Sleek Make-up

I've had quite a hard time getting my hands on this brand. My local Superdrug doesn't stock it and whenever I'd head into a bigger town, all they seemed to have were empty Sleek displays with a few testers and nothing else...very infuriating...and bloody pointless.

There were two items that I was really curious to try out so I just bought them online and couldn't wait to blog about them...

Sleek Pout Paint & Blush

Sleek Pout Paints are dupes for OCC's Lip Tars, although OCC's colour range is way more extensive than Sleek's.
Saturated in colour and intensely pigmented, these need to be applied with caution as very little goes a very long way. I'd also suggest applying them to well moisturised lips as they can feel a little drying and emphasise any dryness.

I got three shades -

Peachy Keen, Milkshake, Minx

Pout Paints can be mixed together to create your own unique shade. They also sell a blue one (Peek-a-bloo) which can be used to add depth and warmth to other colours or white (Cloud 9) which is used to lighten your chosen shade. 

Sleek's Peachy Keen is also almost an exact dupe for OCC's Cha Cha: 

Left: Sleek Pout Paint in Peachy Keen  Right: OCC Lip Tar in Cha Cha

I'm also finding the packaging of the Pout Paint's to be a lot more practical as the lip tar ends get quite messy and result in product wastage. 

Pout Paints retail for £5 whereas the Lip Tars are £9 - both contain 8ml of product.

Now onto the blush...

I did of course feed my obsession for peach and got the shade Life's a Peach. 

Life's a Peach is a gorgeous, matte pure peach shade and when I first used it, I was delighted to discover that it was almost identical to MAC's Peaches blush - which just happens to be my ultimate favourite blush ever. 

In the pan they don't look very similar:

...but when swatched:

Left: MAC's Peaches  Right: Sleek's Life's a Peach

I'm delighted with my purchases and can't wait to try some other goodies from this brand. Any suggestions?

Mattes for your lips

If you're a fan of matte textures then I suggest you check out these little gems from Collection 2000.

Velvet feeling, matte looking and moisturising lip creams - and let me just add that they smell delicious.
These come in four shades: Cotton Candy (pink), Angel Delight (beige), Fairy Cake (coral), Powder Puff (nude).
Cotton Candy and Fairy Cake are bold, bright and perfect for summer. Angel Delight is proving to be my absolute favourite. It's a great neutral shade that's perfect for every day wear and neutral looks...I need to stock up on it! Powder Puff is a true nude and the perfect accompaniment for an intense smoky eye.

These lip creams glide on easily, feel soft on the lips and once they set they create a stain like effect. They're also incredibly long lasting - you'll only need to touch up after eating or drinking - other than that you may rest assured that they won't be going anywhere.
Overall, I truly adore them!

Another bargain that I came across in Superdrug was this lipstick from Beauty UK, retailing at £2.99 (same as the Cream Puffs). 

I've walked past this brand countless of times and it's never really intrigued me until I spotted this shade.

It's called "Snob" and my first impression was that it bared a rather uncanny similarity to Revlon's Pink Pout Matte Lipstick (which I love), but when compared with Pink Pout, Snob seems to have a bit more of a lilac hue to it.
The textue is completely matte and the lipstick has a minty scent to it.
This colour is perhaps a little bit too "brave and daring " for my usual look but I seem to be liking it anyway.

Latex Free Make-Up Blending Sponge

I have never tried out the Beauty Blender as I've always fared well with foundation brushes and couldn't quite justify spending £20 on a make-up sponge. These make-up sponges however retail for £3.99 and are available here in the U.K. from www.love-makeup.co.uk as well as www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk.

The principle for using these is the same as with the Beauty Blender - you need to dampen them, they expand in size and then you work liquid and cream make-up products into the skin by using a bouncing motion. The pointed end is used to apply foundation or concealer around the nose or eyes.

Left: dry sponge  Right: dampened sponge

Initially I only purchased one sponge, just out of curiosity and to do a trial run, but after using it only once I knew that I needed more. These are incredibly easy to use and apply liquid and cream foundations like a dream, leaving you with a truly (yes I'll throw in the cliche) flawless finish!

I wholeheartedly recommend these. This might sound dramatic but they will transform the way in which you apply your foundation, helping you achieve a truly natural and well blended finish. 

If you've tried the Beauty Blender as well as these then please leave a comment below and let me know how they compare.