Sunday 14 December 2014

London haul Part1: The gloriousness that is Sleek!

So here we go with part 1 of my London Haul. Before leaving for London i had read a lot about Sleek cosmetics and what great inexpensive products they make. So when i saw a big shelf in the Superdrug on Oxford Street i went a little nuts. However, given the price and the great offers on black friday it did not set me back that much. So i picked up a nice range of different palettes and products to give it a shot.
I had already planned to pick up an eye shadow and a blusher palette but then this  highlighter palette caught my eye. As far as i know this palette is rather new in the range and it really stands out with its shiny packaging which makes it appear far more pricey than it is. In it you get a nice little range of highlighters and contouring colors. Three of them are cream based and then antique bronze is powder based. It has instructions how to use everything on the package but i just went ahead and played arround with it. I have to say i am rather happy with this little set. Especially now for the christmas holiday parties i love to get a bit more contouring and this kit gives me a natural yet festive and improved look. I especially liked the Renaissance gold color for highlighting of the cheek bones and the antique bronze for in the hollows of my cheek. I used the lightest color under my eye brow for a slightly lifing look. Royal gold is also a really nice color though it is rather clse to Renaissance gold. The colors are all nicely pigmented and blend very well. So the first product i tested was already a hit.

The next product i had to have was the Sleek blusher in Rose gold. i appologize for the used look but there was bad lighting in our London appartment and i could not wait to try it out (bag blogger me ;)). I heard several bloggers raving on about this blush. I am not sure if my expectations were to high or if this product is just a bit overhyped. It is a really nice blusher but its not standing out as much as expected. However, i am using it a lot for a natural every day look. The packaging is typical sleek. The blusher comes in a small slim sturdy black casing with a little mirror. The only thing i would point out as negative that its sometimes a bit difficult to get open but that is really a minor problem.
So all in all a very nice blusher but not a holy grail product either.

I had already planned to pick up a blusher palette before i left for Britain. I do not own a big range of blushers and i thought this would be a great inexpensive way to start to play arround a little more with it. In this palette you get a great selection of 3 cream blushers. Pigmentation is great and they blend very well. I see myself using this palette especially come summer. Packaging is again the typical black sleek box with a mirror in the lid. I have to say i actually really like this type of packaging. It does not open easily accidently and it does not get scratched or look bad once it spend some time in your cosmetic bag.

The first time i heard about Sleek it was about their eye shadow palettes. In fact their i-storm palette is said to be one of the greatest Urban Decay Naked palette dupes. However, i already own the Naked 3 palette and a Mac nude palette and i felt i rather wanted to go for something different. So after browsing through the options, this little selection caught my eye. I think its a great selection for the winter month and christmas themed party make up. Plus, as a travel and city trip junky i really liked the names. I am really looking forward to rock "Love in London" for christmas eve in a smokey eye. The colors are all very buttery and nicely blendable. I could not agree more with other bloggers when they say that these can easily hold up against high end eye shadows. However, i do not think they are as great as urban decay. But then again, Urban Decay is for me pretty much a holy grail eye shadow product. All in all i love this palette and i am eager to purchase more of this palettes in the future. They are for sure great value for money. One of this palettes set you back only about 8 pounds (depending on offers).

I had lately heard beauty blogger Zoella recommending the Sleek lip liners and since i am a huge fan of lip liners. I sure wanted to give these a shot too. So i purchased two stronger colors for winter. I have to say those are insanely creamy and nearly feel more like a lip stick in pencil form atleast when i compare them to my favourite Mac lip liners. This creamy consistency however comes at a price. The lasting power was not so great on those for me and this is for me a major plus of using lip liners. I really loved the colors however. So i will keep using those but i do keep prefering the Mac lip liners (Dervish is my absolute holy grail color from Mac). I swatched these for you (see below)


All in all i have to say i am impressed by Sleek. Seeing the prices, you get some great value for money and i for sure will pick up some more next time i am in Britain. However, i would be careful on what you buy since not all products are equally great which i guess is true for every brand. I have to say my favourites out of the purchases is probably the eye shadow palette and the highlighter pallette, though i do not regret any of the other purchases either. So if you are like me from the main land and find yourselve near a british drugstore, make sure to give Sleek a shot. Saying that, more recommendations regarding Sleek are always welcome. Did i miss out on something? Any thing i should make sure to pick up next time? Let me know in the comments.

11 comments :

  1. Ik vind de highligthing pallet er heel mooi uit zien! De glitterende is met kerst denk ik prachtig.

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    1. Yes ik hou er echt van en de glitter is ook niet echt erg. Het laat meer een dewy look achter warvan ik echt hou. Maar zeker ook voor kerst een aanrader.

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  2. Wheee that's quite some Sleek! I still find it weird that we don't have easy access to the brand here, but then again, London isn't so far away :)

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    1. Yes i think Sleek could do very well in the dutch/belgian market or in the german one for that matter. I really love their products. Indeed London is not that far and really any excuse for returning is good for me ;).

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  3. Fijne sleek producten! Vooral het highlighter palette maakt mij nieuwsgierig. Ik ken het helemaal nog niet!

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    1. Ik ben ook erg fan ervan. Heb nog niets vergelijkbare gezien in de price categorie. Definitief een aanrader.

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  4. So many gorgeous goodies! I haven't bought a long time anything from Sleek Makeup....I should get some of their eyeshadow palettes! They are always so good :)

    Laura
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