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 …

A girl can dream, right?

Nars – Cheeks Set £55.00 (Worth £82!)
As if I don’t have enough cheek products already…. But this is just too good of a deal! And I don’t have any of the products included so for me this is a must lust have. I wish Nars did more of these blush duos.

Juliette Has a Gun – Not a Perfume £59.00
I had a small sample of this and it smells absolutely incredible. Very unique and very me.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess – Sea Star Bronzing Blush £29
Another cheek product, but this is oh so pretty! I love cheek products that double as both a blush and bronzer, perfect for holidays!

Shu Uemura – Eyelash Curler £20.00
My ELF curler has almost given up the ghost, the pads are knackered and the ’scissor’ mechanism is a bit off-point so I really want a good quality pair as I really think they make a difference in my eye makeup and what with these having such a cult status I’ld love to give them a try!

ModelCo Fibre Lash – Brush On False Lashes £35.00
I LOVE the concept of this, the look of false lashes with the simple application of a mascara? Sign …

Due to my life being somewhat haywire from the end of last year I missed my blog birthday, which was the 1st January! It’s a bit late… I know, I know. I wanted to hold a small giveaway to thank everyone who follows, reads and comments on my posts as honestly without reader feedback this blog probably wouldn’t exist anymore. You can throw around the ‘I blog for myself’ bullshit but if no one read what I wrote, well I probably wouldn’t write anymore.
Anyway, I picked up the ‘My Paradise’ cheek powder from the new Surf Baby collection and I’ve had Chez Chez Lame (Cham Pale) for a little while (both brand new, untouched!) and thought they would make perfect prizes for 2 lucky winners!
A few rules to get out the way first -
You must be a follower of this blog to enter via Google Friend Connect.
The giveaway IS open internationally.
You can tweet me @thekarleighshow mentioning my giveaway with a link to this post for 2 extra entries
Please state which powder you would like to win, you CAN NOT win both or enter twice.
Please leave your full name and email address with the simple line ‘please enter me’.
I will use …

With the UK having been graciously hit with a delicious heatwave recently giving us all a taste of Summer I thought I’ld share my secret weapons on dealing with an oily complexion when the weather gets warmer.

1 – La Roche-Posey Effaclar K
The ultimate shine buster! I use this at night as I find it doesn’t give me enough moisture for the day and can make my foundation apply streaky but it really does it’s job of evening out my skintone and reducing pores and shine. I apply a light layer every night and my skin just gets better and better, combined with drinking more water then usual I have noticed a major difference in my skin since using this product and I can’t recommend it highly enough for us greasy gals!
£13.00 Escentual.com
2 – Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25
I’ve raved about this product before, but it really helps keep my makeup in place all day and with it’s tinted formula it adds just a touch of coverage. SPF is so important, especially if you have fair skin. I don’t leave my house without this on. See my full review here.
£15.50 Clinique.co.uk
3 – Clarins Skin Illusion SPF 10 foundation
With the recent bout …

Just a quick heads up!
If you didn’t know, Debenhams.com are now selling MAC online!

I’ve also noticed they have stock of the eye shadows from the Peacocky collection which are sold out on the MAC website….
Debenhams also offer the Beauty Club card which gives you money off etc. and you can currently get 10% off  using the code PU4p & SHD1 for free delivery! (Thank you to Sinead for this info)

I had waited SOO LONG for Cham-Pale to get online, ever since seeing the swatches on Temptalia. I’ve definately moved onto the more neutral side with my make up, and the light tones and subtle sparkle which make up the collection are definitely up my street.
Anyway here’s what I got!

From Cham-Pale
Highlighting Powder – Rose Ole & Chez Chez Lame £20.50
Paint Pot – Vintage Selection £13.50
Nail Polish – Soiree £9.00
From Stylishly Yours
Beauty Powder – Too Chic & Play it Proper £18.50
Creme Colour Base – Virgin Isle £13.50
From the permanent line
Nail Polish – Shirelle £9.00

First thoughts – I LOVE the Creme Colour Base, it’s absolutely beautiful! I think the Beauty Powders will be going back they’re very sheer and a bit boring if I’m honest. The Paint Pot IS very glittery, so if you’re after something light to use as an eye shadow base you might be better off with something from the permanent line as the shimmer tends to make the Cham-Pale paint pots a little chalky in comparison.
The Highlighting Powders are my stand outs from Cham-Pale and are really beautiful, I don’t have anything like these but I can imagine they are easily dupable as they are just a basic …

So I just read booty poppin’ Nicki Minaj is running a collaboration with MAC and will be releasing an exclusive ‘Pink 4 Friday’ lipstick. Apparently it will be a Barbie fuschia bright pink, like a mix of Pink Nouveau and Girl About Town. It will be relased on Nov. 26 in the US and will only be available online for four consecutive Fridays.
If I get any more details, I’ll let you know!
I don’t think us UK girls will be getting it though…..

Interest in this collection has been a bit poor, not many seem to like the packaging – me included! After seeing swatch photos and collection imagery my new found blush obsession definately had me interested in the cheek products especially as I LOVE peach cheeks! I wasn’t too interested in the eyeshadows, especially after MAC blatently lied about the plaid pattern being not just as overspray, but new technology crap that meant it went all the way through to the pan. British Beauty Blogger exposed this to be a porky pie, but my boyfriend said it wasn’t possible anyway and he’s a smart dude.
Anyway, obviously my spending ban has hit the skids (didn’t see that one coming, did ya) I indulged in a little haulage as I’m a MAC fiend and can’t resist the LE colours. Nothing tartan found itself in my basket, not for no reason but I wouldn’t use one of the kits. Here’s what I picked up -

From L-R
Her Blooming Cheek blush £16.50
My Highland Honey blush £16.50
The Faerie Glen lipstick £12.50
Golden Crown eyeshadow £15.00
MAC also threw in a sample, never had one of them before! Prep & Prime Face seems interesting, I’ll probobly end up …

So glad I picked this up, I knew I was onto a winner as it is a Veluxe Pearl – shimmery, but not overly and very pigmented. I have worn this every since I bought it and it fits so nicely with alot of combinations, as I have cool toned skin I feel I can pull this off as an all over lid colour pretty easily =)
A simple EOTD, MAC Crazy Cool, Purple Haze in the crease and a touch of Shroom to highlight. Schimples!

I’m loving lilac eyes! Also had a compliment on the tube from a bunch of city chicks =D

I really wasn’t interested in these collections, I really wasn’t. But I had enough empties to B2M so thought I would have a lil swatch while I was there and accidently came away with this lil lot! I HATE going to my local Croydon MAC counter, the girls are rude, don’t know whay they’re talking about and don’t seem interested in helping you. I was pleasently surprised today as the lady who helped me was really nice, even though it was busy she was very helpful and informative but left me alone when I wanted to have a nosey. The perfect SA!
I took these pics in direct sunlight to try and capture the sparkle of the gloss and lippie. I failed though.

Swatched with no base from L-R:
Yogurt, Crazy Cool, Free to Be, Win Win & Wind Me Up
I B2M for the Dazzle Lipstick in Win Win
I got eye shadows in Crazy Cool, Free to Be & Yogurt (perm) and my faveourite product from the haul is the Lipglass in Wind Me Up. I looked at the pink and purple but I own so many pinky lip products I thought it was high time for a change, and this …