The Best of: Sleek

It is no secret I am a big fan of budget beauty brands. Of-course, I do love to delve into the luxury beauty world too from time to time, but I am that kind-of person that tightens the purse strings a little bit and tries to find duplicates or cheaper alternatives to the high end brands. One brand in particular that I love is Sleek. Their products are incredibly affordable; but this does not reflect in the product- their products are just as good as the next high-end make-up brand.

Their eye shadows in particular are of a very good quality, with the shadows being highly pigmented, soft, creamy and easy to blend. I will continue to recommend Sleek's eye shadows until the end of time! A firm favourite eye shadow palette of theirs is the Storm palette; a favourite of many I believe. I love the neutral shade range as well as a few shimmery greens and blues. This is definitely a palette I reach for on a regular basis.
Another product I think is amazing from Sleek is their corrector and concealer palette. I am not a concealer or corrector pro by any means, but this palette works like magic to hide my dark circles, conceal any pesky spots and, best of all, the powder included in this nifty little palette ensures a long lasting coverage.

What are your favourite Sleek products? Do you have any recommendations?

*PR sample*

Festival Makeup Ready

Festival season has already begun, and there still some great festivals coming up with some fantastic line ups... I love music so festivals have always been something that excites me!
Whether you are camping it up, or just coming down for the day (and staying in a nice, warm hotel...) a natural makeup look is perfect for a festival. We all know Natural Collection; available online or in-store at Boots, is affordable and good quality, and is perfect for a natural and pretty beauty look. With all their products costing only £1.99, it is ideal for any budget.
 A pretty nail colour like this one from Natural Collection; which is the Nail Colour in Hibiscus is a perfect bright pink would look great for a festival I think, nice and bright and colourful!
You want to keep makeup nice and simple if you are camping out I imagine, so a cover up stick would be ideal for me to just hide those naughty blemishes and a waterproof mascara (cause we all know Britain is known for its rain...) so it will stay in place all day! Lastly, a pretty tinted lip balm like this one in Caribbean Crush is perfect to add a pop of colour while still keeping your lips soft and hydrated is ideal to pop in your rucksack.

What is your go - to festival makeup look?

My Honest Thoughts on Estee Lauder's Double Wear Concealer

It isn't a regular occurrence that I splurge on high end beauty products. Occasionally I will treat myself to something new, that being a few Months ago when I bought the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Flawless Wear Concealer. I use the Estee Lauder Foundation and I love the coverage that gives me, so I expected good things from the concealer.

I find the coverage very high, so this would be ideal for someone that likes a really high coverage base. I have combination skin and don't find this too drying for my skin either. I have the shade 'light' which is the perfect match for my skin tone.

I find this concealer works better for me when I use it alone without any foundation. It gives enough coverage to hide my blemishes while still looking natural. I have used the concealer with the Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Coverage Camoflauge Makeup for Face and Body and I find it way too heavy for me to use both products together. I have also used this concealer with other foundations that are low to medium coverage, and I feel it works much better for my skin used in conjunction with a lower coverage foundation or none at all.

Is it worth the money? Hmm - for me, to be honest, probably not. I think it is a great product that gives incredibly good coverage and leaves my face looking flawless - but in all honestly, I don't need a high coverage concealer and a high coverage foundation - for me, one or the other is more than enough.

Living Nature Concealer

Living Nature Concealer in Light 

An introduction to Living Nature
Living Nature is a company founded in New Zealand, which stock the very best cosmetics, skin, hair and body care using only natural ingredients. Their products are made with certified natural ingredients which are better for the skin. I have previously reviewed a Living Nature Blush, which you can see here. I really like the Living Nature brand, the products I have tried have been of a great quality and it feels great to be using cosmetics which are actually beneficial to your skin, and that don't have any nasty chemicals in the ingredients so it wont cause any irritation to the skin. Living Nature is stocked at Mypure; an online store which stocks many brands of products that are natural and organic.

What I thought of the Living Nature Concealer

The concealer itself gives great coverage. I do not have problematic skin at the moment, but the coverage in which this concealer gives, I would imagine it would be great if you do have problematic skin. I would say the coverage is medium to full coverage. The concealer lasts well all day and doesn't crease. The formula of the concealer is creamy and is quite easy to blend into the skin. I like to use this mostly on my under eye circles, as it has great coverage for this. The colour of the concealer is a little dark for me as I am really pale, but it works well as long as it is blended thoroughly. I am impressed with the staying power, the quality, and off - course the coverage of this concealer. I don't often find myself feeling too impressed when trying out new concealers as they don't always give the lasting affects I need, but this one is really impressive.
This concealer is available at Mypure here for £21*. - *It is currently on offer for £18.90 for a limited time only*


Have you tried any natural make up products? Have you shopped with My Pure before?

Favourite Base Products

Over the past few years I have swapped and switched the base products I use day to day. After a lot of searching, I have finally found a routine I am content with. I don't feel like I have to wear foundation every day, but when I do, I .like a medium coverage. I have a lot of red blemishes which I like to cover, but I also have freckles on my cheeks; they particularly like to show up in the warmer Months, which I don't mind showing off. I find Mac's Mineralize Foundation a perfect coverage for Summer, as it covers and evens out my complexion without looking too cake-y. For the rest of the year I opt for Rimmel's Match Perfection Foundation, which is a medium coverage liquid foundation that is a perfect colour match for my very pale skin. It blends really well, doesn't wear off quickly, and gives my face that healthy glow. The main brush I use to apply both of these foundations to the skin is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I like it how applies both cream and liquid foundation so evenly and gives a flawless finish.
I usually apply concealer both before and after applying foundation, and the two I reach for most are Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer and Mac's Mineralize Concealer. They both work well at covering red blemishes and indents to the skin. I have used both in attempt to hide my dark circles and they do an adequate job. I tend to apply these concealers straight from the wand, and blending into the skin lightly using my fingers. I can't quite pull off a dewy finish, so tend to pop on a little pressed powder, like this Collection Pressed Powder on top of my base to help it hold and give a more matte finish, using the Real Techniques Powder Brush. The brush is thick and large, making it easy to quickly press powder onto the foundation. The powder is very affordable and lasts a good few hours.

What products do you reach for most for a flawless base?

Garnier Roll On Anti Dark Circles

Dark circles are the bane of life, aren't they?

No matter how much sleep I have, or how well I look after my face during my skin care routine, I still have huge dark circles under my eyes. I am forever reapplying concealer to my under eyes to hide them away. My sister picked up the Garnier Roll On Anti - Dark Circles for me a few weeks ago; I had never really delved into trying many Garnier products so I was interested to see how well this worked. 

This product has a roller ball appliance to apply the product to under the eye. This is great as it doesn't pull on the delicate skin, and is super easy to use. It feels very cold which is quite a nice cooling sensation too. To apply, you simply roll in a circular motion under the eyes, then gently blend it into the skin with your fingers. 

I feel that it refreshes under the eyes making me look less tired and a little more awake. The product itself really helps to cover the dark circles. 

This product is available instore or online at Boots 

Benefit Fake Up

Benefit Fake Up

Crease - Control Hydrating Concealer

Benefit Fake Up, £18.50 *

Fake Up is Benefits brand new product, which is a crease controlling hydrating concealer. It aims to boosts hydration, hides dark circles and diffuses fine lines.
I have been using this for almost a month now, I have the shade 02 Medium which is a little dark for me as I am very pale but it is workable.
This little contraption looks pretty fancy don't you think? It is coated in a balm like texture which ensures the skin is moisturised!

You can buy Benefit Fake Up from Boots here.

MAC Mineralize Concealer

Mac Mineralize Concealer
in NW15

This is the first Mac concealer I have ever tried. I really do like it!

The product itself blends really easily onto the skin, doesn't feel like its dragging on your skin when applying it, and it doesn't dry really quickly either. It doesn't crease around the eyes too much and is great at hiding bags under the eyes, blemishes and spots. It also covers red areas on my face where other concealers never do. It suits my skin tone and even suits my skin type. I would say it is a medium to full coverage concealer and is very build-able  I think it looks natural, and is very long lasting with it lasting most of the day. It is like my new best friend, I am questioning why I didn't get it sooner.

After using this concealer for about four weeks every day I have not yet found any faults or bad points with it!

Have you tried any MAC concealers? What is your favourite?