Review: Sleek Blush in Life's a Peach

I love Sleek blushes. They're cheap, highly pigmented and easy to work with, and they come in a generous compact with a huge mirror. What's not to like?

Life's a Peach s no exception to any of the above, and being a pretty, warm orangey-peach, it's the perfect shade for giving your cheeks that summer glow we all crave at this time of year. It might look a bit scary in the pan, but while it is very pigmented and easy to pick up on the brush, it's pretty buildable, giving you options about how you choose to wear it. A light wash of colour is really flattering on bronzed skin, but if you really want to stand out from the crowd then this blush will easily do that job too. 

While it is easy to work with, I must admit that it doesn't pick up on the brush quite as well as some of Sleek's other shades - but saying that, it does blend out more easily than, say, Rose Gold. It's also nice and finely milled, making it silky soft in texture, and wears really well without becoming streaky or patchy.

Left: blended out. Right: Swatched quite heavily. 
(Excuse the hairband mark on my arm in the middle of the blended swatch!)

This has quickly worked its way up in my blush repertoire and is up there in my top three for the summer months. 

Sleek Life's a Peach is available at a bargainous £4.49 from Superdrug.

Have you tried anything from Sleek?

If so, what is your favourite?

xx

Sleek I-Divine Au Naturel Palette

L-R: Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe,

Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir

It's only within the last year or so that I've really got back into wearing makeup, after several years of giving eyeshadow a miss during the day in favour of a more natural look. Truth be told, I had never really taken the time to learn how to create pretty daytime looks, reserving a more dramatic eye for nights out and special occasions, but ever since I picked up the MUA Undressed palette last year, I've been hooked on a neutral eye and rarely leave the house without one (...or two!).

I recently made my first dalliance into the world of Sleek makeup, and along with some gorgeous blushes and a face kit, I decided to give the I-Divine Au Naturel Palette a go, as I was feeling the need to spread my wings a bit and branch out in terms of the shades I've been using. What caught my eye about this palette was the fact that while it does contain a lot of neutral options, they are completely different from my usual variations of taupe, brown, gold and bronze, which I hoped would force me out of my comfort zone a bit and encourage me to be a bit more experimental. I also liked the fact that there is a good selection of matte finishes, as I find them much more wearable when it comes to pared down, every-day looks - I do like a bit of shimmer, but I feel that if I were to go for a full-blown, glam makeup look all the time then I wouldn't have anything to add to make me feel that bit more special for a big event.

The palette contains a total of eight matte shades: Nougat (cream), Nubuck (what I would call a 'greige'), Cappuccino (light, milky brown), Honeycomb (creamy vanilla), Toast (light orange cream), Bark (dark brown), Regal (deep, dirty plum) and Noir (black). In addition, there are also four shimmery shades: Taupe (champagne), Conker (bronzey-brown), Moss (khaki green) and Mineral Earth (dirty brown).

All the shades are highly pigmented and blend well, and they come encased in a smooth black compact with a big mirror which is great for application on the go. The set also includes a double-ended applicator, but as usual in my case, this is completely redundant as I just don't use them, favouring brushes all the way. What I love about the packaging is the fact that it looks quite expensive and luxurious - you'd never guess that this was such an affordable high-street brand if you didn't know any better.

One thing I did find about this palette is that often, when I flip it open, I am at a loss as to which colours to use together. A couple of the shades - namely Honeycomb and Toast, are definitely not ones I would usually go for, and as yet I have neglected to use them. Another thing is that I tend to prefer lighter browns for day, whereas the nicest shades here, for me, are the darker, richer hues. More often than not, I've found myself combining shades from the Au Naturel palette with some of my old trusties from the Undressed palette, so it would be fair to say that things haven't really gone according to plan when it comes to getting creative!

I am, however, looking forward to creating an evening look using the gorgeous plums and bronzes, so look out for a FOTN post whenever that one comes to fruition.

All in all, a nice palette, but it won't be ousting Undressed from the top-spot in my routine any time soon.

The Sleek I-Divine Au Naturel Palette is available from Superdrug, priced at £7.99.

What are your favourite eyeshadow palettes?

Have you tried anything from Sleek?

xx

The Weekly Selection

I always enjoy doing my monthly favourites, but as time has gone on I've found myself leaning more and more towards making videos about them, and once I have done that I always think twice about posting about them as well, as I feel it might be a bit much. However, I do know that some of you would much rather see a post on the topic, as a lot of people do tend to do their catching up via mobile phone on the go, and nobody wants to be blasting out a video on the tube or the train for all to hear.

So, The Weekly Selection is born. In this series of posts, I'll be sharing with you whatever has made it onto my most-loved list this week, so expect to sometimes see a few old favourites making their way in amongst my newest finds, as often I will have a bit of a root around in my collection and come across a little gem I had forgotten all about (I will always mention if this is the case).

This week, it's been all about the Elemental Herbology Bio-Cellular Super Cleanse*,  a creamy cleanser containing apple AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) to boost cell turn over and gently exfoliate the skin. I've been wanting to add some regular acid exfoliants to my routine for some while now, as I wanted to see whether doing so would help me out in the war against hormonal breakouts, and being able to work this in daily in the form of a cleanser is handy when it comes to both time and money. I've been using this as my evening cleanser, as it's great at removing every last trace of makeup, as well as giving my skin a good, deep-down clean, leaving it feeling soft, nourished and comfortable.

Continuing with the theme of acid exfoliants, I've been trialling this mini size of the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner,  a light  lotion which again this uses AHAs to break down any debris and dead skin that might block the pores. I swipe this liberally across the skin every evening, after double cleansing, and by morning my skin is baby soft and smooth. I have to say, this really seems to be doing the job when it comes to keeping blemishes to a minimum, and as an added bonus, will help to strengthen the skin's resistance to wrinkles when used regularly. I have already ordered the full-size bottle of this, as it has definitely made it to 'can't live without' status in a short space of time.

Makeup wise, my biggest obsession of the week has undoubtedly been my new Sleek Face Form Contour Kit. I went for the 'light' version, which contains a flattering matte contour powder, highlighting powder and the infamous Rose Gold blush. The bronzey contour shade is great for sculpting the face and adding a subtle wash of colour, and definitely isn't too over-powering or obvious on pale skin. The Rose Gold blush is just beautiful - a shimmery, peachy pink that is not dissimilar to Nar's cult Orgasm blush. This won't leave you looking like a glitter ball, but it will leave you with glowing cheeks - in fact, I don't really find that I need a highlighter when using this, as it does the job just fine on its own. My only gripe is that it doesn't blend as well as some of my other powder blushes, but the shade is such that I can let that slide. The highlighting powder is a pretty, subtle, champagne shade, and looks lovely dotted on top of the cheekbones on top of a more pared-down blush. Again, the effect is really natural, without a hint of overkill in sight.

Last but not least, I have fallen in love with Revlon 'Fearless' Nail Enamel, a zingy, vibrant orange-toned red that just screams summer. This goes perfectly with the Mac Lady Danger lipstick, for any of you who like to match your nail polish to your lips, and is sure to make a repeat appearance on my nails over the coming months, again and again.

What have your most loved products been this week?

xx

Summer Blushin'

L-R: Topshop Cream Blush in Flush, Sleek blush in Life's a Peach, Mac Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Peachykeen

Topshop Cream Blush in 'Flush'

                                                    

                                                                                          Sleek Blush in 'Life's a Peach'

       Mac Sheertone Shimmer Blush in 'Peachykeen'

There's nothing like a bright pop of colour on the cheeks to brighten up the dullest dud of a 'Summer's' day, and now that the UK is actually basking in sunshine for a change, a vibrant blush fits the bill more than ever before (well, at least this year).

I am very much a corals and peaches girl, and will use any excuse to crack them out when the warmer months begin to roll round. In fact, you'll often catch me trying to sneak them out in the cooler months too, especially in terms of blushes. I just find that they are so flattering, even on a paler skin tone, and really add a bit of extra oomph when I'm looking a bit washed out or lacklustre.

Today I thought I'd share with you my three most reached-for blushes for Summer 2013, and I can honestly say that since about March time, nothing but these beauties has graced my cheeks - that's how much I love them!

First up is the Topshop Cream Blush in Flush, which I reviewed within the last couple of weeks (for that post, click here). I think we all love a good cream blush at this time of year, and this one is no exception. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this bad boy is my favourite specimen of all time, and I have been loving the pinched effect I get by dotting this onto my cheeks and then blending it lightly with my Real Techniques stippling brush. In terms of the shade, it's absolute perfection - a bright coral pink that is highly pigmented but also buildable. I have been wearing and wearing this, and particularly love teaming it with Mac's Cremesheen lipstick in Coral Bliss. Love.

Next up is the newest addition to my blush collection (it finally arrived last week), a Sleek powder formulation in the shade Life's a  Peach. This is a really gorgeous peachy-apricot, and is a slightly different hue to the others I've got squirreled away in my arsenal of cheek products. My only gripe with it is that it's a little bit backwards in coming forward when it comes to swatching, but that said, it does seem to pick up reasonably well on a nice soft Eco Tools brush and blends out to give a lovely wash of colour that's bright without being too much. 

And last but by no means least is my Mac Sheertone Shimmer blush in Peachykeen (full review and swatch here). This is definitely a darker, dirtier peach, and contains a beautifully subtle hint of shimmer that I find provides a gorgeously luminous, healthy glow. While there is a hint of glitter in he pan if you look closely, it won't translate onto the cheeks, so no risk of the glitter ball effect here. I'd say that of the three, this is the best option for day to day, as it won't clash with any other bright makeup choices on the eyes or lips. When it comes to the other two, they really do do all the talking, and become the main feature of the look.

Are there any blushes you've found yourself reaching for over and over this season?

What are your favourite formulations for Summer?

xx