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

Scent of the Summer: Estee Lauder | Bronze Goddess Skinscent |

£47 for 100ml

Normally perfumes don't feature over on my little slice of the internet, purely because I am pretty awful at describing scents. When I picked this baby up though I knew I had to spread the word because it is just amazing and you need it in your life for the summer months!!

You might have seen this mentioned in my May favourites video but I thought Bronze Goddess deserved a post of its own. With a heart of golden amber and notes of coconut milk, vanilla, lemon, sicilian bergamot, jasmine and magnolia petals to name a few, this scent evokes all those dreamy summer memories: sun cream, the seaside, palm trees, cocktails on holidays, a soft summer breeze... I think you get the gist. It also comes in a shimmering version too which looks beaut!

It is actually the first perfume that I have bought myself as I normally receive them as gifts, which says a lot in itself, and although it is expensive I think the amount you get and the design of the bottle is well worth the money. The gold translucent packaging and the fine spray really upholds the luxury of the Lauder name and reflects the fact it is a summer scent. I think the only downside is that it doesn't have the best staying power so you do have to reapply regularly throughout the day. The fact it is a limited edition fragrance which is only available from April until stocks last also makes it a must have for me - is anyone else like that? When I hear limited edition I seem to hand over my bank card a little too easily!

Other products in the Bronze Goddess range that I have my eye on are the large bronzer and the self tanning lotion for the face. The essence of this post is: you need this in your life!

Apologies for the terrible pictures but the nature of the bottle makes it very hard to photograph, plus it has been knocking about in my handbag...!

Have you tried anything from the Bronze Goddess range? Do you have a favourite summer scent? xxx

Review: Nars | Orgasm Blush & Laguna Bronzer Duo |

NARS Blusher/Bronzer Duo // Orgasm and Laguna // £30

Two cult products in the beauty blogging world are the naughtily named blush 'Orgasm' and a bronzer in the shade 'Laguna' from Nars. I had wanted to try them for ages and was really lucky when my Mum picked me up the blush/bronzer duo a few months ago. They are my first Nars products and I'm pleased I got the duo so I could sample both products.

Housed in the iconic Nars packaging and featuring a large mirror that is great for travel, the aesthetics ticks all the boxes for me. Lets start with the blush - silky smooth and with a finely milled texture, you only need to dip your brush a tiny bit into the pan to give your cheeks a lovely flush of colour and is easily buildable too. In terms of colour, Orgasm is a light pink with a hint of coral shade, flecked with lots of golden glitter particles. That might sound really scary but these golden sparkles don't leave you looking like a glitter ball but offer a lovely sheen which means you can forgo highlighter. This blusher has really lived up to the hype for me  with both the quality and colour being worth the price. I can see this lasting me ages as you don't need a lot of product and think it will be perfect for spring/summer make up.

In regards to Laguna I'm not really sure how I feel. Like the blusher this can also be built up very easily which is great for heavy handed people, however I felt like you can't see a difference when wearing it unless you build it up quite a lot. I really like that it has no orange undertones so is very natural and I've heard that it is great for contouring too (I don't really contour too much) but for some reason I just haven't fallen in love with it like other bloggers have and prefer the Bourjois chocolate bronzer. Maybe I'm not doing it right - if you have any tips on what to use/how to apply it to see if I can make it work better that would be great!

Overall I think this was a great product to introduce myself to the brand. The blusher has definitely won me over and I'll be exploring into other shades, but the bronzer hasn't done much to wow me. I do have my eyes on a few eyeshadow duos and lipsticks though so hopefully I will be expanding my Nars stash soon....

What is your favourite product from Nars? xxx

Review: Revolution Organics Freedom Glow

Freedom Glow in 'Bronzed' // £21

I’ve been interested in branching out to cream bronzers for a while but have been hesitant due to the oily nature of my skin. However, when this popped through my door in a recent Joliebox it came at the perfect time as my skin has been drier and dehydrated due to the colder weather. I’d never heard of the brand before but the concept of the product intrigued me and I haven’t been disappointed when I got round to using it.

Its appearance is reminiscent to that of the Nars multiple sticks, but I haven’t actually tried this so can’t offer a fair comparison.  It is a good size product which is great for travel, with sturdy and sleek packaging which twists up and down to get more or less product. The colour looked pretty dark in the tube but once blended in properly to the skin it leaves a natural, healthy glow. I’ve been reaching for this on days when I want a bit of colour but don’t want to wear a full face of makeup, for example when I’m feeling under the weather. It’s very moisturising with organic olive, coconut and jojoba oils so I’m not sure this would be that suitable for me in the summer but at the moment it is perfect for the way my skin is behaving. I think this would be best for normal to dry skin types all year round but us oily skinned girls can get away with it in winter time too. This beauty balm also contains aloe vera to condition and smooth – great for sun or wind damaged skin. The product is 100% natural and 85% organic ingredients as well as being free of any nasties such as mineral oil, which is a big plus point for me!

Revolution Organics have described the product as a beauty balm to act as a multitasker to be used anywhere you want some colour - think face, body and lips. This colour would be great for contouring, however I don’t do much of this myself and instead use it for an all over glow. I rub a generous amount on my cheeks, forehead, nose and chin and then blend it in thoroughly using a stippling brush to give a light even colour. Considering how moisturising the product is the colour pay off is amazing and the pigmentation doesn't disappoint.

You can also purchase this product in the colours: 'Sunkissed' a coral peach and 'Blushed' a pink. It seems to be a Canadian brand but you can find this product on eBay or cutecosmetics (linked above). I've really enjoyed using this product as it gives benefits to my skin while adding subtle warmth and coverage. As my first step into the world of cream bronzers it has been a success and I’m interested in trying out Chanel’s Universal Bronze.

Have you heard of this brand before? What do you think of cream bronzers? xxx

My 'Summer Face'

Today I thought I would try a different post as I have been doing a lot of reviews lately and thought it would be nice for you to read something a bit different. Even though the weather this Summer has been quite temperamental, I've shyed away from heavy and time consuming make up and updated my make up regime to easy, quick and lighter make up suitable for warmer weather. The above picture are the products I have been using on a daily basis as a standard summer face. I sometimes switch up my eyes or lipsticks depending on my outfit and mood but overall this is my staple make up at the moment. Sorry in advance about the quality of the picture, the natural lighting isn't great due to gloomy weather and some of my products are a bit battered from traveling and everyday use!

So to begin with, I mix my 17 BB cream in 'Light' mixed with a pump or two of Soap and Glory's Hocus Focus to brighten up my dull complexion and blend all over my face with my fingers to melt it into my skin. The BB cream has relatively good coverage but I cover up my under eye circles and any blemishes with Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I then dust 17 Miracle Matte pressed powder over my face lightly as I am on the oily side with a large powder brush and then blend Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer all over my face with a MAC blending brush. This powder is great as it gives my face a bit of warmth without dulling down my complexion with a light, silky texture. I dot some extra Hocus Focus on my brow bone and top of cheek bones for a highlighter, a product which I have really grown to love as it is multi purpose and gives a lovely natural glow. I then give a light dusting of Benefit's Thrrrob powder on my cheekbones with a stippling brush to give a flush of colour.

For my eyes I fill in my brows with Bobbi Brown Mahogany eyeshadow (not pictured) then using my finger blend a thin layer of Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' over my lid, which is a great natural colour for blue eyes that is easily buildable into a stronger colour if you so wish. To finish my eyes I put a few layers of my favourite mascara of the moment, Masterpiece Max by Maxfactor.

Finally, a few coats of a Revlon Lip Butter in shade Creme Brulee and I am good to go!

I have done a few reviews of the products mentioned which I have included links for. What do you think of my 'Summer Face'? Do you include any of these products in your every day routine? xxx

Review: Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer

  

 

 

RRP: £6.99 at Boots

Normally I am not one for wearing bronzer because of the risk of being heavy handed and looking like a patchy orange. However, I have seen a few reviews of this product, and due to it being summer and all I decided to pick up one from Boots while getting a few other bits and bobs (see that haul here). 

I've been really pleasantly surprised with this product and have ended up using it most days. First of all the packaging is great - its a bit different to other bronzers and powders I have seen due to opening up like a book, which I like, and as it is sleek and compact it is good for popping in your handbag. Upon opening it up it looks like a bar of chocolate which is reflected by the picture on the front of the packaging (a definite plus point for a chocolate lover like me) and it smells really lovely too - not of chocolate but of a sweet, powdery scent.

I got it in number 51 which I think is the medium colour, but the only one available in Boots that I saw. I find the colour great for pale skin as it gives a light wash of colour leaving your face looking more glowy and sunkissed than caked and orange. As the powder is so light in texture and the colour is quite flattering, I think even the most heavy handed of people would have a hard time over doing it with this. It states that the powder is 'filled with glints of sunshine' and has an 'ultra-soft texture' both of which I totally agree with. The product is a pleasure to use and boosts the radiance of my face, which is great as some bronzers can make people's complexions rather flat and dull when they are too dark and heavy. I apply this with my buffer brush and buff it in well all over my face, and whether over a BB cream or foundation it gives a lovely finish without being patchy.

What other bronzers would you recommend? Have you tried this? What are your thoughts on it? xxx