Sleek 'Hero' Products

When it comes to drugstore brands, Sleek have to be one of my all time favourites. I'm particularly fond of their collection of blushes and face palettes and their Brow Kit was one of the first eyebrow products I ever fell in love with.  I always find their products to be incredibly pigmented and really good in terms of quality and wear-time.   Without jibbering on any further, I shall jump straight in and talk you through some of Sleek's 'Hero' products...

Sleek Eyebrow Kit in 'Light' | £8.49* | Link
I make no exaggerations when I say that this kit completely transformed my eyebrow routine.  Honestly, before I discovered this duo, my brows weren't exactly what you'd call 'top notch' - in fact, I look back at photographs and wonder what the flippin'eck I was thinking!  I have to spend quite some time filling in my brows of a morning because they're so light in colour (blame the blonde barnet!) so having a powder and a coloured wax in one palette is very handy for those mornings when I need to get up and go.  I actually find the 'Dark' kit works fine on my brows as well depending on the level of definition I fancy - sometimes I'll sweep a bit of the darker shade into the arch but overall, the 'Light' version seems to look most natural on me.  I simply sweep a bit of the powder through them, making sure that I'm creating definition into the arch, and then brush a little of the wax on to help set them in place.  If you've been after Benefit's 'Brow Zings', then Sleek's version is more or less an exact dupe aside from the fact the wax is a little softer.  Well worth the money!

Sleek Face Form Palette in 'Light' | £9.99* | Link
Ohhh my love for this product runs deep, let me tell you! It's been featured on my blog a fair few times in the past so I won't say too much about it as you can read my full review here.  It's essentially one of my favourite palettes for all my contouring, highlighting and blusher-ing needs! The blush shade in the palette is an amazing dupe for Nars' infamous 'Orgasm' blusher and looks amazing throughout the summer months.  I always end up taking this one away on holiday with me - it's got everything you can possibly need all in one place - and if you're a contouring fan like me, then it's well worth getting your mitts on.

Sleek 'Blush by 3' in Pink Lemonade | £9.99* | Link
I've really been getting into my pinks just recently. I know, shocking right? I've actually given corals and oranges a temporary heave-ho for the time being! This palette is simply stunning. It contains 2 powder blushes on either side and has a cream version in the middle for those days where you fancy a bit of something more dewy.  This palette has to be one of my new favourites and I shall certainly be picking up another shade of their 'Blush by 3' palettes in the near future - they're well worth the money! Each blush is incredibly pigmented, really easy to blend and the addition of the cream blush makes it perfect for travelling as you have the choice of 3 different shades, of varying consistencys.   The cream blush is such a lovely addition to the palette - I've only ever tried Sleek's Powder Blushes but their cream ones are just the ticket - really creamy, moisturising and dewy and pigmented but blendable.  Everything my cream blush dreams are made of...

Have you tried any of these Sleek products? What's your favourite blush by them? I'd love to add a new one to my collection!

How I Contour | Feat. Chanel Bronze Universal & Swatches

Chanel | Soleil Tan De Chanel - 'Bronze Universal' - £31 | Link

It was an exciting day when I first purchased Chanel's ever so famous 'Bronze Universal' let me tell you! I took it home, placed it delicately on my bathroom counter and cherished its very existence in my makeup collection, but there was one problem - I was at a complete loss of how best to use it. I googled it, I tweeted about it, and I googled it some more - but each time I'd receive a multitude of different answers of how best to apply it. The lady at the Chanel counter suggested I used a flat foundation brush to work it into the skin for contouring - and for a while that was the method I used. Although it worked, the method just didn't float my boat - it may have been the brush I was using but I felt as if I needed to test a slightly different approach. So, I took it upon myself to test and try all kinds of different ways of working with it until I settled upon one that worked for me and one that provided me with the best results. Mission accomplished. 

As some of you may know, I'm a massive fan of contouring. I naturally have quite defined cheekbones and they're something I like to accentuate more when I can - simply because they give my face definition and shape and they're a feature I feel I need to make the best of! I've been contouring for a few years now - ever since I first learnt 'the secret' (ooo 'the secret'..) of how to make your face appear more sculpted - my makeup collection is full of all sorts of highlighters, base products and sculpting essentials. Chanel's Bronze Universal provides the most natural looking 'skin-like' finish and works very well with my skin tone. Here's my step by step for my current contouring routine I use for my cheekbones..

1. Apply your base | I use Yves Saint Laurent's 'Touche Eclat' foundation in 'B40' and buff this into the skin using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush.  This is the only brush I find works with this foundation and together they are an absolute cosmetic dream team! This stage provides a flawless looking 'blank canvas' ready for sculpting (I apply a primer beforehand too - just to make sure my makeup is being applied on a clean, smooth base).

2 & 3. Chanel Bronze Universal | If you're unsure how or where to place the line of contour, a good way to find your natural cheekbone 'shape' is to simply pull a fish face. Not at all attractive but suck in your cheeks for a second and you'll notice where your natural line is (google this method if you're unsure!) You can see where I've placed my line of contour - I always begin near my hairline and apply most of the product here, as this is where I want my contour to be strongest and where there is naturally more shadow on the face. I then take the product down near to wear my inner cheek is - making sure that the line there is slightly thinner than it is near to my hairline. 

I do this using my fingers or a flat foundation brush - but if I'm honest I find using my fingers to apply this works better than a brush - as the product is warmed up and can be moulded into the skin more (of course if you're going to do it this way then it goes without saying to make sure you're hands are squeaky clean before doing this step..)

4. Buffing using Real Techniques Buffing Brush | Buff the line you have just made into the skin using a buffing brush - making sure the movements you use are along the same 'line'. You don't want to be swirling the brush all over your cheeks as this will ruin the whole effect!

5. Mac Mineralise Skinfinsh Natural in 'Medium' | I then apply my Mac MSF using my Real Techinques powder brush. This sets the base I have just applied.  As a general rule, any 'wet' product you apply to your face should be applied before your powder - and any powder products applied afterwards. You know it makes sense... ;)

6. Optional Step - Sleek Contour Kit in 'Light' | Sometimes, the contour I created with the Chanel is enough for me. On other occasions, I want a little bit more 'oomph' (nights out for example) - this is when I apply the matte bronzing powder from this palette. I use my Real Techniques Contouring brush to do this as i find it works well with my powder products, and simply go over the line I've just created, being careful to blend it in properly. It can sometimes look a little 'muddy' if you over apply so paler skin tones - take heed! I then apply the highlighting powder across the top of my cheekbones (just underneath the eye area) and sweep this up to my hairline. 

7. Blush | I apply my blush of choice on the apples of my cheeks and take it up slightly near my hairline - this way I have the highlight, blush and contour all merged together and running the same way.  I used Benefit's Coralista blush in this example - if you're wondering!

8. Contouring complete! If you're still unsure, it helps to look at your face from different angles in a mirror and realise where light naturally hits, and where shadow naturally falls (looking up into a mirror highlights the lighter areas, and vice versa). I then usually take my contouring underneath my jawline and onto my forehead using the same method (again, google this as there's tonnes of images of where to place contour & highlight - it's generally made in a '3' shape around the side of the face)


The way you work with this product depends on what kind of look you want to go for. A flat kabuki brush will work wonders for an all over bronzing base, but when it comes to contouring, the softness of the line you use is key to creating a natural looking, flawless finish. The texture of the Bronze Universal is very blendable - almost like a hybrid of a mousse and a cream. It's also very buildable and is a product that can be used in a multitude of ways. This is just how I contour my cheekbones - you might find another way works better for you but this gets the best results for me personally! Kim Kardashian - eat yer heart out, petal!

Here's a rundown of products used in this post:

YSL Touche Eclat foundation in 'B40' (review here)

Chanel 'Bronze Universal' (first impressions post here)

Real Techniques brushes - Buffing, Contour, Powder, Blush (collection post/review here)

Mac Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in 'Medium'

Benefit Coralista blush (review here)

Sleek Contour Kit in 'Light'

Benefit 'They're Real' mascara (review here)
Sleek Eyebrow kit in 'Light'
HD Brows palette in 'Bombshell'

Mac Smolder eye kohl

Mac 'Plink!' lipstick.

I also used this method of contouring in my FOTD post here - which was used for a night out! You can see the definition and line of contour more clearly!

Have you tried Chanel's Bronze Universal? Are you a fan of contouring like me?

Sleek | Shangri-La Collection | Truly Mattely Deeply in 'Jazz'

  Sleek | Shangri-La Collection | Truly Mattely Deeply in 'Jazz' | £4.99
 | Bottom photograph - 'Jazz' worn with Barry M lipgloss over the top

When I first heard of Sleek's Shangri-La Collection, I was really intrigued by their Truly Mattely Deeply lip glosses. Personally, I can't see how they can be classed as a 'gloss' - but the idea of a highly pigmented lip product really sparked a bit of excitement in me and I was at Superdrug's counters quicker than you could say 'typical beauty blogger'. I decided on the shade 'Jazz' - a vibrant, bright red shade (there's only 2 shades available, the other being a candyfloss pink) - as much as I love my nudes, I must admit I adore a good red lippie for nighttime wear, and this is just the most amazing shade of statement red. Just my cup of tea.

It does say on the packaging to apply to fully moisturised lips - and believe me you do need a damn good lip balm to apply before and after application as this product is drying. It 'sets' to the lips within seconds and doesn't budge for anything. This is great for longevity - a few seconds after application and it won't smudge or transfer whatsoever - i actually had to use make-up remover to take it off! But it does flake off after a bit of wear. It's ridiculously drying and It didn't feel very 'comfortable' even after application of a balm. I applied a gloss over it to blur any dry bits it shows up and to make the colour stand out even more (as seen above) and I also applied a balm beforehand to 'prep' my lips and give them a bit of moisture. I suppose you have to expect a little bit of dryness when you buy a 'matte' lip product..

What I cannot fault, however, is the pigmentation. Sleek aren't telling fibs on the packaging - 'Jazz' is amazingly pigmented and the colour you see in the tube is the exact colour you get on the lips. It's so eye-catchingly bright - I really cannot wait to use this in summer when I have my tan back as it has slight orange undertones that add a bit of warmth to the skin.

Have you tried the Sleek Truly Mattely Deeply glosses or anything from the PPQ Shangri-La Collection?  

 ♥