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 …

How gorgeous is the promo image! I don’t like jelly but I want to eat those cubes…..!
Released this Spring, Clinique Chubby Sticks are a moisturising, tinted balm in a fun chunky pencil applicator. The moisturising formula uses a special blend of decadent butters, oils and antioxidants to help protect and pamper lips with immediate and lasting moisturisation. Infused with Shea Butter, Mango Seed Butter and Jojoba Seed Oil.

Packaged in Clinique’s signature print.

I was sent the shade ‘Graped up’ and although it’s not something I would’ve picked for myself the shade is actually quite stunning teamed with a simple Summer face of mascara and lightly bronzed cheeks. Application is fun and easy, one quick swipe and your lips are drenched in moisture. Whilst it packs a punch with both colour and hydration I don’t feel like my lips are slippery or coated in product, which is quite common with other balms. Whilst it didn’t last very long (3 hours max) I enjoyed re-applying the balm and my lips felt soft and looked plump and glossy. A big plus is when the pencil is running low you simply twist the bottom for more, no messing about with sharpeners and wastage!

Graped-up
Also …

”Inspired by one of Clinique’s most popular Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duos, Clinique’s NEW Limited-Edition Strawberry Fudge Colour Collection is sure to top every holiday wish list. This decadent collection combines rich chocolate browns with luscious blushing pinks for a sweet festive look.”

The stand out peice is the beautiful Holiday Compact comprising of 3 shadows, a blusher, a sponge applicator/eye shadow brush and a mini blusher brush £25.00

Not a usual mix of ‘winter’ shades the colours compliment eachother perfectly. The pink highlight shadow is a real beauty, on me I noticed in the light it changed from a modest taupe to a pink/purple duochrome. A real gem of a colour, I just wish it had slightly more pigmentation to really stand out. The browns on the other hand pack a punch and are ideal for a softer take on a smokey eye.
The blush is fastly becoming one of my favourites and most worn, a warm winter coral that adds a natural looking flush. Smooth to the touch and non-chalky, I hate the fact it’s oblong and I can’t get my brush in there properly =0/

Also in the collection is one of my old favourites, the High …

Lipgloss always looks better when it’s for a good cause (fact!) and this LE keychain from Clinique shows your support in style.

Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 provides long-lasting, high shine with the added benefit of SPF 15.  Thanks to powerful film-formers that create a “seal” holding the gloss to your lips throughout the day, the high moisturising gloss stays put for up to 8 hours!
Priced at just £15, the keychain is exclusive to Clinique counters in Boots and £2 from every sale will go directly to the cause
Available from October

So this is what my recent skincare routine looks like, I’ve been using them all for nearly 2 months now and my skin has never looked better! The brush really has transformed the way I cleanse, giving m a deep down clean without the harshness of an exfoliator. I rarely use my exfoliator anymore, I feel I get a complete clean from using my face brush and simply don’t feel the need. I’ve always suffered with mild spots, mostly during the run up to my time of the month and my chin is always the worst. I always buy some form of anti-bacterial product to keep the blighters away but have never had much luck, I put them down to hormones and learnt to live with it… Until I started using the following:

The Cleanser – Soap & Glory Clarity. Amazing face wash, smells beautiful and really feels like your skin is getting a deep down clean. Used in conjunction with my face brush my skin feels soft, well cleansed and clear. I don’t get any tight feeling like I do with some harsher …

Ohhh mama! Too hot? Too spicy? Hot hot!

Well, not anymore. But when I was in Gran Canaria my love affair with this tube of goodness began. I never normally use a SPF facial moisturiser (yes yes, I know) but knowing I would be exposed to the boiling hot Canarian sunshine I thought it was best to invest! I bought this purely on impulse, right at the last min in Gatwick but I have used it every day since, and will probobly repurchase forever.
It looks tinted, but actually applies clear so it doesn’t matter how light/dark your skintone is it will just blend right in, see…

Clinique say:
City Block Sheer SPF 25
”Sheer, broad-spectrum UVA/UVB daily sunscreen. Lightweight formula helps wick away perspiration and absorb excess oil. Perfect alone or as an invisible makeup primer. No chemical sunscreens. Appropriate for eye area and sensitive skins.”
I absolutely adore this, the SA at Gatwick told me to apply my DDMG as usual and then apply this over the top like a primer. I tried it on it’s own without any moisturiser and found it quite heavy, so this is not a SPF moisturiser as such but more of a SPF …

Had a meeting with Bossman uptown on Thursday! He forced 3 cocktails down my neck in the Radisson then threw me in Selfridges and said I weren’t to leave until I had bought myself something as I don’t treat myself enough… Yeah, I don’t know what he had been smoking either!

Here are my wares =D

I had to get the Clinique High Lenghts mascara after seeing it on Charlottes blog, I’ve been looking for a really good lengthening mascara so hopefully this will work just as good for me!

I was just about to pay when the SA informed me of the bonus gift I could get if I purchased a skincare item….. Who can resist a bonus gift! I also got a Dramatically Different moisturising gel as I have had it many times before and is perfect for the summer. The bonus gift included a DDM but the lotion formula (gave this to my mum), a 7 Day Scrub Cream, Deep Comfort Body Butter, Take The Day Off MU remover and an All About Eyes eye cream in a white makeup bag. Well worth it IMO!
The promotion is until the 27th June at various department stores, see …