When the weather is warm and humid, most of us would be tempted to skip on the moisture creams. Yes, I've been quite guilty of that too. And the excuses we give range from relevant - "My cream makes my skin look shiny and I can't find something more suitable" - to just plain lazy - "Day and night creams? Too much trouble! Don't I drink enough water already?"

So I liked Clarins' three new additions to the HydraQuench range - the Smoothing Gel, Cream-Mask and Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm.

The ingredients sound exotic, but they do serve to amp up the moisture levels in your skin. Katafray bark extract, which is from a tree that grows in the forests of Madagascar and produced as part of Clarins fair trade program helps to boost the natural hydration mechanisms in the skin.

The other ingredient - which is made of two types of complementary forms of Hyaluronic acid, traps water lost through perspiration and surrounding humidity and restore water reserves in the deeper layers of skin.

What this really means in layman's terms - you get a range of moisturising gel, mask and lip balm that does a fairly commendable job of retaining your skin's moisture levels and preventing skin from dehydrating without leaving a sticky feel in warm climates.

How the HydraQuench Smoothing Gel ($88) performs:

Squirt it out of its bottle and you get a smooth gel on your palm. Apply it onto the face and the gel turns into a light milk that your skin will readily absorb. It does not leave a sticky after-feel and is good for normal to combination skin, or whenever the temperatures get a little too high to use lighter gels or heavier creams.

Besides the easy texture, the gel helps to keep shine levels down too. Tannins from pomegranate pericarp help to tighten enlarged pores, and alpine willow herb extract restricts sebum secretion on your skin so you won't be left with that embarrasing shine after hours of application.

How the HydraQuench Cream Mask ($65) performs:
Smooth this richer cream mask onto skin if you have seriously dehydrated skin.

Although the instructions on the bottle are to wipe off any excess cream after 5 to 10 minutes, I really liked leaving it on throughout the night when my air-con is on, as my skin does not feel as tight and the dry areas around my lips are not as obvious in the mornings.

How the Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm ($36) performs:
The balm is made with essential rose wax, which is the protective film collected from the surface of rose petals, to cover lips with a moisture-protecting film. Ceramides 3 helps to repair chapped and irritated lips since these are identical in molecular structure to skin lipids.

A light, sweet scent makes this balm a pleasure to use, and the balm glides on like a gloss. If you apply overnight, it makes your lips feel like they've been drenched in moisture. And for those days when you just don't feel like applying colour on your lips, this balm gives your lips a slight flush, so you don't have to bother too much with a separate lipstick or gloss.

The applicator tip allows you to apply the balm directly to lips, so it's easy to carry around for on-to-go use as well.

	A treat for Diva readers!
	First 100 Diva readers to print and present this cut-out coupon will receive a FREE Skin Consultation and a Hydration Care Kit worth $28. This offer is only valid at the Clarins Counter at Tangs Orchard. The following terms and conditions apply: - Hydration Care Kit limited to one per person, while stocks last - Valid only at Clarins at Tangs Orchard. - Valid till 31 August 2009.