Sleek Ultra matts v1 eye palette review

I love Sleek make up and was very excited with this palette as it combines two of my fave things in make up - a matt finish and bright colours!!!

So here is my review of Sleek's Ultra matts v1 730 eyeshadow palette £7.99.

As with all Sleek's stuff, the colour is intense, pure, long lasting and quite true to what you see in the pan. I use Urban Decay's eye primer which sees this eyeshadow stay on all day, crease free and retain colour intensity which I love!

All easy to apply with little fall out. Easy to build up colour and easy to blend.

My only comments (not negatives!) would be that the purple shade came out more aubergine on my skintone and both the blues had green undertones. The two pink/reds are actually quite similar shades, and when on I couldn't tell the difference.

But otherwise I love this palette!!! The grey, pale pink/peach and white are perfect to complement the brighter colours.

Here are a few looks using these eyeshadows...

Roz x

Purple lipstick collection

Every since I saw these two images I have been obsessed with finding a similar shade of purple. So far no joy but I thought I'd share my mission to date, as I have found some other gorgeous lipsticks - if you have any suggestions please leave me a comment below!

I've had MAC's Up the Amp for a while now so first stop was my nearest counter. Sadly no other purples, apparently there had been a couple of limited editions such as heroine and smoked purple that were a close match but no longer stocked :-(

So then, of course, I set to googling 'purple lips' which threw up loads of suggestions and lots of exciting brands I hadn't heard of before. It also made me consider lavender and lilac and I'm so glad it did!

So from left to right on the below swatch pic:

Stargazer 130 (£2.99) - this is a blue purple and on me it was very blue and I'm not sure all that flattering...

Dior 786 mysterious mauve (£25) - this looks like it will be the perfect match but alas on the lips it is sheeny and quite sheer. It's also a very balm-like texture so feels like it slips off my lips and I feel like I don't trust it to stay put throughout the day. It also settles in the wrinkles of my lips. Shame cos it was pricey. I think inexpensive make up is generally amazing quality, I would never ever spend this much but thought it was that perfect shade :-( (Well at least I got a free lunch with the boots points!). I'll def wear it but will blot it down so more a wash of colour.

Revlon va va violet (£7.49) - a gorgeous colour but errs on the side of red and looks more plum on. Vampy.

Stargazer 133 (£2.99) - quite a sheer colour that takes a while to build up. It has a definite grey undertone and I don't think all that flattering on my pale, freckly skintone :-(

Ka'Oir Rude Girl ($16.99 - had to get shipped in from US) - love this mid blue purple. Long lasting, highly pigmented formula.

Sleek make up mystic 783 (£4.99) - this looks quite purple in the tube but comes out a matte, bright, strong pinky purple. Although not exactly the purple I was looking for, I absolutely *love* this colour!

MAC up the amp (£15) - pinky purple, one of my all time favourite lipsticks; the first purple I ever bought and my first and only MAC lipstick.

Ka'Oir Racquel ($16.99) - true lavender purple with a satin finish. Makes a statement, great colour, although I wish it was matte! Lol!

Stargazer 115 (£2.99) - after feeling a bit disappointed in 130 and 133 not quite suiting me, I tried this on and all was forgiven! A fab, opaque, matte lilac, which gives great coverage in one swipe.

So there you are, my purple lipstick collection.... My quest continues as none of these are quite that elusive shade!

Roz x

New brushes

I love love love using brushes to apply my make up, it was an absolute revelation when I first put on foundation with a brush instead of my fingertips!!!

Anyway, I've been using the same trusty brushes for a while now and wanted to add to my collection.

One of the first decent brushes I owned is a kabuki style powder brush from bare escentuals. It's perfect for buffing in face powder. Recently though I've wanted a slightly lighter coverage so picked up the Mac 150 powder brush (£32.50).

This dome shaped brush is super soft and gives a lovely, even, light dusting of powder. Perfect for a more natural look or to set foundation. My only qualm is the length of the handle! Longer than any other brush I own and doesn't fit in my make up bag...

After watching a video from the gorgeous Hollie Wakeman I was also inspired to pick up a couple of brushes from Crown Brush.

I ordered the bk04 angle brush (£5.60) and the bk08 badger deluxe fan (£6.57) from the website and my package arrived in a day- super speedy and super bargainous!

Firstly the angle brush- this was smaller, denser and harder than I was expecting. Perfect for creating a hard contour or blush line, but I've not found it so great at putting on a softer more subtle colour. Am still practising with contouring so perhaps just need to learn the best technique for this brush.

The fan brush was actually bigger than I was expecting and very soft. The bristles are a bit flyaway and I think this has something to do with being in the packaging for a while so am hoping they'll calm down!

This brush is great to swipe away any eyeshadow fall out and I've also been using it to dust on white highlighter powder to the tops of my cheeks. Am sure there's lots of other uses so let me know if you have any top tips.

Thanks,
Roz x

Ways to wear orange

I love colour and love to wear bright, bold make up and often a block colour - orange is a go-to for me. It boosts my mood, attracts compliments and I'm always encouraging others to give it a try!

I think orange is a colour that a lot of people are nervous to wear because it is quite bold, so maybe start small with a peach blusher - my current fave is Sleek's 'life's a peach' (£4.29) which looks quite bright but gives a gorgeous glow when on the skin.

My BIG tip for orange, whether it's eyes, lips or cheeks is to avoid the three S's - shimmer, sheen or sparkle. Just my preference but I always stick to matt when it comes to this colour as keeps it looking modern and I like a strong colour rather than a hint!

Here are two ideas on ways to wear orange:

Orange eyes
Always prep eyelids to ensure the colour lasts all day with no creases, I swear by eyeshadow primer potion from Urban Decay (£14.50)

For this look I used the orange shade from the ultra matts v1 730 palette from Sleek (£7.99). I teamed it with a subtle mauve / pink lipstick, shade 2 from MUA (£1) and a natural pink blush from the Coastal Scents 6 contour blush palette (£20) to allow the orange to pop and not compete.

Orange lips
If I want my make up to look more subtle then I tend to balance cool eyes with warm lips and cheeks or the other way round- warm eyes with cool lips and cheek. (Warm colours are red, orange, yellow, gold and cool are blue, green, purple, silver.)

Here I've balanced purple eyes using MUA shade 18 matt (£1) with a gorgeous peachy orange called Brink from Illamasqua (£16) - matt of course! A fab, long lasting, highly pigmented lippy. And a neutral peach blush from the same Coastal Scents palette mentioned above just finishes the look with a lovely warm flush.

Go on, give orange a go!

Roz x