Clarins Colour Accents Powder and Blush from the Ombre Minérale Fall Color Collection

I get excited when I see a new Clarins color compact. The moment I saw this new Clarins Colour Accents Powder and Blush ($35), which I think is a limited edition, I felt that familiar urge to purchase. I was online, and you know how that went. I have zero self-control.

This powder/blush hybrid "features four harmonious shades to bring instant illumination to every skin tone and complexion." The translucent powder blends easily to smooth the skin and even out imperfections - or to use as a blush or even a contouring powder by pale faces like me.

I like (not love) it, so keep that in mind as you read my description. I'm having trouble describing this Clarins Powder and Blush with the right balance. Perhaps that's because I'm ambivalent about my state of like.

The blended powder is not especially colorful. I took my swatch photos in full sun. I applied the shades - blended across the compact - at the top of my arm with a sponge-tipped applicator and with a blush brush below. Both applications were heavy - really heavy. That's as it should be for a shade one can use as a face powder.

The problem for me is that it's much too dark to use as a face powder. I can't imagine applying this shade all over my face. The color, when blended, is pale tan or beige. It's too dark for me to use as a face powder, but perfect as a neutral blush. I like to use neutral-toned blushes when I wear colors like purple. Pink blushes are a total no-no with purple jackets (in my opinion).

I had thought that the pink stripes in the compact would add a pink cast to the powder. Wrong. Additionally, I did not find it illuminating, as advertised. It has a matte finish.

This color is tan with a peach undertone. Where's the pink? Lost in the fray. Those little stripes make the compact pretty, but they don't add much pink to the skin. I actually tried to over-represent the pink as I was swatching. It didn't help.

Who will be the perfect customer for Clarins' Colour Accents Powder and Blush? Someone with a medium or darker skin tone who prefers warm shades and wants a face powder that will even skin tone and blur imperfections. Or someone whose skin is so light that this product will serve as a great contouring shade or blush. That's a limited market. Clarins could have done something more exciting.

I purchased my Clarins Colour Accents Powder and Blush at the Clarins Web site. It's part of the Ombre Minérale Fall Color Collection.

It's available at Clarins counters, including Bloomingdale's and Macy's.

Photo at top courtesy of Clarins; photo at bottom courtesy of Macy's; other photos by Best Things in Beauty