If there’s one international drugstore brand that gets a lot of hype, it’s Sleek makeup. I’ve been wanting to try products from the UK brand for a while as they often get mentioned on many YouTube beauty videos, but since the products aren’t offered in Canada (you can buy them online), I’ve been holding out.
When I was planning on what I wanted to purchase in Europe, I knew that a few Sleek items were musts for me. The brand has a whole gamut of products, but I knew I wanted to pick up their Brow Kit (I figured it’s much cheaper than the Anastasia Brow Pomades), the Face Contour Kit, and one of their famed i-Divine eyeshadow palettes (because I don’t have enough palettes already).
The products are housed in a black container, that is oh so sleek (sorry, couldn’t resist). Because they are quite thin, everything is great for travelling. I have been very impressed with the quality in these products as they apply and blend great. I chose to go with the Storm palette, which houses neutrals (both shimmers and mattes), as well as darker colours, so it’s very versatile as you can create hundreds of looks. The eyeshadows are super pigmented, long lasting, and mineral based.
I bought the Brow Kit in the dark shade (there are four colours available) and it contains a tinted gel, as well as a powder. It also has two applicators (I threw them out as I use an angled eyeliner brush), as well as a pair of mini tweezers. I have mostly just used the tinted gel and so far so good, it’s been a staple in my makeup routine since I got the product.
The Face Contour Kit is another star product in my everyday look. I bought this in the light shade (there’s a dark and a medium one too) and the bronzer is matte, so it gives you a nice natural contour. The highlight works great too and isn’t too shimmery (some tend to make me look like a disco ball – a big no no).
Anyways, I thought I would create a look using all these products so you can see how well and amazing they apply. When I use the Storm palette, I mostly stick to the golds or the pinks, but since I have so many looks with those shades already, I chose to make this a little more smoky.
1. Fill in your brows using the gel side of the Brow Kit. Go along the underside and the tail with the powder side.
2. Lay down an eyeshadow primer (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance) and then apply the champagne shimmery colour to your brow bone. Note, this palette did come with a plastic protector with the names on it, but I was travelling, so I threw it out, sorry!
3. With a lighter matte brown colour (beside the shimmery champagne), apply this right under the brow highlight but above your crease, acting as your transition colour.
4. Apply the shimmery blue (below the shimmery champagne) to your crease with a crease brush (like a MAC 217). You don’t need a lot on your brush for this, so go light and make sure to blend!
5. Going back to that shimmery champagne, with an eyeshadow brush, apply this to your lids. It’s funny because this actually looks more like a silver over top of the blue in the crease. Take the colour also into your inner corner to open up the eye area.
6. Line your upper lash line, winging it out with a liquid liner (I used Marc Jacobs Beauty Magic Marc’er in Blacquer), then curl your lashes and apply some coats of mascara.
7. With that same shimmery blue you used in the crease, apply this along your lower lash line. After, coat your lower lashes with mascara.
8. Apply your foundation and concealer (I used NARS Sheer Glow foundation and Maybelline Fit Me Concealer), then with the matte bronzer from the Face Contour Kit, apply this along the hollows of your cheeks. After, choose a nude blush, I used NARS Madly.
9. Finally, with the shimmery side of the Face Contour Kit, apply this on your cheekbones for a hint of shine.
And that’s the final look! Each of these products were quite affordable; I think I paid like 7.99 pounds for each (I think the contour kit was maybe 6.99). I do have to say though, that if you are in London, they can be a challenge to find. I knew that you could pick them up at Boots, but I only found one Boots store that carried them and that was the one on Oxford Street. With that being said, if you see a Superdrug, they have them there (I had to buy the Face Contour Kit at Superdrug as they were sold out of the lighter one at Boots). When I was in Rome, I popped by Sephora and they actually had the Sleek Garden of Eden palette in store, so check the European Sephoras as well (they only had that one palette, so random).
Sleek also ships around the world, so if you are interested in the line, check out their site, sleekmakeup.com.
Have you tried Sleek products? What were your thoughts?
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We’ve all seen them. Friends tagging friends on Facebook to post pics of them wearing no makeup, appropriately called the “no-makeup selfie”. Although it received much criticism and a flood of comments from people saying it was taking over their timelines, it was actually a movement for raising funds for cancer.
Bridging on that theme, this week’s FASHION magazine Beauty Panel challenge was why we wear makeup and what it means to us. Sure, some can say that the cosmetics industry is vain, making women change their appearance, but for me, makeup is much more. You can read my post on FASHION online about what makeup means to me, but for a lot of people (myself included) it’s a form of healing. Sure, it makes you look beautiful on the outside, but it can also be a makeover for the soul.
I was approached by Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) Canada to chat with their executive director Sherry Abbott while she was in town this past Wednesday. I had previously heard about LGFB through the different cosmetic companies I deal with and had an understanding of what they do, but didn’t realize the full scope of the program until I met Sherry.
LGFB, which is present in 20 countries around the world, was created from a belief that if a woman with cancer can be helped to look good, chances are she’ll feel better, her spirits will be lifted and she’ll be empowered to face her illness with greater confidence. In this free two-hour program for cancer patients, they are given a kit of makeup products (based on skin tone – light, medium, or dark) and learn how to apply makeup and the benefits of each product. Cancer and its treatment can cause a variety of changes in your appearance. Skin may become extra dry and irritated, it may change colour and texture, and dark circles may appear under your eyes. Depending on your treatment, you could lose your hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc., which can take a toll on your confidence.
Cancer has impacted members of my family, but I haven’t really been affected by it that personally. I knew that you lose your hair going through chemo, but in speaking with Sherry, who is a 25-year cancer survivor (she had stage 4 advanced cancer, as well as inoperable tumours around the heart and was told that there was no hope), I didn’t realize how much of an effect it can have on your whole appearance. During treatment, a weakened immune system is vulnerable to infection. As a result, cancer patients should be more vigilant about skin care and hygiene and only use clean, disposable cotton balls, pads, sponges, cotton swabs, or cosmetic spatulas to apply cosmetics, tossing them after every use. In addition to teaching participants about a proper skincare regime, they learn how to diminish the appearance of dark circles, how to cover broken capillaries, blemishes, facial redness, brighten the eye area, and make eyeshadow last longer, as well as how to apply foundation, powder, blush, you name it. Participants also learn essential tips like how to fill in sparse brows or how to “fake” a natural-looking brow if they lost their hair from chemo treatments. For those who have lost their eyelashes, making dots with their eyeliner along the lash line will create the illusion of lashes. The program also touches on hair, wigs, nails, you name it, all in a two-hour period.
The program is free and works on an honour system. Usually there’s around 10 people in the class, and everyone is invited to bring a companion. The participants are led by a collection of volunteers, all industry trained in hair or makeup. Over the past couple of years, the program has consistently supported 10,000 women all across Canada.
Okay, so you may be thinking, why can’t these women just watch YouTube tutorials? There are tons of brow tutorials on the Internet. Well, it’s not just about the makeup. The program is really about bringing out confidence in women and taking back control of their bodies. It takes a look at the psycho social effects of cancer, which is something that isn’t focused on as much as the physical aspects of the disease. The program isn’t about the makeup (although, I have to say the box they get is amazing, tons of products from MAC, L’Oreal, Rimmel, Estee Lauder, Jergen’s, Marcelle, Clinique, etc. – all for free), it’s about being in a supporting environment and meeting other women who also are affected by cancer. It’s estimated that two out of every five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime. That adds up to 40 per cent of Canadian women and 45 per cent of Canadian men.
When a woman loses her hair, it can be very traumatic for them, and as Sherry says, is usually just the tip of the iceberg with what is actually going on. It’s not just about the hair loss, it’s the fear of the unknown and a collaboration of many things that are happening all at once, so by learning to apply makeup and choosing the best wigs or how to style your hair, they are taking back some of that control.
Sherry (who is so fab by the way – she keeps a tube of Chanel lipstick in her boot) says that the program isn’t about teaching the women to make themselves look glamourous, they are there to make them look and feel like themselves and help them put their best self forward and take back some of the control that they may have lost.
Since the program is the cosmetic and beauty industry charity of choice, their sponsors include pretty much any makeup brand you can think of. At retail value, they receive around $4 million dollars of products that get packed into 11,000 kits which are given to participants.
The foundation is actually having a few different fundraisers happening right now if you wanted to support (who wouldn’t?!), including The Great Beauty Giveaway spring sampling event at Hudson’s Bay (events are taking place April 10-27, check your local Bay store), where $2 from every $10 ticket will benefit LGFB (with the remaining $8 going towards a cosmetic or fragrance purchase at Hudson’s Bay). There are also LGFG tote bags for $15 with any cosmetic or fragrance purchase between April 11 and May 11, with $5 from each sale going towards the organization. Sears is also having their spring beauty gala on April 30 at Sears stores across Canada, where $2 from every $10 ticket goes towards LGFB (with the rest going towards a purchase). Finally, Shoppers Drug Mart, a double diamond supporter of the organization is having a gala event on May 3 at Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Atlantic Canada on May 3, 2014 where $5 from each $10 ticket will go towards LGFB, with the remaining $5 redeemable on any purchase made at Shoppers during the event.
For more information about Look Good Feel Better Canada – and to find a workshop location and time near you – you can visit them online at LGFB.ca. Also, for those looking for support and networking during treatment, make sure you visit facingcancer.ca, which is a welcoming online community where women with cancer, and those who support them, can share, confide, and connect. The site hosts blogs (including Sherry’s blog), forums, polls, and information about everything else one who is going through cancer may be interested in.
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Okay, so you know how some makeup brands you just associate with an older generation? I hate to admit it, but I totally typecast brands. I really shouldn’t because more often than not, when I try out products from a brand that I think is more geared towards my mom, I usually end up loving them. Arbonne is one of those brands.
You may know Arbonne from the many makeup parties they hold, but basically the brand is sold through independent consultants, similar to Mary Kay or Avon. I have tried many products from the brand, heck, I even used a ton of them in one of my Valentine’s Day makeup looks, and I have to admit, their stuff is good. Sure, you can’t buy it at Sephora or the drugstore, but the products pack some serious punch.
I had the chance to try out their mascara, and since I am a lash freak, I was so excited to put it to the test. With it’s cheeky name, It’s a Long Story mascara is a high-performance lengthening mascara that creates the look of ultra-dramatic lashes with major longitude. Retailing for C$40, the product is exclusively designed with revolutionary polypeptides to promote the appearance of longer lashes. It includes bamboo and pea extracts and pro-vitamins B5, C, and E pamper and nurture for a lavish, high-gloss look.
According to their press material, based on a clinical survey of 30 individuals, 97 per cent agreed that their lashes looked longer; 97 per cent loved the look of their lashes; 97 per cent were satisfied with the mascara’s overall performance; 100 per cent were satisfied with the overall condition of their lashes; and 100 per cent agreed that the brush helped define the look of their lashes.
I personally love the brush on this mascara because it’s thin and flexible, making it easy to really get to the base of your lashes and wiggle your way up. The wand glides on to create long, luscious lashes. It’s also perfect for layering, which is how I’ve been using this mascara for the most part.
Overall, I did like this mascara, and it worked great, but for C$40, I have tried better. I do think it’s a bit overpriced as it’s not the most amazing, holy grail mascara out there. YSL Faux Cils Shocking retails for around the same price and I personally think that’s a better mascara then this one. I feel like I get the same effect with CoverGirl’s Lash Blast Clump Crusher, which I would say would be a good dupe for this mascara and you can buy that one for under $10.
Overall, I think It’s a Long Story does a great job; my lashes looked long, so it lives up to its claims, I just feel that at C$40 it’s a bit overpriced.
Have you tried Arbonne’s It’s a Long Story mascara? If so, what were your thoughts?
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If there’s one international drugstore brand that gets a lot of hype, it’s Sleek makeup. I’ve been wanting to try products from the UK brand for a while as they often get mentioned on many YouTube beauty videos, but since the products aren’t offered in Canada (you can buy them online), I’ve been holding out.
And that’s the final look! Each of these products were quite affordable; I think I paid like 7.99 pounds for each (I think the contour kit was maybe 6.99). I do have to say though, that if you are in London, they can be a challenge to find. I knew that you could pick them up at Boots, but I only found one Boots store that carried them and that was the one on Oxford Street. With that being said, if you see a Superdrug, they have them there (I had to buy the Face Contour Kit at Superdrug as they were sold out of the lighter one at Boots). When I was in Rome, I popped by Sephora and they actually had the Sleek Garden of Eden palette in store, so check the European Sephoras as well (they only had that one palette, so random).
