Clarins GWP Offer & Haul

Here's me banging on about money being tight, then I go and splurge on some Clarins goodies this morning.  I felt this offer was just too good to miss, so it's only fair I share it too!  I think Clarins are a beauty brand that are a little overlooked.  Personally I used to work with Clarins (and Lancome) and used and loved both their products in my late teens/early 20's.  My general feeling back then was that Lancome had the edge on cosmetics and Clarins on skincare and the two brands were pretty much all I ever used (yes much to the envy of my friends).  If I'm completely honest, I still feel nostalgic about the brand but the counter doesn't excite me as I walk past and I haven't bought anything from them in years.  Unlike Lancome, which I visit every shopping trip and use a lot of their cosmetics and skincare products every day.  I did sign up to the Clarins emails though and they got a new (much easier to use) website, so it's piqued my interest in the brand again but without purchasing until today.  I have to say, the offers in the emails always look great-they have a lot of variety and deals to entice you. This email contained a special offer for their 5th birthday (5th birthday of the website perhaps as it's certainly not the brand) when you spend £60 or more, you get five free items;

Elegant Red Vanity Case
One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser 20ml
Instant Eye Make-Up Remover 30ml
Wonder Length Mascara (Black-mini)
Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector (Nude-mini)

Pretty fab huh? Well there's more! Normally with every order you get to choose 3 free samples (I can remember back 16 years ago and Clarins were always generous with their samples), but you're getting 5 with every order just now!  I have to praise them on their selection too; there's tonnes to choose from (skincare, bodycare, mens, fragrance, sun etc).  In comparison Estee Lauder have always been pretty generous too with their samples online and let you choose two with every order but usually from a selection of around 6 products.  There are 93 on the Clarins site!!  Plus all orders over £50 qualify for free delivery.  These offers run until 29th April, so don't dally and there's no codes required.

So what did I get?  I thought I'd try their Ever Matte Oil-Free Foundation (hoping 103 Ivory is light enough) and the Ever Matte Mineral Powder Compact in 00 Transparent Opal.  Their foundation was one of the products I used to own as a teen actually.  I also picked up this gem-Rouge Prodige Lipstick in 122 Nude, which I've googled and it looks glorious!  

As for the samples I went for;

Multi-Active Night Youth Recovery Cream 5ml (can't praise the MA range enough, it's fabulous)
Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction For Dry Skin 5ml (couldn't see an 'all skin' sample unfortunately)
Bust Beauty Firming Lotion 8ml (8ml probably gone in one application on these boobies!)
Pure and Radiant Mask 5ml (always looking for new masks to try)
Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate 3ml (luxury eye cream samples are my staple!)

Now the thrifty among you, will note I could have bought the lipstick with my next dose of Beauty Rewards from Debenhams and indeed the entire order (possibly twice over) off my Boots Advantage Points and it wouldn't have cost a penny-but where's the fun in that I say?!  My sister and I are of the mind-set that we'd spend anything for a freebie and/or points (!) and Clarins actually run their own reward system (1 point for every £1 spent).  You get 15 points for your initial registration and I earned another 67 here.  Once you have (only) 120 points you get a £15 reward voucher redeemable on your next online purchase.  Considering I'm halfway there already only with one order, I think that's a pretty good deal.  If only MAC offered half the free sample/rewards here!

If anyone is looking for recommendations; their skincare line as a whole is outstanding. Beauty Flash Balm, an instant radiance booster, remains one of their best-sellers (there was a statistic about one selling every 'x' seconds/minute that I've forgotten)! Sensitive skin will be amazed at the soothing qualities of the Gentle range and as I said the Multi-Active products are divine; they smell amazing and feel really indulgent. As do the body products; the Energizing Emulsion for Tired Legs cools and relaxes throbbing feet and legs. It's great for pregnant ladies and can even be applied over tights (I used to do this at work when I was particularly pooped). Their face oils have that luxurious 'spa-at-home' feel and as topsy-turvy as it sounds, the Lotus oil does actually work on oily skin (the 100% pure plant extract formula tightens pores and purifies). Eau Dynamisante is a heavenly fragrant treat; described as a 'treatment fragrance' rather than perfume, it can be worn by women or men and I grew to love the slightly masculine scent. It's a fragrance I never expected to like and I feel it shouldn't work on paper, but it's extremely inviting (and rather addictive!) and I love it. Finally, I used to always recommend the tanning range for pale ladies as it had a light shade that wasn't orange like other brands-although I think the whole range has been updated by then, so don't quote me on that and after receiving a sample a couple of years ago, I've raved about the Wonder Volume mascara, gorgeous fluttery lashes.  Once my products arrive, I will of course take lots of pictures.