Review - Sleek Sparkle Palette

Regardless of the whole 50% sale debacle, Sleek are pretty awesome - their palettes are excellent quality and fantastically priced! During my blogging break, I completely lost touch with the world of beauty and therefore completely missed out on the Bad Girl palette. I was gutter. Hence I made sure that I raced to Superdrug on the first day that this beauty was released and I am so glad I did!

The thing that I love about this palette is that they haven't just gone for the obvious winter colours (icey blues and whites with maybe a hint of red, green and gold) but instead have gone for beautifully deep rich colours with plenty of sparkle.

One thing that I really love is that Sleek have finally started to name their colours - this makes a blogger's life so much easier! Just in case you're wondering, that whitey-grey colour on the end is called Tinsel :)

Aren't they beautiful?! Such bold colours with such a beautiful amount of sparkle. I adore them. The only colour I don't quite get is the yellow... I feel like a rich gold would maybe have fit the palette slightly better.

Finally, some swatches - sadly these are pretty shocking quality. We've not really had much sun so I've been shooting indoors and my camera hates low light conditions. Hence these are quite "noisey" - sorry.

Hopefully what you can see is that (as always) these colours are so richly pigmented and have a fabulous colour payoff. I'm really looking forward to having a bit more of a play with these and I'll try to bring you a FOTD with them soon!

You can get this palette for £5.99 from Superdrug or the Sleek website xx

What do you think of the Sparkle palette? Have you picked it up or are you a bit Sleek'd out?

Summer Lovin' Series - Make up part two

Hello again! Time for another Summer Lovin' post - this time (as promised) it's all about eyes!

Illamaqua Powder Eye Shadow in Servant

I picked this up a while ago from a blog sale, and I utterly adore it. It's been great as a base for some of the more dramatic looks I've done, or just quickly popped on to add a hint of colour in a fairly nude and natural look.

Sleek Storm Palette

This one has got tonnes of use this summer as it's really easy to dip into for something quick - whether you're looking for a neutral look or something more smokey and sultry, this palette is perfect!

Elf Warm Bronzer Palette

It crops up everywhere doesn't it?! I took this on holiday with me and I personally think that it's a brilliant multi-purpose product! The colours work really nicely on the eye and there's a whole range of shades to work with.

No 17 Va Va Voom Mascara

Yep, I'm still harping on about it. It's very much my holy grail mascara. Just ace :)

FOTD Nocturnal Phosphoric Amino Acids

Today I decided to have a bit of a play around with a couple of Sleek products that I've had in my kit for a while but haven't really had the chance to use - the Acid Palette and the Kajal in Nocturnal (Black). I'll be doing a proper review of the Kajals soon as well because they're awesome!

This look is quite a dramatic look inspired by some of the gorgeous Arabic looks that Oxford Jasmine has done, the Illamasqua Dystopia publicity from a while ago and the Cheshire Cat from the old Alice in Wonderland film. My fringe is in desperate need of a cut, so sadly this look is bought to you by my right eye only.

Face
Elf Mineral Face Primer
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation in 02 Ivory
The Body Shop Natures Minerals Foundation in 03 (probably didn't need it to be honest)
The Body Shop Natures Minerals Blusher in 01 Pink Quartz
17 Blush and Glow (mainly just the Glow part) in Strawberries and Cream
Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder (Bronzer only for contouring)
The Body Shop Colourglide Lip Colour  in 62 Velvet Wine

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sleek Acid Palette - Amino (inner 2/3rds)
Sleek Acid Palette - Phosphoric (outer 1/3rd plus winging and under eye)
Sleek Acid Palette - Neutralisation (inner corner)
Sleek Acid Palette - Carboxylic (outer cream - blended)
Sleek Kajal in Nocturnal (upper and lower lash and water lines)
17 Va Va Voom Mascara in Black
Elf Eyebrow Kit in Dark

(Wondering about the weird Sleek names? See this post - I gave every colour for all of my palettes a name!)

Sleek Palette Eyeshadow Names

This post is mainly for my own reference so that when I do a FOTD using a Sleek Palette I'll be able to use a name for each colour instead of "3rd from the left, top row". I'll also be linking to the post whenever a Sleek palette is featured on my blog. Also, I'm rubbish at coming up with names and wanted to keep them thematic so apologies for the utter rubbishness of most of them! (NB - I know that Sleek have now named a lot of their eyeshadows so this isn't as relevant - however, I still have the old nameless palettes so these are my "unofficial" Sleek palette eyeshadow names)

Note - Top row = 1-6 (l-r)/Bottom Row = 7-12 (l-r)

1.Storm Palette

1. Gentle Breeze
2. April Showers
3. Forecast
4. Sunny Day
5. Evening Clouds
6. Indian Summer
7. Muddy Fields
8. Spring Rain
9. Dusk
10. Midnight Storm
11. Winter
12. Black Sky

2. Sunset Palette

1. Sun has gone
2. Red Sky at Night...
3. Tropical Sun
4. Sunny Delight
5. Haymaking (while the sun still shines)
6. Sun, sea and surf
7. Autumn Summer
8. Strawberry Daquari
9. Sunday Afternoon
10. Golden Sun
11. Sunshine and Lollipops
12. Summer Breeze

3. Bohemian Palette

Ok, this one I'm going to cheat on and use Lipglossiping's names for as I'm pretty certain that Sleek said they'd become the official names (Also, lovely Lipglossiping, please let me know if you'd rather I didn't use your names and I'll change them straight away. You can find the original post here.
1.Gilt
2.Russet
3.Marron
4.Calendula
5.Anaemia
6.Neutron
7.Wafer
8.Sanguine
9.Clover
10.Overdyed
11.Emperor
12.Moto X
(See, those are much better names than I've been coming up with - she's a clever lady :D)

4. The Original Palette

1.Black Hole
2.Galaxies
3.Deep Space
4.Nebula
5.Comets
6.Aurora
7.Stratosphere
8.Orbit
9.Cosmology
10.Interstellar
11.Planets
12.Life on Mars

5. Acid

1. Amino
2. Neutralisation
3. Nitric
4. Corrosive
5. Hydrochloric
6. Perchloric
7. Phosphoric
8. Formic
9. Flurosulfuric
10. Sulfuric
11. Carboxylic
12. Chromic

FOTD: Rae Morris Exotic Eyes

A little while ago I bought the book "Make Up: The Ultimate Guide" by Rae Morris ... one of this days I'll get round to reviewing it for you, but for now here's my attempt at the Exotic Eyes look she does. I'll apologise for the fact that my blending/shape is nowhere near perfect but it's a loooong time since I attempted something this complex.

Face/Lips:
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation in 02 Ivory
The Body Shop Kiss of Colour Cheek Blush in Golden Coral (I LOVE this blush :D)
The Body Shop Love Gloss for Lips in 11 Raspberry Pink

Eyes:
High Voltage Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Pin Up (Yellow - all over lid and up to brow bone)
Sleek Bohemian Palette Eyeshadow in Sanguine (shimmery cranberry in crease/wing - see Lipglossiping's blog for details for the new names for this palettes/Sleek's plans to introduce names for all their palettes)
Sleek Bohemian Palette Eyeshadows in Neutron (black - outer v/wing)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyepencil in Flipside (lower waterline)
Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara
Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil in Black Brown

What do you think? I know it's a little messy but please be gentle :)

Sleek i-Divine Bohemian Palette FOTD and video review

I was a bit unsure with what to do about reviewing this palette - so many were went out for PR purposes that by the time I got round to buying mine, it felt a little bit "done" if you know what I mean. Anyway, the lovely Get Lippie suggested doing a FOTD as she's not seen many looks done with this palette, so here it is. I also decided to do a little video review with swatches just for something a little different.

I used the first four colours from the Palette to create this look (Shimmery Olive, Shimmery Burnt Orange, Shimmery Cranberry and Matte Biscuit). I blended the Biscuit all over the lid up to the brow bone, then applied the Burnt Orange across the inner 3/4 of my lid. I then blended the Cranberry into the outer 1/4 and along the crease. Finally I added the Olive to the inner corner and outer corner.

Extras:
Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara
Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Black Brown
Boots Botanicals Blush in Hollyhock
ELF Mineral Lipstick in Barely Bitten
Foundation is a mix of Lancome Adaptive in Lys Rose and The Body Shop Moisturising Foundation in 4

And here's the video review. Be warned, I'm wearing no make up :D

Payday Haulage :)

Hello lovelies :)

Today was payday, hurrah! Obviously, payday=treat time, so here's the little stash I picked up today!

Frontcover Rainbow Eyes Reborn Palette from Boots

 

(This was such an arse of a picture to take... 3 of the baked shadows kept falling out :(...)

I swatched these earlier and they seem so pretty good. Nice range of shades, good pigmentation, some mattes, some shimmers, some solid colours some sheers. The main thing that shocked me about this was the size of it. I mean look - it's as big as my head!! The shadows themselves are a similar size to the Bourjois Little Round Pots!

Some pretty Laura Ashley storage drawers from WHSmiths:

 

 

I think The Husband is getting a bit fed up of make up being left literally all over the spare room from when I've done FOTDs etc, so I bought this pretty storage box for all my make up. Just filled it up and it weighs a tonne :/

Bourjois Minis!:

 

 

(These pictures are soooo bad - I can only apologise and promise that the XD card had been ordered and will be with me soon - thank goodness!) It's official... I'm officially in love with Bourjois mascara again. This is a mini version of Volume Glamour in Ultra Black and I love it! Great definition, intense colour, slight curl, volume and lengthening. Yum. Also got 2 teeny tiny Effet 3D lipglosses in Nudes Rose Mythic and Rose Bahamas.

No7 Natural Radiance Highlighter:

 

I don't quite know what the packaging team were thinking when they designed this lid. However, this is a product lots of beauty bloggers have been raving and lemming over, so I decided to join in. I've not yet given it a proper try but my first impressions are that this gives a lovely subtle highlight. It's a very delicate gold colour and I'm really looking forward to giving it a bit more of a try :)

Sleek Ink Pot Eyeliner Gel in Dominatrix (aka Black):

 

Again, I've heard great things about these! I've never tried gel liner (tried liquid and hated it) so I'm up for giving this a go and seeing what happens. It comes with a very cute little brush and from the bit of swatching I did earlier, I think I'm going to really like this. It seems to have brilliant staying power and nice rich pigmentation.

Also got the No7 Eyeshadow Blend and Contour Brush... the only reason I got the Natural Radiance Highlighter is because they're doing the £5 No7 vouchers at Boots again and I got one with my Frontcover set, so when I got another £5 voucher with my Natural Radiance Highlighter I figured that getting this brush for a mere £1 couldn't be a bad thing!

What have you hauled recently? Have you tried any of these products? What do you think?

Green Wing aka The Anti Valentines FOTD

So around this time of year there seems to be a lot of pretty delicate first date looks. This is not one of those looks. This is a look of deep and dramatic greens using two of my favourite Fyrinnae colours - Dragonskin and We're All Mad Here, and also the Arcane Magic Colour Mystic. Enjoy :) Also, it's really flipping sunny in York today which has made taking pictures an utter nightmare! This is the best I could do... stupid spring *grumbles*

Face:
Lancome Adaptive Liquid Foundation in 02 Lys Rose
Bourjois Blus in 95 Rose de Jaspe (apples of my cheeks)

Lancome Blush Subtil in Bronze Glow(hollow of my cheeks for a bit of contouring)

Benefit Dandelion (quick sweep across my cheekbones to brighten it all up)

Benefit High Beam (two dots on apples of cheeks and blended with fingers)

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (lid and lower lashline)

Fyrinnae Dragonskin all over lid + outer 1/4 of lower lashline (short flat blending brush + very thin eyeliner brush)

Fyrinnae We're All Mad Here inner 1/3 blended over Dragonskin +lower lashline (normal blending brush + very thin eyeliner brush)

Fyrinnae Arcane Magic: Mystic crease, outer 1/3 of upper lashline and winged out (thinner normal eyeshadow brush and contour/shader brush for blending)

Sleek Storm Palette Colour 2 (2nd in on top line) brow bone and blended in (contour/shader brush)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencils in Zero tightliner on upper waterline and upper lashline going out to wing (blended with mini angled liner brush)

Lancome Hypnose Waterproof Mascara in 01 Black

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black Brown 

 

 Lips:

Lips:

Benefit Her Glossiness in Who Are You Wearing (bright pink)

 

And some shots to show how gorgeously complex Fyrinnae colours really are (and to show you how much better my blending is!!*proud*)

 

  

  

 See how the light has made my skin look a bizarre orangey shade in the first two eye shots?! Odd. Anyway, I'll finish this blog with a question for you dear reader - these are my current favourite Fyrinnae eyeshadows, what are yours? And if you've not used Fyrinnae yet, why not tell me what your other favourite eyeshadows are at the moment? :)

 

Friday Haul

I've been off work sick for the last few days (which is one of the things that saw me finally starting a beauty blog), so when I went into town, I was swatching my way through Boots and Superdrug like a woman posessed! Anyway, in the end I was reasonably restrained (read as "I was too scared to buy all the pretty lipsticks I saw because I'm convinced I never look good in lip colour") and ended up with this tiny haul from Superdrug:

 

Left to right: Revlon Contour/Shader Brush, Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black Brown, Sleek Palette in Storm and Amie Bright Eyes Very Gentle Eye Make-up Remover.

Shader Brush:

I've been eyeing this up for a few weeks as I've never had a brush like this before - just the fairly bog standard flat ones. So far, I'm not quite sure what I think about it - it's been shedding a fair bit and the brush itself seems really big (I have quite a small distance from crease to brow and this basically seems to fill it!). However, I also know that I probably just need to practice a bit more so I'm not going to discount it just yet!

Eyebrow Pencil:

As you'll have noticed, I have hideous eyebrows. I have spent my entire life hating them. My right eyebrow hair doesn't grow across like normal people's ... it grows up. Like Patrick Moore's. Only sparser. I'd look like a silly mare if I got rid of them all together (Polish/Spanish blood in me = strong brow looks best), so I invested in this nifty little pencil. The thing that sold it to me? It has an eyebrow brush as part of the lid. Genius! I am loving this! Used in in my most recent FOTD (see below) and I think it makes a fair bit of difference. I'm probably a bit crap at applying it but hey ho!

Sleek Storm Palette:

I've watch a gazillion youtube videos and read an abundance of blogs about Sleek so I took the plunge and went for the Storm. I was going to go for sunset, but I a)chickened out and b)wanted to add a few more neutrals to my collection (I have a rainbow of colours on their way from Fyrinnae and I'm planning on getting the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows when it comes out). Still need to play with this but so far I love it :) [ETA: Even the lighter colours seem well pigmented and the FOTD I did using mainly this palette (see below) lasted out all day/night until bed at midnight! Very impressed.]

 

 

  

Amie Eye make-up Remover:

Yum! Something none greasy, nice to bunnies (I know, I know, I'm a bad lady for buying Rimmel Eyebrow Pencils) and in pretty packaging. Oh, and it works!! I got this to replace my quite honestly horrendous Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Eye Make Up Remover Lotion which a)didn't remove my eye make up and b)required an excessive amount of cleansing to get rid of the oil slick it left behind. This, however, works like a dream ,so thank you to Get Lippie and Oxford Jasmine for their reviews of this as they convinced me to give eye makeup remover another chance :)

FOTD Blue Grey like a Persian Cat

So firstly let me start off this post by saying a very big thank you to the lovely Fyrinnae peeps for giving my little blog a mention - it was very kind and super exciting to wake up and find that a)I had 6 more followers than when I went to sleep and b)I had people from about a gazzillion countries paying me a visit! It made me super hyper all morning :) Also, please feel free to say hello and drop me some comments as I'd love to get to know more of you xx

So today's FOTD turned out (once again) nothing like I thought it would! This was partially due to using my new contour brush (more of that in my next post) - it picked up a heck of a lot more shadow than I was expecting and I discovered that people really aren't lying when they say that the Sleek palettes are heavily pigmented! Anyway, enough waffle, onto the pictures.

 

(This is the only half decent photo of my face from this morning.... stupid face refusing to look nice)

Face:
Lancome Adaptive Liquid Foundation in 02 Lys Rose
Botanics Cheek Colour in 15 Hollyhock (apples of my cheeks)
Ruby and Millie Cheeky Colour in Beige 80 (hollow of my cheeks for a bit of contouring)

Benefit Dandelion (quick sweep across my cheekbones to brighten it all up)

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Sleek Storm Palette Colour 1 (1st on top line - shimmery beige) all over lids and up to brow bone (blending brush)

Urban Decay Gunmetal from Books of Shadows Vol 2 across out 3/4 of lid + blended (blending brush)

Sleek Storm Palette Colour 8 (2nd on bottom line - deep navy blue shimmer) on crease and outer 1/4 of lid + blended (contour brush)

Sleek Storm Palette Colour 4 (4th on to line - shimmery dark gold) inner corner (contour brush)

Lancome Hypnose Waterproof Mascara in 01 Black

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black Brown

Lips:

Benefit Her Glossiness in Who Are You Wearing (bright pink)

And some eye shots: