Until very recently I'd never tried a single Clarin's product and until even more recently I didn't believe that beauty products really could work miracles. So what has caused the cynic in me to disappear? My in laws gave me a birthday present that is a pretty little pink box containing a number of Clarin's trial size products. It was in this little box that my miracle beauty product lurked, untried and untested by myself until about two weeks ago, largely because I hadn't bothered to read the leaflet and wasn't quite sure what it was for. I am, of course, talking about Clarin's "Baume Beaute Éclair" or more commonly known as "Beauty-Flash Balm" (BFB).

The manufacturer's claim that the BFB will tighten the skin, reduce wrinkles and lines and lend make up an exceptional radiance. It is also claimed to be vitalising and nourishing and if used regularly to actually strengthen the structure of the skin thus making skin appear younger. This summary includes some pretty "big" claims and I was interested to see if the product lived up to my, by now, fairly high expectations!

Instructions for application are initially confusing because you are told to "apply without massaging a very thin layer all over the face including eye contour area". Have you ever tried to put a lotion/cream on your face without rubbing it in? It certainly provided me with a bit of a dilemma. In the end I dabbed a little on the three fingers of each hand and kind of smeared it across my face lightly. The product is very light and I'm not sure if it kind of "sits" there or whether it's absorbed into the skin but it certainly feels good. Even I have to admit that the results are instantaneous. The first time I used it I had a cold and was not feeling 100% at all, I looked a bit pale and grey and tired yet immediately after applying this I couldn't believe how "well" I looked. My skin was visibly firmer, the lines around my 41 year old eyes and 41 year old mouth definitely seemed less obvious and my skin did indeed have a relatively "youthful radiance" about it and even appeared slightly "sparkly" without appearing to be greasy. I also have intensely dry skin and I was concerned that something that appeared to "sit" on the skin might dry it out even more, but you do use this after moisturising and Clarin's recommend that you allow ten minutes after moisturising before you apply BFB, presumably to allow the moisturiser to work and be absorbed fully first. Any concerns that I had proved to be unfounded and the first couple of times I used it I turned into someone who was mirror mad because I just couldn't believe the amazing results or just how long they lasted.

The major disadvantage to this product is unsurprisingly price. A standard size for this product is 50ml and this retails on average around £22.50. However, the product is so light and easily applied that a 15ml trial size tube has lasted me about a month using it 2-3 times a week and I still have plenty left. However, I am now a total convert to this miracle beauty product so much so that I would if I had to pay full price willingly to obtain such fantastic results.

I tried to find out a little more about the ingredients but most of it is meaningless to me - e.g. "symbiotic association of biological and vegetal extracts …." So I won't go into detail here. What I did discover though is that BFB does contain witch hazel and camomile so this might explain the subtle flowery perfume that I described earlier. It also contains olive and rice!

This product is available from all major department stores such as Debenhams and House of Fraser as well as some stores such as Superdrug. I have also seen some of the more expensive brand name beauty manufacturer's products for sale in larger Sainsbury's stores. The next time I go to buy this I think I will start with ebay as the trial size as well as the full size seem to be widely available here at hugely discounted prices.