Category Archives: Sleek

January Favorites
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Posted : 31st January 2012

My daily face for the last two months (Dec and Jan):

Estee Lauder Idealist serum. Use it every morning, under my day moisturiser to minimize my awful looking pores. Two drops its all you need, spread it in the essentials areas (my case cheeks and nose). I’m pleased to say it really works, seen a reduction after just a week and my pores are looking airbrushed.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation (shade 53). This is my ‘day off’ foundation, it provides a medium coverage with a dewy radiant glow. I only use it when im off just because i get loads of shine through the day and this foundation doesn’t have any mattifying properties, so its nice when i slap it on just for a few hours.

Lancome Teint Idole 24H (No. 03). Was lucky to try it before it was launched (which is 1st of Feb, tomorrow!) so had about 3 whole months of daily testing. This is my ‘work’ foundation – it doesn’t budge, needs minimal retouching for shine and has an excellent color range. I was a fan of the original Teint Idole Ultra, but sometimes i found it too drying and the coverage was too heavy. While the new is style full coverage, the texture its a lot smoother and velvety.

Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer (no. 52). An excellent concealer! Very moisturising, full coverage and with a brightening effect. I apply it first, then my foundation and then highlight with YSL Touche Eclat.

YSL Touche Eclat (no. 1). I use it on top of the Bourjois concealer, just in the inner corners of my eye and on my nose bridge.

Bourjois Smokey Eyes in 04 Nude Ingenu. I have been obsessed with these eye shadows, reach for them every morning and for the first time, hit pan on a color.

Lancome Artliner in Black. My signature look for 2011 and im sure for 2012 as well, the windged black eyeliner.

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes mascara in Black. Love the brush, it gives me length and separation. Think that this is the type that gets better with age, when it dries up a bit after a week from opening it provides the most flawless application.

Sleek Nude Blush. Because of the cold weather i was a bit over the pink blusher, it looked like a had rosaceea cheeks! Instead i reached for the nude brown/tan blush to sculpt some cheekbones.

Mac Mineralized Powder in Medium Plus. Dewy, natural, flawless coverage what is not to love?!

Eyebrows: penciled first with Lancome eyebrow pencil (02) and then sealed the color with my all time favorite Smashbox Brow Tech in Taupe.

Other Loves

F for Salvatore Ferragamo Perfume, probably a more summer appropriate scent as it is light and floral but it makes my happy so im gonna use it up.

Kerastase Nutri Sculpt Leave-in Conditioner. The first leave in conditioner that doesnt leave my hair flat and greasy. My hair drinks it up and re becomes shiny and soft.

Vichy Lipidiose Body Exfoliant. This is the old packaging version, they have re-vamped the range since i got it (a year ago). Use it once a week and it delivers the softest skin ever. Its definetly not a gently scrub, but sometimes rough is better :) .

Vichy Liftactiv Serum. This serum has been an absolute savior during winter months, have been using it religiously every night under my moisturiser to plump and boost my skin. I can really see a difference in my complexion in the morning, it looks brighter and more relaxed.

Promise the next Favorites installment will be a lot shorter than this, haven’t done one in a long time so had lots of loves.

Kate writes: Sleek PPQ Palette
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Posted : 24th October 2011

Seeing this online, my mouth salivated. Bold, bright colors mixed in with rich autumnals? Mine please. What arrived on my lap a few days later is a thing of beauty, 12 deeply pigmented shadows for less than a tenner. Bargainous. I was looking for a nice quality palette with some more interesting colors to play around with (despite owning several of the infamous 88 palettes).

This LE from Sleek in collaboration with PPQ was ideal. There’s definitely some scary colors, I’ll give you that, but honestly once you play around enough anything can be wearable! (even that scary red). Here’s a run-through off the shades with their finishes and my thoughts! Oh, and all swatches are over a light bit of NYX’s milk, as always!

Barry White – This one is a sheer wash of ivory sheen, not as white as the name suggests. No chunky glitter here, it works excellently as a wash over a matte shade or as a highlight colour. (I’m so pale this barely swatched in the photo!)

Black Box – Hmm, not as pigmented as the usual black inclusion in the sleek palettes, this may be useful if you find using a true black a little harsh. The finish is matte and quite chalky, good to set liner for sure.

Salt ‘N’ Peppermint – This is what drew me to the palette originally. I’m a total sucker for these beautiful teal shades, whether on the lid or underneath on the lower lash line. Again this is a matte shade, but creamy and nicely pigmented. This is very close to MAC’s  L.E ‘Surfin’ USA’ (which I love and have hit pan on sadly).

Simply Red -  I know, I  know, red? Not the most wearable of shades! When I saw this I thought, “Eye infection? No thanks.” But upon swatching I saw how beautifully pigmented it was and I knew I had to find a way to wear it! So, today I wore it in my crease with Chris De Burgundy over it to soften the colour, blended with a smidge of matte brown. It’s do-able, I promise, and I actually love it. I’m wearing it right now, and together they make this season’s very on-trend maroon shade. So don’t be put off!

Pink Beret -  Another matte, this time the name is completely unrelated. This is best described as a baby-neon-coral. Hard to imagine, I know! This is actually really cute for a pastel look and is nicely creamy for a matte. So nicely creamy that I may or may not have worn it as a blush..

Primal Green – This is a GORGEOUS golden khaki shade, a bit like a greeny version of Urban Decay’s Half-Baked. It’s a nice and easy way to update your basic neutral look while still playing it safe. This has a smooth, satin finish.

Fade To Grey -  Grey? You mean pure, metallic silver! I realized I don’t actually have any other silvers.. This one is super high-shine and has a lovely cool tone to it. It’ll be amazing as we approach the dreaded Christmas party season!

 Blue Monday – Okay, this most certainly is not blue. It has a slight blue tinge is some lights I guess? But anyway, to me this is a slightly darker version of MAC’s ‘Humid’, a dark, cool-toned khaki. This is a softer satin, not too shiny, would be lovely on the outer ‘V’ with Primal Green or Fade to Grey.

Super Nova – With a name like that you’d expect a nice metallic, no? Well this is a lavender-taupey colour, lovely to throw in the crease if you’re having a ‘no makeup’ makeup day. This one is again a matte, not overly pigmented though.

Chris De Burgundy – BEST NAME. BEST SHADE. I’m sorry, I lovveeee this. It’s such an amazing autumn colour, can’t stop using it! And wow, it is goood on blue/grey eyes. This one is a creamy matte, so beautifully pigmented it looks like a glass of Pinot Noir. Amazing!

Lilac Allen – A very frosted pinkie-purple satin shade. Not sure how much use this will be personally but if you like your frosted purple’s, this is really quite nice.

 Golden silver’s – A pale, very yellow-toned gold, this one I wore today with my reds (sounds crazy but it’s wearable). This is a little disappointing, not very pigmented but still usable, it fades a little faster than the others.

Overall

Under ten euro for twelve shades of this quality is unreal. Even if there’s two in there that stick out to you I say get it, or regret it.

 Availability

Sometimes found in the hair-extension shops on Moore street, your best bet is either Beautyemporium.ie or Cloud10beauty.com.

Sleek Goodies: The Nude Palette and Two Blushers
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Posted : 21st October 2011

 Thanks to Lorrainne‘s Facebook status (Hi!), I found out that Cloud10Beauty has a promotional offer for every person who likes their Facebook page, offering €5 off to every order. You might think that’s not much, but when a Sleek palette costs about €9 it makes a slight difference. Also they have a point scheme very similar to Boots/Tesco so for every purchase you get a number of points redeemable against purchase. Also they reward you for signing to newsletters, referring people or writing reviews.

Must say that im very pleasantly surprised with the customer service, i ordered my goodies Thursday afternoon and had them by 8.30 this morning in a pretty box, plus 3 samples of my choice. I recommend them with all my heart!

I got the Sleek Nude Palette, the Suede Blush and the Rose Gold Blush all summing up to €20 after discount. Wanted to get the Oh So Special palette too, my friend Kate raved about it but unfortunately was out of stock.

Also got my sample of Garnier BB cream in the post, i know it sounds silly but i was very impressed with the packaging :) .

and with flash

Sleek Rose Gold Blusher (Flash)

Sleek Rose Gold Blusher (Natural Light)

Sleek Suede Blusher (Flash)

Sleek Suede Blusher (Natural Light)

Rose Gold is my signature cheek color: shimmery coral/peach while Suede its a beautiful matte, neutral peach/bronze shade ideal for contouring. I know it looks pinky in the last photo, i assure you its not. My camera finds it hard to catch the subtle undertones of my makeup.

I didn’t do swatches this time around because im dying with a head cold and im afraid to touch anything with my germy hands. My nose is resembling Rudolph and its dripping continuously, plus i have marathons of sneezing to my fiance delight.

This didnt stop me though to do a Mugshot of the day :) . Be kind, be very kind!


Blush used – Suede. Filled my eyebrows with Bark from the Nude palette. Eyeshadows used: Cappuccino all over, Bark on the lid and Conker on the socket. Lined with L’Oreal luminizer eye liner in purple, mascara Lancome Hypnose Precious Cells.

Used the Garnier BB cream instead of foundation, very happy i ordered the sample first because i don’t like it at all. Coverage, color, texture, scent all good. Shine, not so good. Its too dewy and makes my oily skin to look even shinier then it usually is. Think its most suitable for a dryer complexion.



Sleek Divine Mineral Eyeshadow Palette
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Posted : 10th October 2010

Almost a year ago i have been introduced to Sleek Makeup by my friend Jackie, who’s makeup it’s always perfect and put together. One day I had to ask her what eyeshadow is she wearing – it was a lovely bronze shade, expecting to be the latest posh brand or something.

Sleek, she said. I got it in Superdrug in UK, for a couple of pounds. And its a palette too.

Hmm…interesting. Must get this Sleek!

After desperately scouting the North-West of Ireland it was nowhere to be found. Nobody ever heard of it, nobody seen it. Just peachy!

Long story short, we found it online on a website from UK who delivered in Ireland (www.malikstores.co.uk) and ordered two of the paletts – The Original and Storm.

As i mentioned, i have them for over a year so I’m happy to hit pan with two of the shades: the bronze that made me pursue my quest and a metallic burgundy. They are my everyday staples for work, use them as bases and team them with other single eye shadows. All the other shades are very pretty as well, but me being so lazy in the morning i just stick to my routine.

Pro’s

  • great pigmentation
  • wide choice of colors
  • mineral content
  • price!

Con’s

  • they crease. An eyeshadow primer must be used with these, or their gone in two hours. I use Gosh Waterproof Eyeshadow in Love that Gold. I only use it with Sleek, for other eyeshadows i use Urban Decay Primer Potion.
  • being mineral makes them very dusty. Although they look like compacts, when you use them they become dust/pigment texture.
  • fall-out is to be expected, due to texture.

To get maximum results, i perfected my special routine:

Prepare the eyelid with Gosh Waterproof Eyeshadow in Love that Gold, it is a very light cream-bronze that doesn’t interfere with other colors. Being waterproof, means the eyeshadow wont budge.

Apply the eyeshadow color as base, using a flat brush. Don’t sweep, use gentle tapping gestures or you’ll have it everywhere. Sometimes i do the eyes first and the foundation after, makes it less messy. In the palette there is a sponge applicator which i find rubbish, the texture of the shadows makes it useless (for me at least).

Use a single eyeshadow for the crease, using a blending brush (head slightly round).

Thats it, you’re good to go.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Sleek or Malik stores, products were bought with my own money. I was sent recently a Gosh Eyeshadow as PR sample, but i have been purchasing-using it long before that. This was my honest opinion as always.