Correct me if I am wrong but I would say that the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms are what we are all eagerly anticipating? I for one will raise my hand and say that the lure of a novelty yet practical item never fails to grab my attention and that is exactly what the newest shades of the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms a blue and green edition can't possibly be suitable for everyday wear...or can they?


Launching in April is four new yet limited edition shades of the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms which come presented pretty similarly too a few of Clarins other lip products.
In fact if there was an award for the most chic lip balm in terms of presentation I'm sure Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms would have the competition beat.
Aesthetics aside the casing is practical and well made, it can take a knocking and is perfecting for rattling around in the bottom of your day to day handbag.


A quick note about the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms, the pigment is suspended in the core of the product and the outer rim is essentially the balm and although it may appear a crazy shade in bullet form rest assure that it does not translate on to the lips and is more often than not transparent in shade.

The four new shades are:


05 Crystal Rose - Every summer collection needs a bright pink lip colour of some sort and this is Clarins offering. Crystal Rose is a bright pink with a yellow undertone that should suit most skin tones. As this is not neon it will appeal to all ages and is the prefect way to tap into the summer trend of sporting a bright lip without going too loud!


06 Crystal Mandarin - Being the huge coral/orange/peach lip enthusiastic that I am I was of course overjoyed to see this inclusion. To me this is the most typical summer type shade that is perfect for teaming with a tan be it real of faux and bronze based make-up. Out of all four balms this has the most pigment and is a bright, true shocking orange shade that is truly beautiful and opaque. This shade just screams summer and is my pick out of all the colour options.


07 Crystal Gold Plum - In the past I would have openly scoffed at green lip products but this actually rather lovely albeit green! The green element is of course the jelly like balm which encircles the plum bronze pigment core. This is a well pigmented plum shade that is slightly cool in tone and has a bronze undertone. 
Due to the bronze leaning I would say this is more summer appropriate than your typical plum lip colour.


08 Crystal Berry - This is the blue lipstick/balm by Clarins you may have heard or saw fellow bloggers mention. The blue aspect is of course the jelly balm which surrounds the purple pigment core.
Truthfully there isn't much of a difference in terms of shade between this and Gold Plum, the main difference is that this leans slightly warmer and pink but it is beautifully pigmented and a flattering everyday plum shade.
This reminds me slightly of MAC's Up the Amp but much more muted.


Each lipstick/balm consists of a transparent jelly bullet with an intensely pigmented core of colour
both of which combine to form a tinted balm that is lightly moisturising, well pigmented and have a light strawberry and vanilla type scent...think fruit gum sweets and you'll have the general idea.
I have to be truthful and state that I did anticipate the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Balm to be a tad more
hydrating don't get me wrong they are not by any means drying but not as moisturising as I had hoped for.
The texture is certainly more akin with a waxy balm and the colour pay off is similar to mediocre in terms of pigment lipstick,although they do feel a little waxy on the lips they are completely comfortable and lightweight.What I do struggle with in terms of application is the fact that the pigment is in the center of the bullet, it is easy enough to apply to the center of the lips but come the edges it can be a little messy.
This point is most visible in the Crystal Rose lip swatch.


Another surprise surrounding the formula of the Instant Smooth Crystal Balm's is that they settle to
a semi matte finish rather than being glossy but they do slick on smoothly and do not highlight flaws.
In terms of wear they preform more like a lipstick than a balm and wore for around four hours.
I know for a fact that the two slightly less than normal shades (blue, green) will be the balms which sell out the quickest as it seems we all like a product that is slightly bizarre/whimsical yet totally wearable.

Much like the other products I have featured the Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms for Summer 2013* will launch in April and should retail for £16.50 each.