Clarins Extra-Firming Jour Review

It gave me a good look into the line, I can test them out without spending much. I have a couple other Clarins products that I got as holiday gifts which I will review as I use them. 

It was watery and not thick like I feared, a thin layer was enough to last me through the night, I woke up with plump soft skin that wasn't dried out by aircon. Other than the wrinkle reduction was how much softer my skin was, the texture of my skin changed for the better. 

On the first morning, I felt a difference already, using the whole thing up was something I looked forward to. Post declutter, my attitude towards skincare has changed into a calming pampering activity, instead of a chore that I stress out to frantically complete. 

I'm still investigating the ingredients and the Clarins ethos, to decide if it's clean beauty. I can affirm it works but unsure corporate responsibility wise, it lives up to the bar of a good reputation that a global company should have. 

I found that they might test on animals when selling to the China market, although it's not a requirement for brands if they reach a pre condition. I got it in Singapore.

They also have a sustainable farm that they own, where botanicals are harvested for their products. Other brands might not test their finished products on animals, but might not be sourcing ingredients ethically, permanently destroying farmland from misuse. 

Ethical buying can be tough. If you look at the larger picture, they might be doing more good than harm but if you zoom into a solo angle that isn't confirmed beyond the shadow of doubt, it can unsettle you. 

I would never want to see animals come to harm. 

I panned it before I dove deeper into investigating them. 

Sometimes, the luxury is how soft my skin becomes, it's not something that you can see but it's something I can feel. I even enjoyed gliding my hands over my much smoother face now. When I used to have sensitive inflamed bumpy skin, I couldn't bare to touch it, it felt gross and I was ashamed of myself. I was afraid of aggravating it but feared it would get worse if I didn't obsessively do something about it. 

I used to have epic levels of body insecurities around my skin, I got called pimple plantation as a teen. 

It's also how potent the product is, when it start to work so quickly, it made me motivated to finish it. I realised fast results was key to my attitude change, I have never gotten this kind of results from any budget buys, it didn't matter what brand or from what country. 

The road to consuming less could jolly well be pressing pause and identifying exactly what your buying is compensating for. 

With cheaper products, I use more to get the same results, most of the time, it works out to be about the same cost wise. With badly formulated products, I don't ever reach that level of efficiency, no matter how many bottles I consume.

As a time poor person, getting fast results with minimal effort was key to keeping up a skincare routine. When I tried to be perfect and cover all the bases, I ended up destroying my mental heath instead. I do keep to a routine now but don't stress if I miss a day or two. 

This is the dilemma when it comes to environmentalism, I can buy many bottles of lesser quality products or a few bottles of higher quality ones. Less bottles, less clutter at home, less to recycle, less taxing of my time, also equals to smaller carbon footprint down the line. 

My advice is this, if you have never purchased a high end product, save up to splurge on one bottle of life changing hero product.

I tried SKII, Shu Uemura, Shiseido, Sulwhasoo, Laniege, Estee Lauder, Lancome and much more.

You can't be convinced if you don't try it for yourself!

I'm not into cosmetic surgery or regular spa aesthetic treatments, I got my skin tags lasered off once or twice but that's it. I'm cool with people getting botox, implants or anything else, it's not for me.

So I put my money into topical skincare and make up products instead, I'm not going to realistically glow up overnight but they do make a difference over time. When I slack off, I can tell and so can everyone else. 

I also think that loads of people understand that people who aren't genetically blessed with good skin, struggle a lot more than those who're fortunate. Just discovering products that work for a routine can be painstaking, the additional duty of investigating down to the nitty gritty minute details can feel like a burden.

Other stressors such as an unhealthy diet, environmental pollution, unmanaged stress or hormone imbalances can also trigger skin problems, it's not always an issue of an incompatible product but fluctuations beyond our control, external factors that any of us can go through. 

We all have bad days, we all have bad phases in life.

Don't let any skin conditions stop you from joining the conversation, there's so much courage in embracing the authentic you! Having a sudden bout of pimples or flaky dry skin, things like that shouldn't be penalised, holistic wellness is centred on compassion as a default. 

I give it 4/5 stars, for how light it was and how it delivered as promised. I'm still deciding if I'm willing to repurchase, even though I don't live in China and can't find concrete evidence of animal testing.