Review & Swatches: Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact

This little beauty is from the Clarins summer 2013 collection, and it features some of the most amazingly beautiful packaging I've ever seen.  It's also an absolute bugger to photograph, which is probably why the packaging doesn't feature much in the collection imagery.  

The compact has an inlaid pattern under the high-shine reddish plastic casing, and it glows beautifully in the light.  When the light hits it directly through the plastic casing, it glows brighter whilst also reflecting the light; in indirect or dim lighting the design is still visible but more subtle.

Anyway!  Inside the beautiful packaging, there's an equally beautiful bronzer with a wonderfully detailed embossed pattern.

The bronzer combines three shades of bronze, and cleverly puts all the shimmery stuff in the lighter golden C in the centre.  This means you can get a subtle matte bronze effect but swirling the brush around the perimeter of the product, and use the gold for a highlighter, or swirl across the whole palette for a shimmering glow.  

On the topic of swirling, a light hand is advisable, as this baby is pretty well pigmented, particularly if you're pale.

In the photo above, I've applied the bronzer relatively heavily under my cheekbones for a sculpted effect, and lightly over my nose, chin and forehead for a bit of a natural glow.  The overall effect is lovely and subtle, perfect for summer.

Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact is release in April, and will cost £30.  Spendy, but it's a decently sized product which should last a long while, and anyway, it's so very pretty it's almost like buying art.  And £30 is pretty cheap for art.

Disclosure: PR sample