Good Housekeeping's beauty editors have tried their fair share of foundations. But few have impressed quite like Clarins Double Serum Foundation.
In fact, in our recent GHI Believe in Beauty Awards testing, everyone who used it over the trial period has since gone out and bought another bottle for themselves. It really has been the talk of the office and our panel.
First of all, the packaging is gorgeous. The gold! The pump! The separated serum! Then, we swatched it on our hands and the foundation, along with the brand's iconic skin-firming Double Serum, release at the same time, both seamlessly sink into skin. It gave our hands an immediate satin-like glow, so we couldn't wait to see what it could do for our complexions (spoiler: it did the most).
Here's why our discerning team of beauty experts, editors and GH panellists named it 'best foundation' in the awards.
What's special about Clarins Double Serum Foundation?
As the name suggests, this is a skincare/makeup hybrid that dispenses a mix of foundation and the brand's bestselling anti-ageing serum for instant and long-term results. Clarins Double Serum itself should need no introduction – now 40 years old, it harnesses powerful plant extracts to help smooth fine lines, refine texture and plump the complexion. And now that tech has been combined with a base, so you can enjoy glowy coverage and long-term skin-boosting benefits at the same time.
The foundation contains ‘AURA technology’, which sounds a bit Bond baddie but actually stands for ‘Advanced Ultra Radiance Amplifier’, a fancy way of saying it’s formulated with light-reflecting micro-crystals, designed to leave you looking like you’re being bathed by a photographer’s magic light.
As well as the instant satin-finish and soft radiance, the addition of papaya fruit extract means it gently exfoliates and smooths the skin surface as you go about your day. Finally, it comes in 37 buildable shades, promising ‘a visibly more glowing complexion’. Bring it on.
First impressions
It takes a couple of pumps to get the two textures to squirt in a blended form, but then you’re good to go. That hybrid serum/base cocktail has a sumptuous, silky consistency that blends and absorbs easily, and leaves a pleasingly soft feel to the skin – exactly what you’d expect from a Double Serum product.
It’s buildable, and a little goes a surprisingly long way. Don’t be tempted to overload your skin; less is more and you don’t need excess sliding around your face. "I found that just a light dab was enough product to glide across my skin," explains GH's Beauty Director, Lynne Hyland. "It gives a very flattering, soft-focus glow."
"And, yes, I do look a lot more radiant," Lynne adds. "My dull areas were swiftly snuffed out, all without leaving a flat or obviously makeup-y look. There was enough coverage to hide the worst of my dark circles and it didn’t settle into fine lines." Result.
The Good Housekeeping Institute verdict
Double Serum Foundation is a real face saver, especially on days when your skin is looking a little lacklustre. It takes just a minute or two to apply and instantly gave testers a well-rested look.
“It was THE best foundation I have ever used,” said one panel member, while another told us, “My husband thought I had a filter on.”
“This is the first time I've noticed long-term skincare benefits from a makeup product," said GHI Senior Beauty Writer, Florence. “I don't use a foundation as I've never found one that doesn't highlight my blemishes and pores, latching on to dry patches in particular, but this one just looks like my skin but better.” Honestly, we could write at length about all the positive feedback we received for this product, but we'd max out our advised word count.
Okay, one more. “My fifty-something, dry skin drank it up, and I can’t fault the glow," added Lynne.
In fact, everyone on the Good Housekeeping team who tried it (the GHI cosmetic experts and our editors) said they noticed the long-term skincare benefits of wearing it every day, long after they'd taken their makeup off. And, yes, people even went out and bought their own bottle after the test sample had run out. When we receive so many products to review each day, a re-purchase is perhaps the greatest accolade of all.
