Last month while in Paris I had the most amazing experience at the Clarins Spa in Neuilly, a suburb of Paris, with my beauty blogging friends.

Left to right: Nadine, Tammy, Cailin and Julia

Clarins was founded in 1954 by ex-medical student Jacques Courtin and quickly became renowned worldwide for its plant-based range of skincare products, cosmetics, and salon treatments.

When we arrived at the spa, the first half of our group was whisked away into treatment rooms while Tammy and I sipped coffee with Cassandra and Rose-Marie from the Clarins PR team. (Oh, I also painted my nails with the Prune Noir tester.)

(See how I expertly cropped out our two camera-shy beauty bloggers? Also, please note how all of our faces are glowing from our facials. Left to right: Tammy, Cassandra from Clarins, Erika, Julia, Nadine, Rose-Marie from Clarins and Cailin.)

Listening to Rose-Marie talk about how she met Jacques Courtin as an 18-yr-old girl, eventually becoming a corporate trainer and spokesperson for the brand, was so inspiring. This woman knows the Clarins brand like the back of her hand and boy is she entertaining! I had the best time just listening to her talk about her adventures across the globe as a Clarins representative.

Once I got settled into a treatment room with my esthetician Julie, I fell under the spell of her master hands. In addition to the amazing products the spa offers, the Clarins estheticians focus on exclusive massage techniques that promote relaxation and well-being.

Julie found my skin to be dehydrated and suggested the following regimen to give my thirsty skin the moisture it needs:

• Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser
• Clarins Toning Lotion for normal to dry skin
• Intensive Serum Bi-Phase Dehydrated Skin (both AM and PM)
• Multi-active Day Cream
• Multi-active Night Cream
• Beauty Flash Balm (as a treatment mask)

We found a Clarins Line Prevention Starter Collection Kit ($65 Value) at Sephora with almost all of these products (just the toner is missing, but instead includes makeup remover) for just $37.

If you’re a thirty-something gal that wants to combat the first signs of aging, you should definitely give this starter kit a whirl. Your thirsty skin will thank you.

To find a Clarins Spa near you, or to peruse their line of botanical products, visit Clarins.com.

Special thanks to Cassandra and Rose-Marie for hosting us in Paris and to Tanya and Erin for making it happen!