Sleek MakeUP True Colour Lipsticks: Barely There, Coral Reef & Papaya Punch

Barely There, Coral Reef, Papaya Punch

I've seen a few of these beauties pop up in blogland already and had my eye on these three:

Over the last year I've been getting into lipstick a whole lot more and my lippy drawer is rapidly filling up!  Sleek MakeUP recently relaunched their True Colour range adding to it a lot more luscious spring and summer colours in matte and sheen finishes.



I have to say I'd always overlooked the range before as the colours weren't too my liking, but some of the newer shades are gorgeous.  I normally shy away from vibrant lipsticks as I've very thin lips, but these three work well on me:

The packaging is very slick, black and rubberized a bit like NARS, but it doesn't have a satisfying click that I like with my lipsticks, but it's a minor detail.

For a bargain brand, the formulation is fantastic - extremely highly pigmented and in turn moisturising, especially the sheen finishes.  I also feel that I can get away without a lip liner with these.  They are pretty long lasting - after eating and drinking there is still a pigmented residue left behind.

Barely There, Coral Reef, Papaya Punch

Barely There, Coral Reef, Papaya Punch

I have an uneasy relationship with nude lipsticks as they can often make me look like a corpse, but Barely There has just enough pink in it to make my lips come alive and suits the sheen finish.  Normally nude plays down your lips to let your eyes stand out, but I find Barely There to be more of a 'statement' lip.  I like to wear it with flicked black eye liner and a peachy blush.

I adore Coral Reef and my mum says it makes me look like I have 'Hollywood lips'.  Good enough for me and I'm loving the sheen finish which keeps my lips hydrated.

Papaya Punch is an extremely pretty coral too and very similar to Coral Reef but has a matte finish and for this reason I'd recommend CF instead as it goes on smoother.  Apologies for the sloppy application of this one - I got a bit tired by the third swatch!

At the moment True Colour lipsticks are £6 for two in Superdrug, but normally they are £3.99 each - still an amazing bargain.  Other pretty colours in the range I recommend are Stiletto, Peaches & Cream and Bare All.  

Have You Jelly Pong Pong-ed?!

I recently contacted Jelly Pong Pong to take part in my upcoming giveaway series because I think their products are adorable and make the sweetest little presents and they were so kind to send me a few bits to try out too.  At the moment they are running an offer on a few of their products which come in the form of their Lavish Gift Bags which cost £15 each. 

The brand comes across as quirky and whimsical, and less cliched than Benefit.  While functionality is a big selling point, I do admit that the girly loveliness of the packaging draws me in more - just look at how *pink* my blog is!

Jelly Flush is a cheek stain which gives an immensely healthy glow which is best used on fresh skin or just over tinted moisturiser and it smells divine.  I have to hold myself back from licking it!  When I first opened it it had leaked a bit into the lid, but I think it just got a bit of a bashing in transit and once I cleaned it up it's been working fine.  It gives a similar, if not better effect than something like Benetint and is far easier to use.

 

The other piece in this set is the Wide Awake palette to brighten and illuminate complexions.  

While these kind of Benefit kits always fall down on not having pale enough shades for me, everything in this palette suits me - the illuminating cream works well over concealer under my eyes and the highlighting cream is fabulous patted along my cheekbones and happily caters to my obsession with cream products right now.  

The lightest shade of the brow powder is literally my perfect brow colour and the two darker shades and so smooth and blendable I use them as eyeshadows, all these and a good sized mirror in the lid makes this is a very handy little palette all in all.

Swatched with flash: illuminating cream, highlighting cream, lightest eyebrow sculptor powder

Swatched without flash: as above

As you all know, I'm not really a bronzer kinda gal, and as this one is pretty dark I'm probably going to swap it with my chum Angel from highheelsandlipgloss.com for something I'll get more use out of.  Having said that, if you suit bronzer, and most of you do, this is a lovely little product to dust along your limbs to glisten on summer nights.

 You could probably also use it on your face but you'd need a longish handled brush to get down to the product.

Isn't the purple flower puff adorable?!

My favourite piece from this set is definitely the Irish Cream (how apt!) Pavlova Lip Frosting.  I didn't expect much from this product but it's outstanding.  If you like sweet things you need to try this and it has the most gorgeous texture, gives a beautiful natural coloured sheen to the lips and is surprising moisturising and long lasting.  I can't say enough good things about this beauty.  It's the hugest tube of lipgloss I've ever seen, but it's going in my handbag right now! 

Flash

No flash

I haven't yet decided which will be Jelly Pong Pong week during my SS2011 Giveaway Series, so remember to check back here from 14th May onwards if you're interested in winning some of their fabulous make up items.

You can order Jelly Pong Pong online or look for stockists in your area here.

*PR samples provided for review

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Review: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

I finally got my hands on a bottle of the famed Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - this has been on my wishlist for an age! I know there are myriad reviews on this wundercleanser out there but I really want to add my thoughts to the canon!

First off, you get a 100ml starter pack with two muslin cloths in a handy plastic travel pouch for £13.25.  This is pricier than imitations on the market from No7 and Soap & Glory, but not vastly more expensive for the quality of the product.  It's lasted me over a month and a half so far and is still going - based on one use a day of 2 pumps.

I have very sensitive eyes but can use it remove eye make up, however I do feel that the muslin cloth is a bit too rough for the delicate eye area, so I tend to grab a damp cotton wool pad. 

When I first started using it I developed a few spots and was concerned this may be the culprit, but I'm happy to report that it must have been the other products as I was trying out at the time as I continued to use the C&P and the spots have gone away.  

I think one of the biggest differences with this cleanser is the quality of the muslin clothes which come with it - they're more substantial and exfoliating than those which come with other cleansers and really do well in getting every last scrap of make up off leaving no residue behind.  This may be why my face feels a bit tighter than I expected it to considering that it is a cream cleanser, and I definitely need to moisturise after using it.  However in terms of the cleansing process, it's a multipurpose  product which removes all types of make up, eye included, and exfoliates.

The naturally active ingredients it contains are Rosemary, Chamomile, Cocoa Butter and Eucalyptus Essential Oil and you can definitely smell the latter.  The product has very very luxurious feel and smell and using it every night with a hot damp muslin cloth is a little like a special treat, especially if you leave the cloth over your face to steam for a while.  

It's a two-step process whereby you first massage the cream all over your face and neck to dislodge make up and boost circulation.  Second you run hot water over the muslin cloth, wring and use this to remove the product and your make up residue - this is what 'polishes' and exfoliates your skin.  To finish I splash my face with cold water to close my pores.  If I'm wearing particularly heavy make up I sometimes repeat this process, but you can see against the white muslin cloth whether you have any make up left on your skin.

I'm a complete devotee to hot cloth cleansers and it's my favourite method for removing my make up as it's no where as messy as washing your face a few times in the sink, or generating 10 dirty cotton pads with a typical wipe-off cleanser and it's the method I feel best removes every last vestige of the day.

You'll be happy to know that the lovely people at Liz Earle have provided one starter pack of this multi-award winning cleanser for me to giveaway during my SS2011 Weekly Giveaway Series which kicks off on 14th May, so be sure to check back then!

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April Favourites

How can it be May already?!  April whizzed by in a fun flash of days off lounging in the sun in London parks or moseying around markets.  Yesterday I went to Elephant & Castle and had my first taste of Ecuadorian food which was fabulous and I got to try lots of specialties which are normally only available in Ecuador.  I'm a bit sad to be going in to May already as it means I'm going back to the grindstone, but on a happier note, this here blawg turns 1 on 14th May and that means giveaway time!

I have a neat little batch of products I enjoyed throughout April and a few of them are rediscoveries from my stash.  First up though, April was the month I really fell in love with Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish, late to the party as always! I have a full review of it coming up tomorrow so check back for that.  

Being out and about in the sunshine is lovely but sometimes you just feel a need to freshen up, so I've been loving my Victoria's Secret Sexy Little Things Noir Body Mist.  I have the EDP of it and frankly the body mist lasts just as long on me.  It's the most divine scent - further described here - and one I won't ever grow tired of.  I got this little bottle in the US for about $10, which is pricey for a body spray, but I know that the VS concessions at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports definitely stock some of the Sexy Little Things Noir range.

Blogland has been buzzing about this Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer for the past month.  While it's definitely a favourite - even a holy grail of mine, I'm a bit disappointed that Superdrug have put it up from £1.99 last year to £4.19!  Still an extreme bargain, but talk about a price hike!  I wear the lightest shade, 1 Fair and it is utterly perfect for my skintone.  The coverage is phenomenal and the best thing about this concealer is that it is very creamy and moisturising for the under eye area so it doesn't settle into fine lines.  It's supposed to last 16 hours, which is a bit of a stretch, but it certainly lasts during a working day or a night out.  It's also very easy to top up as you can swipe a bit over an earlier application and it won't look cakey.  I'll be doing a fuller review of this beauty soon complete with before and after pics!

I'm pretty sure this Prestige Skin Loving Minerals in Pure Shimmer highlighter has featured in previous monthly favourites, but with the recent good weather I've really wanted a fresh, glowy look and this is the best high street powder highlighter out there.  I know there's a lot of hype about the Sleek one which comes with the contour kit, but I don't rate that one next to my Pure Shimmer.  I'd say this is a good dupe for Soft & Gentle MAC MSF, if ever so slightly paler.  You can find Prestige in most large Boots so it's definitely worth a look. I've had this product for over a year and it's still going strong.  It's best applied with a MAC 109 brush which is nice and dense and ensures precise application along the cheekbones.  I tend to bring it up to my browbone too.

Good high street matte bronzers are hard to come by, and even rarer are pale ones, but Rimmel Sun Shimmer Bronzing Powder Compact in Light Matte has been my saviour this last month.  It's the best bronzer for pale skin I've tried - you can keep your Benefit Hoola's - I'm done!  I contour my cheekbones with this and dust some along my jawline and *cough* double chin with my trusty MAC 168 brush.  I definitely recommend this bronzer to you fellow Cullens out there!

This TopShop cream blush in Flush will probably feature in my monthly favourites until the end of time! I have used this blush Every Single Day in April and I've barely made a dent in it.  It's divine and lasts all day.  For swatches and a fuller review of it click here.  At only £6 I urge you to get this!

Another TopShop beauty is the Kohl pencil in Dragonfly which is a very dark bottle green with a slight shimmer.  I've been using it on my waterline as it's not as harsh as black and the green really brings out my blue eyes and the green flecks in them - I've had lots of compliments on my eyes since I started using this.  It's only £4 and is beautifully soft - no need to drag the delicate skin around your eyes.

Last but not least is Urban Decay's First Book of Shadows.  I got my mitts on this exactly two years ago and practically had to get on a plane to Florence for it! (long story).  It's a great all round palette with lots of neutral and bright colours, but they're all pretty shimmery.  One drawback to Urban Decay shadows is that I've recently noticed that my eyes water when I wear them on a sunny day.  I'm terrified that I might be allergic to them but persevering all the same.  They're not tested on animals - which was a huge plus for me - but sadly this may also be the reason why I sometimes have a bad reaction to them.

But this is meant to be a favourites post right? This month my eyes have mostly been sporting Gridlock all over the lid with Roach in the crease and Perversion in the outer corner.  Today I swiped a bit of Mayhem over Gridlock and it had a fabulous effect and brought out the green tones in my eyes - sorry I didn't take a pic!  Shakedown is another fave from this palette - it's a very pale silvery green which is extremely wearable.

What products have you been loving in April? If you've done a favourites post link it below so I can have a nose!

Happy Sunday! X

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