The Best Of Sleek Plus A Giveaway!

I've been a big fan of Sleek for some time now, stocking up either on Cloud10 Beauty or any time I've been in the UK. Although we've been able to test out the products at limited stands here for a while now, the brand have just last week officially launched in Ireland so we now have access to the full range of Sleek products! Huzzah! 

This is good news for a few reasons. Sleek are just an excellent drugstore brand; they're reasonably priced so you can splash out on a full new face of make up without feeling guilty (prices range from €5.49 to €12.99) but you also know that you're getting good quality for your money. In further good news, they cater for fair to dark skin tones and they do not test on animals so you can add those to your "Sleek are awesome" list. 

I've collected below some of my favourite bits and pieces from the brand and at the end there's a giveaway so you can experience the brand for yourselves!

Eyeshadow Palettes

This is one that Sleek are actually renowned for. I only own three, which in beauty blogging terms is somewhat embarrassing but for normal people, that's fine! Anyway, the ones that I have cover the main eye looks I go for; smokey nudes and a dark smokey eye. First up is the Au Naturel palette. Twelve shadows in a mixture of mattes and shimmers, this has everything you need for both natural day time looks and more interesting night time looks. 

The Vintage Romance palette however, definitely lends itself more to an evening look and more colourful smokey looks, if you're bored of the same old dark shadows. 

Lastly and this is a relatively new find for me, are these i-Quad kits, that you guessed it, come with 4 shades- in this case, three eyeshadows and a liner. Everything you need (except mascara obviously) all in one handy little kit…clever, eh?

Blush and Contour Palettes

While I have individual blushes from the brand (including the much loved Rose Gold), it's the Lace Blush by 3 palette that I return to the most. Chantilly is a coral toned matte orange, Guipure is a shimmery rose gold and Crochet is a light matte orange. They look scary in the pan and you do need a light hand with these because they are so very pigmented but they are also very flattering on and can be layered together to create new looks. 

left to right: Chantilly, Guipure and Crochet.

I have the contour kit in light. You can read a full review of that and the Lace palette HERE.

Brows

This is about my third or fourth of these dinky little eyebrow kits and it's easy to see why- they contain everything you need for a perfectly groomed brow. Powder (with no hint of redness in there- not that easy to find in a brow product for blondes) and a setting wax to prevent any loose hairs from flying about the place. There's also two brushes and the world's cutest tweezers. 

Lips

I mentioned this gorgeous lipstick in THIS post of my favourite berry shades (this is Cherry) but there are plenty of different lip options from the brand, including the new Matt Me liquid lipsticks, which I'll be writing about once I've had a decent try of it! 

Sleek is available in pharmacies nationwide and on the Sleek website, HERE.

And now for the giveaway! The very lovely PR folks working with Sleek provided me with some gorgeous products to try and as I have already blogged about most of those (being a big Sleek fangirl) I've decided to share the love! 

You could win:

Blush by 3 Palette in Lace

Brow Perfector in Dark Brown

i-Quad Eyeshadow & Liner in Moroccan Myrrh

i-Quad Eyeshadow & Eyeliner in Midnight Blues (limited edition)

The giveaway is only open for Ireland and will run for two weeks from Monday the 20th of April until Monday the 4th of May. You must be over 18 to enter. You will need consent from a parent or guardian to enter if you're under 18 (as I'll need your address). I'm using Rafflecopter, so just enter your details below, it's that easy! If you want to be extra lick-arsey, you can pop over to my blog Facebook page (HERE), follow me there and like and share the post too. 

Best of luck one and all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YSL Touche Éclat Foundation | Review

Gather around, for I am about to impart a tale of woe about a discontinued foundation. Back in the day I used to love a YSL foundation called Perfect Touch, Radiant Brush. I went through many of these fellas and for a time it was my holy grail foundation. 

Once, a woman actually stopped me on the street to ask me what foundation it was because, and I quote "your skin looks incredible". That woman was not just a random crazy person, she was also correct. And so I found myself thinking about said foundation recently and how it's no longer available over here (it is in the UK but that's another matter) and that surely YSL has a newer counterpart. Which they do. 

Behold, the Touche Éclat foundation. 

So, what's all the fuss with this one then? 

As per the brand itself; 

it's designed to mimic the effects of the beloved Touche Eclat highlighter and to achieve the same illuminating results but for the entire face. Shadowy areas are targeted, contours defined, imperfections concealed and the texture of the complexion is evened out. 

That sounds like some big promises but I agree with them all. I was surprised at how good the coverage is, given that it's a lightweight foundation. I was expecting that I'd require a lot of it for my entire face but at the most, I use two small pumps. I apply with either a flat brush or just my fingers if I'm feeling very lazy and lo and behold, my complexion immediately looks brighter and healthier, my dark under eye circles aren't as prominent and my skin tone overall looks more even. It also lasts well throughout the day and holds up throughout a 13 hour day at work (the ultimate test!) without a bother. Furthermore, it feels light on my face, almost as if I'm not even wearing foundation, which for a dry skin sufferer is a lovely sensation.

Apologies for the giant close up of my head.

At €40 this is not cheap but it is the very best foundation I've used in a long time and my face deserves it- I put it through enough, the least it should get is a little bit of luxury! 

To quote Donna and Tom from Parks and Rec; 

(new life manta)

Have you tried the YSL Touche Éclat foundation? Tempted?!

XX

A Blogger Recommends- A Cherry Sue Tag Post!

I love a good blog tag, it gives you the opportunity to see what a variety of bloggers think about a specific topic. The lovely Sue over at Cherry Sue Doin' The Do created the A Blogger Recommends tag where you share your ultimate favourite products. You know, those ones you always repurchase, you make sure you've got a back up of and are perennially close to hand. I've narrowed mine down to six although if I'm honest, since I made the little collage below I've thought of a couple more. Doh! 

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Palette

I became a contouring queen this year and although there's plenty of excellent alternatives on the market, for me, this is my number one. The bronze has no red tones so is perfect for my paler skin and provides a subtle yet obvious cheekbone effect, where none existed previously (god bless you CT!). Equally, the highlighter provides a warm glow with a softening effect- no glitter here, that's for sure! You can read a full review HERE.

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm

If anyone ever asks me what to do for chapped lips, I recommend this fella. Costing around €12 per little glass pot, I've heard several people exclaim that it's rather pricey for a lip balm. However, this will last you an entire year, only a small amount is needed to leave your lips soft, smooth and in tip top condition. I use mine every night as a treatment and then during the day if needed (although that night time application will actually last over an 8 hour period so I generally find I don't need to use it throughout the day). Full review HERE.

YSL Shocking Mascara

My all time favourite mascara, which is saying something as I've tried many at this stage. This gives the illusion of false lashes without any of the hassle or added, well fakeness and doesn't leave behind clumps or flakes. Again this is pricey but I find that it just works for me and changes my entire look. Love it!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth cleanser

It doesn't matter how many cleansers I try out, I always come back to the is one. I've used LE for years now and my skin still loves this. It's unbelievably comforting after a long day to take off your make up and soothe your skin with this beauty- the scent is delicious, my skin feels super soft after use and squeaky clean too. Perfect for dry/dehydrated/sensitive/older skin types. Full review HERE.

Nars Radiant creamy Concealer

I searched for years for the perfect concealer, one which would take care of both under eye bags and blemishes and I finally found it with this one, from Nars last year. I've been through several tubes at this stage and my love for it has yet to wane. Full review HERE.

Cocoa Brown One Hour Tan

And for that matter, Cocoa brown Gradual Bronze. I've been using this now for about two years and although I was previously not a big fan of self tans, I have been converted by this. I couldn't in all honestly recommend a tan unless I myself found it easy to use and that really is the case here. No streaks, no dodgy patches, no horrendously awful smell (it does have a scent as it develops but it's not a traditional "soggy biscuit" aroma) and most importantly; no orange after-effects. I've recently graduated to the darker version for events or nights out and really love that too. For a lighter glow I use Gradual bronze at nights, applying just like a daily moisturiser. For me, I feel more confident when I'm a bit less blindingly white and I always get told I'm looking great when I'm wearing tan. When I'm au natural people often tell me I look tired..funny that! I've gone through cans of Cocoa Brown and will always be well stocked!

What are your ultimate beauty buys? Would any of these make your list? Let me know in the comments! Also, fellow bloggers- please do your own post on this too if you'd like! There's too many of you whose blogs I love reading for me to tag!

XX

Charlotte Tilbury FilmStar Bronze & Glow Face Sculpt & Highlighter | Review

I'm back! I feel like I've been away from my own little corner of the internet for far too long and so I'm returning with a bang! Maybe not quite a bang, I'm still hobbling a bit from my broken back but I'm hobbling with a nicely bronzed visage thanks to this stunner. The whole beauty blogging world has gone a bit mad of late over all things Charlotte Tilbury. In Ireland, we recently had a full launch of her beauty range in Brown Thomas Dublin and having tried her Magic cream (Review HERE), I was eager to see what else I needed (not wanted, this is definitely a case of "need"). Having decided beforehand that I was really interested in this fella and one of the colour chameleons (expect a review at a later date), I had to practically fight off the make up artist at the counter to avoid being talked into spending the bones of €400 on everything else she tried to convince me to buy- I'll go into that in more detail at the end of the post.

For now, let's talk about this beauty. Here's what Charlotte has to say about this product: 

"It's amazing what clever shading and highlighting tricks can do to contour your facial framework. You can slim, sculpt and illuminate- it's an illusion I use all the time for my clients. Enhance your natural assets with filmstar bronze and glow!"

I'm actually really into contouring at the moment, not in a terrifying Kim Kardashian way but I know when I make the effort and apply bronzer and highlighter carefully, my face looks slimmer and my cheekbones look like they're there for a reason, other than holding my face up, obviously. There's lots of excellent contouring palettes on the market and for a lot cheaper than this; Sleek and Inglot to name just two but what really sets this apart is firstly, the packaging:

Angels sing..

Is that too much ogling? Possibly but I actually can't stop looking at it. And now for the glorious inside:

There she is in all her art deco beauty. SWOON. 

Not only does this look stunning in the palette but it is a dream to apply; there's absolutely no fear that you can tango yourself here, while the bronzer is pigmented, it's also designed to be built up- it's not orange and will suit most pale skin tones. 

This means that you can apply it in layers and it in turn gives you a gentle, natural glow. I actually almost didn't buy it because it appeared to have a shimmer running through it and I prefer a matte bronzer. However, the make up artist assured me that it's a matte bronzer and someone had just swirled a brush in the highlighter and transferred the shimmer to the bronzer. Well, it turns out on closer inspect that that was a lie as it very much has shimmer in it. It is incredibly subtle though and you won't look like you're off to a teenage disco. In fact, once it's on my face I can't see any shimmer at all but it does add to an overall glow. 

The highlighter is a very understated golden champagne that provides a stunning soft focus to the skin. Together, those are a winning couple. I tried this out a day after surgery in hospital but told no one I was wearing it and had several people exclaim how well I looked and that I must've slept well the night before (I hadn't, I was in a four-bedded ward) but I took that as confirmation of the almighty powers of the bronze and glow. 

If you were looking for anything to get from the range I can heartily recommend this, having tried most of her other products. This came up trumps and is possibly the best contouring palette on the market, in my humble opinion. 

Pre nap, poorly taken photo on my phone but don't I look all glowy and healthy?! (not taken in hospital fyi).

And now, on to my gripe. While the CT sales assistants/make up artists seem excellent at their jobs, they really do go for the hard sell. Every product I already use was dismissed as not being as good as the CT version, if I wanted the bronzer well then I had to get a brush to go with it, if I wanted the colour chameleon then I had to also buy the pencil sharpener. Except that I didn't. I have a pencil sharpener and plenty of excellent brushes and I don't appreciate feeling pressured into spending money on things I don't need. Even as I was paying "are you sure you don't want a lipstick?" I had expressed no interest in buying a lipstick (UNUSUAL, I KNOW). Just let me pay!! For me, I can happily say "no thanks, I don't need or want that" but it doesn't add to an overall pleasant shopping experience and so this is more of a word of warning if you're going in for a snoop. Be prepared for the ultimate hard sell!

That aside, there are plenty of other gorgeous looking CT items I have my eye on! Have you tried anything yet?

XX

Benefit Minis: Handy Little Travel Sizes!

I picked up this Benefit set at Christmas and for some reason never blogged about it. I've been going through a weird love/hate relationship with Benefit for the last year. I find myself so drawn to their products, for two main reasons; 1) they're just so beautifully packaged and I appreciate a bit of aesthetically pleasing make-up, it's what I'm all about and 2) along with MAC, it was the first brand I bought when I first got into make up and as you'll know if you read THIS post on getting old, I'm craving all things from my youth at the moment. The hate part comes in the form of how expensive they are and that they can be a bit hit and miss, which you'll know if you read THIS post on their recent eyeliner release. 

So anyway, I bought this fella and was given some other gorgeous Benefit sets for Christmas as presents, which I also really need to review (bad blogger!) and have mostly just been taking them out and looking at how pretty they are. Please don't judge me; this is a safe place, dammit!! I am a total make-up addict, I admit that and some things are just too pretty to use. Until now! I've decided to use every single item in the set and stop being so precious. So here we go:

So in this set you get: It's Potent Eye Cream, High beam, Posie Tint, Stay Don't Stray Eye Primer, That Gal Brightening Face Primer, Porefessional primer, Watts Up highlighter, Hoola Bronzer, Hoola Lip Gloss and Bad Gal Mascara.

Ah, would you look at the dinky-ness! It's just too cute!! I actually used a whole normal sized tub of It's Potent a couple of years ago and while I liked it, I felt it was just a bit too thick for my particular under eye skin and would possibly be suited to a younger person (which makes sense as that whole skincare ranged is aimed at a younger audience). I prefer a lighter, gel texture for my eye products but this is super handy and I'll use it to pop in an overnight bag for sure.

I just said I'd do swatches of these fellas rather than show you the tubes again, which you can see above. Left to right we have Stay don't Stray primer, High Beam, Posie Tint and Watts Up. Confession time, I haven't used Stay Don't Stray (I know, terrible blogger. I've upgraded myself from bad blogger) mostly because I never use eye primers. I used to use the Urban Decay one but I don't really have oily lids and don't have much use for it. I WILL try it though, I promise. Have you tried it? Any good?

I've also had a whole bottle of High Beam before; it's a very pretty pink iridescent highlighter and I actually think having it in this tiny tube is a way better idea than their usual big nail polish style bottle; I'm way more likely to be able to get through a bottle this size because of how sparingly I use highlighter anyway and also, the cuteness.

Posie Tint is one of my favourite Benefit products; I've actually been through more than a couple of the full size bottles of these in my time so I'm delighted to have the mini to pop in my bag for touch ups. It's a very pretty pink stain that you can use on either lips or cheeks. My preference is cheeks with a light powder blush over it- it'll last you all day and that's really important for me when working 13 hour shifts, if I don't wear blush or it wears off I'll get at least two comments from people asking me if I'm unwell. Which is understandable, I look ghost-like otherwise. 

I hadn't tried Watt's Up til I got this and I've actually used it the most; it's a really flattering gold/champagne shade that gives just a nice warm glow to the top of my cheekbones. It's also really easy to apply as it comes in a stick and it blends out easily just using your fingers.

I've tried out Porefessional and I'm still not sure about it. I don't particularly worry about my "pore size" and this feels a bit..claustrophobic on my dry skin. Like, it mattifies really well so if you have oily/combination skin I'd say this would be a winner but I don't know how suitable it is for us dry skinned folk. I'm gonna stick with it though, see what happens!

Again, I've used a full sized tube of "That Gal" before and really liked it; it's a really lovely brightening face primer; there's a good bit of iridescence in there that helps the overall appearance of your skin, adding a nice glow underneath your foundation.

Hoola lip gloss is a nude toned non-sticky gloss with a light gold shimmer running through it. It's actually really pretty on; very natural but definitely adds a little sumthin' sumthin'. It also smells kind of like holidays; a mixture of cocktails and sun lotion..so that's always nice!

Hoola! One of the brand's bestsellers apparently. There's always a bit of consternation about this one in the blogging world; some love it, some hate it. I actually quite like it. I was worried it'd be too dark for me but I just use a light hand to apply it and then lash it on aplenty when I've got tan on!! 

Good sweet Jebus, the size of that brush! I'm not a huge fan of Bad Gal. I've again, used a full size before and it's grand like, but there's way better alternatives for way less of your hard earned shekels. Again though, it's very handy for travel.

As are all of these- I think that's the best thing about sets like these, you get to try some products that you might not have gotten to before and you also have loads of handy travel sizes ready to go should the mood strike you to jet off somewhere (please take me with you- I have all the best make-up travel sizes and we can share!!).

I also wanted to show you this set because Benefit had a sneak peek of their upcoming Christmas sets on their instagram account the other day with something very similar to this amongst them. Just in case you want to start planning early….in August.

Have you tried any of these?

Do you like mini sets?

And most importantly, do you too hoard your prettiest make up and take it out from time to time to look at?*

*not a crazy person, I swear.

Soap & Glory Bright Here, Bright Now | Review

I featured this fella recently in a Boots and pharmacy haul (HERE). Bright Here, Bright Now was half price at €10.65, down from €15.99. I had ran out of my Clarins Flash Balm (one of my all time favourite products) and as I'm trying to save a bit of cash these days, I thought I'd try out this "instant radiance boosting balm" instead. 

This contains moisturisers for all skin types, such as apricot kernel oil, soft-ƒocus Luminospheres-SF and quick lift Instantight 2. 

Although who really knows what those last two are.

First off, this has a very unusual scent. I finally figured out what it is; a combination of mint, fruity/floral and almonds. That might be just what it reminds me of but either way, it's strong so if you're not a big fan of heavily scented face products, this may be one to stay away from. In appearance it's a light fluid with a pearlescent finish but once blended onto the skin it's virtually unnoticeable (hence why I haven't shown an after photo- it literally looked the exact same on camera).

Soap & Glory suggest using this on clean skin, "whenever your face is flagging", as a moisturiser or to mix it into your makeup. 

I have dehydrated skin and found this a bit too light to use as a moisturiser on it's own so I've been applying it after my daily moisturiser, as a primer (which is how I used Clarins Flash Balm). I think it's a good consistency to use as a primer, because as I said, it's a light fluid and sinks in easily. I've yet to mix it in with my foundation as I more wanted this as a primer so I can't comment on how well it works for that. 

I'm still a bit on the fence on this one, I'm not 100% sure that it's as brightening as it's designed to be and although they're different products I definitely prefer my Flash Balm, which makes my skin look fresher and more awake, without the use of luminising agents. 

Having said that, this is a nice product and is good value for the price. 

Have you tried Bright Here, Bright now?

XX

Pharmacy & Boots Haul!

Yeah so I went to the pharmacy to pick up some more heat wraps for my back (they're not pictured here but I did get them, I promise!) and this happened. Meagher's pharmacy on Upper Baggot St is actually brilliant. It stocks Burt's Bees, Roger and Gallet, This Works, Clarins, Lancóme as well as the standard pharmacy brands like Rimmel, Revlon, Catrice etc. 

I always pop in there because they have a special offer section, where I got this Garnier dry shampoo and the L'oreal fibrology serum, which I will be reviewing soon. 

This time I got the Garnier Ultimate Blends conditioner for dry/frizzy hair for €2.75!!!! Containing coconut oil and shea butter, this smells amazing and I'm hoping it'll do wonders for my hair, which is also why I bought the 1 minute avocado oil and shea butter treatment from the same range. This was slightly more expensive at €4.68 but both were well reduced and I'm delighted with my little hair bargains! 

I also got the Eyelure double lashes set because I can never find them anywhere! €8.99 for two very natural sets of lashes, these are also a bit of a bargain. I've a few events coming up so I'll definitely be making good use of these.

Lastly from Meagher's, I got this tinted lip balm from Burt's bees. Confession, I've never tried anything from BB's before and gave a little squee when I saw these at the counter. Review coming soon!

Then I had to check out the reduced items in Boots, because, well it would have been rude not to.

There I found Soap & Glory Bright here, Bright Now for €10.65 (reduced from €15.99). I saw this reviewed on The Beauty Fairground yesterday and as I've just finished my Clarins FlashBalm I thought this might be a good alternative, considering the price difference. I'll do a full review once I've given it a good trial.

I love the Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks so I had to try this Eyeliner gel in Emerald (€5.49 down from €8.99) and Kate Scandaleyes mascara in Jet Black (€5.99, down from €9.49). Both will also be reviewed!

Have you tried any of this lot?

Thoughts?

XX

Brand Focus | Lancôme

*Warning! Picture Heavy*

I previously did a brand focus on Bourjois (HERE, which I could really do with updating!) and thought I'd make it into somewhat of a series, so today I'm looking at Lancôme.
What better way to show off everything the cosmetics giant does so well than with this amazing set I picked up on special offer before Christmas: containing skincare, perfume and make up.
Drool.

Skincare

When I was younger I was quite fond of Lancôme's cleanser and toner but being a typical beauty blogger, I've kept switching up what I use since then. Now, I'm going back to my roots!

First up, the Gentle Softening Cleansing Fluid for face and eyes. This is a real treat for your face, it effectively removes make up and leaves the skin soft and super clean. Like a lot of Lancôme products the scent is quite strong with this, so it might not be suitable for those of a sensitive disposition but personally, I love it. 

The Bi-Facil eye make-up remover is actually my favourite ever- I'm currently working my way through the larger version of it. I wrote a review of it HERE.

I also love the Softening Hydrating Toner, it's alcohol-free, which is the main thing to look for in a toner. This is a good'un.

Advance Genefique Serum- this stuff is so damn good. I'll have to do a separate review but it's described as a "youth activating concentrate" Really that means that it's a light, gel-like serum that smooths out the surface of my skin...completely! It's like magic.

Lastly, Hydrazen Neurocalm is one of my favourite moisturisers (as you can see from the photo I've already used this little pot up and I've gone through at least two full sizes in real life before. I generally go for the one for sensitive skin but this one and the gel version are lovely too. 

Perfume

I probably never paid too much attention to the brands perfumes before but if you do nothing else the next time you're near a Lancôme counter, you need to spray La Vie est Belle all over yourself. Liberally. It's just a beautiful, floral scent, perfect for Summer. Check out that bottle too- it has it's own little neck tie!!

Hypnose and miracle are other popular ones but for me, it's all about this beauty.

Eye Palette

I love the Hypnose Dolls eyes palettes that came out last year. The one I have is Fraicheur Rosee, a selection of dusty pinks and taupes to give the perfect flattering smokey eye. It gives Naked 3 a run for it's money but has no mattes so is perfect for you if shimmers are your thing.

I also have a kohl eyeliner in black there- I don't really use black kohl that much these days but it does the job when the look requires it.

Mascara

Everyone went a bit mad last week when Hypnose mascaras were on offer for €10 only for it's anniversary. I've tried the regular Hypnose and Hypnose drama and I'm more of a fan of the drama (just when it comes to the old lashes..and maybe Eastenders). 

There's the brushes below side by side. Drama is on the left, regular Hypnose is on the right with a close up of Hypnose drama in the second picture. Neither of these give me the same look as my beloved YSL effet faux cils but they are excellent mascaras and I see why people love them so much.

Lipstick & Gloss

Back in the day I, like most youths was big into Juicy Tubes but have found many more non-sticky versions since then. A recent release has been Gloss in Love, which I'm really liking. This is a really gorgeous peachy/pink, with a little shimmer that feels super cushiony on the lips with no stickyness! Hurrah! Also, bonus; this smells like cherries. YES.

In the last few years Lancôme has also bought out some seriously glamorous lipsticks; every new release has had me lusting after them big time. Rouge in Love is marketed at a younger age group (Emma Watson is their spokesperson/model...or something) and that's reflected in the packaging and the lipstick itself.

This one is a bright pink/red and is really beautiful on. That's the wand from the gloss on the bottom right, see how it's designed to fit the curve of your lip? Clever eh?!

Blush Subtil Palette

This is a contour, blush and highlight in one. Just look at it there, gorgeous. These are super flattering on pale Irish skin; there's no red/orange in that bronzer so it's very natural, the blush is a peach shot through with gold that every brand worth it's salt seems to have a version of and the highlighter is a golden champagne that gives the skin a warm glow. 

Lovely.

I also really love the 24 hour Teint Idole foundation (thanks again to Sharon for the recommendation), I've gone through a couple of bottles of it now and when I can afford it I'll definitely be getting it again!

Are you a Lancôme fan? What's your favourite product of theirs?

xx

Sleek Face Contour Kit & Blush by 3 | Best Of Beauty Budget Bargains!

We're up to week 6 already of Sam's Best of Beauty Blogging Challenge and this week we're looking at budget bargains. Now to be honest, I could have picked plenty of things for this but one brand that always springs to mind when I hear "bargain" is Sleek. I probably only became aware of Sleek through blogging but it's definitely been a good discovery and one that has been far kinder to my bank account then most other blogging finds! 

Today I'm focusing on two of their most popular products, the Face Contour Kit in light and the Blush by 3 in Lace. 

As with all Sleek products, these guys are super pigmented so you need a very light hand for application.  Both come in sturdy black casing with very handy mirrors in the lid. 

The Contour Kit has probably gotten the most amount of love from me, purely because I've turned into a bit of a contouring fiend. Granted, the bronzer could be considered a little bit too dark (generally I think my pale skin needs something a bit more grey) but it comes into it's own when I wear tan and need something more sun-kissed. As for the highlighter, you would struggle to find a better, more flattering champagne-hued illuminator for that price. Love it. You can find this little kit HERE on Cloud 10 Beauty for €7.99.

The Blush by 3 palette contains three (obviously) kind of scary looking shades of orange/peach-pink-gold/coral that scream Summer. I've just pulled this out of my stash now that the weather is improving because they really are the perfect shades for blue skies, tanned skin and warm sunny days. My favourite is probably Guipure there in the middle; a good dupe for Nars Orgasm, although equally Crochet (the orange on the left) and Chantilly (the coral on the right) are beautiful too, although they do require sightly less product on your brush and slightly more blending!

You can find the Blush by 3 palettes in lots of different shades HERE on Cloud 10 Beauty for the bargainous price of €12.99. 

Sleek also make a Face Form palette which contains a bronzer, rose gold blush and highlighter all in one for €12.99 if you're looking to save even more money and space in your make up bag! You can find that HERE. 

Are you a Sleek fan? What's your favourite bargain brand?

XX

La Roche Posay Rosaliac CC Creme | Review

I recently attended the launch of La Roche Posay's new CC creme, designed specifically for concealing and correcting redness-prone, sensitive skin whether occasional, persistent, dispersed or localised. It's available in one tone only, a universal tone designed to blend naturally into fair to medium skin tones, so somewhat ideal for Irish complexions. Since the launch I've been trying it out and putting it to the test on a very warm hospital ward and these are my conclusions!

I've actually never used a CC Cream, only the BB versions and I found myself generally underwhelmed with those as I tend to favour more of a medium coverage. BB creams tend to be quite sheer in nature. I feared the same for this but as it's designed to cover unwanted areas of redness I figured the coverage would be more impressive and it definitely is. Even with better coverage, I still wouldn't wear this for a night out, more so for day time and work. And on that note, it has good lasting ability, is non-greasy and blends well. 

swatched and blended

On to there being one shade only...that is something that always worries me a little too as I am naturally quite pale. I do find this looks slightly more natural when I have some tan on my neck but otherwise it is maybe a little too warm for me. I do think it'll be perfect for the Summer months when I'll wear tan more frequently though. I'm wearing tan with it in the below scary close-ups of my face and I think it suits me pretty well there. 

terrifying close up of my face, no filter.

I guess I don't really get a huge amount of redness on my face, I don't suffer from Rosacea or broken veins so I can't comment as to how well this works for that but I know that it's a good, light base that leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and fresh looking. Another bonus is that it has SPF 30, so perfect for the warmer weather when you want a light coverage for being out and about in the sun.

The La Roche Posay Rosaliac CC Creme is available now in selected pharmacies nationwide. If you do suffer from redness-prone skin, LRP recommend using the accompanying skincare range which I'll go into more detail about in a later post. Have you tried this? Is it something you'd be interested in?

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Boots 3 for 2 Haul!!

It's been so long since I treated myself to any new make up or beauty products, so when I saw Boots have their 3 for 2 on at the moment, I went a bit mad. Here's what I picked up (over a couple of trips!):

I just ran out of my L'ancome foundation and decided to try out a good "drugstore" one instead. For less than a tenner I picked up 'Match Perfection' from Rimmel. So far I've only used this once but I'm liking it. 

I'm a big fan of Revlon lip products and although I've only tried one of the Colorburst lip butters, I've had my eye on 'Strawberry Shortcake' for a while now. I think this will be a great wearable pink for Spring/Summer. 

With the 3 for 2 I then got a Superlustrous lip gloss in 'Berry Allure' free. I have one of these in a coral already (review HERE) but this particular colour has a way of luring me in and unlike the coral, this has no glitter in it, one of the main things I look for in a good gloss. It reminds me of a dark berry lipglass from Mac that I used to wear about ten years ago and loved (I don't know why I just don't buy that again actually) and I love the look of this because it has no shimmer in it- just pure pigmented gloss. Yay!

I also ventured over to the Soap & Glory minis. Up until last year I was using up the end of one of those big S & G gift sets you get at Christmas but there's still a few things I haven't tried from them so I got a mini Flake Away body scrub, Hand Food hand cream and Hand Maid (anti bacterial hand gel). I carry both hand gel and hand cream with me all the time so this little pair will be well used and like all S & G products, they smell incredible. Similarly delicious is the flake away scrub. Seriously, I just want to eat it. It probably isn't as effective as my Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff for exfoliating but it's a good product and a handy size for travel. 

Lastly, these two were House of Fraser purchases but I got money off with my points, so more saving! Hurrah!
I've been loving my Ziaja day cream for the mornings but needed a new thicker moisturiser for night time and so I turned to one of my all time favourites, Origins. I had tried a sample of this one last year (review HERE) and loved it so I got the full pot the other day. My skin is very grateful.

I also needed a new Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner after whittling down my "Corrupt" one (which I've only had since December..sob), so I went for "Smog" this time, as that's one of my favourite UD eyeshadows. 

I'll most likely be doing full reviews on a lot of these but let me know in the comments if there's anything you'd specifically like to see in more detail!

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