At London Westfields in late February a glass “Urban Oasis” structure was temporarily installed near the main forecourt. A beautiful glass encasement with glamorous faces and luxurious mysteries waiting to be discovered by women passing by.

To be honest I have never considered Clarins to be a brand which I would consider looking to for my daily skin care regime, having never tried any of the products previously. I am usually drawn to the ones I am familiar with used from my twenties like Clinique or Kiehls.

It was certainly a high end experience without the snobbery as the Clarins hosts were welcoming and attentive from the second I stepped inside.

With the smell of soft botanical fragrances wafting through the air the “Urban Oasis” felt like an immediate escape upon entering the glass double doors. A lady named Jasmin gave me a brief introduction of the four stations involved with my journey around the oasis, so with my “Urban Oasis” passport in hand I began my journey.

I was escorted to my first stop, the face mapping enclosure where I sat in a small and comforting darkened space. Beautiful animated imagery of the sun, wind and rain elements were paraded across well as my face and the background whilst a soothing voice narrated a typical day of skin environmental exposure. A short video documented my experience as well as some photographs taken with some beautiful images I could download as a keepsake.

At the second pod I was introduced to a lovely Scottish girl named Emma who enquired about my usual skin care regime ( very basic at best). Sitting at the individual consultation pods I was introduced to a range of toners, serums and creams based on my reactions of the face mapping experience. With my part Asian lineage, oily skin is one of the attributes I look to prevent by avoiding excess moisturisers. With Emma’s suggestion of using the serum as well the light moisturiser I was surprised at how smooth and light the combination of the two felt. Another aspect which drew me in was with light botanical scents also made the sampling a refreshing experience.

Unfortunately due to the limited time I had to skip the third pod, which was a Clarins facial conducted at the beauty bars. Each bar consisted of a makeup mirror with a very comfortable reclining chair to accommodate and comfortably seat the lucky women who could book in for facial consultations. After seeing one lady facial transforming her into a state of bliss I certainly had plans to book again for this in the next week.

The ultimate experience which wrapped my Urban Oasis visit was a relaxing shoulder massage perfumed bythe Clarins scent of Eau de Jardins. As my lovely masseuse massaged all the pressure points in my shoulders. I was told a brief story on the Clarins origins in the romantic city of Paris of all places.

Welcome to the samples station! I was delightfully lead to the last pod in the Urban Oasis. the samples station! There I submitted my passport card and was delightful instructed to select my free Clarins samples before my departure. To further personalise the experience I could also select a photograph from my facial mapping experience for a keepsake. So with goody bag in hand I delayed my travels back to reality.

Once I was home with my samples ready to use that evening, I had forgotten what I was mean to apply in which order. Was I meant to rub the moisturiser in my hand and pat it on my face after applying the serum on with a cotton pad? Thankfully upon checking my emails, I had received an email from Clarins with the skin care products that Emma had consulted with me earlier that day. Not only did it list the items but also had details on the sequence and process of application, dilemma solved!

The experience as a whole felt quite generous as well as genuinely relaxing as the staff all seemed to have an enthusiastic and positive presence. I have no experienced an activation so personalised and polished as this one that Clarins has provided which has made me reconsider it as a brand which I will look out for to supply my beauty regime. Now for the important question ..do I have time next week to head back to the Oasis for that 15 minute facial?

Missed out on the experience in London? The “Urban Oasis” is touring the U.K and be stopping at Birmingham and Edinburgh during March 2016.

See the link for dates and locations:Urban Oasis U.K travel locations