Sleek Sparkle 2 Palette

Sleek is one of those brands I always like the sound of but never seem to get my mitts on.  I have a few items which includes the Original and Storm palettes plus the contour/highlighting kit, which is great and totally worth it by the way.

I'll be truthful when I say I wouldn't of bought the Sparkle 2 myself.  Not because I don't like it but I have so many shadows I'm trying to use up at the moment.  Plus the other palettes are not usually ones I reach for unless i'm doing a tutorial.

I actually received this sparkly gem in my BbloggerXmas Party goody bag. It was a real treat and completely unexpected.  It was nice to receive an item which I didn't already own.

At a mere £7.99 you get 12 highly pigmented shadows with the added touch of sparkly glitter blended in them.  I love the range of shades in the palette. Plenty to create a smokey eye with a twist. You could create some lovely bright looks with the golds and turquoise.

As for the shadows themselves they are a good quality and the pigmentation is excellent for a drug store product.  Some of the shades of more sparkly than others, but they all look great.

Top: Chocolate Penny, Blue Spruce, Mulled Wine, Truffle, Mistletoe, Illusion.
Bottom: Festive, Gold Ribbon, Glitz & glamour, Tinsel, Twinkle, Starry Night

Sleek is certainly a brand I want to discover more of.  You can buy a lot of fun goodies for a fraction of the cost compared to your high end brands (naming no names).  I cannot wait to play and create some looks as I think this is fab.

Do you have any favourite Sleek items?

Angela xox

* Goody bag item

Who loves the 80s???

In the few weeks I'm off to a hen party which is all about the 80s.  If you Google 80s makeup you will see it's all about bright bold makeup.

I thought I'd try and experiment with a look and this is the result...

Enjoy!

Angela xox

Paul and Joe ~ Nail Enamel 17

If you like the NARS blush in Orgasm... then you may want to keep reading.  

This Paul and Joe nail polish in the shade Enamel 17 - Downtown is an excellent dup has all the marking of Orgasm.

The pinky peach polish has a faint gold shimmer which is gorgeous. This is very rose gold and I love it. And the bottle is a master piece... very art deco. All Paul and Joe packaging takes on this look.

Paul and Joe polishes come in a beautiful array of shades but also contain active conditioning properties that care for your fingertips.  Two birds with one stone.

These polishes retail for about £10 each and can be bought from Selfridges, BeautyLand, Beauty Bay and ASOS.

Angela xox

Seventeen Doll'd Up 3-Way Liquid Eyeliner

If you have not noticed already (where have you been hiding) the lovely beauty brand 17 have had a revamp.  No longer ‘17’, they have upgraded themselves from numbers to letters and become 'Seventeen’.  I think the change is nice, it feels more grown up and it is not a total change  - as opposed to Collection/Collection 2000 (they’ll always be Collection 2000 in my eyes)

Anyways, Seventeen have launched a fab new liner called Doll'd Up 3-Way Liner, which when I saw it initially made me giddy with excitement.  With a resemblance to the Clarins version, Seventeen have blessed us with a cheaper alternative which looks just as promising.

In a sleek like pen applicator, this can be used a number of ways. You can still achieve the usual black 'cat eyeliner' look using this, but with the three little nibs you can also delicately apply to the lower lash line.  

Doing this adds definition to the bottom lashes for a subtle look.  If you were never really a fan of the harsh black liner (Middleton style) then this could be what you are looking for.

What I really like is the formulation   It is wet, but not too wet it takes forever to dry.  It applies smoothly with no tugging or pulling and the pen itself is soft as a feather.  As for the colour, it is the blackest black. 

And all this from the high street at £6.29???  Yes!

The liner on the lower lash line

The lasting powder is very good.  However towards the end of the day (after applying at about 8am) this does start to smudge.  But that's no biggy for me as I have oily skin so I expect a little movement south.  

So is it worth the hype you ask?  Well yes it is.  It is certainly is worth looking at.  It's cheap and great... what's not to like?  Clarins who..?

Angela xox

Korres | Guava Shower Gel

This Guava shower gel by Korres is literally like taking a shower in a fruit bowl!  Think Herbal Essences and screaming woman... Yes this smells that good!

This is a little bit of a splurge for a shower gel at £8, but if you fancy some down time with a be-good-to-yourself product then I would highly recommend.

With Aloe Vera which has known medical benefits to the skin, wheat proteins which form a cocoon around the skin keeping hydration levels elevated. Wheat kernel contains the highest content of vitamins and minerals. It contains B2 which improves metabolism and aids the absorption of nutrients. B3 promotes healthy skin and B5 contains regenerative properties. So cutting a long story short this isn't just a shower gel, it's a shower gel with good for your body properties hidden inside.

There is a list as long as your arm of information about the ingredients this contains. No parabens, mineral oil, silicons, nuts ...you name it. Plus no animal by-products or testing on them either ... So this is vegan friendly which I love in particular.

Korres is a very natural brand and this shower gel has 91.4% of natural content. Korres are even kind enough to give you packaging facts by stating that all components are recyclable. This is a brand that cares!

This is gentle enough to use daily which I pretty much have been, hence why my bottle is fast becoming empty.  I would gladly buy this again in the future.

Have you ever tried any Korres goodies?

Angela xox
P.S. This my second goody from Korres (my first was the Plum Lipbutters which you see here if you wish)

Real Techniques Travel Essentials

There is nothing I like more these days than my Real Technique Brushes.  I am building up quite a collection.  I think if I had to start again and build my brush collection from scratch, I would opt for RT's.  The Travel Essentials set containing three brushes was something I asked Santa for. Good old Santa did delivery.

Containing three brushes: a foundation, domed eye shadow and a multitasking powder brush.  These as some good brushes... my personal favourite is the multitasking powder brush which I've been using for literally everything from blush, bronzer and powdering my face.  My least favourite is the foundation brush as I don't generally use a pointed brush these days.  However it is still a excellent brush.

Made from synthetic taklon hairs, they are cruelty free to our fluffy animal friends and also when you give these babies a clean they dry super fast.

This is a great collection to own, as are any of the RT collections (the Core and Starter for example).  My only wish is that the foundation brush was more in the style of an expert or buffing brush - as they rock! 

So if I had to recommend this collection, I definitely would do - but it's not essential that you need to own it. The only down side to RT collections is that brushes are not sold individually. The Travel Essentials, Starter and Core collections are great, but there are certain brushes amongst each of the collections that prefer and would like more than one of!

Do you have a favourite RT brush?

Angela xox

Saturday's FOTD

Yay so I filmed a new video of me slapping my face on yesterday.

It was meant to be up on YouTube on the same day, however due to me being a little cool and figuring out how to do a voice over... The video turned out to be a fatty at over 1GB.

Nearly FOUR HOURS later it finally uploaded at about 2am and after a little check to see if all good - here it is!!!!!

Enjoy and have a great Sunday!!!!

Angela xox

February Favourites

Guess who is back?  It is I! 

This February I took a break from the blogging world to concentrate on me.  I don't want to force blog posts if I'm not in the mood or they'll be rubbish.  After a rest, I am now back.

The first post in March of course would be my February favourites...

Botanics Microdermabrasion Polish Radiant Youth hands down is my favourite skin care product... ever!  I wish we'd met long before now.  It is amazing at giving you silky baby soft skin and getting rid of the grime hidden in your pores.  Review here if you fancy a look.

Botanics BB Cream Radiant Youth is the best BB cream I have ever tried so far!  Light and gives amazing coverage at the same time!  Perfect for those days where we don't want to cake on our foundation.  What more do we need ladies and gents?!?

Soap and Glory Hand Food has been my saviour for my hands.  My hands have been suffering because of the gym and I had little calluses form from using too many heavy dumbbells!  This stuff has been working wonders on them.  Plus it smells so good, you could eat it... but don't try to please :-p

L'Oréal Shine Caresse Glosses in Romy, Eve and Princess have not really left my lips all of February.  The stains last for hours and are very glossy looking without being too sticky.  The three shades I have are very wearable.  They need the occasional touch up but are simply lovely.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is overtaking the buffing and stippling brush as the ultimate foundation brush. Flawless application is achieved every time I use this and I love it!  Certainly worth the investment.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette has been my go to palette of shadows for February - as well as my NARS Isolde eyeshadow duo... yes I still love it.  I was and still am a big fan of the original naked Palette and I seriously don't know what took me so long to buy this!

ELF Warm Bronzer was something I initially didn't like and was planning to sell.  But after hearing some good things about it I changed my mind.  A little bit of this goes a long way.  The right amount of shimmer and golden glow is in this bargain product.

Benefit Hervana Blush was another product which I wasn't head over heels in love with initially   But it has been a grower and I like this little box.  A subtle pink which looks very English rose and delicate on the cheeks. Love love love.

Seventeen Doll'd Up Three Way Eyeliner is definitely going to be high street/drug store hit... A dupe for the Clarins version and about £15 cheaper. If you watch the video below you can see swatches on my hand and you'll understand why I'm loving this.

Seventeen Doll'd Up Curl Mascara is great mascara for keeping a curl and you do look all dolled eyed wearing this.  This is the first Seventeen mascara I have ever tried and I'm liking it lots.

Essie Chinchilly is the perfect neutral beige grey shade. Great for every day wear.  If you're a lover of Nails Inc Porchester Square I think you'd love this beaut!

Rimmel 5 in 1 Top and Base Coat is a cheap product which hits a lot of excuse the pun nails on the head in one sweep.  A base coat, treatment and top coat in one bottle.  This is the perfect item for those of you wanting one product does all.

So that's everything.  I have also uploaded a YouTube version if you want to have a peek!

What have you been loving lately?

Angela xox