I first tried the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector ($25 each for 12 ml/0.35 fl oz, made im France) over a year ago in Rose Shimmer 01 and have been so thrilled to find quite a few Clarins fans among my readers. For summer I always feel like multi-tasking products are in and the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors combine makeup and skincare in one product. These come in the squeeze tubes with a sponge tip applicator. There are tiny holes in the tip so you simply squeeze the tube to dispense product. This summer there are new shades that have been added to the permanent lineup and three new shades which are limited-edition. The Clarins team sent over all the shades for me to play with and I’ve swatched all the colors to share today.
The Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors have a glossy finish with semi-sheer pigment similar to the Instant Light Lip Balm Perfectors (the stick version) but the squeeze tubes have a slight sheen and shimmer to them. They have a pleasant sweet scent and taste to them, like a sweet vanilla but not overly sweet. The Lip Perfectors contain mango, shea and licorice to protect and moisturize the lips. Color-wise most of the original shades look pretty much the same on my lips once blended out. They have a sheer finish but there is a noticeable tint. I have pigmented lips so some of the shades will most likely show up better on your lips compared to mine. The colors have names and numbers, but on the tubes there is only a number label.
A quick look at the packaging and applicators:
The new shades include 7 and 8. New limited-edition shades include 10, 11 and 12 which have a special design on the packaging. These all have some degree of shimmer in them but on the lips it’s not visible – the shimmer gives them what Clarins calls a 3D effect. Shown below are the colors in numerical order, left to right:
- 1 Rose Shimmer is a light medium neutral pink
- 2 Apricot Shimmer is a light apricot color
- 3 Nude Shimmer is a light peachy shimmer
- 4 Petal Shimmer is a pale light baby pink
- 5 Candy Shimmer is soft medium pink
- 6 Rosewood Shimmer is a neutral medium brown pink
- 7 Toffee Pink Shimmer is a neutral mauve
- 8 Plum Shimmer is a red plum
- 10 Pink Shimmer (limited-edition) is a bright sheer pink
- 11 Orange Shimmer (limited-edition) is a bright sheer orange shimmer
- 12 Red Shimmer (limited-edition) is a bright sheer red
All swatched on bare lips, no lipliner or lipcolor underneath. This is the case with all lip swatches unless another color is specified. The only reason I mention it is because I frequently receive e-mails asking what lipliner I’m wearing or why I would wear a dark lipliner with a light lip color. I have pigmented lips and in many cases light colors that have a transparent finish will allow my natural lip pigment to show through, especially around the edges.
Many of you have e-mailed me in addition to leaving comments about these and out of the tinted balms out there, this formula appears to be well loved. That surprised me considering how sheer these are, but I will say that the formula is comforting and hydrating on the lips. As with any lip balm they won’t last all day long. They do stay put and don’t slide around as long as you don’t snack or drink. Since they feel nice I don’t mind reapplying. The packaging is pretty and the sponge tip makes it easy to apply.
Shades 1 through 4 almost look identical on me. Shade 5 shows up better than Shade 1. My favorites in the line are the new shade extensions 6, 7 and 8. For the limited-edition colors 10 is the one that has my heart. If you like the concept but don’t like the packaging/style the Instant Light Lip Balm Perfectors come in a twist up stick format although they don’t have all the same colors. If you prefer a more hydrating formula but in an oil format, you might want to check out the Clarins Instant Light Lip Oils instead.
You can find the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors now at all Clarins counters. Online at Clarins, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s.
Have you tried the new colors yet? If not do you have a favorite shade in the original lineup?
Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors provided courtesy of Clarins for review consideration.
