ARGH! Retraction, retraction, just so I don’t make a complete tool of myself! In the October Beauty Roundup I talked about the Clarins Passion Face Palette and I used it as a subtle illuminator on my cheekbones and under my brows. This is not an illuminator! After a number of uses, it seems that the gold sparkles just disappear – I have been left with a face powder! That’ll teach me to post about something without having given it a thorough going-over!

In all fairness, the face powder is lighter and brighter than your bog-standard version, but it is, by no stretch of the imagination, an illuminator. So sorry about that… As a face powder I would thoroughly recommend, though – the compact is ridiculously heavy and lush,  the powder inside is finely milled and does seem to have a certain je ne sais quois about it. For those looking for a powder that doesn’t completely ‘deaden’ the skin into matte flatness, this is well worth a shot. And it looks the part, too! I’m very impressed with lots of Clarins’ cosmetics at the moment, they look chic and expensive.

The Face Palette is available at counters nationwide for £35 or with free delivery at Escentual.com: http://tidd.ly/b2710970