The Sunny Clarins Sun Light Collection for Summer 2010

Clarins has a winning color collection for the season! The Sun Light Collection has three key pieces to brighten or bronze your look for summer. In short, they are gorgeous.

I first played with them at Saks a couple of weeks ago. The collection had only been there for about two weeks, but many pieces were sold out. Clearly, faster shoppers had discovered the beauty of the collection. So, I bought what I could at Saks and ordered the rest of the items I wanted from the Clarins Web site. Pfew! Mission accomplished. Then I asked about the collection at Bloomingdale's a week later. The response? "Wow, it blew right out of here!"

I know that inventory control is a key issue for department stores these days, but could the buyers not have seen that this collection would be a blockbuster? Its carefully edited pieces and universally appealing colors were going to sell.

Let's start with the limited-edition Instant Sun Light Eye Quartet & Liner Palette ($36), four warm eye shadows and a liner that will work for both warm and cool skin types while adding a summer glow.

Decorated with a shimmery gold star anise flower, the four shades are pearly ginger, iridescent cinnamon, matte cocoa, and sparkling paprika. They are joined by a metallic nutmeg eyeliner, and the shades can be used to give you countless looks from sweet to smokey. The palette contains tiny applicators - good for women on the go - but use your professional brushes at home. I love every one of these colors. There are no blah neutrals in this palette! Instead, there are shadows designed to add light with their color, and the effect on the lid is stunning.

The Instant Sun Light Instant Smooth Compact Highlighter ($32) comes in two shades: natural and bronze. They are irresistible. I toyed with both, with the help of Armani makeup maestro Loyd Cassler. I wanted them both, but couldn't decide between safe (Natural, a light pink pearly shade) and Bronze (a totally wearable pearly bronze highlighter). The texture of these highlighters is creamy, and the effect on the skin is soft and pretty. They are also generously sized. Loyd chose Bronze for me, telling me that it was a shade I don't own. There you have it; I came home with Bronze! Except...I really wanted the Natural one too, so that found its way into my online order. They are both gorgeous.

There are three Instant Sun Light Click & Gloss SPF 6 ($18) lip glosses, available in Vanilla, Coral, and a luscious Cinnamon. I can't tell you how much the name "Cinnamon" turns me off, given my aversion to the real thing. So, I just overlooked the name and bought the gloss. It's a pretty mauve that's perfect for my coloring, and it carries enough pigment to give my lips some color. The click-pen applicator leaves most of the product carefully protected in the packaging while you use only what you need.

There's more (some cool lip balms, a waterproof liner, and more), but I bought the most exciting pieces. Check out the entire collection at the Clarins Web site, where you can actually find these products. Or meander by your local Clarins counter at the department store and bemoan the fact that you wanted to see and possibly purchase these. Maybe the buyers will get the hint if the sales associates pass along the word about the demand.

Photos courtesy of Clarins