My Travel Make Up Bag

Okay, so I brought far too much make up on holiday. I hardly wore any of it but I wanted to cover all bases and I could fit it all into a small make up bag. We went to Crete for a week and had a very relaxing time, hence why I didn't wear much make up. If we'd been going out every night, I would have probably made more effort.

For face products I brought my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B40 as it's the darkest foundation I own. Sadly it's a touch too light for me now so I only wore it once, the same goes for my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3. If anyone has any recommendations for darker concealers in the drugstore, please let me know as I need one to fill the gap until I'm pale enough to wear what I already have. I brought my Illamasqua cream blush in Rude in case I wanted to wear blush but I ended up not using it. I brought the Illamasqua Highlighter brush to use with the blush and/or the foundation but again I didn't use it.

For lips I brought two balms - one from Yves Rocher which a lovely girl sent me in a swap. It's the best stick lip balm I've ever tried and I wish it was sold here in the UK. The other is just a Boots Soltan SPF 30 balm and I used both balms, obviously! I brought two Revlon lip butters; Tutti Frutti which I didn't use and Fig Jam which I did use because it's one of the five lip products I'm trying to use up. The two glosses I brought are also in my lip product challenge and I used both the Dior Lip Polish in 001 and Estee Lauder Pure Color gloss in Electric Cherry. I added the Sleek Eau La La liner in Moulin Rouge in case I fancied a red lip but of course, I was too lazy to use it!

For eyes I brought my NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base which I used a couple of times under shadows from the Wet'n'Wild The Gilded Age trio (sadly this is was limited edition but if you can ever get your hands on it, BUY IT!!) that I applied with the only eye brush I brought; the ELF Eyeshadow brush. I also brought an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Shadow Pencil in Rehab but didn't use it. I used BeneFit's They're Real mascara a few times - it's not waterproof so I didn't wear it during the day but it was fine in the evenings. The only brow product I brought was some MUA clear mascara.

I went a bit overboard with nail polish and brought five Essie minis. I ended up putting Fishnet Stockings on my toes halfway through the holiday and Lady Like on my nails but I didn't use Size Matters, Very Structured or Bangle Jangle but that was mostly due to the nasty nail polish remover pads I brought with me and because I forgot my top coat.

So there you go, that's what was in my travel make up bag and what I actually used. I hope that was useful! Let me know what your travel make up essentials are.

Stace xx

Sleek Eau La La Liner in Red Sky Night

I'd seen so many positive reviews of Sleek's latest liner offering that I decided to pick up a few. I went for two shades that I could use as lip pencils because I already have more than enough eye pencils. This  post is about a rose pink shade called Red Sky Night.

The actual pencil is black with a coloured tip which corresponds to the shade of the pencil; I thought that was a nice touch. It's nothing ground breaking but it does the job nicely.

Formula-wise, the pencil is smooth and creamy. It glides on my lips with ease. I'm confident that the more eye suitable shades are equally as creamy.  I've used this a few times as as all over lip colour and it's definitely more comfortable on my lips than I was expecting. When I swatched this on my hand and let it set, it was difficult to completely remove so I can vouch for them being relatively long lasting. I usually apply a gloss on top but even then the staying power is decent. Without a gloss it would easily last five hours on me which is unheard of!

This pink shade is a bit of a departure from my usual nudes and peachy/orange shades but it's been a welcome change. It does look a touch more cool-toned on my lips than it does swatched, though.

I'm planning on picking up a few more shades (I already have a red shade to try out) because I think these could be comparable to the NYX Slide On or Milani Liquif'Eye pencils. 

Sleek's Eau La La Liners are priced at £3.99 (or £4 on the website!) and are available both online (link) and in selected Superdrug stores.

Stace xx

My Top Five: Face Products Under £10

Following on from my favourite eye and lip products under £10, here are my favourite face products. Drugstore/high street make up seems so much more expensive now so you may notice I've not included a foundation. I do like Revlon PhotoReady but that is more than £10 so I couldn't add it in here!

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

I started using this a month or so ago and have a review here, if you're interested! It covers well and lasts all day. It is a little drying but that works well on blemishes for me. I use this under my eyes on top of my corrector too.

Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Perfect Pro Primer - £6.99

This is currently my go to primer and I have a review here. I really, really like this. I was struggling to find something which worked on my combination skin - creamy primers make my t-zone too greasy and mattifying primers make my cheeks too dry and dull. If you try anything from this top five, this would be my recommendation!

Sleek Blushes - £4.30

I've tried several of these. My absolute favourite is Suede; it was part of the Nude collection which launched a while ago. Luckily, it's a permanent shade! Suede is my favourite because it's pretty much fool proof to use (I never end up looking like Aunt Sally). Lots of the Sleek blushes are super pigmented so a light hand is usually required. 

Fashionista Blushes - £4

These are another new discovery for me but I like the idea of them. I have Juicy Apricot which is a lovely peachy pink shade. I'm planning on picking up three more and getting the quad to put them in but I had a hard time deciding on just three others! Some of the shades are a bit too sparkly for my liking but there are matte shades in the range too.

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer - £6.99

This is the only bronzer I own...yes, I only have one bronzer! I don't use this as a contour as much as I use it to warm up my complexion and to blend down my neck and chest if I want to look a bit less pasty. It smells yummy too.

Do you have any favourites from this category? Let me know in the comments!

Stace xx

My Top Five: Eye Products Under £10

Sleek Palettes

£6.49 from Superdrug or Sleekmakeup.com

I've had lots of these in the past but the ones I've held on to are the Original, Storm and Sunset palettes; all of which are permanent. These eyeshadows are great quality. I'm not a fan of their matte shadows but I'm not a fan of matte shadows in general anyway. Each palette contains 12 shadows. They tend to come out with a lot of limited edition palettes but there is something for everyone in the permanent range, too.

MUA Pro Palettes

£4 from Superdrug

I have this in Heaven & Earth - it's a great neutral palette. The shadows are creamy and well pigmented. There are 12 shadows in each palette and I believe there are five palettes available.

GOSH Long Lasting Eye Liner Pens

£5.99 from Superdrug

I'm not the best at applying liquid liner but I really like this one. It comes in lots of different shades. The best thing about this liner is its staying power - I swatched these on my hand when I first got them and they stayed on through me washing the dishes and having a shower!

17 Wild Metallics Cream Eyeshadows

£3.99 from Boots

These are really nice cream shadows. They're available in six shades at the moment but hopefully 17 will come out with more! The shade I have is called Wild Nude and it's a great neutral shade for a quick eye look. Definitely worth checking out!

E.L.F. Eye Lid Primer

£1.50 from E.L.F.

This is a really decent eye primer. I've repurchased this a couple of times. It's very similar to Urban Decay's Primer Potion. It's a great product to try if you're not sure about spending lots of money on an eye primer.




Do you have any favourite eye products from the high street/drugstore? Let me know!


Stace xx

20% Off: CherryCulture.com & Sleekmakeup.com

I just thought I'd share these two offers with you!

First up, Sleek are doing a flash sale today (20th October). They're offering 20% off between 2pm - 4pm. This offer is open to those in Europe and the US. Click here to go to the site.

Secondly, Cherryculture.com are offering 20% off everything until the 23rd October. They sell NYX and Milani amongst other things and their prices are already very reasonable. I've used them before and shipping to the UK is around $14 which is pricey but the products are so much cheaper than in the UK that it's worth it if you make a big order.

Happy shopping!

Stace xx

Sleek Nude Collection Blush in Suede

Sleek - Suede

I wasn't keen on the Nude palette and Sleek Pout Polishes taste horrible to me so I didn't think I'd be overly into this collection (despite being a die-hard neutrals lover). When I first saw photos of Suede I thought to myself 'that's a lovely colour but I bet it's ridiculously pigmented so would be a pain to use'. However, I read and watched the reviews on this collection and the general consensus seemed to be that this blush is different from the previous blushes Sleek has released in its collections. This made me want to give it a go. 

I should point out that I've owned Sleek blushes in Scandalous, Aruba and Santorini but couldn't get on with them as I found I needed such a light hand to avoid looking like a clown. For reference, my skin is around NC30. I think those blushes are great value for money and brilliant colours considering Sleek is a drugstore brand but I think they're best suited for women with very dark skin or for someone who doesn't mind spending ages applying their blush. I've tried Rose Gold and Pomegranate too; I didn't get on too well with those either because they're too shimmery for me.

Me, hard to please? Never!

To cut a long story short, I picked up Suede yesterday and I can safely say it's the best Sleek blush I've ever tried. The colour is perfect for my skin tone (but it would look equally as good on pale skinned girls, I think) and it's got just the right amount of pigmentation. I can apply this easily with my MAC 168 and I didn't worry about looking like a clown. I've been wearing it all day and I've found the staying power to be about average - it lasts longer than my MAC Mineralize blushes and around the same length of time as other satin and matte finish blushes I own. The colour goes with lots of different make up looks as it just seems to warm up my face with a nice peach-brown tint.

My only gripe with Sleek blushes now is that their compacts are a pain to open...I chipped a nail because of it this morning...grr!!

If you get the chance to pick this up, you should!

Stace xx

Haul & Swatches: China Glaze, Sleek & Bourjois

I saw the MAC Semi Precious collection was online a few days ago and wanted to spend a fortune but in the end I decided to pass; I'd been reading the Temptalia posts about the collection and had thought I'd want a few items but when it came down to it, I already had similar shades in my collection. I avoided the store when I went to town today just in case I was tempted! I've been trying not to spend too much recently so this is only a little haul!


I realised that there's a Sally's right round the corner from me. I've never been there before but I knew they stocked China Glaze so decided to pop in today. Here's what I came out with:

Ruby Pumps - £6.49

Aztec Orange - £6.49

Ruby Pumps had been on my wish list for some time. I probably won't be wearing it until later in the year, though. I've swatched it and I like how even though it's glittery, it's not really gritty on the nail. I hate that feeling! I spotted Aztec Orange because I've been looking for a coral/orange/red shade for ages! I'm waiting on a swap parcel which includes Essie's Chubby Cheeks but it is much more orange. I might be putting this one on straight away! I'm a bit concerned that the formula seems a bit thin so I'll get back to you on that!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in shade 55 - £9.99

I tried this in 56 a few months ago and it was super dark. I thought I'd need 54 but when I swatched both in store and 54 seemed a little too light. I've not tried this on my face yet so I'm not sure it will work but I think it will! I love the smell of this and the formula is lovely and lightweight. I can't wait to wear it!

Sleek Oh So Special Palette - £6.49

I managed to pick up the last one on the shelf. This was a bit of an impulse buy but I did have it on my wish list. I do prefer neutrals so I thought I was sure to like this one.

My favourites are the shimmery shades, especially Gift Basket, Organza and Glitz. I'm not a huge fan of matte eyeshadows in general and had to swatch some of these quite heavily to get them to show up. Wrapped Up was the best matte shade in terms of pigmentation but all the mattes do have a smooth texture. I'm sure I will use this but it's not as great as I was expecting it to be; I think the Storm Palette will always be my favourite!

That's all folks!

Have you picked up Oh So Special? Or do you own any of the other items I purchased? What do you think of them?

Stace xx