All made up #2

It has been over two years since I wrote anything about makeup on this blog. There is a very simple reason for that: I just don’t wear any, and I very infrequently buy any. As you can probably tell from my grey complexion in all photographs a rigorous cosmetic routine does not feature as part of my day-today toilette. I do pay careful attention to my skincare (without makeup there is nowhere to hide), but I’d prefer to spend less time on my face in the morning and more time on my outfit.

However, I do like to keep a minimal set of nice basics in hand in case I’m going out somewhere and want to spruce up the old visage a little, and recently I decided that my existing products needed updating. I spent a happy half hour in Superdrug, and came away with (among other things) two products from Sleek: the Rose Gold Shimmer Blush (£4.49), and the Au Naturel Eye Shadow Palette (£7.99).

The blush is a lovely product, very light, smooth and easy to apply in a gentle sweep along the cheekbone. Rose Gold is a pink shade with a strong orange tint, and a subtle golden shimmer. Although not so subtle when applied too liberally; this product is highly pigmented! As I discovered when I accidentally applied too much and ended up with a peachy sparkly face. So sexy and I know it.

I am a neutral eye shadow wearer (who occasionally dabbles in pink/red hues), so this palette suits me down to the ground. So far I have spent the most time playing with the ivory shadow (top far left), which works really nicely as a highlighter in the corners of the eyes. The paler shades on the top row are not strongly pigmented, and I had to spend a little while working them into the brush in order to achieve a visible effect, but as I favour the “natural” look anyway, this doesn’t bother me. The darker shades come up very strongly with minimal effort, especially the charcoal black which has a lovely smoky quality.

All in all, I’m really happy with both of these products. Given how infrequently I wear any makeup, it doesn’t make sense for me to be spending a fortune on my pots and sticks, and it is lovely to find products that fit my criteria for quality and price!

Do you have any favourite Sleek products? Or indeed any high street/drugstore makeup products that you can’t live without? I’d love to hear your recommendations! xx