Sleek

Make-up

Sleek MakeUP True Colour Lipstick in “Vixen” Review

June 3, 2014

I am a terrible person, a terrible person indeed. So terrible in fact, that this lovely lipstick has been sat unopened in my “to review” pile since I bought it about three month’s ago. I was so eager and excited to try the Sleek Lipsticks out and when I finally relented and picked up “Vixen” in a 3 for 2 haul at Superdrug, the least I could have done was give this the time and attention it deserved instead of leaving it alone in a box!

Having said that, there was absolutely no way I could have worn this, without first photographing it whilst it remained pristine in all it’s glory – before the end became smudged and coated with all the best bits that get left behind in the bottom of my bag.

Despite already having a vast collection of red lipsticks, I really do get sucked in to an eye catching red and beautiful packaging, which is exactly how this purchase came about. At £4.99 this was slightly more justifiable to purchase because I picked up a few other products on the way, reaping the 3 for 2 benefits and I’m glad I was unable to resist temptation because I love it. The case has a very appealing matte black texture, giving it the feel of something far more luxurious than it should be. Not the typical square or cylinder style for a lipstick, but more of an oval shape and slightly smaller than other brands – however still packed with the same amount of lip smacking colour than any of it’s other counterparts. The colour is a classy bright pillar-box red and it glides on beautifully. This contains Vitamin E which seems to be a pretty standard feature across a range of lipsticks these days, which is fine by me as I welcome a product that hydrates my lips, meaning I get more wear for my buck.

I love absolutely everything about this lipstick – I love holding it, I love applying it, I love taking the lid off, I love twisting it in and out and watching the beautiful red pop into view but most of all, I love that it is now mine. I’ve already got my eye on some of the other shades, especially the (yup you guessed it) Coral shades which you can check out here.

Once again Sleek have delivered exactly what it says in their name – a beautifully “Sleek”, yet classy product with a touch of luxury that doesn’t break the bank balance.

Do you have any Sleek favourites at the moment?

Totally hellbent for popping some cheerful luxury into my handbag and lusting over packaging

-Pants

Most Wanted

April Most Wanted

April 14, 2014

1. Urban Decay Electric Palette – [Link]

I love my Naked palette but I’m a brights girl at heart, I’ve seen nothing but rave reviews for this and so it’s now on my OMGINEEDTHISINMYLIFE list. I think UD palettes are well worth the investment, and though I was considering another Naked I think I’ll be far more likely to pick this up instead!

2. Katy Perry Oh So Sheer – [Link]

Katy Perry Killer Queen is still my favourite fragrance, but I do quite fancy this lighter variant for less in-your-face-perfume moments. Plus the purple is ever so pretty!

3. Vegan New Rocks – [Link]

I feel the time is soon to indulge my life-long want for New Rocks without the need for killing any cows. Yes they’re pretty pricey (and more expensive than the leather versions…tsk!) but none-the-less they will get me through many a muddy festival ground and keep me from falling over when I windmill on stage.

4. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold – [Link]

I have issues with how much I want this blusher, yet I never seem to pick it up when I pop to Superdrug. This is the month. Now is the time. Rose gold…you will be mine.

5. Manowar Earings – [Link]

I love Manowar, I love jewellery. I kind of hoped they would be made of 100% PURE STEEL, but alas they are silver.

6. Sleek Garden Of Eden palette – [Link]

After I fell in love with my Sleek Au Naturel Palette (review and swatches here), I knew it wouldn’t be long till I was after my next fix of delicious and creamy (but easy on the pocket!) eyeshadows, this one has been doing the rounds on my favourite blogs and all the lovely swatches have convinced me that it should be my next choice!

A good mix of delicious desirables to do some serious purse damage this month! What are you lusting after after the moment?

Totally hellbent for wanting ALL OF THE THINGS RIGHT NOW

– Gem

Make-up

Sleek Blush by 3 in Lace Review

March 29, 2014

I’d been eyeing up the Sleek Blush by 3 Palettes for quite a while before I finally gave in and chose “Lace” on a recent Gem and Pants shopping trip. Out of all the colours I figures this would be the one I would get the most wear out of.

One of my favourite things about the Sleek range is their packaging. It’s so … well … sleek I suppose! It has a real luxurious feel to it and reminds me of NARS with it’s matte black casing but without the hefty price tag. On opening the palette, you are greeted with three stunning bold blushes.

Lace is a trio of matte and shimmer pink/peach shades that are absolutely gorgeous. As always, I’ve resisted using it until I’d taken my pictures and how I managed to keep my hands off it for that long I don’t know. These three shades are perfect for me and I’m looking forward to being able to pick between three different blushers (instead of just one shade that I have to pick and chuck into my make-up bag) when I take this out and about on tour and for gigs. I’m definitely going to pack this for my upcoming trip to Scotland!

Onto the swatch:

These were stunning to swatch. They feel so soft and silky and literally glide on. I love the coral/peach colour on the far right which along with the first shade is a Matte colour. The middle has a beautiful shimmer to it and will be perfect for a more glamorous night out.

There are eight shades of the Blush by 3 range at the moment – some of them are quite daring colours for blusher but I definitely want to get my hands on a few more – especially “flame“, “pumpkin” and “California I.A“.

I’m am most certainly overwhelmed by how beautiful this palette is and think it’s money well spent. For £9.99 you can pick up one of the many shades directly from the Sleek website here.

Have you tried out any of the Sleek Blush by 3 palettes? If so I’d love to know your thoughts.

Totally hellbent for silky soft corals – all over my cheeks!

-Pants

Beauty Boxes

Glossybox March 2014 Review

March 19, 2014

Glossybox is usually my favourite subscription box, and after seeing the sneak preview product I was sure this would be a great one. As it is I’m torn on my feelings for what could have been a great box but unfortunately turned into a bit of a let down.

There are five products this month (three full size) and I got a bonus as I’ve been a subscriber for one year now.

Mitchell and Peach Body Cream

I wasn’t at all excited when I first saw this body cream but actually the smell won me over in an instant! It’s so deliciously natural smelling with a whole host of organic oils and extracts including lavender, rose, vanilla, sweet violet, coconut along with English honey and shea butter. Free of parabens, SLS and synthetic colouring this is a really lovely addition to the box.

40ml Sample

£36 for 180ml from MitchellandPeach.com

Sleek Pout Polish in Chocolate Kiss

I was so excited about this when I saw it in the sneak peek but WHY did it have to be in the most disgusting poo-brown colour ever. Am I the only one who thinks brown lipstick the most dated and awful thing? I love that it has SPF15 and I’m a big fan of pretty much everything Sleek make but I don’t think I’ll ever find any use or wear in this colour unfortunately.

Full Size

£4.49 from Sleekmakeup.com

Bellapierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in SP002 Twilight

Another product that could have been amazing and unfortunately just happens to be in a colour I really don’t think I will use. Amie got a gorgeous dreamy dark blue shimmer in hers (which I am totally 100% jealous of!) but I got this sandy gold. Though it’s pretty enough I just can’t see myself getting much wear out of this shade. I do however like that it is 100% pure mica.

Full Size

£12.99 from Bellapierre.co.uk

Vita Liberata pHenomonal 2-3 Week Tan Lotion

Nope. Do not want. Not only are these tiny samples but I have never ever in my life used fake tan, nor do I intend to! I fully enjoy being as pale as possible all year round and really cannot ever imagine a time where I would want to even test this out for lulz.

2 x 3ml Samples

£37.50 for 150ml from Vitaliberata.com

Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair 60 Second Treatment Shot

I love the idea of these bonus little treatments but there never seems to be quite enough for my long thick hair! Still it’s enough to give it a try, especially at it advises you to use it only on the ends of your hair.

Full Size

£1.49 from Superdrug.com

Green and Black’s Organic Milk Chocolate

Finally I received a tiny chocolate bar as a thank you for subscribing over a year ago, which was a lovely surprise!

So overall not an amazing box for me (though it could have been with different shades in the two full size make-up products!) but not a completely terrible one either.

If you want a Glossybox of your very own you can order one here for £10 (+ P&P)

Totally hellbent for almost getting it right

– Gem

Don’t forget to enter our competition to win MUA and Etos goodies!

Make-up

Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette Au Naturel Review & Swatches

March 11, 2014

I’ve been tempted by Au Naturel for the longest time, but couldn’t really justify it when I already have so many neutral palettes. Luckily for me I spotted this in the Superdrug reduced basket for only £3.50 and absolutely jumped on it! The only damage was to a chip of plastic in the upper right corner and the eye-shadow Taupe beneath, and even so there’s plenty left in the pan.

Au Naturel contains twelve colours, eight mattes and four shimmers, all unsurprisingly in neutral tones. There’s some definite similarities to a certain cult Urban Decay palette, but as I don’t own any of the Naked sets I can’t comment on how close other than the theme and shade choices!

All the colours have good pigmentation and a dreamily smooth and creamy texture that blends amazingly. There’s fallout with every shade but not enough to risk contaminating the other colours so it’s not really a bother.

The shimmers are of course my favourites, but really I can see myself making use of every single shade. The surprise hit for me though was Noir, the matte black – it is SO heavily pigmented yet blends so easily. Conker and Mineral Earth come very close seconds for favourite, both have a gorgeous rich texture and shimmer but are very wearable.

Taupe and Nougat both make excellent highlights, I really like that they included both a matte and shimmer in suitable colours, it makes the palette so versatile that you really could pop this in your make-up bag and not need anything else in a neutral shade at all.

The packaging is very sturdy and stylish with a matte finish, and I love the huge mirror that fills the whole of the lid. As with most palettes it comes with a dual ended sponge applicator that will do in a pinch (but really if I’m ever caught without my brushes I’d rather use my fingers than those rubbish things!)

Onto the swatches!

I’m definitely going to get a lot of use from Au Naturel and can’t recommend it enough if you’re looking for a natural palette at a reasonable price!

Have you tried out any Sleek palettes? I definitely think I might add a few more to the collection on the basis of this one!

Available for £7.99 from Boots.com.

Totally hellbent for going au naturel!

– Gem