Sleek MakeUp Haul, Review & Swatches!

Be jealous, all of you non-Europeans, I was finally able to get my hands on some Sleek Makeup products!  *squeal*



Okay, so it's not actually that hard to acquire Sleek since they do ship international, but the $10 shipping is a bit of a turnoff if there isn't a sale. Fortunately I was online when they were having a flash 20% off sale and decided to order a few things.
I had a few problems with the website, every time I would go through the checkout it would dump my cart. It was a huge PITA and finally I sent an email over to customer service and they put in my order for me. Apparently website problems are a common occurrence each time they have a sale but I can't say enough good things about their CS.
I also have a fabulously awesome friend who was willing to pick up a few things that were sold out online and send them to me. <3


















First up are the blushes!

L to R: Suede, Life's a Peach, Pomegranate, Rose Gold

 The love for Sleek blushes is pretty apparent over on my favorite makeup board and since I have a new-found love for blush I was pretty stoked to try these out. I've always had blush issues with my oily cheeks; finding a blush to last more than 3 or 4 hours is a hard job so I end up tossing them or giving them away. I will NOT be getting rid of any of these, I want more!

Suede

Life's A Peach

Pomegranate

Rose Gold

• Suede: A warm light brown matte blush, this is my new favorite contour color. It makes a great natural color for the cheeks as well.
• Life's A Peach: The color is in the name of this one, a matte peach blush that looks scarier in the pan than on your cheeks.
• Pomegranate: A very pigmented berry toned shimmer blush. I am loving the color on this one
• Rose Gold: This is a shimmery pinkish-coral blush which many say is a dupe NARS Orgasm. (Post comparing the two to come.)

L to R: Suede, Life's A Peach, Pomegranate, Rose Gold

All of these shades last 7-8 hours on my cheeks, with the exception of Rose Gold which only lasts for about 5. (Disclaimer: Shimmery blushes never seem to last as long on me, so it's not unexpected.)
My ONLY problem with these blushes is the packaging. I love the simple black rectangular design but the clasps are a little hard to open. I'm always messing up my polish when I open them. :( I believe a de-potting is in their future.


Now on to the eyeshadow palettes!
All eyeshadow swatches are two swipes over Urban Decay's Primer Potion.

The Au Naturel Palette is part of the Nude Collection and has 12 mainly cool-toned shadows. This palette has a variety of both matte and shimmery shades. The bottom row on this palette is full of wonderfully pigmented shadows but the top row has colors that are really meant for transitioning or a very natural look to the lid.

Sleek Au Naturel Palette

Sleek Au Naturel Swatches

I've used my au naturel palette several times and I really like it. I have a love of neutral palettes and this one is no exception.

Can  you tell what her favorite face for photos is? I swear, I do NOT put her up to it.

Next up is the Me, Myself and Eye Palette which Sleek made in collaboration with PPQ, a Bristish fashion store. This palette is packed with great pigmented colors and fabulous names like Barry White, Lilac Allen and Salt 'n Peppermint.
I did a FOTD with this a couple days ago and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.You can check it out here.

Sleek Me, Myself and Eye

Sleek Me, Myself and Eye Swatches

The Oh So Special Palette makes me smile when I look at it because the colors are so pretty and feminine. It contains pinks, plums and neutrals- a must in every girls collection! My picture does quite capture how pretty this is in the pan but I assure you that it is.
I've not used this palette yet other than for swatching but if I needed to carry a palette with me for a day-to-night look, I would definitely choose this one.

Sleek Oh So Special Palette

Sleek Oh So Special Swatches

The Acid Palette. The name of this one really says it all. WOW. It's wild and bright and certainly takes some balls to walk out of the house with any of these shades on. Every shadow in this palette is seriously pigmented with the exception of the matte white shade.
One of these poor shadows had a bumpy ride in transit so I had to preform emergency surgery to save it. No worries, the procedure was a success!
According to US FDA regulations, this palette cannot be sold in the US so if you want one, you need to know somebody who will pick it up in-store.

Sleek Acid Palette

Sleek Acid Swatches

I couldn't help but dive right in to this palette because the colors scream, "PLAY WITH ME!!" I wasn't at home with my brushes so I had to use the sponge applicator for both of these looks. It made me appreciate my brushes even more, haha!

You can find Sleek Makeup products on their website and they are sold at Superdrug stores in the UK.
If you have any questions about particular shades please leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

Do you own any Sleek products? Which are your favorites?

Sleek Me, Myself and Eye FOTD

Here's a quick FOTD from this week using one of my new Sleek palettes, the Me, Myself and Eye palette.

For swatches, please see here.

Product breakdown:

Face:
Monistat Chafing Powder Gel
Revlon Photoready Foundation in Ivory
Benefit erase paste
MAC MFSN
Estee Lauder powder blush in Plum

Eyes:
UDPP
Kate Mascara Base
Maybelline Colossal mascara
UD 24/7 liner in flipside-bottom lashes
MAC fluidline in blacktrack
Sleek Me Myself and Eye Palette:
Barry White- Tearduct & brow bone highlight
Fade to Grey- Inner third of lid
Salt N Peppermint- outside two-thirds of lid
Blue Monday- outside corner of eye

Lips:

Waiting to pick Adam up from school

Revlon Fabulous Fig- blotted and topped with Revlon Pink in the Afternoon
















Sorry for the pic overload, I was feeling photogenic on this day. Or vain. Same thing.

Rainy Day Out FOTD

On one very rainy day last week, I looked down at my hand while I was driving and noticed this big orange spot. Now, this certainly isn't the first time I've forgotten to wash off my hand after applying foundation, but it was the first time I couldn't just go to the sink and wash it off. For the next hour or so I kept glancing at my hand, hoping maybe it would magically disappear. No such luck! It kept driving me crazy but I didn't have any baby wipes with me or anything that would take it off.

It's very faint, but it's there.

I haven't been posting many FOTD's because I keep reaching for the same look lately. Gold/Bronze eyes with pink or red lips. This day I mixed it up with a plum lippie instead! Try to contain your excitement.

Face:
MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15 mixed with Revlon Colorstay in Ivory
Benefit Erase Paste in Fair
Clinique Stay Matte Pressed Powder
Sleek Pomegranate Blush
Sleek Suede Blush to contour
Shiseido in White Beam to highlight

Eyes:
UDPP
Urban Decay Naked Palette:
Half Baked- inner third of lid
Smog- middle third of lid
Darkhorse- outside third of lid
Virgin- highlight 
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack- lid
UD 24/7 liner in baked-bottom lashes
UD 24/7 liner in zero- tightline
Maybelline Colossal Mascara layered with Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus (LEFP) Mascara





Lips:
Clinique Cream Shaper for lips in Mulberry
Bare Escentuals lipstick in Plum Brulee


I picked up a few things at Ulta while I was out as well. I live 90 minutes from anything more than Walmart or a drugstore so I try to make every trip count.

 

• Essence Gel Eyeliner in London Baby and Berlin Rocks- Both of these are very creamy and have good pigment. I can't attest to the wear-time of Berlin Rocks but London Baby (brown) lasts all day on my oily lids.
• Maybelline Colossal Waterproof Mascara- Okay volume but a tad bit flaky.
• Maybelline Great Lash Big Mascara- Haven't tried yet.
• Redken Color Extend Shampoo- Bought this in the travel size, seems to be very moisturizing. (not pictured)
• Biolage Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner

OPI Muppets Collection: Excuse Moi!

I hope everyone has had a happy Thanksgiving and a successful Black friday! We just had Thanksgiving with my parents today and this is actually the first Black Friday in a very long time that I did not go shopping! I didn't even do any online shopping, sans one movie from Amazon for the chitlins.

When I was at the salon a few days ago I noticed that she had a couple of the nail polishes from OPI's Muppets Collection and I knew I had to get at least one. I decided to go with Excuse Moi! which is a small multi-colored glitter in a berry red/pink base. The formula on this polish was a little thick but surprisingly it was opaque in just 2 coats!

This is one coat on my nails and one coat on Hannah's over top of a bright pink shade.

Sorry for the craptastic cellphone pics and unfinished nails, Hannah and I just painted our nails after stuffing ourselves with turkey and I wanted to share.




































Oh and one more pic for the day, my new RED hair!


I went for the whole head this time and I really like it! It's different from anything I've ever done and I could use a few changes in my life.

This my first blog post from my phone, I hope everything comes through okay! My apologies if it doesn't!

Wearable Candy-corn Inspired Eye

I never can seem to quite get caught up to where I want to be with my blogging. Life keeps throwing one thing after another in my path but I'm still trying.
To prove just how behind I am, this is a look I wore the night we took the kids trick-or-treating and tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Ooops. 

I saw a couple of eye looks that were inspired by one of my favorite fall treats, candy corn. You can check out some by Makeup Geek and Siryn, both looks are fabulous!

Unfortunately, I am not the owner of either a bright yellow or bright orange shadow so I gave it a shot with that I had. The result was a very subtle look and wearable look.

I did this the night that we went trick-or-treating so I was a bit rushed. My mascara smudged on my eyelid and I didn't even notice until after I left the house. Figures.
Sorry for the untamed brows, but at least I finally plucked them! :D


Products used:
Clinique DDMG
Monistat soothing care chafing relief powder gel
Revlon Colorstay Foundation mixed with MAC SFF
Benefit erase paste in fair
Tarte AC Blush in dollface
MAC Blot Powder in medium
UDPP
BE Wearable Pistachio Light- inside corner and highlight
BE Petunia  - mid lid
MAC Paradisco- outer 3rd of eye
MAC Fluidline blacktrack
Kate Mascara Base
Benefit They're Real Mascara

My apologies but I have completely forgotten what I used on my lips. I know I mixed a couple shades but in my haste, I forgot to write them down. :(



Little Miss Red Riding Hood was allowed to wear a bit of makeup, which actually was a bad idea because every day since I have heard, "Mommy, I need to put my makeups on!"

She's wearing Illamasqua blush in Panic, a touch of Revlon's Really Red Lipstick with clear Bonne Bell lipgloss on top and Shiseido highlighter in beam white.

 

Little Red & the Big Bad Wolf, although he would clarify that he was a werewolf whenever asked. I learned that we're not quite ready for masks yet since he tripped about a million times. Can't fault him for being clumsy, he comes by it naturally... thanks to yours truly!

October Favorites

I've been loving a few different products this month and Lord knows I've certainly increased the size of my stash. Most of these were recently acquired in just the past couple of months and have become fast favorites.

Loreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Carbon Black- I've had several "quick" makeup days this month and when I want the look of a liquid liner but I'm in too much of a hurry to be precise, I always reach for this. The felt tip is great, much easier than using a brush. It's like an eyeliner in marker form. Carbon Black is a deep black color, think blackest-black.








Kanebo Kate Mascara Base-I will admit that this is the first mascara primer I have used, but I really like it. It contains fibers, which I love because they make my lashes look really long no matter what mascara I reach for.





MAC Matchmaster foundation- This has become my go-to, every day foundation. For full review, click here.






 






  Revlon Lip Butters, Red Velvet and Berry Smoothie in particular. You can find swatches and my review here.





Fairydrops Platinum Mascara (long & curl)- I have come to prefer this over the US version of Fairydrops mascara. It seems to hold curl a little better and it does not flake.





*squeals* Although I don't use it every day, I may have found a HG foundation combo for me. I love my MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation but the lightest shade (NC15) is too dark for me now that what little summer color I have has faded. I started mixing it with Revlon Colorstay in Ivory to lighten the shade up a little bit and the result is a full coverage foundation with a matte finish that lasts all freaking day long. It's pretty darn awesome.


  + =  




That's my monthly round-up! Hopefully next month I'll have some new favorites to share with you. :)

MAC Matchmaster Foundation Review

 

The newest foundation from MAC Cosmetics, Matchmaster is:

A virtually "invisible" foundation with coverage influenced by your own skin tone. A breakthrough patented formula technology with a spectrum of 14 light to deep dark shades. Discover shade intelligence!
New Foundation technology using translucent pigments to enable a fully personalized finish influenced by the subtleties of your own skin's undertone.

Normally when these types of foundation say things like, "influenced by your skintone" it really means, "so sheer that it basically provides no coverage" which I don't find is the case at all with matchmaster.

Heavily swatched

Lighter dry swatches

It comes in 10 shades, ranging from 1.0 to 10.0. According to MAC, 1.0 is a match to NC15 & N18 and 10.0 is a match to NW58 or deeper. I bought this in shade 1.0 and when I first put it on it looks a tad pale, so I think MAC's shade reference might be a little bit off. (I'm a NW10-15, for reference.) You can find swatches of all the shades on the always helpful Karla Sugar's blog.

It dries a bit faster than SFF so working in sections is a must. It goes on at about medium coverage, but it is easily buildable. If I don't use a green corrector on my red spots I have to go back and add more coverage after the first application. I use a bit more product with this foundation, even before adding the extra coverage to my cheeks. Using concealer with it is a must, both under eyes and on blemishes.The finish is demi-matte and doesn't get cakey or chalky as I build it.

Direct sunlight

One of the greatest things about this foundation is how light it feels on my face, almost weightless. It has a slightly powdery finish which made me want to touch my face all day long at first. It feels so very soft on the skin.

Now most importantly, does it do what it claims? Does it match? Hell to the yeah! I don't think I've ever had a foundation match this well before. It goes on the slightest bit pale but within an hour it looks perfect.

Natural light

I normally try to use foundations with neutral to slightly yellow undertones to combat the pink in my skin since most foundations with pink undertones end up oxidizing to an orange shade on me, and that's just no bueno. This is more neutral with just a tad bit of pink in it. YMMV with it though, since it will change a bit on everyone.










I have to say that it fares wonderfully on my oily skin as well. I gave it a real test run when we had a 84F day and I applied it sans primer, without setting powder and went the whole day without blotting. The end results surprised me. You can watch the day progress on my cheeks.

It lasted up until the 7 hour mark before it really started to settle into my pores and wear off. Any oily skinned gal can tell you that's pretty darn good!

Creepy too close after picture with flash- it had gotten too dark outside and I did not know it.

The only bad thing I have to say about this foundation is that it will emphasize any dry spots on the face. I've been getting a touch of dryness under my eyes from my retinol cream and it will clearly show when I use this foundation.

Needless to say at this point, but I am a fan of this foundation! It's become my "everyday" foundation for picking my son up from school, running errands, etc. I would recommend it to anyone with normal-to-oily skin but if you have any dryness I would make sure to moisturize well before application.

If I were to give this a grade, it would score an A- for me. ;)