Clarins Beauty Flash Balm: a Review

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm is a product that requires little to no introduction: numerous bloggers have sung its praises repeatedly in the past. Naturally, when so much hype surrounds a certain beauty product, you cannot resist it - one simply has to see for themselves if the others are onto something, worthy of the Holy Grail label.

Long story short, there was a Clarins offer on feelunique.com, so I succumbed:

As a lot of you probably already know, the Beauty Flash Balm is widely used as a pre-makeup moisturiser-slash-primer, kind of an "all inclusive" type of product, really. It claims to moisturise, add radiance, tighten, even out and revive the appearance of your skin. And much to my surprise (if you know me by now, you know that I'm a skeptic when it comes to overhyped products), it pretty much delivers!

First things first: the product comes in a cream formula in an ivory/light salmon shade, that I'm sure plays its part in making the skin appear healthier. It's not at all thick and a minute later it's absorbed without leaving any residue. You might get a tingly sensation when applied to the driest areas, but that fades away quickly.
The results are visible straight away: the skin is plump and moisturised and gives off THE most stunning natural radiance I've ever come across in a product! Think youthful, rested, healthy looking complexion, that looks your own and not as a (somewhat artificial) result by a primer. What's more impressive is that this radiance is still very much noticeable after you apply foundation and it lasts for a good amount of time!
In regards to it being used as a primer, I can't say that it's as effective as silicon-based primers, but it does increase the longevity of my makeup - I can't give you a number in hours, but after coming home, my morning face hadn't disintigrated as much as it usually would have.

There are however a couple of points that I need to mention:

• the scent. It's like a lady-ish, light floral scent, a bit too much for my taste. I'd prefer no scent at all, or sth more herbal than this - to many, I'm sure this is not even an issue.
• While it does effectively moisturise the skin, I don't get the instant feeling of relief when I apply it. Sure, when I see my face in the mirror, I see its benefits, but I'd have enjoyed an immediate soothing sensation as well.

All in all, though, a truly great product, that I'd gladly repurchase. It does multitask, which is extremely helpful if you can't wait for a million products to sink in in the morning, and it does achieve that "lit from within" radiance*. It's also formulated with many plant extracts and sans the usual dubious chemicals, another huge plus in my book!

*I do have dry/combination skin, so perhaps this is why this product works so well for me. If you have oily skin, then most likely, this might not be a must product in your beauty cabinet.

How about you? Have you tried the Beauty Flash Balm?

Have you come across a multitasking skincare product that cuts down your routine?