Oh, Sleek. I’ve been a fan for a while but now you just stole a piece of my heart for good with the launch of the #MyFaceMyRules campaign, together with the charity Ditch the Label, which fights bullying worldwide.
With a huge 75% of people thinking women look better with no makeup*, there is no wonder makeup shaming is a real thing. Having suffered from acne for way too long an relying on makeup to make my face look closer to how I felt inside (read pretty, confident, glowy and pain free), I have heard all sorts.
And if I hadn’t said it clearly enough: No, I am not hiding behind a “mask”. No, I am not doing it for men. No, I don’t need attention. No, I don’t dislike the way I look. No, not a whore. Or a clown. And no, I don’t have too much time in my hands. Thanks.
Sleek is supporting my statements. MyFace. My Rules does what it says on the tin: it’s MY face, I will make it up as I want. And for whatever reason I want, for that matter.
Here’s the strong campaign video which stars real Sleep Makeup customers and sums up how I feel:
At the campaign launch, the Lifeproof foundation also came into play. Now, I am quite particular when it comes to foundation so I am always nervous when a brand I like a lot comes up with a new one. What if I don’t like it?
I can assure this is not the case here. This is a generous medium coverage foundation which is highly buildable into full.
It is sweat proof, oil free and has soft focus elements for a great finish which is not dewy or matte – it feels super natural, a little goes a long way and it certainly lives up to its “life proof” name.
It comes in 24 shades and you can find out yours online. It costs an amazing £ 8.99 (30ml) but at the moment there a promotion on the Sleek site, for only £7. Bargain!
I’ve also been using the Hydrating Primer, which is super lightweight with a moisture-rich formula. The foundation glides well and fells great! It costs £7.99 (20ml) and is the perfect base for the Lifeproof foundation!
*Survey conducted by Ditch the Label and Sleek Makeup. You can see the full Makeup Shaming: the data behind the trend report here.
There is also a Sleek Makeup customer survey on YouTube that I can totally relate to.
Did anyone say iridescent? Well, believe your eyes, Sleek Makeup has brought out yet another killer highlighter palette, and it comes with some friends. The Distorted Dreams collection carries all the holo vibes.
The creams have a beautiful colour colour shift and opalescence in pink (Anodise), blue (Beam) and green (Refracted). The powders are a quite shimmery, a cool pink with some glittery particles (Blurred Lights) and a tanned gold (Sweet Delusion).
The hashtag GlazedAF could not be more appropriate and only a cool AF brand like Sleek could put it out there.
The Matte Me Metallic Matte Smooth Lip Cream liquid lipsticks are quite amazing – a bit of molten metal for the lips. Sadly, alone, none do much for my complexion, but they are amazing to layer on lipstick, especially at the centre of the mouth!
And there are three shades to choose from: Roman Copper, a warm and deep rusty copper, Rusted Rose, an intense muted pink with purple undertones (Carol really likes this one) and Volcanic, my fave, with that slight beetle wing colour shift between light pink and subtle green. So pretty!
Sleek is bringing the sparkle back. And they don’t it by halves: living proof is their new Rockstars collection, just launched.
Perfect for Christmas and by that I mean all the parties soon to commence, the Rockstars collection has two sides.
On the lighter side, Diamonds in the Rough with a lot of rose, golds, champagnes and peach in their eyeshadow palette, with two rich cream shades; the golden one makes the best highlighter!
All metallic and beautiful, including the gorgeous Scandalous lipstick, a metallic deep red and a highlighting soufflé in pretty shimmery peachy pink, called Pink Opal.
The Superstar lipstick is a metallic shade of deep warm purple with iridescent particles, also present on Scandalous.
The highlighting soufflé here is Smoky Quartz, a gorgeous slightly glittery light gold, perfect for cheekbones but even better for finishing the eyes with an intense shimmer on top of colour.
The bullet on the lipsticks deserves a chapter to itself: faceted, they have a sculpted shape, cut as the jewels they are.
On this is always sure: you can always count on Sleek to produce the goods.
Enter Sleek Power Plump Lip Crayons, a brand new product launched on the 29 June, which delivers all that plus a stinging plump to the lips.
The Sleek Power Plum lip crayons comes in six mega wearable colours – red, pinks, coral, nudes: there’s something for everyone.
Now, the plumping divided the audience. The sting operation is real and lasts. While I didn’t mind, Alice, my blonde in residence, testing pinks, wasn’t super comfortable with the sensation.
Anyone who knows me in person will know I wear eyeshadow and eyeliner pretty much every day.
I’ll start with Urban Decay Naked 2. Now, I have 3 and Smokey, but they don’t quite measure up. The mix of earthy and gold tones, in shimmer and matte, are perfect for any occasion. Add a matte black and voilá: you cannot go wrong.
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Sleek has a couple that really work for me. The iDivine eyeshadow palette in ‘A New Day’ mixes beautiful golds and browns in shimmer and matte, as well as a bit of pinkish earthy tones, for an all-round look. The browns are dark enough for a lovely smokey that is not too heavy.
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And they are all quite affordable, ranging from £6.99 (Makeup Revolution) to £38.50 (Naked 2).
Most of us know too well the small desk to dance floor struggle.
Admittedly, the brushes are not amazing, they do the job ok but I prefer taking my MAC handbag sized ones.
God do I like a good contour. Not just the crazy-85-layers-of-30-product contour, but also an everyday, quick and efficient one that gives you just that extra oomph – definition and fierceness.
For this review, I used them all, as instructed on the guide, plus a little bit of shade 1 over my cupid bow, down my nose too and brow bones.
I first did my base with my usual primer and foundation, then using the medium palette, added the colours in the respective areas with a duo-fibre applicator brush (I used MAC 282).
Then I blended quite a bit with a very light touch, starting with my lighter colours to the darkest, using another duo-fibre brush (MAC 130 which I highly recommend for flawless cream/liquid blending; I use with concealer a lot).
To finish off, I set with a translucent powder (coloured powder can mask the contouring, I used GOSH prime ‘n set), a little bit of blusher (Charlotte Tilbury First Love), subtle mascara (Benefit They’re Real Lash Primer used solo, as a brown mascara) and a lipgloss (yes, a lipgloss! Lancôme Juicy Shaker in Apricute) .
Not too long ago I mentioned Sleek was the very first red lipstick I ever owned, and that started a love affair that spanned years.
Apart from the more luxurious packaging with the colour at the bottom, this £5.49 gem packs a punch. It’s super pigmented and hydrating, with Vitamin E, Shea Butter and Coconut Oil, at the same time, while offering a very decent durability!
My favourite, Flaunt It, is a vibrant orange; Night Spot is a rich pinkier red (and I love a red lipstick!); Guest List is a bright coral; Backstage, a warm coral pink; Reserved, a candy pink and Private Booth a great nude with some pink in it, and not grey and dull as most, so suitable for my skin tone!
So Many Lovely Things 