aka- Sleek Storm palette review.

Now this palette is by no means a new purchase or find (about a year old to be precise), but it still has to be one of my favourites of all time. Beautiful colours, brilliant application, and amazing value. The palette is one of the first 3 of sleek's 'i-Divine' series of palettes, retailing at most Superdrug stores for around £4.50 if I remember correctly, with the other 2 being the 'original' group of colourful shimmers, and the matte 'chaos' collection.

For me, having an odd shade of mushy green/grey eyes, I've found this palette to be the most wearable, with the warm shades acting both as perfect shimmery neutrals, and brilliant shades for a night time smokey eye (my personal favourite being the rich burgundy and bronze shades). The storm pallette contains 12 soft shadows in a mix of matte's and shimmers, the top row being warmer shades, and the bottom being coolers smokey shimmers, a matte dark brown, and a perfect matte black.

Swatches; Taken with flash on lighter than nc15 ghostly skin, no primer or base and single swipes. (note that top row shadows are infact a little more opaque and darker than shown, flash was brighter on that shot, my apologies). Unfortunately no shots of the palette itself.

Top row (minus a matte taupe shade which smashed).

Bottom row.

As you can see, the top row provides beautiful soft shimmery neutrals, and the bottom a more smokey, almost vampy array of colours. A perfect purchase for anyone after a palette that can multitask and won't cost you the earth. Definately one of my best purchases, still going strong after a year, give or take the odd denting or smashed shade (not a reflection of the quality of the product, more my lack of care when throwing it in my bag).

...Of my favourite things.

So I figured a good start to blogging would be the olbigatory 'favourites' item. Like any other chick my age, of course I'm a great lover of makeup and clothes (possibly too much some could say, mainly my mother), even if my own tastes may not mirror current trends to an exact copy. Generally there's too many to pick from in the ever expanding blackhole that appears to be my makeup bag (well in fact it's a box) at this very moment in time; it would no doubt take a week to pick favourites if I really went through it in its entirety. Taking this into account, here are some that I can grab off the top of my head right now. I may come back to this with a more thought out list at a later date.


Foundation: Right now, Gosh Xceptional Wear in Porcelain Revlon age defying in Ivory. Yes I may not need anti ageing ingredients any time soon, but it's one of the few foundations I've found where I'm happy with the texture AND colour of it on my skin.

Powder: Collection 2000 pressed powder in Ivory, or Stargazer white pressed powder, depending on whether I'm feeling pale or not.

Primer: Rarely use it, but Gosh velvet touch primer if anything.

Blush: Elizabeth Arden cheekcolor in Peach Bisque

Bronzer: None

Concealer: E.L.F in rosy beige and ivory, occasionally MAC studio concealer in nw15.

Highlight: MAC vanilla pigment, or Boots No7 limited edition block highlighter from the Christmas Collection 2 years ago.

Moisturiser: Nivea original cream, or Nivea Visage natural beauty cream (contains light reflecting glowy particles).

Lipgloss: Revlon super lustrous gloss in glossy rose.

Lipstick: MAC russian red, Gosh Darling, Boots Natural Collection fig leaf, or Bourjois violene venere.

Lipbalm: Carmex original, blistex relief cream, alba passionfruit nectar lip balm, rose and co rosebud salve.

Lip liner: Nyx lip liner pencil in fuschia, Wet N Wild lip pencil in an unknown red (the text has rubbed off unfortunately)

Eye primer: White pencil or foundation.

Eyeshadow: MAC blackened red pigment, famous by Sue Moxley in hattie brown (discontinued), bourjois shadow in khaki mysterieux, Accesorize shadow in an unknown mushroom shade, Various MUA shadows.

Eyeliner: Rimmel Professional liquid liner in black, Collection 2000 eye definer in black, collection 2000 glam crystals in dancing queen, w7 sparkle stix in bronze.

Mascara: Boots natural collection lashguard in black, revlon fabulash in black.

Nail polish: Right now, gosh rainbow layered over E.L.F Midnight navy, Barry M emerald, Accesorize aztec.

Perfume: Ghost deep night, Lush solid perfume in Karma or Givenchy very irresistible.