*REVIEW* Sleek Au Naturel Eye Shadow Palette

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi!
Recently I bought a new palette from Sleek (now my fourth!) and now I feel like I've had long enough to play with it and try out new looks and I think it's time I did a review!

For some strange reason the photos today are sometimes looking a little squashed...so feel free to click on them to enlarge them if you wish! :)

 

 

 

All of the Sleek I-Divine Eye Shadow Palettes are available from certain Superdrug stores as well as online (www.sleekmakeup.com)

They all cost £7.99 and contain 12 mineral based eye shadows.

 

I believe this palette was from a collection called "Nude" that I think was released a while back...but this palette still seems to be permanent so I'm guessing they made it part of the permanent line.

 

 

I really love the packaging of these palettes...they are slightly hard to open (I wouldn't risk trying to open them if I'd just done my nails!) but they look so...well...sleek.

The packaging is always black and this palette seems to not only have a very slightly different graphic on the top but unlike my other palettes this doesn't have the criss-cross pattern on the shadows...which is a bit of a shame as that pattern made me think of Sleek!

 

This palette caught my eye as being a great palette for natural, toned down days.

Of the 12 shades, 8 are completely matte, 3 are metallic and one just has a slight bit of shimmer in it.

I think it's time for some swatches! :)

 

This palette has a plastic insert that has the names of the individual shades on it which I really like.

In the swatch above, the shades are from the top:

Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe, Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal and finally Sleek's famous black shade...Noir.

I'll give you some closer up swatches and a run down of the shades!

Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe

Toast (again), Taupe (again), Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir.

 

The shades are:

 

Nougat:

A matte, very pale nude colour. It doesn't show up that well on the swatch but this shade is my most used shade in the palette and it has a big dent in it!

This makes a great highlight. If applied with a large fluffy brush below the brow bone it softens any harsh lines and brightens the eye subtly.

 

Nubuck:

One of the two slightly disappointing shades in here.

This shade is a matte, light grey colour which reminds me of concrete.

Would be good for blending but this one is lacking the soft texture and pigmentation that the other shades have.

You can build this up slightly but it is quite patchy and generally not very pigmented.

 

Cappuccino:

This is a matte, pale taupe colour. It reminds me of a really milky tea! :)

This does have a nice soft texture and good pigmentation.

Really good for blending out the crease.

 

Honeycomb:

This shade is also really soft and creamy.

This is a matte, cream/pale golden colour.

Again, a great blending colour. Most of the shades on this line seem really good for blending.

 

Toast:

The other disappointing shade.

This is a matte peachy colour, but like "Nubuck" it is sheerer than the others, can be a bit patchy and generally doesn't have great colour payoff.

Also it isn't as soft as the other shades. I suppose if you used it for blending it would blend out another shade but not do very well on it's own.

 

Taupe:

Not really sure why this is called "Taupe" as this doesn't seem like the most Taupe-y shade to me but never mind!
This is another well-used shade in this palette for me.

This is a metallic, light pink-toned golden colour.

There is plenty of shimmer in this and I've been used it a few times over the past week or so spread over the lid for a really simple look.

This has great colour payoff and lasts really well on the lid.

 

Conker:

This shade is a metallic bronze colour with definite red tones.

This is pretty but could do with being slightly more pigmented. This isn't quite as soft as other shades but it is buildable and does look very pretty.

 

Moss:

This colour has a slight bit of shimmer in it but isn't metallic like others.

This shade is kind of muted, dirty, olive green colour with slight golden shimmer.

I haven't worn this a whole lot since I got it but I do like the shade and the colour payoff is very good and the shadow is soft and blends well.

 

Bark:

This shade is PIGMENTED! :)

I barely have to touch it with my finger and I have great pigmentation.

The colour is a matte, cool toned, plum with hints of brown/taupe.

This shade is really soft and a little goes a long way - it works very well in the outer v!

 

Mineral Earth:

This is another one of my favourite shades...

This is metallic deep bronze colour with some bits of gold in it.

It's not all that unique as I think I have some similar shades but it's still very pretty.

The colour is very rich.

 

Regal:

This is a matte, dark plum purple. Think "Bark" but darker.

Like "Bark" this is very pigmented and I actually used it today for a look.

It isn't the easiest to blend in the world but it still does work well.

 

Noir:

I have to confess I haven't used this a whole lot as I've been experimenting lately with other shades apart from black!
However I have used it once or twice and the swatch is also impressive.

This is your standard, matte black and so is very useful to have in a palette for this as it would do well in the crease or in the outer v.

 

 

 

Overall:

Sleek has never disappointed me before and it certainly hasn't started!

I've been reaching for this palette a lot recently and I'm very glad I picked it up...

I'm not a huge matte shadow person but this palette has really helped me get into matte eye shadow looks...

I actually used this to create a "1920's look" the other day and I was really pleased with the result:

 

I think here I have Nougat all over the lid and as a highlight, with Bark in the crease blended out with Honeycomb and I think Bark is smudged under the lash line.

 

I think what I liked about this palette is the fact that you have everything you need to create a full look...So many palettes don't have a good highlight colour for me as I don't like using overly shimmery colours as highlights under the brown bone so I'm so glad this palette has such a good highlight.

 

It also has some really nice crease colours and a useful matte black. You can go totally neutral with this or get some really dark, dramatic looks so it's very versatile.

Generally most shades are good quality, the only ones I'm not too fond of are Nubuck and Toast but the others are great especially for the price!

 

So that's it! :) I hope you enjoyed my review...thank you for reading!

Have you tried Sleek shadows yet?

Libby x

*REVIEW* Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi ! :)

The Urban Decay Primer Potion has achieved cult status, but do the variations of the original formula live up to the hype? I bought the Primer Potion in Sin a while back and decided to do a review on it!

 

 

This was around £11 when I bought mine but I'm not completely sure of the price of a full sized one at the moment but I imagine it would be around the same.
You can be get Urban Decay in Debenhams and other department stores and also online. :)
This was sold in the typical "potion" bottle from Urban Decay but now they don't sell the full sizes in this packaging anymore, however the travel sizes are still sold like this.
This claims to do the same as the original primer potion but also provide a base colour which you can wear alone or pair up with another colour.

This has a slanted doe foot applicator which helps to get all of the product from the tube (a common problem that many people used to complain about with Urban Decay!).
The colour Sin is an amazing shimmering champagne colour.

 

The swatches from top: Heavily applied swatch, blended out swatch, heavier swatch blended.

I hope the swatches illustrate the fact that you can really change the intensity of the colour depending on how sheer you want it! I really love the colour of this and you can build it up to be really pigmented or just have it as a wash of colour.

But does it work as a primer too?
Yes! I feel that this does the same as the original primer - it stops my shadows from creasing and keeps them lasting all day. This also intensifies other shadows that you layer on top of it and this makes a  really great base for other neutral colours.

I love that you can wear this alone or pair it with other colours - although obviously this works best with similar bronze/brown/gold/champagne colours.

This does last really well and seems to take a bit of effort to remove it from your lids! but this isn't much of a problem for me because it's so neutral, it's not as if it stains your lids a horrible colour!
Overall I really love this product and have used it so much!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my review :)
Libby x

NOTD: Aztec (12/05/2013)

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi! :) I have another Nail Of The Day for you...and I honestly can't believe I waited this long t show you this polish as it is one of my ABSOLUTE favourites in my collection :)

As usual I started with my base coat by The Colour Workshop....

I then applied just one coat of the Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry nail polish in "Go Retro!".

I then applied this Accessorize nail polish in the colour "Aztec". This is the most beautiful shade ever and the hardest to photograph...

 

 

 

This polish shines so many different colours. Sometimes its got blue tints, sometimes purple, sometimes bronze, sometimes green, sometimes pink...its just heaven in a bottle.

You can get Accessorize nail polishes in the Accessorize stores and also in certain superdrugs. I think next time I'm in Superdrug I'm going to have to pick up a second bottle of this for a backup because it is just too beautiful for words.

 

 

I find that it looks best when layered over another polish as it is a tad sheer on it's own...a purple coloured base colour is generally the best. However once it is on it s simply stunning and definitely one of my favourite nail polishes ever!

I really wish I could take pictures for you that would do it justice but there is NO sunlight today...:(

 

But anyway...I'd definitely recommend picking this bottle up if you see it...it looks even better in person :)

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my NOTD :)

What are your favourite nail polishes?

Libby x

 

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Vs High Beam

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi :)
I think personally that every makeup brand is famous for a few types of products and I feel like one of the types of products Benefit is famous for are their highlighters...
I have two to show you today which are Girl Meets Peal and also the famous High Beam.

 

 

I don't have either of these in full sizes as I got them in the Benefit "Finding Mr Bright" kit :)

A full sized Girl Meets Pearl costs £24.50 for 12ml and the High Beam in full size costs £19.50 for 15ml.

Girl Meets Pearl:
"This soft, golden-pink liquid pearl luminizer features light-reflecting pigments to give your complexion an exquisite, dewy glow. It includes raspberry & chamomile, known for their soothing properties…and sweet almond seed extract  known to help improve skin firmness & smoothness. Pat it on over blush to highlight cheekbones with a pop of pearly pleasure!"


High Beam:
"Our satiny pink liquid highlighter accents cheek & brow bones for a dewy, radiant glow. Use as a spot highlighter over makeup or wear under complexion products for subtle luminescence. It's the "supermodel in a bottle!""

Here are some swatches:

 

 

 

As you can see they are different colours...High Beam is more of a very pale, pearly pink/champagne colour with shimmer...it's pretty pigmented and shows up well on the skin.

Girl Meets Pearl however is definitely more of a golden colour...I think it's more of a very sheer base with some golden shimmer. It's not as noticeable on the skin and isn't anywhere near as light as High Beam.

For both of these I just dot it along the top of my cheekbones and blend it in with my fingers.

 

Girl Meets Pearl:

 

Pros:

1) Would be a lot better for darker skin tones as it has golden shimmer

2) Is more subtle so you could blend this more over your face to give a really luminous glow.

3) Has a nice smell to it...(this may be a disadvantage to some people who don't like scented cosmetics...I don't generally but the smell isn't strong and I quite like it. Also highlighter isn't something I need lots of so it's not like I can still smell it once it's on  my face)

 

Cons:

1) It's more expensive than High Beam.

2) There is less in the bottle than High Beam

3) It isn't as noticeable as a highlight

4) For lighter skin tones it doesn't show up as well.

 

High Beam:

 

Pros:

1) Less expensive than Girl Meets Pearl

2) You get more in the bottle

3) There is a brush in the bottle top so it's slightly easier to apply.

4) Is a lot more noticeable as a highlight

5) Better for fair skin (like me)

 

Cons:

1) If you have dark skin it might look a little bit frosty...

2) Even though it is cheaper than Girl Meets Peal it is still expensive for a highlighter.

 

Overall I generally prefer High Beam...it stands out better on my skin and is more noticeable, but that's not to say that I don't use Girl Meets Peal too!

They are both pretty good highlighters so it would have to depend on how dark your skin is and if you are willing to spend the extra money to get slightly less product.

I've used High Beam for some time now and I now have 3 mini versions from various Benefit kits :)

 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my post :)

Libby x

 

NOTD: Eggplant (10/05/2013)

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi! :)

I have a NOTD today that is simple, however I really like the finished product!

Today I'm using a nail polish from The Colour Workshop in the Nail Parade set.

This polish doesn't have a name on it  but I do like all of the polishes I got in this set and this is one of the few I can remember the name of as the names were on the packaging.

This shade is called Eggplant which I feel really suits it!

 

 

 

 

 

I've tried my best to tilt the bottle and move it into the light so you can see the amazing duo-chrome in this...the colour Eggplant is an amazing dark purple colour with the most beautiful blue that comes through when it his the light just right...It's really pretty!

This needed two coats and I really love the colour...although I kind of wish the blue came through a little more.

 

I hope you enjoyed my quick NOTD...it's not a mega complicated nail look but I just had to show you the amazing duo chrome on this polish!

 

Thank you for reading!

Libby x

E.L.F Cosmetics Haul!

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I'm going to be busy with exams*

Hi! :)
The other day I happened to notice that not only were E.L.F having a sale...but they also had the non-sale products on buy 1 get 1 free! :)
Needless to say I took advantage of this offer and ordered a few things... :)
Just a heads up...this post will likely be quite picture heavy ;)

Is it just me or is it extraordinarily exciting to get a package like this in the post???

 

One of the things I really wanted to try out was their custom line...where basically you get a palette and then choose 4 eye shadows, lip colours or face products to fill it. I chose all eye shadows! I like the look of the palette too as it looks really sturdy.

"Aubergine"

 

"Pink Ice"

 

"Moondust"

 

"Golden Glow"

 

The palette cost £1.50 and each of the shadows were meant to be £1 but since there was a sale I got them all for 45p!

I stupidly didn't realise at the time but I accidentally selected 2 of the "Golden Glow" shadow...but never mind :) It's a pretty colour and they were on sale so maybe I'll keep it as a backup or give it to my mum or someone!

All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

I already one of these in Lilac Petal (which you can read the review of HERE) and I decided to try out another one but in a highlight shade :) This was from the Essential line and so it was £1.50.

Studio Pigment Eye Shadow in "Golden Goddess"

 

Studio Pigment Eye Shadow in "Baked Brown"

 

I'm a BIG fan of pigments and these two colours looked really pretty so I decided to get these...they were from the Studio line so they were £3.75 each.

 

 

 

I don't often wear blusher or bronzer but I've really decided to get into it recently so I ordered the Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzer Duo in St Lucia which was the lightest shades they had so I decided it would be best for my fair skin :) This was £3.75.

After loving the HD Under Eye Setting Powder I decided I had to try the High Definition Powder for the face too as I've heard good things about it...looking forward to trying it out!

This was £6 and was in the shade Translucent.

 

Finally I decided to get another mascara as I've gotten bored of the current ones I have and some of them are running out....This was only £2.50 and is the Volumizing Mascara.

 

So that's it! I hope you enjoyed my haul...I will be doing reviews on every one of these things and when I do I'll link them here :)

 

EDIT:

Here are the reviews I've done so far! :)

E.L.F Volumizing Mascara Review

E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight Review

E.L.F Eyeshadow Pigments

E.L.F HD Powder

E.L.F Custom Eyes Compact & Shadows

E.L.F Blush & Bronzer Duo in St Lucia

 

Thanks for reading! What are your favourite products from E.L.F?

Libby x

*REVIEW* Accessorize Eyeliner in Petrol Blue

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be very busy with exams*

Hi! :)

It was a while ago now that I became a little bit obsessed with the colour teal, and I bought this liner from accessorize not quite knowing how much I was going to like it!

 

 

 

 

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY:

This was £5 and Accessorize counters are in most larger Superdrugs and also of course in the shop Accessorize :)

 

PACKAGAING:

The packaging for al of the Accessorize line is all so pretty with butterflies all over everything. This pencil liner also has a useful sponge smudger on the end which I don't tend to use but it would still be useful it I needed it. I prefer this type of pencil liner to the one where they twist up because i feel that the twisty ones get broken a lot easier.

 

 

 

PIGMENTATION:



 

 



 





As you can see this is really well pigmented! The top swatch is it applied normally and the bottom swatch is it blended out with the smudger; I find that this doesn't blend it very evenly and makes it look a bit patchy but it would still be useful for travel.

The shade is called Petrol Blue and is a really beautiful blue/teal colour with shimmer.

It reminds me a lot of the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Peacock (Which I've done a review of - If you want to look at it to compare you can see it HERE).

 

TEXTURE AND WEARIBILITY:
This isn't the creamiest liner I have but it certainly isn't the driest! It glides onto the skin pretty well but isn't so creamy that it just slips off again. This does wear for quite a while but it won't last a full day unless you top if with a shadow to set it.

 

Overall:

I really love this liner as it's such a pretty colour and a really good texture. I really like wearing this on it's own as winged liner in the summer as it's so bright and fun :)

 

Would I buy again? Definitely. I might have a look at other shades next time I go into superdrug if I remember.

 

I hope you enjoyed my review! Thank you for reading!

Libby x