Sleek MakeUp - Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette

I've been wanting to try out a high end sculpting powder for a while, but the one I have my eye on costs upwards of £35...so I might have to wait for my birthday in October before I make that purchase!

In the meantime, I thought I would see what the high street has to offer. For those of you who aren't sure what it is, a sculpting powder is similar to a bronzer, but slightly muddier in colour. It's used to create shadow and contrast on the face and you apply it to areas such as under the cheekbones, the temples, under the jaw etc to create the illusion of sculpture, or to help create more definition to those areas.

I popped into my local Superdrug (shock horror I strayed away from my beloved Boots) as they stock the brand Sleek MakeUp and I have heard some good things about their contouring palette.

They had two colour options, light and medium. I opted for the light, especially as winter is approaching and anything too bronzey would look ridiculous on me during the colder months! The palette itself is actually really stylish. It comes in a cardboard box and the product is in a "sleek" black, matte palette, with the product in one half and a mirror on the other half.

The palette comprises of three products - a sculpting powder for definition, a highlighter to define cheekbones etc and a pretty, soft blush to finish the look.

Using a face expert brush from Real Techniques, I applied the sculpting powder under my cheekbones, on my temples and under my jaw. I then applied a light dusting of the highlighter on my cheekbones and finished it off with a touch of the pinky blusher on the apples of my cheeks.

I was actually really impressed with the overall look. The powders applied easily and, once blended with a large powder brush, looked very natural and my face definitely looked more defined, with the cheekbones looking slightly more sculpted.

I still think I will purchase the high end powder I have my eye on (I'm already on the waiting list at Cult Beauty) but for now, this is a really great and affordable substitute - a bargain at £9.99!

What do you think of the Sleek MakeUp contouring palette? Have you tried it? Enjoy x

My "Go To" Smoky Eye

Since having my little man, I've had to device a quick and simple, yet still pretty, look, which I can wear everyday (weekdays mind you...on the weekends when hubby can take over for a bit and I have more time, I get a bit more creative).

So I came up with a subtle smoky eye using brown shades and a gentle glowing look. I have to admit, since using Bioderma and Pixi's Glow Tonic (check out the review here) my skin has looked far better, making it look more refreshed and glowing after each use.

The products I chose to create the look are: Maybelline The Rocket mascara, MAC Mineral SPF Foundation, Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer, Benefit Sugarbomb bronzer, Benefit Hervana blusher, Collection Work The Colour Eyeshadow Pencil, Maybelline Master Drama Kohl Liner and my Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Expert Face brush.

After cleansing and moisturising with Bioderma, Pixi Glow Tonic and Steam Cream, I apply the Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer with my fingers (I picked up a sample of this but will be purchasing it ASAP!) which gives your skin a really pretty dewy glow.

Once primed, I take my MAC foundation and apply it with my fingers before blending it into my skin with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, making sure it's blended perfectly into my skin. This foundation leaves a lovely, light coverage and maintains the dewy look.

To give my face a bit more colour, I apply the Sugarbomb bronzer just under my cheekbones (quick tip: roll your brush down your cheek until you feel your cheekbone for the best place to apply) with an E.L.F. brush. This makes your cheekbones pop and gives a nice contoured look.

Then I use the Hervana blush on the apples of my cheeks to add a pop of colour and highlight. Once both bronzer and brush are applied, I use the same brush to gently buff them together to it looks natural. You are then left with a subtle yet defined look.

Onto the eyes. Using the Collection Eyeshadow Pencil, I draw on colour all over my eye lids then using an eyeshadow brush, I gently blend the colour into the sockets and up to the eyebrow, creating more depth at the outer corners and in the sockets.

Using my Maybelline Master Drama Kohl liner I draw carefully over the lash line. This kohl is super soft and blends beautifully. Once drawn on, I gently buff the black kohl so the line is not so intense but creates a gorgeous smoky look, without being too dramatic.

I then take the Rocket mascara and apply to both the top and bottom lashes and with the same brush I used to buff the kohl and eyeshadow into the top lids, I gently buff the bottom lid to give just a touch of the colour and add a tiny bit more definition to the final look.

And there you have it. An easy very wearable smoky eye, which lasts all day and can be made more evening appropriate by simply adding a touch more kohl to the bottom and top lids.

I haven't applied a lip colour yet, as that totally depends on where you are going. For daytime, I use a Benefit crème lipstick, which lasts well and leaves enough colour and sheen to look natural yet gives a bit of a statement.

What do you think of this overall look? Do you have a "go to" look, which you use frequently? Enjoy x

Mini Haul - Beauty and Jewellery

I fancied picking up a couple of beauty essentials the other day, and before I knew what was happening, I ended up picking up a bit more than I expected to! With the country going through a mega heatwave (I am so not a fan, it's enough already!) the glorious oasis of an air conditioned shopping centre called to me (and hot grumpy baby) and I found these fabulous goodies.

Topshop: £8 and £5 (sale)

I vowed not to buy any clothes in the summer sale, as my baby belly battle is ongoing (9lbs lost so far in 4 weeks) but as I passed Topshop, I couldn't help popping in and to my surprise, they had some amazing jewellery on sale, half price or better. I picked up these two statement necklaces. I'm going to wear the large black and gold number to my friend's wedding on Sunday and the gold collar necklace is perfect for adding a touch of edge to a pretty summer dress.

 I saw Becky do a post about this cleanser recently and I decided to try it out for myself. For a smidgen over £3, Skin Perfection by L'Oreal states to be a 3 in 1 purifying solution - dissolves make up, unclogs pores and removes impurities and tones and smoothes the skin. I've been using it for 4 days now and I do really like it. I find it slightly drying on my eyes and I use my Lush toner and moisteriser after, but it is a quick and easy make up removal solution.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush £9.99 from Boots

After all the blogging love that Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman gets, I thought it was time to try a brush out for myself. I opted for the expert face brush and I really love it! It applies BB cream and foundation so effortlessly and smoothly and for £9.99, I think it's a total bargain. I'll be picking up some more of these for sure!

Topshop Aurora nail polish £6

I spotted this metallic nail polish in Topshop called Aurora when I was choosing my jewellery, and the alluring sheen of the polish made me instantly pick it up and take it to the till. I tried it out last week and I wasn't 100% in love with it. The polish looks like it has more of a greeny tone in the bottle, but when applied to the nails, it's pretty much a bronzy gold. Still very pretty but not what I was expecting.

MAC Mineralize foundation in NW20 £27

So I went to MAC in John Lewis. I know I shouldn't have but I needed, for the first time ever, to buy a foundation, as I want a bit more coverage at the moment (thanks to lack of sleep...cheers Eli!) and MAC never steers me wrong. One of the lovely sale assistants sat me down and we tried a few options. In the end I opted for the Mineralize SPF 15 foundation in shade NW20. It's slightly darker than my natural skin tone and the mineralized effect leaves a lovely glowy sheen while the SPF 15 does it's thing against the sun. I only use a tiny bit over some BB cream so I can imaging this bottle lasting ages...which makes the £27 price tag slightly easier to bear!

Topshop Straight Ace £5 (in sale)

My final Topshop purchase (again, in the sale) is this highly pigmented lipstick. As I mentioned ages ago in this post, I love purple tone lip colours. I find they suit my pale skin and dark features really well and this creamy lipstick was only £5, so I couldn't resist!

MAC Narcissus £17

Yes it's another MAC purchase! This was a total impulse buy, but look at that gorgeous colour! This is a brand new Cremesheen Glass lip gloss called Narcissus and I'm in love with it. It's super creamy, smooth, glossy and stays on for ages, and that colour, a stunning mix of violet, pink and bluey tones looks great for summer or winter.

Finally I decided to try the L'Oreal Sublime Bronze self-tanning spray mists. I have a wedding on Sunday and with the weather as sunny as it is, I wanted to look a bit more sunkissed. I picked up the face mist too (both of which are on special offer at Boots at the moment). I think it cost me £18 for the two together. I haven't tried them yet - waiting for the day before the wedding, so I will give a full review once I have tried them out.

Have you bought anything new recently that you're loving? Enjoy x