EXPERIMENTAL EYES #2 - PINK AND GOLD

You might remember my first installment of 'experimental eyes' and today I'm here with part two, which is a bit more wearable and is a soft, almost quite romantic pink and gold look. I will add that my brows were not looking on point on the day and I can't help but gawp at them instead of focusing on the shadow, so apologies.

I started by using the Avon Eye Primer as per usual, and then took Shade 2 from the MUA Undressed Palette (a budget friendly look today) on the inner half of the lid to create a slightly pink sheen. Shade 4 (a pale brown/taupe shimmer) went over the rest of the lid with Shade 6 (quite comparable to Half Baked by Urban Decay) in the centre of the lid to add that golden sheen.

For the pink crease I began with Shade 5 as a warm matte brown base, and then took Crochet from the Sleek Lace Blush By Three, along with the pink from the H&M Spring Flowers Blush to transition it as it was a bit lighter in colour. I don't own any pink shadows so it's all about working with the products you own whether that be blushes, bronzers or something else. As usual I blended the outer edge with a touch of the Sleek Contour colour to give it a warm, seamless look and is pretty much foolproof.

I used the Barry M Blink Pen Liner to create a wing slightly less dramatic than shown in the previous look, but still fairly noticeable. I also used the same array of mascaras as the previous look, Soap and Glory Thick & Fast, followed by Sheercover Lash Fibres, then Too Faced Lashgasm - a bit of a creature of habit it seems (or maybe not considering I just put pink on my eyes). 

EXPERIMENTAL EYES #1 - POP OF ORANGE

 Now Summer is here, I thought it'd be a good time to start being more experimental with my eye makeup and add in some colour. I always try purples and blues with little success and never really contemplated orange-coral colours until I saw 2 colours from my Sleek Blush By 3 in Lace that I thought could make an interesting eye look... and I really love the result. 

I used quite a large variety of products within the process so I'll try and keep this short and sweet. The Avon Eye Primer was the first step to blank out the lids and avoid creasing, followed by a coat of the Dainty Doll Cream Blush in Billion Dollar Babies (is it cheek products for eye shadow day today?!), as well as the MUA Colour Blast Shadow Stick in Stay all over the lid, with the Stila Smudge Stick in Oscar Fish blended into the outside corners. I then took the contour colour from the Sleek Face Form through the crease to warm things up as well as putting Half Baked from Urban Decay in the centre of the lids.

On the lower lashline I put the Stila Smudge Stick in Angelfish, followed by Chantilly from the Sleek Blush By 3 (also pushed into the waterline) as well as Crochet on the outer half. I did this with a small dense tapered brush to really pack on the colour and used the same technique to focus this bright colour on the outer crease. I took the brush I used for the contour colour very lightly to blend the edges.

The liner is a mix of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Blackest Black and Barry M's Blink Waterproof Pen. On my lashes is a coat of Soap and Glory Thick & Fast followed by the Sheercover Lash Fibres and then Too Faced Lash Gasm Mascara on top of them.

I said I wouldn't ramble but would you look at that... I did. With simple glowy skin and a nude pout I predict this look will be getting a lot more wear from me in the upcoming weeks. Also, watch this space, this morning I photographed a pink and gold look for you so maybe this can become a mini 'experimental eyes' series?

SLEEK BLUSH BY 3: LACE

Sleek blushes aren't stocked near me, but they are definitely some of my favourite blushes out there (my Face Form has huge circles gleaming silver in where I have hit pan for the reference), so when I saw the Blush By 3 in Lace for £5 in my local Tesco I nearly wept (with joy).

There are two matte shades, a bright vibrant orange called Chantilly, and a hot red-pink dubbed as Crochet. The formula of these two are nice, not too buttery nor too chalky but the right balance that allows them to really stain the cheeks and create a long lasting colour. The shimmer is called GUiPure or something(?!), but is a stunning colour. Think Sleek Rose Gold but lighter, and I really love the look of it swatched and kind of packed on - it reminds me of a sunset, what more could you want?

These could possibly be some of the brightest powder blushes I now own and I am really inspired to try more from the Sleek blush range now, let's hope Tesco get some more trios into the clearance so I can get a collection going! But, saying that I would definitely pay full price for these, as three blushes in one place for £9.99 is a brilliant deal, and what sounds like a travelling essential...

FAKING THE CHEEKBONES

Cheekbones. Something I wish I had, but am far from getting, although makeup makes everything a little easier when pretending that I do, and in particular, the Sleek Face Form does a pretty good job. I have already reviewed this before I believe, but my rediscovered love makes it worthy of a revisit.

You can tell by the severe pan-hitting going on here that I adore the highlight and contour, not so much the blush and although it is a stunning colour I haven't been able to make it work for me yet, but it definitely is growing on me.

The real winner here is the contour powder, matte, not too red and gives the effect of natural chiseled cheeks. I stopped using this for a while, but once my Real Techniques Contour Brush made its way back into the powder, I haven't stopped using it.

I do love the slightly pink toned champagne sheeny highlight, but after a new love to the Soap & Glory Glow All Out Powder, it may be getting a little less use from now on, but it certainly won't go forgotten about.

On a side note though, how stunning is that model's skin? *cries in the corner*, I'll be buying whatever she is wearing...

BEST 5 OF 2013: FACE

Yep, another set of awards for the top products of 2013. This time, I'm am giving you the low-down on all things face related, so that goes for base, concealer, blush, highlight, etc. etc. And, I will tell you now, base products are my weakness, so are lips, and eyes, and basically makeup in general - oops.

Revlon basically rocks my world when it comes to foundations and bases.The shades match my pale skin perfectly, and the formulas work pretty well where things get quite oily on my face, but don't get cakey on my drier cheeks *claps*. So, for the higher coverage option, Revlon Colorstay in Buff (Oily/Combo) is the bomb dot com, literally. This covers all my blemishes, redness, and scars (with a tiny bit of help from a concealer), but still looks natural, and is pretty flawless. Then, for the lighter offering, Revlon Nearly Naked in Vanilla is perfect. This still covers most things, more so simply blurs the skin, but looks radiant, without being shiny.

Then, onto concealer. Of course, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair does it for me. Oh, how I wish this was the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer but my purse won't allow it, but for a mere £4.19, this covers everything. Sometimes people complain about it being cakey, and I have had some bad experiences, but on my combination skin, this just does so well at covering, and lasting all day. I have been through a good 3-4 of these in varying colours this year, and after buying the Bourjois offering, I think this one still wins that spot in my heart.

Blush. This was the year that I fell in love with cream blushes, and more so now that I own the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. This Topshop Cream Blush Duo in Up in The Air was purchased in the January sales last year, and I have been loving it all year through. The formula = perfect. The colours = perfect. The lasting power = perfect. What more can I say.

Finally, as you can see by the pan-hitting going on there, the Sleek Face Form in Light was obviously going to gain a spot in this post. The highlight and contour are the best parts of the palette, but the blush is lovey too. The contour is the perfect colour, so I'm getting any orange lines going on all up in my cheekbones, and the highlight adds the nicest pink/champagne glow you ever did see.

What were your favourite products of 2013?

 

Sleek Face Form Review

Hi guys!

Since I purchased this product in January, it has been used every day I have worn makeup in some way or another, and I still have a pretty good amount of it left. This little palette costs £9.99 and you get a blush (I think it is the Rose Gold Blush by Sleek), a highlighting powder, and a bronzer/contour colour. The Sleek blushes and contour kits are much raved about by bloggers, and this is those 2 things, smashed into one palette.
 

L-R: Countour, Highlighter, Rose Gold Blush

You get a pretty decent amount of product in this palette too, it's £3.33 per 'pan' if you think about it, which is such a bargain!

The sleek packaging is sleek. As cheesy as it sounds, it's true. It actually came in a small box/'sleeve' but it got a little battered. It is matte black (which I will admit gets dirty very easily) but with the glossy writing over the top, it looks so nice. Matte black packaging is my weakness, which is strange, but that's the way it is?

Swatched, you can see the incredible pigmentation of these products. The blush is something you have to be very careful with, as it can look too much in a matter of taps with your brush on the pan. But if used correctly, it adds a glowing wash of colour to the cheeks.

The contour colour and the highlight are lovely for adding a stunning sculpted effect to the skin, without looking shiny from the highlight, or muddy from the contour. I really do love this product.

This was a bit more of an in-depth review today, let me know what you think of it! Remember to ENTER MY GIVEAWAY as there is only a few hours left!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow, and comment!

Lauren x