I am always excited to talk about beautiful summer collections, and this one from Clarins, called Aquatic Treasures, is such a goodie. These type of posts always take me a while to do(Warning-Picture Heavy Post!) but I love doing them because I also get to do some make-up looks! I feel like I want to start a YouTube channel so I can show you guys exactly how to do it, what do you think? This pretty Clarins Aquatic Treasures collection just launched into stores, and on the menu today is the Summer Bronzing Compact, the Ombre Iridescente Eye Shadows, the Truly Waterproof Mascaras and Eye Pencil, and the Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base. It is a very, very pretty collection  so prepare to drool.

Marine inspirations, iridescent glints, a sun-kissed softness.The turquoise depths hide treasures that have been reinterpreted for this summer in tones of rosy gold, pearlescent beige and lagoon green, with iridescent glints and a glowy effect. The Clarins woman affirms and reinvents herself…naturally. A luminous complexion, iridescent eyes and natural-looking lips with a hint of glossy color is what this collection is all about.

For me my favorite items in the collection are the Ombre Iridescente Eye Shadows that come in 3 colors- Aquatic Rose, Aquatic Green and Aquatic Grey.An eye shadow formulated like a “creamy, silky powder” that respects the fragile skin of the eyelids. This formula melts into the skin, giving a real sensual feel on application. Instantly, it leaves pure, sparkling, even color on the eyelid. Long lasting, it does not run or melt away.

My baby is the Aquatic Rose because it is just the most gorgeous rose gold eye shadow I have ever laid my eyes on!

Just like the eye shadows in the autumn collection, these Ombre Iridescente eye shadows are highly pigmented, however they are not matte, so I found them a lot easier to work with. I use Aquatic Rose all the time as an all-over shade, as it perfectly sets the picture for the rest of your look. For my make up look here, I blended all 3 of the shades, starting with Aquatic Rose everywhere, Aquatic Green on the upper lid, and the Aquatic Grey on the edges and for blending.

I was worried that the green would be too reminiscent of the 80s, but once you blend it with the grey it gives you a beautiful silver smokey eye.

These retail for R300 each, and I would recommend investing in the Aquatic Rose and the Aquatic Grey.

The “Piece De Resistance” of this collection is of course, The Summer Bronzing Compact. A sun-kissed powder offering natural-looking, customized sun make-up. The bronzing powder combines two universal matte shades – coppery beige and sun-kissed beige – and a gold shade to warm all tans in a natural, even way.

You can see that the bronzer is split into 4 parts and 4 different colors, starting from light beige going into a deep terracotta. It’s a goodie because it means you can use it all year around- sometimes I just dip my brush into the lighter part, and other days, when I want  a lot of bronzer and I am going for that “tanned” look, I mix it all together.

I am wearing the bronzer in the pictures, and I just applied it lightly into the spots where the sun would naturally hit me-on my cheekbones and on the ridges of my nose. The compact is of course so beautiful, and so big! I had to hold off using it before I photographed it, and it is almost too pretty to touch. It is the most expensive piece in the collection, going for R550, but also the most beautiful one!

The next two items are The Truly Waterproof Mascaras. In this collection they come in two shades-Intense Black and Aquatic Green. Gentle on the eyes, Truly Waterproof Mascara combines bitter orange blossom wax and olive squalane, which coat and form a film on lashes to create a protective shield against moisture, seawater, pool water and the sun. It has the usual mascara brush that we are used to seeing on many mascaras now days, but let me tell you- it is waterproof like no other.

I love the volume that it gives me as you can see in these make-up pictures, but it is waterproof to the point where it is almost annoying. Not only will it not budge to water, you also have to put some effort in with your make-up remover to get it off, and my bet is there will still be a bit left of it the next morning. It sticks to your eyelashes like mad, so it is 100% safe to say that you can swim with this mascara without worrying at all that it will run away from you. A real hit in my eyes for those days where you do want to wear a bit of make-up to the beach or a pool party. R295 each

Another insanely waterproof item in this collection is the Eye Pencil. I had the matching Aquatic Green shade in it, and the actual pencil was very easy to use, and I used it on my inner bottom eyelids for the pictures to get a bit of a summer-inspired look.

I swatched it over here and then dipped my hand into the pool, tried to rub it of, and you can see that the pencil is still perfectly in tact.

It also has a smudge stick on the other side, if you want to create a bit of a smokey look, but then again this eyeliner doesn’t budge so you might have a bit of difficulty with that. The Waterproof Eye Pencil retails for R280.

Finally the last item that I have from the collection is the Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base. It comes in 2 shades- Apricot and Golden Caramel (the one I have here is the lighter shade, Apricot).

To perfect the sun-kissed effect, Clarins has created two new limited-edition shades, one for fair skin tones and the other for darker complexions. They leave a corrective, sun-kissed veil of light on the skin. In a few seconds, the complexion is naturally luminous, more beautiful and tanned. Skin is moisturized, radiant and supple again.

I mix mine into my foundation, as just the base alone  doesn’t provide enough coverage, and I like the look that it gives. It just gives the impression of a flawless, radiant skin, like you have just come back from a lovely holiday. Sounds great doesn’t it? This goes for R345.

Other items in the collection are the Instant Light Lip Balm Perfectors that come in 6 different shades, and the Fix’ Make- Up spray! Check out this collection in store and make sure to grab these goodies while they are in stock!