Clarins Spring 2013 Palette Eclat Face & Blush Powder Review, Photos & Swatches

Clarins seriously makes the most beautiful face powders and blushes. Season after season, I’ve endlessly lusted after their embossed designs and luxurious compacts, and the Clarins Palette Eclat Face & Blush Powder ($35 USD / $40 CAD) launching in their Rouge Eclat Collection for Spring 2013 is no different. This stunning powder has a neutral base with a stunning embossed hibiscus design and blocks of peach and pink color. I don’t know when this powder officially hits counters, but it’s available from Nordstrom now.

The powder comes in a light gold, reflective compact with interior mirror, housed in a red velvet pouch. While it does look incredibly beautiful, it is quite the fingerprint magnet, and that can’t really be avoided. The powder is meant for face and blush, however I really see it more as an overall complexion enhancer because there’s really no way to only select the face powder, or only select the blush powder. I prefer to just mix ‘em all together (and yes, the blush shades run all the way through the powder; they’re not just an overspray- so you’ll have a consistent color throughout) and use them as a blush/bronzer.

Clarins Palette Eclat Face & Blush Powder with Velvet Pouch

Note the size & packaging

This powder is incredibly pigmented; especially the peach and pink bars of color. You wouldn’t think that those tiny strips of color would really impact the overall shade much when mixed together with that huge neutral base, but it really does. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t use it as an all-over powder. Having said that, used as a blush or bronzer, it has the most gorgeous, natural glow. I feel like I just got home from a tropical vacation after applying it… and really, who doesn’t want their Spring blush to do that?!

The quality is phenomenal… the powder glides on with ease, blends beautifully into the skin and the color lasts all day. The powder has a soft-matte finish that looks like skin, but doesn’t have any real radiance to it. I think it will be perfect in the summer, for when I try to stay as far away from shimmer on my face as possible. Overall, I’m so impressed, I can feel a little addiction forming. Uh oh!

Kudos, Clarins! This palette is totally a winner in my books.

Clarins Palette Eclat Face & Blush Powder

Clarins Palette Eclat Face & Blush Powder Swatched Heavily (left) & Blended out (right)

Wearing the Clarins Palette Eclat Face & Blush Powder on my cheeks!