Fab Find of the Week: Clarins SOS Primers

Not one. Not two. But FIVE new primers have landed from Clarins – one for every skincare concern you can muster.

Let’s give the low-down on the five, to help steer you towards your perfect primer choice. (The product names are slightly weird, seeming to focus on what the product does – but we guess that’s helpful overall. All are suitable for all skintypes – and, being Clarins, feature active botanicals in the blend.

SOS Primer Boosts Radiance – the one for those days when skin has the ‘blahs’, suitable for all skintypes, with just a little touch of gleam that makes skin look ever so slightly more luminous and more alive, under foundation – but not ‘sweaty’, as some radiance-boosting primers do.

SOS Primer Minimizes Signs of Fatigue – go for this if skin’s dull and looking as knackered as you feel; it’s slightly glowier than the above primer, with a pinky-apricot tone that enhances your underlying skintone, and an extract Clarins call ‘beautyberry’.

SOS Primer Blurs Pores Mattifies – probably the best choice for oilier complexions, or for someone who wants a velvety-matte finish to their foundation, when autumn sweeps in; ‘desert date extract’ is the star botanical, here.

SOS Primer Blurs Imperfections – now, we’re all for celebrating imperfections, but we know plenty of women who want a little extra help disguising patches of pigmentation or fine lines. In which case: this is your go-to; ; this offers ‘strawberry tree fruit extract’ among the actives.

SOS Primer Diminishes Redness – does what it says on the tube, but without leaving skin looking washed-out (or even ‘unwell’, as we’ve known some green primers in the past to do).

Each offering 24-hour hydration (with the caveat from us that nobody should leave their ‘face’ on for that long without cleansing!), these leave skin comfortable – but create a great ‘cling-y’ base that helps to counter Disappearing Make-up Syndrome, which we certainly suffer from when we forget to apply a primer.

These, however, don’t actually NEED foundation over the top – we suggest experimenting with them on their own, especially at this bare-make-up time of year.

We haven’t tried ‘cocktailing’ them – but we reckon you could. Individually? They really do what they say on the tin – or rather, tube.

£30.50 each for 30ml – buy here