Sleek Makeup Blush by 3 Palettes in Sugar and Flame Review & Swatches.

Hi lovelies,

I've got a quick and easy review today for you, and that's on two Blush by 3 palettes called Sugar and Flame from Sleek Makeup. I already own a couple of other shade collections in these blush palettes, together with several blush singles, but I left them all in Melbourne. I picked up these two additions to my collection a few months ago when Luxola had a sale and I really like both, though I'll admit to having a preference for Sugar.

Sleek Blush By 3 palettes in Flame (left) and Sugar (right).

Sleek Blush By 3 palettes in Flame (left) and Sugar (right).

Both palettes are warm toned, with each palette containing 3 matte/shimmer shades in complementary colours (hence the Blush by 3 name).Each trio is housed in a sturdy, slim and compact plastic case which shuts securely and fits neatly into the palm of your hand. Each compact also has a large mirror built into the lid, which I seldom use but still love to see included! The only (slight) complaint I have on the packaging is that it's a little difficult to determine which palette you've picked up without flipping it over to see the name on the bottom.

Keep reading after the jump!

EOTD: Two orange eyeshadow looks - Sleek Makeup Snapshots Palette.

Hi lovelies!

I hope you are all well! I'm so glad Monday is over, it's always the hardest day of the week.

As promised, I have an EOTD post to show you today, using the Sleek Makeup Snapshots Palette. I asked in a previous post showcasing this palette if there were any shades you wanted me to use specifically, and most of the votes were for the orange shadows! Someone very special to me was quite specific and requested a look with all three (Washed Ashore, Sunset and Tequila Sunrise), so I decided to do an EOTD post with these shades, but with a slight twist - I did two looks! One is more of a day look and the other is a little more out there, so it's better suited for wearing at night.

First up, the day look. I did this using Washed Ashore in the inner eye corner, Tequila Sunrise over the outer corner and blended Sunset through the crease. I must say Washed Ashore is really subtle, it all but disappeared on me. All shadows were applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion. I also used my trusty Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner and Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara.

Next up, the night look! I thought it would be fun to go all out and dramatize it a little. I went a bit heavier with Sunset in the crease and winged it out a little, and then blended some under my lower lashline with a fine brush (I used the accent brush from the Real Techniques range, reviewed here). I also dipped my brush in Purple Haze and blended that along the outer corners and crease to darken the look up and for added drama. I also dipped a fine, eyeliner brush in Purple Haze and traced over my black liner from the day look, and also added a little just below the lower lashline to approximately halfway along the lower lashline (just above the blending I did with Sunset).

To finish, I filled in the brows lightly with black shadow, and then added some Harlotte half lashes in Drama Queen. I do apologise for the wonky application, it's been a while since I used false lashes and I couldn't find my trusty applicator (which I reviewed here), so I had to freehand it. Typically, one eye always applies really perfectly while the other is just a nightmare to deal with.

Both looks were a little bit more vivid in real life and I actually ended up wearing the second look out to dinner.

I'm really pleased with this palette. I think that it's versatile enough to be used for day and night wear, and I can't wait to experiment more with it! Click here for a more through review of the palette.

I really hope you enjoyed the looks, lovelies. I believe someone had requested a look with Magenta Madness so that's next on the list!


Much love,
MM.
x

Product Review: Sleek Snapshots i Divine Eyeshadow Palette.

Hi lovelies!

I can't believe another weekend has passed us by already! This year is simply flying along. Quick post today with some swatches of the new Sleek Makeup Snapshots i Divine eyeshadow palette.

It's a new, limited edition palette available for purchase through the Seek Makeup website. It retails for $10 USD and they ship internationally for quite an affordable fee (it depends on what you purchase but I bought two palettes and got charged about $4 USD for shipping). It contains 12 mineral based, highly pigmented pressed shadows (each with approximately 1.1 g of product), in a combination of matte and shimmery formulas.

Sleek Snapshots Palette.

Click to see the names of the shadows.

I've swatched the shades, these were all taken in daylight without primer, so they'll be more vibrant if you use them over primer.

L-R: Summer Breeze, Martini, Kiwi Flower, Lotus Flower,
Hummingbird and Tequila Sunrise.

L-R: Sand Walker (disappeared on me), Washed Ashore, Sunset,
Green Iguana, Purple Haze and Magenta Madness.

I have swatched them and also created several looks with them, and have been very pleased with the texture. They are smooth, buttery and blend like a dream. Some of the mattes are slightly chalky, with a little bit of fall out noticeable, but nothing that can't be swept away with a fluffy brush after you're done with your eye makeup. One of the shades, Sand Walker, tends to disappear on my skin, as you might see from the photo above.

Pros:
A fun and bright palette packaged in a handy, hardy and...well, sleek, casing.
It's quite hard so it should provides quite a bit of protection.
Travel-friendly and comes with a mirror for easy touch-ups.
Quite affordable at $10 USD for 12 mineral shadows.
Very versatile as it has some matte nudes as well as brights.
Perfect for summer.

Cons:
If you aren't into brights, then this really isn't the palette for you.
Some of the shades are a little chalky/powdery, but not too hard to work with.
The palette can be a bit hard to open.
Depending on your skintone, one or two shades might disappear on you.

Now, in my previous post, I did a look using these palette and asked if any of you wanted me to do use any colours in particular; most of you wanted to see the orange based shadows (Tequila Sunrise, Washed Ashore and Sunset) with a couple of votes towards Magenta Madness and Purple Haze, so I have put together a special post on that, which I'll share tomorrow (it's going to be a little picture heavy so I wanted to keep it separate).

Please check back tomorrow so you can see what I've done.

Much love,
MM.
x

EOTD - Gold and blue.

Hi lovelies!

I hope you're all well! I'm so excited because Friday is almost upon us, it's my favourite day of the week!!

I have a quick EOTD to share; I created this using my new Snapshots palette from Sleek Makeup. I plan on doing a full review soon, I just need some decent daylight so I can get some nice swatches prepared.

Sleek Snapshots palette.

I created this look using Hummingbird and Green Iguana, with a little of the black matte eyeshadow from my Beauty UK Day and Night palette blended through the crease and on the outer corner. I lined the lower lashline with some aubergine shadow from the Beauty UK palette, and also used a little gold eyeshadow in the inner corner just to add a little contrast to the look.

I brushed a little of the same black shadow through my brows to create dramatic brows and used my Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner for lining, before finishing with Max Factor false lash effect waterproof mascara.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the palette, the shadows are smooth and buttery and blend beautifully. Stay tuned for a full review coming soon!

I wonder if I might ask you all for a small favour? Is there any colour in particular you want to see in my next EOTD? If so, please throw me a suggestion via a comment or email and I will be sure to try and create a look for you in my next post!

Much love,
MM.
x

June Haulage!

Hi lovelies!

I've been planning on showing you these for a while now but something or the other always got in the way, so I figured I'd just do them all at once. Here are the items I've picked up in the last 2-3 weeks, through various means. I've found some amazing new loves that I can't wait to share with you all!

So first up, here is my Sleek haul, with blush by 3 palette in Pumpkin, Coral Reef matte lipstick, Oh la la liner in Pumpkin (what can I say, I think I was on an orange rampage that day), and a free gloss they threw in with the order. I have used the Sleek blushes quite a few times now and I think my favourite is the one on the left, but I do like the orange shade on the right too. It's surprisingly versatile! I've been meaning to do an EOTD with the orange liner soon, so keep your eyes open, I just haven't had much time lately to play with my more funky colours.

And here's my magazine freebie haul! Mirenesse Lip Bomb glosses #4 and #10, and the ModelCo Peach Bellini set, containing a black fibrelash mascara, lipgloss in Striptease, and Peach blush. Woman's Day was doing a promotion a week or two ago with a free Mirenesse Lip Bomb gloss, so I tried one for fun, fell competely in love with it and had to go out and buy a nude shade to wear every day. These glosses are valued at $40 each! Honestly, I am in love with these so please expect a review shortly while I rave on about how fantastic they are. The ModelCo set was offered by InStyle magazine and I believe this is still on offer, so do dash out and get one if you fancy it! I do think the blush isn't as high quality as I'd have expected from ModelCo products, but it's still quite decent, and you can't complain much when you get all three plus the magazine for $12.

Now, two weekends ago, I was fortunate enough to visit the Estee Lauder corporate store with two friends. In case you don't know, it's a wonderful store that offers discount cosmetics/fragrances, but the catch is, it's invite only! Access is only through corporate events held at the store or by guest passes from people fortunate enough to hold season passes! Specials vary from day to day, but when I was there, they had $10 MAC single shadows, lipglasses and $15 Bobbi Brown and Clinique foundations, for instance. I did want to take a photo while I was in the store but I asked permission and they said no, so I had to abide by that. Below, Pure DKNY perfume (one of my favourites, and I picked it up for $20!!), MAC eyeshadows (I will have to get back to you with names, they cost $10 each) and two sets I picked up (wrapped in ribbons, also $10 each). The MAC set is an eyeshadow and lipglass, while the Clinique one is the bottom lash mascara and an eyeshadow single in white.

I also picked up two Models Prefer shadow pencils. These are exclusive to Priceline and they work like a dream. They have great pigmentation and last forever once it sets. I kid you not, I actually applied it in the morning and it was still perfect by the time I took it off, 18 hours later, with no creasing! Not bad at all for a pencil that costs $9! I have these in Black Diamon (black, with a bit of shimmer through it) and What  a Poser! (purple)...they are perfect for a smokey eye! They come in six shades, I believe, so there is a colour that's perfect for everyone. I'll be reviewing these separately soon.

Next up, we have a very familiar looking bag...

Yep, it's a mini Sephora haul! I was fortunate enough to have a friend of mine visit the US, so she kindly agreed to pick up some goodies for me (thank you so much, you know who you are!). Below, we have the Buxom lip tarnish (it's quite new out) and two Buxom Big and Healthy lipsticks (which are like a lipstick/pencil/lip plumper in one). I love the Big and Healthy lipsticks and for some reason, it's hellishly hard to find anywhere except for Sephora! I couldn't even find the shades I wanted on eBay! I also got two perfumes from Kat Von D (Sinner, full sized, one of my favourite scents) and the new Poetica rollerball. I also picked up the Michael Kors dual ended rollerball/lipgloss set. I would've actually preferred just a single rollerball, but we take what we can get.

Here's a quick look at the three lip colours. The tarnish is the one on the bottom.

And a look at the Poetica rollerball...I do love these Kat Von D cosmetics, they are simply gorgeous. In real life, that graduates from a transparent, pale golden colour at the bottom, to a deep purple at the top. It's stunning, and I absolutely adore ALL her scents! I think it's quite rare that you find a brand where you actually like all the scents.

And here's the Michael Kors gloss/perfume rollerball set.

Just for fun, I thought I'd throw in a photo of all three Kat Von D rollerballs I own...aren't they simply gorgeous? I do love a perfume that not only smells good, but is packaged beautifully! These are so artistic, it makes me happy just pulling them out to dab some on my wrists!

Have you hauled any goodies lately, lovelies? Is there anything in particular you want to see reviewed from here? I've actually decided not to use the lipsticks or the mascara yet as I have way too many products open that I need to get through for the moment!

That's all from me for now, folks. I have made a pact with myself to get to bed earlier this week, so I've been struggling to get to bed on time. I'll be back very soon (I promise) with a couple of reviews, EOTD and NOTD posts!

Much love,
MM.
x

Oops, I hauled again...

Hello lovelies,

Just a quick little post to show you all my haul which arrived yesterday! A week ago I was stalking visiting one of my favourite nail bloggers, More Nail Polish, and I noticed she had some gorgeous franken polishes for sale! So I sent her an email and asked if I could purchase two shades, and she threw in an extra mini bottle of the third shade for free when she mailed them to me! What a sweetheart! I completely love these polishes (I'm wearing one as I type this) and I'll be showing all of you how gorgeous they are in a post very soon (as soon as I can get some decent photos in daylight).

So I received three polishes from her yesterday, and also my shipment from Crush Cosmetics! I have been looking for some really colourful eyeshadows, and the Beauty UK ones caught my eye as they were really affordable (at $8 each, win!). I also wanted to buy a couple of blushes so I put them all in the same order and Crush threw in an additional liner/shadow palette for free! Very, very happy with customer service, it all arrived within 2 days of ordering and I only paid $9.20 for express shipping. Plus, the shadow/liner palette isn't even on sale yet!

Let's have a look at some photos!

The polishes arrived in perfect condition, wrapped in lots of bubble wrap!
(Thank you so much, Kathy, I love them!)

Crush Cosmetics shipment 

Wrapped well in bubble wrap with foam beads for extra padding.

The complete haul! L-R: Nyx bronzer/blush combo in Sunrise in Bali,
Beauty UK shadow/liner palette in Amazon, Sleek blush in rose gold,
Beauty UK palette #6 in Soho Bright and Beauty UK palette #2 in
Day and Night.

Nyx bronzer/blush combo in Sunrise in Bali on the left,
 Sleek blush in rose gold on the right.

Top left: Day and Night, top right: Soho Bright,
Bottom: Amazon palette.

I've already tried both blushers and they are gorgeous...the casing for the Sleek blush is beautiful, it's luxe and really, well, sleek! The only downside is it is slightly hard to open so you have to be careful not to break a nail. The Nyx bronzer is really sheer, which is surprising, but goes on very smoothly and the blush is simply gorgeous on!

I had a bit of a play around with the pinks from the Day and Night palette and thought I'd share this look. The pastel pink is quite pale and isn't very pigmented, so I applied it using a wet brush. The darker pink is really pretty and very pigmented, and it applies like a dream!

Apologies for the photo quality, I had to use flash as the lighting in my flat is terrible, and my skin looks really sallow and very shiny! I assure you it's not what it looks like normally!

With flash.

With flash.

With flash.

Without flash, just to prove I wasn't shiny and yellow, lol.

Without flash.

There you have it! The palettes are excellent value and I'm so happy I bought them. Have you tried Beauty UK before? Are you going to?

Much love,
MM.
x