. The last product is the restorative treatment oil, in a white glass bottle with a dropper, which is applied at night, either with the emulsion or by itself. Overall after a week or so of use, I noticed a slight difference in softness and hydration, but not really any change (positive or negative) in sensitivity or redness. I don't even know how to judge whether it is showing less effects from pollution? The whole range would set you back around $250. My take is that the emulsion is the best of the 3, and if I was to buy a product it would be this one. However it is about $90 so I can't say it is significantly better than many more inexpensive brands/ products. The redness corrector is approx. $64 and the treatment oil $90+, and I am currently unsold on their benefits. Perhaps my biggest bug-bear is the outer packaging - the classic Clarins white cardboard with tiny, tiny red/ black writing on both sides which repeats the same information in lots of languages. I found it annoying trying to find and read the relevant information. We have google now to get the information - please Clarin - forget the outer packaging and save the trees. On the tube/ bottles themselves there was less information, but two included brief application details except for the treatment oil, which left me having to google how/ when to use it. Overall - the range was ok - it didn't wow me. If I'd paid for these products currently I would feel disappointed. Perhaps to be fair, it needs a longer time to notice a difference.

To provide some context, I have very dry sensitive skin with rosacea. The type of rosacea I have its red hot skin with occasional pustules which is basically acne. I have been searching for a regime that works for me, and this one almost nails it with a few tweaks.

First off I absolutely love the fragrance. Usually a fragrance is something to avoid for sensitive skin, but it didnt flare me up at all. That is a huge deal for me!!

The packaging is a bit flimsy, the pump was squeaky and kind of cheap feeling for such a good brand. Works okay just takes a few pumps to get enough out.

All three products were silky and beautiful feeling on my face. The emulsion was soothing and great for rosacea flare up. The redness corrector definitely made a difference but wasnt life changing. The oil is something special though... absolutely no dry skin in the two weeks I have been using it!!!!! The only thing is that it is making me a bit oily so i am breaking out a bit. That is a small price to pay for no flaky gross skin. Amazing results.

This skincare regime arrived in my life at a good time - just as the winter chill arrived, bringing cold dry outside air and indoor heating - a combination that is sure to bring a flush to my sensitive skin.

Using these products has helped me minimise the effects of the environment on my poor cheeks. I have not felt the need to use my usual fake tan or BB cream while using this Clarins range, as it has been soothing the redness.

As I gave more information about in the individual product reviews, I'm not enamoured with the packaging and I had some challenges figuring out how to use the products, but when applied correctly my skin did see the benefits.

I was selected for the beauty review trial team for these three products and was very interested to see how these products - emulsion, corrector and oil would effective my naturally dry sensitive skin. I believe that the emulsion and oil specifically left my skin feeling soothed, calm and hydrated but I am unsure over the effectiveness of the Redness corrector. I suggest using the emulsion and oil together (e.g mixing in your palm prior to application) and incorporating this as part of a night time routine as they can be heavy and might not sit very well under makeup or with being active. I usually cleansed my skin before application and noticed how supple my skin was afterwards. However, I think that the products should be left to sink in before hitting the hay. I enjoyed the more muted and natural based scents of the products as heavily perfumed products are often a deterrent for those with sensitive skin.

I was thrilled to be chosen to be part of this trial team and be given the chance to treat my poor sun and wind exposed skin. I am particularly fond of the Clarins packaging and find it to be very sophisticated and minimalist- it looks great on the counter! I really like the fact that the product come in pumps or pipettes so that you are not dipping your fingers into pottles all the time. I was quite unsure on how best to use the products as a regime, despite reading the packaging and also looking it up online. I was really grateful to receive an email explaining the regime from Beauty Review and feel that this is something Clarins really need to address! This range is lightly scented with musk and is designed to be used as a whole experience so as to calm the mind as well as your skin. I warmed each product up in my hands before applying and took a moment to appreciate the smells which I found to be very grounding. I used the Corrective Gel and Soothing Emulsion in the morning after cleansing my skin. At night I used the Soothing Emulsion again but followed it up with the Treatment Oil. I found the regime left my skin feeling soft and soothed and noticeably less irritated. I am keen to see the long term benefits of the protection as I continue to use them.

While I wouldn't immediately say my skin is overly sensitive, it is prone to dry patches and tightness despite also being oily so I guess it is pretty temperamental! This made me really want to try this range.

The packaging is sleek and attractive but it would be nice if the products had more instructions on the packaging (especially what order to use the products in).

The pump applicator on the emulsion and the gel was a real let down. It took a long time for me to get any product out the first time I used both, and over the two weeks that I trialled the products there were more days than not where it took ages trying to get product out.

The scent was floral and creamy but slightly artificial. I liked it on the gel and the oil, but it was a bit overwhelming on the emulsion.

The gel is really nice - a pale green which I didn't expect (but which makes sense since it's a calming product). It felt like applying a silicone primer - it was slightly cooling to apply which was nice. I used two pumps - a little goes a long way so I think the 30ml bottle is pretty good value.

I didn't noticeably see redness decrease in my skin immediately, however it felt nice to apply in the morning before the emulsion. Sometimes in the morning my skin feels dry after moisturiser only, but I don't want to apply an oil before I apply makeup. The gel product combined with the emulsion meant that my skin didn't feel dry, itchy or tight in the morning which was great.

The emulsion is lightweight, so I expected it to work just as a day cream. However it was extremely moisturising so I used it morning and night with no problem (using the gel in the morning and an oil alongside it at night is the best option). My skin can sometimes feel dry and tight after I moisturise (and sometimes even after I apply oil), however my skin didn't feel tight or dry at all after application. It truly did feel soothed and supple.

I really loved the oil too. It's a big call but it might be the best one I have ever used. I enjoyed how it seemed to soak into the skin immediately, while making my skin feel perfectly hydrated. A lot of oils seem to make me really oily as a payoff for my skin feeling hydrated. With this oil, I felt hydrated yet my skin didn't feel weighed down. Plus I didn't get any acne during the trial period, which I can experience with other oils.

I liked to use 4 drops at night, after cleansing and moisturising. I'd also like to try it mixed with foundation, however my skin truly felt so moisturised and plump during the trial that I didn't feel I needed this.

The products are a bit higher than my normal price range, but the formulas work so I would consider repurchasing. I would definitely repurchase the oil - it's so hydrating while being lightweight I can see it being a part of my routine all year round. I would consider buying the emulsion and the gel again if the pump was changed to a lid.

When I first heard about this trial, I read the words “calming”, “redness”, and “emulsifying”, and I knew something good was on its way. I received the products on May 3rd and immediately began treatment. I stopped using all my other serums, moisturisers, and eye creams; the only thing I kept using was my cleanser. Packaging was simple and products were all easy to remove. They’re very proud to have recycled and ethically sourced packaging, as they should be. Ingredients and more information can be found inside the boxes. Initially I had been using these products in the wrong order. After receiving an email with more information (there was nothing I could find on the packaging or online) I found out they work best used as such: cleanse your face in the morning and apply the redness corrective gel. It takes a few pumps before anything comes out, but I only ever needed two pumps to get enough redness-corrective-goodness. Let that soak in and then apply the restoring treatment oil over. For me, this is brilliant because it preps my skin for makeup. Whereas before I would have to use moisturisers and primers by the truck load and still end up looking cakey, every single day since May 3rd my makeup has looked so natural and so radiant!

Carrying on... In the evening, cleanse your face again and apply the soothing emulsion. Again, takes a few pumps to get anything out. With this product I used 3-4 pumps to cover my face and neck. Just as before, let it soak in and then apply the treatment oil on top and you’re all set for bed. All the products smell lovely and soak right in. I haven’t had a single problem with application or use in general. The results, you ask? Let me start by saying that before I had even heard of these products, I had a lot of issues with my skin. On the absolutely worst days I would have dry, flakey, itchy skin. My tone was uneven, blotchy, red. No amount of foundation or concealer was helping as I would just end up looking cakey. Even from the first day of using these products I could see a clear improvement. I’ve been using them religiously as described for 10 days, morning and night. My skin is plump, smooth, poreless, glowing, and most shockingly, the redness is gone. I have an even skin tone again! I’m just so happy and I feel so beautiful with or without makeup. I still have quite dark under eye circles but I’m suspecting it’s got something to do with depressed tear troughs so not sure there’s any product that can help in that department. I did, however, notice an improvement with my under eye wrinkles! They’re less defined and much plumper, so much so that my makeup doesn’t really get creased into them anymore. This is all so fantastic. I’m not going back after this. I’m genuinely so impressed and elated with the results. These products will also last ages with the way I’m using them. 500/5

This three-product regime would be well worth the money spent on it given the results I have had over the last 10 days.

I have been using the Redness Corrective Gel in the mornings under my makeup and a combination of the Soothing Emulsion and Restoring Treatment Oil at night after cleansing.

From day one I noticed an improvement in the hydration of my skin, and a reduction in the redness throughout the day. The corrective gel applies easily and is non-greasy, requiring four pumps to cover my face and five to cover my face and neck. It glides on and is instantly ready for my SPF moisturiser and foundation to be applied over top.

While I don't really like the scent of the soothing emulsion (first thought was Grandma's moisturiser that had been sitting in her makeup drawer for a couple of years), mixed with the very faintly scented restoring oil the scent tones down a little.

I needed three pumps of the emulsion along with three drops of the oil to cover my face (four of each to also cover my neck with a little on the backs of my hands - which have also benefitted from this treatment). As with the corrective gel it was non-greasy even with the oil added into it, and was absorbed by my skin relatively quickly.

After the fourth day I noticed some small breakouts, so dropped the oil back to every second day, which worked fine with no more breakouts.

Overall I have noticed a definite reduction in my rosacea and redness in my skin. I am very prone to blushing, which is normally a prickly burning sensation on my face and neck, however this has also toned down since using this regime and is not so painful.annoying.

Overall I'm pleased with these products and they have achieved good results on my skin as they promised. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone suffering from redness and rosacea.

First of, I have to say I am a lover of Clarins and stopped using it when I wasn’t getting results anymore - I used the Hydraquench range for years. These products are so lovely, and work well together. I was a bit uncertain as to how to use each product with each other – howeverthe beauty of clarins is when you purchase in store there is always someone lovely at the counter to give you pro tips!

My skin definitely felt soft, smooth and hydrated but as I have to review after two weeks I cant say I notice much of a difference in my sensitive areas. Having said that though, I didn’t have a reaction to anything which is amazing! I used these products after having microdermabrasion and there was no discomfort at all so they are gentle for sure.

I missed having a cleanser in the same range, however I’d imagine the Clarins Shea Butter cleanser would be a good match as it is also very gentle and hydrating.

Overall a great new range to try, the scent is gorgeous and subtle and I like the direction they have taken this in terms of natural ingredients and enviro awareness etc.