Make Up Of The Day #2

If you've seen my January favourites video, you will know that I have been absolutely loving the Urban Decay Naked 3 eye shadow palette at the moment. Such a variety of looks can be achieved from this one palette, and the look I'm talking about today is one of my favourites using all the matte shades.

Base

A mixture of Esteé Lauder Double Wear in 'Shell' mixed with a generous amount of No7 Skin Illuminator was applied all over with a Real Techniques Expert face brush, my favourite brush to use with this foundation. I used Maybelline's The Eraser concealer for under eyes and blogger favourite Collection Lasting Perfection concealer for any blemishes in the lightest shade.

The powder I used was an old favourite - Stay Matte by Rimmel. I then used the Sleek Face Form palette in Light to give some colour to my face and used the highlighter too on the high points of my face.

Eyes

I had run out of my beloved Anastasia Brow Wiz, so penciled in my brows with Rimmel's brow pencil in Hazel. I find it a bit too red toned so filled in any gaps with Revolution Focus and Fix brow quad in Medium Dark using the lightest shade.

Now to the fun part of the eyeshadows! I used Limit, a light matte and very blendable shade all over the lid, with Nooner in the outer corner and blended into the crease. Lastly, I deepened the outer V with Darkside and highlighted the inner corners and the brow bone with Strange. I chose to not use any eyeliner, instead finishing off my eyes with lashing of Collection 2000 Calorie Mascara, my favourite of all time!

Lips

The look was finished with one of my favourite lip products from the high street - Maybelline Color Drama lip pencil in Keep It Classy. The formula is long lasting, smooth and highly pigmented and just such a great product all round. Read more of my review of another colour here.

Do you have a favourite eye shadow palette? xxx

Review: Sleek | Face Form Contour & Blush Palette | 'Light'

Sleek MakeUP - Face Form Contour & Blush Palette - Light - £10

The other evening I was organising my photos - does anyone else have multiple digital albums which are all a bit of a mess? Anyway, I came across loads of photos I had taken for the blog from ages ago which I had kind of forgotten about. One set of these pictures was on this lovely palette from Sleek that I use at least twice a week and still love as much as I did when I first bought it and have been using it loads recently. So it is high time that I wrote a review on it!

One of the best things about this palette is that it is so travel friendly. You are sorted with a blush, contour/bronzer and highlight that are amazing quality and go with pretty much any look you need - I used this exclusively in Stockholm and didn't feel like I was missing anything. Plus you get a good sized mirror, and the pans are a really good size too. For the price point the quality of these powders are so good - really highly pigmented, easy to blend and no chalkiness in sight.

The bronzer is great for contouring as it is matte and more on the cool side, although you do need to make sure you blend it properly as it is very pigmented. The highlighter I wasn't sure on at the beginning, but applied with a denser brush like the Real Techniques contour brush, it looks so beautiful across the cheekbones and centre of the face. It gives a lovely glow without being glittery or really obvious. Lastly the blush is a fantastic dupe for Nars Orgasm and again is just as pigmented as the rest of the palette and lasts all day without needing a touch up.

The only thing to keep in mind if you have acne prone skin is that it does contain talc so if you have acne prone skin this may aggravate it.

There is also 4 different shades for varying skin tones from Light to Dark - so a palette for everyone! you can purchase this palette in Boots or Superdrug.

What is your favourite product from Sleek? xxx

Makeup of the Day #1

I tend to switch up my make up look on a day to day basis (with the exception of a few favourite products of the moment) to match my mood, outfit and generally because I like to play around with it! I thought it would be a nice idea to put up a few looks every so often to encourage me to 'shop my stash' more regularly and maybe it will give you an idea on a new way to use a palette or help you get out of your make up comfort zone.

This particular look may be too dramatic for some people in the day due to the heavy(ish) eyes but I wore it during the day no problem. I wish my camera picked up my base products a bit better but I think that's because I need to play around with the settings - if you are good with camera settings please help!

Base:

I started with the Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream by The Body Shop in 01 which gives good coverage without being heavy or clogging up the skin, buffing it in with my buffing brush from Real Techniques (best brush ever). Next I did some concealing - tackling the dark circles under my eyes by blending Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque just in the inner corners with my ring finger. I concealed any blemishes and under my eyes with Revlon's Colour Stay Concealer in 02 Light, which is a little too yellow toned for me but fine once blended out. I always set my make up with a decent oil controlling powder and at the moment that is Maybelline's Matte Maker in 20 Nude Beige. This can go a bit cakey so you need to have a light hand with it. My really old but newly re-discovered  Avon Bronzing Pearls gave me some colour applied to where the sun naturally hits and then finished off with my new favourite Benefit Havana Blush combined with the highlight from the centre of Sleek's Contour Kit on top of my cheekbones. 

Brows:

I find brows quite difficult to master due to finding the right shade and not having loads of hair to work with but since getting the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Taupe/Ash Brown it has literally changed my life in terms of eyebrow game. It's the perfect shade and easy to work with - totally a new holy grail product. To set I used Maybelinne's Browdrama in Medium which is too dark but I've never been able to find a light shade so I just have to use it sparingly.

Eyes:

For my eyes I used a variety of shadows from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette: Chopper all over lid, Tease in the crease, Snakebite in the outer corner and finished with Foxy in the inner corners and brow bone to highlight. I used a mix of Tease and Snakebite smudged under my eyes, stopping about half way and Blackout as a thin liner on top using an angled liner brush. Finally I used a few coats of the curved version of MaxFactor 2000 Calorie mascara - I still like the formula but hate the brush so will definitely be going back to the original once this runs out.

Lips:

Because the eyes were so dramatic I wanted the lips to be quite neutral. I chose MAC Creme Cup which is not only one of my favourite nudey lipsticks but one of my all time favourite MAC lipsticks. Over the top I added Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 02 to keep my lips hydrated and glossy. I love this lipgloss/balm hybrid so much and its perfect for fuss free lips.

Whats your favourite make up product of the moment? xxx

Review: Sleek | Matte Me Lip Cream | 'Brink Pink'

Sorry for the not so great picture-  best of a bad bunch!

Sleek - Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Cream - 'Brink Pink' - £4.99

Sleek is a brand that I've wanted to delve into for a long time and everyone knows I have a penchant for lip products, so when the Matte Me lip creams were released it was the perfect time to pick up a few colours to test out (along with a few blushers which will be reviewed soon!)

Today I'll be talking about 'Brink Pink' - a bright magenta colour that is almost fluro in real life but difficult to capture completely on camera. Take my word for it though, its beaut! The formula is really smooth and easy to apply, especially due to the firm doe foot wand, and is really opaque which is a massive plus point. I've found the best way to use this product is to apply one thin layer, wait around 30 seconds for it to dry and then add another layer on top. If you try and add layers too quickly it just spreads the product around your lips. 

The formula dries down to a matte finish in less than a minute and has great sticking power. Tested during a normal day this stuff doesn't budge even when drinking. It even survived a three course meal really well with only slight wear at the very centre of my lips, which was rectified with a quick slick of lip balm to blend everything together again.

As you would imagine, due to the nature of the matte formulation you need to make sure you have exfoliated your lips well as it will cling to any dry patches. I always apply a lip balm before doing my make up so when I get to my lips they are nourished enough for the lip cream. I also find that after a while it can feel like there is a coating on your lips, so it isn't as comfortable as a normal lipstick but this has been true of all the lip creams I've tried, not just with Sleek's offering. Another plus point is when it has started to feel a bit dry I've been able to slick on some lip balm without disturbing the lip cream at all.

Overall, I've been really impressed with this product from Sleek. Everything from the colour to the formulation ticks all the right boxes and I can't wait to pick up some more colours!

What are your favourite lip creams? Have you tried anything from Sleek before? xxx