Secret Beauty Blog -

This is a bit of an old ‘tag’ post but I was looking at my makeup collection recently and wondered just how much I had spent on it all. Now it would be a bit of a task to tally everything up but I could easily put a price on my most used everyday products, so here they are! I didn’t purposely try to pick my most expensive items, these are genuinely what I use every morning for work.

All prices taken from the brands official websites (and escentual.com for the Vichy & Jack Black where I purchased them)
Clarins Skin Illusion foundation – £24.00
Vichy Dermablend foundation (used as concealer) – £15.50
Clinique  stay-matte sheer powder (to set base) – £20.00
MAC Blot powder (for touch -ups) – £17.50
Clarins Mosaique bronzer – £26.00
No.7  blusher – £9.00
Clinique Superfine liner for brows – £11.00
Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara – £20.45
Illamasqua Precision Ink liner – £17.00
Jack Black lip balm – £7.25
MAC Creme D’Nude lipstick – £13.50

Which all totals to….
£181.20
Oh wow…. I really didn’t think it would be that much! I’m not a makeup snob or anything, but I do think you should really invest in good basics like foundation and mascara. Having oily skin I do …

Clarins have really pulled out all the stops with this gorgeous collection for Summer 2011 and I was lucky to get my hands on a few pieces to show you. The gorgeous mosaic bronzer is the focal point of this collection, with the extremely popular Crystal lip balms making a comeback, along with my new obsession, Colour Quench lip balms which are packed with shimmer and are perfect for sexy, summer nights.

The Mosaique Collection

Mosaique Summer Bronzing Compact £26.00
The fusion of texture and shades of this multi-toned bronzing powder make for the perfect bronzed glow. The terracotta mix adds a more realistic tan effect, and just a light dusting is enough for a ‘back from the beach’ hue. The quality is absolutely amazing, as you would expect from a high-end product, it simple glides on the skin almost like a creme but maintains a toasted, soft-focus sheen that lasts all day. With the large mirror, this is definitely a holiday handbag essential.

L-R Crystal lip balms in Crystal Coral & Crystal £16.50
The prettiest lip balms ever, no? Although I don’t find these hydrating enough personally they work well under lipsticks and have an almost matte feel to them, there’s no …

The most gorgeous holiday collection I have seen has to be these beauties from Clarins. The sleek, heavy & expensive looking packaging would really make a lovely gift, and the actual products are just as pretty!

In the collection we have from L-R
Barocco Face Palette £35

”An ultra soft, silky light compact powder in a shade combination of peachy pink and peachy
beige that’s perfect for illuminating the complexion and gives skin a soft air-brushed matte
finish. A precious face powder pressed and embossed with a sophisticated scroll design and
presented in an elegant black lacquer and pale gold compact that also features the collections
signature scroll motif.”
Barocco Rouge Prodige Black Tulip lipstick £16

”Rouge Prodige benefits from all the latest innovations to create a texture that finally gives women what they have always wanted: lasting-hold, intense colour, incredible shine and comfort too. It stays flawless for hours and hours..”
Barocco Eye Colour trio £28

”A trio of intense yet easy to apply colour to create the perfect smoky eye, day or night. A black,
bronze and gold to blend or layer to suit your creative inclination. Try a wash of bronze over the
entire eyelid, add intensity by sweeping the black along the base of the top and …

Now you may or may or not know, but I have a really gross habit which interfers with my beauty routine & limits my choice in lipwear greatly. I pick my lips. Yes, I PICK them. It’s disgusting, I know but I’ve developed this terrible habit out of stress and as much as I try I just can’t stop doing it =(. My lips are in pretty bad condition, hence why I never do lip swatches (combined with the fact my lips are super skinny!) So as you can imagine I need me a pretty good lip balm! I’ve tried various brands recently, some recommended some bought purely on the advertisement blurb but in my opinion none of them satisfy my lipcare needs. I want something that looks pretty on the lips, isn’t greasy, moisturises well AND is multi purpose so I can slather it on last thing at night AND carry it around with me all day. Am I asking for too much? It appears so….

So heres a mini review on each lip balm pictured, starting from the back row :
Nivea, Sooth & Protect – this is actually OK, I bought this last year in the airport …

…is to take good care of your skin! You can spend hundreds on the best foundation, but it will never look its best unless you take good care of your skin and make it into a fresh, clean palette everyday. Reading through a few fellow bloggers bloggy blogs I noticed up there with ‘lose a few ass pounds’ one of the top new year resolutions was a whole new skincare regime! I have always been pretty good with taking my make up off (i cant go to sleep unless ive washed my face and brushed my teeth!) but ive never have a ‘regime’ as such. I would consider my skin bad as its oily, blotchy and prone to blemishes esp. time of the month! Ive tried alot of face washes, Simple & Dove being my fave chemist brands whilst it has to be said Garnier is possibly the worst I’ve ever used. Now im getting a bit older *22 = eeeeeeeeeeek!* I think its time i got a proper skincare routine inc. an anti-aging cream! As you have probobly guessed im a bit of an Estee Lauder fiend, and I got alot of travel sized goodies whilst purchasing …

For alot of women, a pampering session starts with a long hot bath, or a steamy shower. So what better way to start then with a gorgeous array of aromat
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herapy inspired goodies. I absolutely adore the Clarins ‘Tonic’ range, comprising of:

Tonic Bath & Shower Concentrate £16.00 200ml
Toning Body Polisher £27.50 200ml
Toning Body Balm £26.50 200ml
Tonic Body Treatment Oil £34.50 100ml

The shower gel foams up lovely, and really spices up your shower. I also use mine for shaving, as it is so soft. Your skin feels instantly softer, and you only need a tiny bit on your shower puff for your whole body. This is another staple in my beauty basket! I follow it up with either the body balm or the oil. The oil feels amazing when used in a massage! I suffer from a mild back problem and maybe its in my head but the aromatherapy aspect really helps me relax. Its also been used for stretchmarks, but with all ‘treatment’ products I havent been using it for long enough to comment on this. I have yet to try the polisher but its on my wish list! If you feel the prices are a little too steep, …