Clarins | Spa Week Daily

Spend Spa Week at Clarins

March 14, 2013 | By Marissa Gold

The Clarins section at Bloomingdale’s, NYC

At many local Clarins counters, there’s a secret you may not know… behind a back door lies a mini spa! I stopped at Bloomingdale’s in New York this morning to see for myself.

Now, it’s no secret that the best time to hit Bloomies is 10 a.m.: No crowds, freshly restocked merchandise, and free reign of the store. The same is true for a spa appointment at Clarins. After all, some of the world’s best shopping lies right beside the counter, and you’ll definitely want to take advantage of it after your service.

So, at 10am sharp, I met my aesthetician at the counter, and I was in luck: Clarins National Spa Education Manager Taryn Johnston was on duty today, and would be performing my facial herself. “The facials at Clarins are a little different,” she explained, as she slid open a glossy white door behind the counter to reveal a hidden treatment room. I never knew what was tucked away right inside the store, but this “secret” room was completely private and I was excited to see what was so different about the facials here.

We proceeded to discuss my goals and pick the best of the three treatments offered: moisturizing, anti-aging, or brightening. Since my response to those options was “yes, yes, and oh, let me think… yes,” Taryn customized my treatment to hit all three.

The one-hour facial included a lot of high-powered serums, including the new Double Serum, which I recognized by smell. [Fun fact: Clarins apparently did clinical studies on the effects of using this product during facials, and found it reduced the volume of wrinkles by 30% in one treatment.] Then, after two types of exfoliation, Taryn applied a wrap mask that forms a rubber-like, solid mold when it dries. This is “a big night out mask great for when you need extra firming and brightening,” Taryn told me. Then came the big surprise: massage!

It turned out that the main thing that makes Clarins facials different is massage. And a lot of it. The therapists are trained in techniques like lymphatic drainage for your face, and other European massage modalities for your scalp, neck, arms, and shoulders.
I’m a big fan of massage (as I should be — this is Spa Week, after all!), so that made this facial twice as nice. For a full hour of all that, $50 is a pretty fabulous pricetag.

Click here to find a Clarins spa near you participating in Spa Week from April 15-21. 11 locations in Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom stores across the country have their treatment beds made and waiting for you! Take advantage of a spa service here while they’re just $50.

Filed Under: Spa Week Event, Spas Tagged With: bloomingdales, clarins, facial, Spa Week Event

The History of Clarins Double Serum

February 27, 2013 | By Marissa Gold

Mr. Christian Courtin-Clarins is a charming Frenchman. I recently had the pleasure of meeting him at the Clarins offices in New York City. I expected a few words about the brand’s newest Double Serum, but what I got was a much deeper (and more interesting) history.

Mr. Courtin-Clarins’ father (who founded Clarins) launched the first retail products in the ’60s. The brand is, and always has been, known for using plant extracts. “The first product used plant extracts instead of chemicals, ” Mr. Courtin-Clarins explained, because “With plants, the effects were known.”

The brand continued to research herbs and extracts, even developing their own exclusive botanical ingredients. By the mid-80s, Clarins launched an anti-aging product duo of two serums, hence the name Double Serum.

The Master Plan: As Mr. Courtin-Clarins told us, his father wanted to put all of the best anti-aging and skin-rejuvenating ingredients into one product. But the Clarins chemists had an issue with that: those ingredients were all either water or oil soluble, and had to be packaged accordingly (as in, separately). To put them all in the same bottle would be impossible.

The brand continued to tinker with the formula and packaging, perfecting the combination of ingredients used — but it wasn’t until 2012 that the brand finally discovered a bottling solution to make the two products to become one. The breakthrough: Using a dual-chambered bottle and hydrolipidic delivery system

The hydric and lipidic formulas, respectively, are kept in separate chambers, but one pump releases equal amounts of both into your palm. Then, you simply swirl them together and press them onto your skin, where they can be instantly absorbed. Mixing the two formulas immediately upon application allows the ingredients to be kept fresh and efficient. And, finally, in the same bottle.

Have you swirled and pressed your way to better skin with Double Serum? Let us know how you like it — or what your personal favorite product from the brand is.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Products, Skin Care Tagged With: clarins, Clarins Double Serum, double serum

Spa Week Spotlight On: Clarins

September 21, 2012 | By Spa Week Daily

Has anyone else noticed the not-so-subtle effect that the changing of seasons can have on your skin? The transition from hot and humid to windy and chilly temperatures is especially difficult to adjust to and can leave you craving some skin stability. Thankfully, Clarins Skin Spa is offering the perfect solution during Spa Week — the choice of either a Moisture Replenisher Facial or Detox Shine Stopper Facial for $5o!

Whether your skin is dry and flaky and lacking shine, or shining like a diamond and in need of a calming, oil-reducing treatment, you can pick the best facial for your needs:

Moisture Replenisher Facial: “A rehydrating treatment to supply intense moisture to dehydrated skin. Nourishes and softens skin to revive and restore radiance.”

Detox Shine Stopper Facial: “An ideal treatment to gently rebalance combined or oily skin. Skin is perfectly clean, matte and healthy-looking. Skin texture is refined.”

Sign up for Spa Week 2012 by clicking here and you can get in on the Clarins spa deal of your choice at a location near you!

Filed Under: Spa Week Event Tagged With: clarins, facial, Spa Week 2012, Spa Week Event

Spa Week Story Winner #5: Clarins Worked Their Magic

November 4, 2011 | By Spa Week Daily

Spa Week is over, but the memories and benefits are everlasting! One of the greatest rewards for us is hearing about how Spa Week has touched your lives. We asked for your Spa Week stories, and this is the week you get to read the 5 winners, who will all receive $50 Spa Week Gift Cards to use for their next spa treatment.

After a long night out, this spa-goer had Clarins work their magic!

I booked my facial at the Clarins Skin Spa the day Spa Week bookings opened. I was so excited that the Clarins Spa on Madison Avenue was included in the curated list of spas! My facial landed on Columbus Day which I luckily had off from work – it was too perfect. With a day off from work of course has to come with a late night out the night before, right? Of course!

I went to my facial a tad… would you say… under the weather? My facialist examined my skin and made the conclusion that my skin was dehydrated. Yeah… you could say that again. My facialist performed the Clarins tri-active facial treatment on my post party skin. After about 20 minutes I felt rejuvenated and after 40 minutes I felt as if she had unmasked a new layer of skin! And after 60 minutes, I felt like a new person! This gem of treatment not only rejuvenated my skin but also my day off! Highly recommended.

Submitted by Caroline Hornbeck

Clarins Madison Avenue Skin Spa
1061 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10026
212.734.6100

Filed Under: Skin Care, Spa Treatments, Spa Week Event, Spas Tagged With: clarins, Clarins Skin Care Spa, facials, spa week stories, Spa Week Story, spa week treatments, spas in NYC, tri-active facial

Now You Can Spa in the Virtual World With Clarins

October 4, 2011 | By Kimberlee

So, last night I opened up a spa. At la Spa de Kim, you could receive world-class mani/pedis in seconds or perhaps you wanted to relax with a revitalizing facial. I offered it all – well virtually that is. As if working at Spa Week hasn’t made me addicted to spas enough, now Clarins, the French-born skincare giant, has created a Facebook game, Spa Life. While watching my Monday night TV lineup (hello, Chuck Bass), I quickly earned my way to level 7!

First, Claire (nice play on words) welcomes you as a new spa owner. I treated customers to mani/pedis, facials and let them sip on herbal tea while they wait in my lobby. Consumers quickly came in and out so you had to move fast! (Sort of like they will at the 16 Clarins Spa locations participating in Spa Week this Fall.) They weren’t afraid to show you they were disappointed in the wait time by tapping their feet and crossing their arms. (This won’t happen during Spa Week.) You may also recognize some of your customers as they integrate your real Facebook friends into the game. As I earned more cash, I was able to buy more supplies for my salon including more stations and top of the line facial creams.

The game doesn’t push the Clarins brand at all. The spa layout is very simple, no Clarins logos to be found. You also don’t earn official Clarins products until much later on in the game (unfortunately, I didn’t make it that far in my hour playing time). The game is definitely for someone who loves to earn rewards and going to the spa (moi).

It may seem like an odd move for the company but it actually makes a lot of sense. According to their Mashable interview, they discovered that their customers were the average online gamer – 43 year old women!

Like most online games, it quickly becomes addictive because you have to keep your salon reputation in tact and be able to meet demand. If you have trouble, Claire is there to guide you! If you are having trouble running a REAL spa? Well, Spa Week and ISPA can help guide you with that one. ;)

Check out the game on Facebook.

Images via Mashable (because I was too focused on earning products to snap a screen shot!)