How To Use: Sleek Cream Contour Kit

After I posted the Sleek cream contour palette review, people requested that I do a little 'how to' post, with pictures of me applying it. Now, I'm definitely not a pro when it comes to applying my makeup. Neither am I 100% confident in my skills. However I thought I'd be brave and give it a go! 

Some of the products I used for this look, and a treat for editing!

I both cleansed and exfoliated my face, using the B. Men Charcoal Face Scrub from Superdrug, which is technically my boyfriend's but I wanted a nice deep cleanse and it was the best I had to hand. The product itself is branded as a man's face scrub but lets be honest, it's just a decent charcoal scrub, who cares who it's meant to be for. I then applied my Olay Hydration and Radiant Glow moisturiser, which is a nice light moisturiser for summer as it contains SPF 15 and adds some radiance to my skin. 

After I'd given time for that to sink into my skin, I applied my base products. I used the Primark Miracle primer (of course), and then my X-ceptional Wear Makeup Foundation from GOSH, which is good for a light, sheer base (even though you can build it up), and then applied the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer on my blemishes. 

This is my face with only the base products applied

 I then went in with the contour kit, following the guide that they supply with each palette.

It says on the sheet to use an angled contour brush. I do own the Real Techniques contour brush but I find it a little too large as my face is quite small, so as I said in the last post I use a MAC angled flat foundation brush, which is MAC 193. 

Cream Contours when initially applied

As you can see, my lines and shames really aren't that neat at all, but once you've blended them it doesn't matter. You really don't have to be a pro to apply these! If I can, anyone can.

Cream Contour after blending

I blended all the shades using a damp beauty blender, starting with the light shades and working into the darker shades.

Here I've set the creams with powder

After this, I applied the GOSH Velvet Touch prime 'n' set loose powder over my highlighted areas, and applied a Makeup Revolution contour powder over the top of the cream to set it all in place. I then went ahead and did my eye makeup (taking photos of my eyebrows in the state they were in was almost traumatising). While I did this, the translucent powder worked to both set and lighten the cream highlight. Once the rest of my makeup was done, I brushed away the setting powder and 

applied some blush and my MAC mineralize skinfinish in Lightscapade as a highlight. 

The finished look

This was the finished look! I think it really slims my face, and I just like how it looks. It's a bit nerve wracking to post photos of me actually using the products and I was a little hesitant to post this one, but hopefully you all enjoy it! 

Would you try the cream contouring kit? Let me know if you have and how you found it. 

Paige x

Sleek cream contour kit review!

It wasn't that long ago that in my first ever post I said I wanted to try the Sleek cream contour kit, and now it's sitting in front of me. I just couldn't resist when I saw that they were on an incredible offer in Superdrug, as they are included in the 2 for £10 Sleek deal. That's an absolute steal considering the palette on it's own is £10.99! I bought two in the shades 'light' and 'medium' and gave the latter to a friend who I thought it would suit more - hope you're enjoying it Shannon! £5! Absolute bloody bargain.

Sleek Cream Countour Kit - Light

I wanted to try it a few times before blogging about it, which was apparently the right thing to do, and I'll explain why later on. The first time I tried the palette was on friday, before a night out when I knew I'd get away with a heavier makeup look. I primed my face using the Primark PS Pro Miracle primer (which I reviewed in a previous post and I'm still head over heels in love with it!). I then applied a very light layer of the MAC Studio Fix foundation to make sure that when I applied the contour it didn't cake up on my face. I skipped concealer because I believed the contour would give enough coverage.

Now, when I first took the palette out of the box I found it a little bit daunting. I've never dabbled in cream contouring before and had no idea how I was going to use all six shades. The wonderful people at Sleek know that we aren't all makeup artists though, so they've provided a nice little guide in each kit, and it's really easy to follow! To apply them, I used a little flat foundation brush by MAC, wiping it down with a makeup wipe in between shades. This wasn't ideal of course, but I don't really have loads of little flat foundation brushes hanging around and I doubt many people do, and it worked for me! I followed the guide step-by-step and then blended the shades using a damp beauty blender afterwards. I think for the price the pigmentation was really nice. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy they were to blend. My only little niggle was that I wasn't quite as happy with the coverage as I'd have liked, so the second time I used the palette I made sure to apply my concealer first and after that the coverage was much nicer, but both times I was pleased with the look.

Ultimate Contouring Guide by Sleek

I used my Makeup Revolution powder contour kit to set the contour and applied my GOSH setting powder on the highlight to 'bake'. I then did my eye makeup before brushing off the excess setting powder and brushing a little over the rest of my face to set it all. A nice little tip I've learned from reviews/tutorials is to do let your highlight 'bake' by leaving a loose translucent powder under your eyes over your highlight, because not only does it brighten your under eye even more but it means you can simply brush away any fallout from your eyeshadow with the excess setting powder! I applied my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade by spraying my Real Techniques fan brush with setting spray, allowing it to almost dry and then applying my highlight, as that way I get such a beautiful glow.

I was really pleased with the finished look. I wasn't used to looking so sculpted but I think I could get used to it! The palette is really very good value for money, even more so on the current offer at Superdrug! I wouldn't do it everyday but that's more personal preference, as it didn't take long at all. I'm a big fan of Sleek in general, their products are such good quality for money, and the packaging is always very chic and, well, sleek.

Are there any Sleek products you swear by?

Just as a little add on here, I'd like to thank everyone for reading, following, commenting etc, and just generally for all the support my blog has received. I'm so happy with it, and watching it grow makes me so proud! I'm so passionate about this, and it's great to see other people appreciating the work I'm putting into it, so yeah, thank you! I'm done being soppy now.

See you again very soon!

Paige x

Top 5 Products!

Ensue first post excitement!

This was requested by one of my friends who probably knew how difficult I'd find this, considering my unnecessarily extensive collection. I thought the best way to do this was make 5 categories and then choose one product for each, but if I choose a high end product I'll also mention it's budget counterpart, because sometimes the budget products are just as good, or good enough considering the price, and on a student budget it makes sense to save where I can.

Foundation:
It was recently my 20th birthday, and I was gifted a bunch of MAC products, which included some foundation samples. I knew as soon as I tried the MAC Studio Fix Fluid that it would be my new favourite foundation. The coverage is medium but slightly buildable and it doesn't cling to dry patches. It glides on, it easily blends to look just like skin and my concealer sits really nicely on top of it. My only problem with this foundation is the company itself, which still tests on animals.

Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation sample - NW13

Honourable mention goes to the Rimmel True Match foundation. The shade range is great when it comes to lighter skin tones, not so great if you have darker skin. Again, the coverage is good and buildable, and I love the finish of it. At £7.99 a bottle, it lasts ages and it's affordable, my go to foundation until I inevitably purchase the MAC one.

Concealer:
Collection lasting perfection concealer, £4.19. It covers blemishes and redness, it brightens under eyes and it works as a highlight. It doesn't crease and it lasts for hours. No high end version here because I haven't needed one. This product works wonders and that's why it's everyone's holy grail.

Eyeshadows:
For many a month I walked through House of Frazer and stared longingly at the Urban Decay stand, desperately wanting to own the naked palettes but not wanting to spend almost £40 on eyeshadows, regardless of hype or quality. However someone (thanks Emily) convinced me to buy it when there was on offer that allowed me to buy the original Naked palette and the primer potion for £44 and I have no regrets - although my bank account might argue otherwise. Unless you've been living under a very large rock I don't have to tell you how good the naked palettes are. The shades are absolutely gorgeous and flattering on the eyes and the colour payoff is amazing (they're so pigmented!).

If you're not up for spending £38 on a palette, there are a few other options. First of all, the Sleek eyeshadow palettes are £7.99 and the payoff and shades rival those from UD. There's such a good range of palettes from Sleek too, the classic being the Storm palette, which is another of my favourites. Makeup Revolution do dupes of the Naked palettes for an amazing £4, and for that price I can forgive the lack of consistency in the quality of some of the shadows, because some of them are still incredibly pigmented and at a few pounds a palette you really can't complain.

A well loved and slightly battered Makeup Revolution Palette - Redemption Palette Iconic 2

Contour and highlight:
I'm cheating here I know but it was too hard to fit just 5 products in. Contouring has become such a big deal in the makeup world, and so of course I've invested in a few products. I'm yet to fully immerse myself into the world of cream contouring, but with the release of the Sleek cream contour kit I doubt it will be long. I definitely wouldn't call myself a pro when it comes to makeup and here is no exception. I switch between the Sleek contour kit (which has a contour colour and a beautiful highlighter which I hit pan on long ago) and a 3 shade version from Makeup Revolution, which contains a contour, a highlighter and a blush. I haven't used the blush much because I don't find it to be very pigmented and I just have others I prefer, but the contour is perfect for my skin tone, and at £3.50 it's a great little palette. My only niggle with this is the tiny mirror on the inside which is pretty much useless. Speaking of contour, this brings me onto my next product.

Another well loved Makeup Revolution palette - Ultra Sculpt & Contour Kit in Ultra Fair C01

In terms of highlighter, before my birthday in May I was addicted to the makeup revolution baked highlighters. I found that if I sprayed my brush with setting spray and allowed it to dry a little so it was only a little damp and then swirled it into the pan I'd get the most incredible glow, and these remain my favourite budget highlighters. However, I was given the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade on my birthday, and I fell in love. It's not too heavy so I can make a super subtle sheen, however when I use the setting spray trick from before I can achieve a glow that appears to be made by the gods themselves, and who wouldn't want that?

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish - Lightscapade (Ahh isn't it beautiful?)

Lipstick:
I'm not entirely sure how to choose 1 single favourite lipstick, it's like asking me to choose my favourite baby, it's just cruel. So, I'm going to cheat and choose 5, because nobody can stop me.
I tend to go for more nude lipstick due to the fact that I like a nice smokey eye.

Mac - Whirl (£15.50)
A lovely dark nude, almost brown, with a matte finish. A Kylie Jenner classic, apparently.

Rimmel - Kate Moss 107 (£5.49)
A deep berry-red, gorgeous in the colder months.

Ciate London Olivia Palermo collection - Praline (£19)
A slightly lighter nude then Whirl, and a less drying formula, but at £19 it's more of a luxury product.

Sleek Matte Me - Birthday suit (£4.99)
A pretty pink nude liquid lipstick, can be quite drying without the right prep.

Rimmel The Only One - Naughty nude (£6.49)
Another pinky nude, but not a matte, so not as long lasting but much more moisturising.

There are so many other products in my routine that I haven't talked about but would've like to have mentioned, so if you'd like me to do another 5 favourites then let me know! I'm yet to get a decent camera but when I do I'll insert some better photos, be patient with me, I'm new to all this but I'm eager to do it well!