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

Vivo 'Unprotected' Colour Block Eye Palette

Shades, from l-r: Escape, Forever, Flutter, Today

                          Wisp, Flow, Adore, Relax

                           Engage, Divine, Free, Awaken 

You may remember me mentioning, not long before Christmas, that it had been a while since I'd last been 'into' wearing eyeshadow, having reserved it solely for nights out for the past couple of years. I suppose it was down to my out-growing the bright colours I had once loved, and not knowing quite which way to go next. I'd never found neutrals all that appealing in the past, though I'd always been partial to a gold eye. The real problem, though, was that I'd never really bothered to learn how to apply eyeshadow well enough to fall in love with it, and there had come a point where I just thought it made me look worse as opposed to better.

Anyway, the point is that I had been seeing some beautiful looks created with neutrals in the preceding months, and as a result had decided to buy myself a neutrals palette and get practising.

As it happened, creating a pretty neutral eye was easier than expected, and I quickly fell in love with my MUA Undressed palette, making it (and a neutral eye) a staple in my day to day makeup routine, so imagine my excitement when I unwrapped this beautiful Vivo palette after Christmas, from my Secret Santa partner, Gem of Gem Seren (thanks Gem!)

The palette is comprised of twelve neutral shades, ranging from beiges and browns to smokey greys and golden bronzes, including three neutral matte shades (Escape, Flutter and Wisp). This already pleased me, as often it can be difficult to find palettes with a good mixture of both shimmers and matte shades, and the three provided here are so versatile that they are perfect for creating a huge number of looks, along with the remaining shimmer shades. Whether you are going for a natural day time eye or more of a glamorous night time look, you've got pretty much everything you need in this palette.

All the shades in the palette are quite highly pigmented (though the shimmers are more so than the mattes), meaning the colour pay off is pretty good. However, I have noticed that they don't blend as easily as the shades in my Undressed Palette, though they are all quite creamy and smooth in texture. In terms of fall-out, I really haven't noticed much, and there have been no issues with creasing or fading.

This palette retails at just £3.99, which I think is an absolute bargain, and is perfect for those of you who want to play around with some neutral shades without having to splash your cash on something like the Urban Decay Naked palette.

Have you tried anything from Vivo Cosmetics?

If so, what were your thoughts?

Let me know if you have any recommendations!

xx