Clarins released the Hydra-Luminous Flawless Powder Foundation SPF20 PA++ late last year. Like plants, the skin needs two essential elements to stay beautiful and they are water and light. Thus Clarins has created this compact foundation perfect for moisturizing skin and enhancing complexion radiance.

The Hydra-Luminous Flawless Powder Foundation SPF20 PA++ claims to deliver a flawless sculpting, smoothing light while preserving soft, supple skin. It contains a high-performance formula with powerful plant extracts to ensure a radiant, even complexion in any circumstance. And a feeling of lasting comfort. This compact foundation also contains a “3D Luminance” pigment which diffuses light in a way that sculpts the face. Ingredients such as rosemary, camomile, ginko biloba helps to hydrate our skin; shea butter provides the ultra-soft, fine and melting texture of the product.

For a more natural finish, apply with a dry sponge with light sweeping motions from the middle of the face. For more coverage, apply with a damp sponge.

In order to give this compact foundation a good try, I wore it on its own – with no primer, only my daily moisturizer underneath. I also wore this foundation on several occasions, different days of the week – days where I stay mainly indoors and days I had to hop around under the hot sun. But before I share my thoughts of this product with you, I must let you know I have an oily T-zone.

This foundation comes in 6 shades, ranges from 00 – Marble to 05 – Honey and I am using shade 05 – Honey.

Pictures above were taken indoor with flash when my makeup is freshly done. Remember, no primer, no concealer, no highlighting and no sculpting too. All I have on my face is moisturizer, the Hydra-Luminous Flawless Powder Foundation SPF20 PA++ and blush. It can feel a little dry during the initial stage. I apply with a dry sponge from the centre of my face and spread outwards. A little tip for applying all compact foundation is – try not to drag the sponge across your face, instead, use the press and roll technique, this way, application is smoother and coverage is better. I usually remove all the access powder with a big, fluffy powder brush.

This compact foundation evens out my skin tone and it provides a decent coverage. However, it doesn’t help with my open pores (around my nose and cheeks). Perhaps it will work better with a primer? It also gives a radiant and delicate finish to my skin. It instantly brightens up my complexion, making me look more fresh and awake.

The second set of pictures below are taken indoor with flash, 5 hours after wearing it – no blotting, no touch-ups. You may notice the shine around my T-zone and cheeks. Glad to say I am not overly particular about the shine. I feel that this compact foundation settles well on skin after about half an hour of wear, it blends into the skin well. I didn’t notice any obvious oxidisation throughout the wear and it wears comfortably and light on the skin.

Overall, I like this product but I don’t love it. Hoping for better oil-control especially for use in this hot and humid country. Application is a breeze, perfect for the mornings. Besides the product itself, I am not a big fan of its gold packaging. Finger prints get all over the gold casing and the casing is not exactly very slim either. I will probably finish the product but I don’t think I will repurchase it simply because there are many other compact foundations out there I would love to try.

In case you are wondering, I am wearing MAC Satin Powder Blush in Fleur Power, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Sex Machine with NARS Lipgloss in Chihuahua over it.

Click on the following links to see what others have to say about the Hydra-Luminous Flawless Powder Foundation SPF20 PA++, The Make-up Blogette, Makeup Stash, A Horder’s Blog, Shine, Shimmer & Sparkle, Sharon & Her Adventures, Ms Glitzy and Viva Woman.

Have you tried this compact foundation before? What are your thoughts about it?

Thank you for reading.