REVIEW: Clarin's Blue Orchid Face Oil

THE SCORE:

PACKAGING: 4/5 - Clean and luxe-looking. Glass bottle with a squeeze dropper top. Something you’d see in a high-end European spa.
FRAGRANCE: 5/5 - SO fresh. SO clean! Rich and luxurious.
FEEL: Thicker than I would have expected from a face oil, so it had to be patted in rather than massaged in.
IMMEDIATE EFFECT: 5/5 - Silky skin! But, beware if you spray tan…(Scroll down, you’ll want to read this if your a sunless tanner…)
LONG-TERM USE: 4/5 - Bright and soft skin.
PRICE: $$ - $59 means this rings in higher than a lot of other face oils. But, it goes a very long way and has not clogged my pores, like many others I’ve tried.
FINAL WORD: Treat yo’self - this feels like such a treat for your skin, you will feel like royalty every time you use it.

Guaranteed you will feel like royalty after using the new Clarins Blue Orchid Face Oil. I got a free sample of this from the Clarins spa, and use it as a treat a couple nights a week. To get the full effect, Clarin’s recommends appling it on a freshly-washed face. Confession: While I (almost) always remove my eye makeup and use toner to take care of anything lingering on my skin before bed, I don’t usually do a full wash - that wakes me up too much! But, if I feel like an extra treat, I’ll make sure you cleanse my skin with a foaming cleanser and then pat some of this face oil on. Cue the turn-down service and champagne in bed, please!

Here’s the thing to know before we dive into the full review - I have tried and reviewed a ton of Clarins products (like the Clarins Double Serum and the Clarins Hydra Essential Silk Cream, and while it’s not the only brand I use (that is just not realistic, with so much goodness out there!) I keep going back and trying, and re-buying, a lot of their products. I think that is a really crucial part of this review, because Clarins is definitely a brand that I trust not only for the occasional freebies they give me, but because I actually go back and purchase them on my own when they run out.

Back to the review: I am pretty much a face oil skeptic. I have tried two or three face oils before, but they both made me break out within a week, so I stopped. I was hesitant about using this one, although the instructions are clear to use it a couple times a week on clean skin, which I was religious about doing, and I have not had any breakouts from using this.

While Blue Orchid Face Oil is thick, it’s not oily and it absorbs easily. It also really works. I had a rare blemish that turned into a dry scab and it fixed the dry part almost immediately. Because it is such a thick oil, II felt that it kind of pulled at my skin, so I definitely had to pat this in rather than massage it like I would with any other moisturizer. I know experts usually say to pat skincare products in anyway, but I love massaging everything into my skin - I feel like I get better coverage and that’s just how I do it. So this was a bit of an adjustment, but I think it speaks more to how concentrated it is, and it is honestly worth it for the beautiful scent and for waking up with gorgeous skin.

There is one unintended side-effect to look out for, one that I found quite by accident: I don’t usually get spray tans, but I am genuinely trying to nix sun damage (beyond what I did to myself every summer in my 20’s galavanting around Sicily with no SPF like a crazy person) so I have been getting professional spray tans and filling in with Neutrogena spray on my face when I need a touch up. This oil completely stripped the spray tan off my face - I used it at night one night, like I usually do, and when I woke up my face and neck were white, and I looked like I was wearing a turtleneck. It might be related to one of the minerals in the oil, but in any case, I kind of took it to mean that it actually does cleanse and purify, among other effects.

What does an expert say?

You know I had to ask my licensed aesthetician pal, Elena Kucerova. She’s on speed-dial and gets photos of every new product I use, including the ingredients list, and I count on her input to know what stays and what is just junk food for my skin.

Here’s what Elena has to say about Clarins Blue Orchid Face Oil:

“I like this one. I think I want to try for myself. I feel like it would be a great primer. I would still use serum or whatever moisturizer you use under it. Just make sure you cleanse it off well. Some of those oils can block pores if not cleansed properly.”