Drugstore Stars | Sleek Makeup Blushes

Even as a professional makeup artist, I still love and regularly use products from the drugstore. Certain items have a permanent place in my kit and one brand that I love in particular is Sleek Makeup. When starting out, I looked towards Sleek to create a basic kit that was affordable and still of a high quality so that the standard of my work would not suffer. Now, even with the choice of purchasing higher end brands, certain Sleek products have maintained a permanent place in my kit. Their Blush by 3 Palettes are my favourite from the drugstore; for their price, performance and packaging. 

At £10 per palette, each blush equals to just over £3. This affordable trio is encased inside a fittingly sleek, slim and professional looking black palette. For £20 you can add 6 blushes to your kit; varying from matte to shimmer shades; coral to pink tones and options suitable for light, medium and dark skin tones. 

At such an affordable price, you would expect to have to cut corners in terms of quality and performance; but with Sleek this is not the case. I love the quality of these blushes and honestly can’t see myself replacing them for higher-end options any time soon as the only difference would be the noticeable hole left behind in my bank account.

(Shade : Lace)

For options in my kit, I bought two powder blush palettes and one containing cream blushes. The powder palettes I chose were Lace and Sugar. Lace is perfect for light skin tones and contains two matte shades; a coral and pink tone, and a gorgeous light pink with flecks of gold shimmer running through it. Sugar is ideal for warmer skin tones and contains two matte shades; a dark plum tone and a warm peach. The third shade is a pink-toned brown with gold shimmer running through it.

(Shade : Sugar)

The cream blush palette I have is Californ.I.A, which follows the same format of containing two matte options and one shade with a slight shimmer. The palette is the perfect combination of pink and coral toned blushes and can be used for adding colour to the cheeks or lips on light to medium skin tones.  

(Shade : Californ.I.A)

This is just a very brief selection of some of my favourite Sleek items. These blushes are intensely pigmented, blend seamlessly into the skin and I am yet to find a client or occasion that they have not worked brilliantly for. I honestly can’t see myself replacing these for other options any time soon. I would love to know all your thoughts on the brand and these blushes if you’ve tried them in the comments down below!

Devon 

xoxo

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13599149/?claim=hxw5eqfq2ba">Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Tutorial | Burnt Orange and Gold Smokey Eye

As an owner of blue eyes; I love nothing more than creating looks that will make the colour pop. The opposite shade on the colour wheel is orange; and so any bronze, orange or gold toned shadows are going to make blue eyes shine. Today I want to share with you a recent burnt orange, gold smokey eye I created, love and now can’t stop wearing!

This look, of course, is not restricted to only those blue eyed girls amongst you! It would look stunning on anyone wishing to create a summer themed bronze, glowing makeup look. Also, for those with a more delicate skin tone (like myself) this makes a perfect alternative to a dark smokey eye, which can sometimes look too heavy against a lighter skin. 

I started by priming my lids with my LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, and then added a thin layer of concealer over this before setting it in place with face powder. This three step routine is a must on my lid to ensure that the shadow stays in place and doesn’t crease. 

I then applied a bright orange shade as a transition colour through my crease. Having not been able to find the colour I was looking for amongst my palettes, I used my Sleek Blush by 3 in Lace. I took the shade 'Chantilly' on a fluffy brush and gradually built up this up, keeping the centre of my lid clear of colour. I also ran this along the length of my lower lash line.

To add depth, I then took the shade ‘Sable’, a warm, matte mid-toned brown from my LORAC Pro Palette, on a clean fluffy brush and blended this through the crease. I placed it over the top of the previous shade but closer to the centre of my lid, so that the orange was still visible on the outside edge.

Then on a large smudge brush, I took the shade ‘Espresso’ from the same palette and, shaking off any excess, placed a small amount of this on the outer corner and inner edge of my eye. I then gently ran a clean fluffy brush over the top of this to blend the colour in with the rest of the shades. On my lower lash line, I smudged out a brown kohl liner and then ran ‘Sable’ over the top. I also placed a nude liner along my lower waterline to widen and open up my eyes.

I finished the look by adding a vibrant gold to the centre of the lid. Taking a small, flat shadow brush, I first sprayed this with a little MAC Fix + before dabbing it into the 'Gold' from my LORAC Palette. The Fix + increases the vibrancy of the shade, turning it into more of a highly pigmented cream shadow; ideal for ensuring the centre of the lid stands out like I wanted. I also added a small amount of this to the middle section of my lower lash line.

I patted this on to the mobile part of my lid, and then took a blending brush and ran this back through my crease to ensure that the edge of the gold blended in seamlessly to the other shades. To ensure that the orange shade I started with still stood out, I took a small amount on my blending brush and gently ran this back over the edge of the look.

I finished by patting on 'Light Bronze' to the inner corner of my eye, adding mascara, filling in my brows with my Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade and spraying my Smashbox Primer Water over the entire look to set it in place. 

I think this will look amazing on anyone, regardless of eye colour or skin tone. I would love for you to give it try and if you do recreate this; be sure to tag me on Instagram @devonmartin.mua so I can see!

Devon 

xoxo

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13599149/?claim=hxw5eqfq2ba">Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Makeup Haul | Cult Beauty + Boots

A guilty online shop and in-store spree has led to a building collection of newly purchased beauty products that I've decided to throw together into this one haul. I am excited to share with you all the new makeup that I haven't been able to resist parting with my cash for. 

The first purchase I made was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Series Cream Contour Kit; the cream version of the highly coveted palette of professional sculpting powders. This has only recently been made available over here in the UK thanks to the online, high-end beauty seller Cult Beauty. When I saw that the palette had landed online, I eagerly hopped over to the site to place my order and I am excited to finally add this to my collection. 

An innocent trip to Boots led to several unexpected purchases as I am always powerless to resist new products when they are right in front of my eyes. 

Starting at the Smashbox counter, I picked up the Photo Finish Primer Water; a product I had been desperate to get my hands on yet had constantly found to be out of stock both online and in store. This water claims to hydrate and refresh your skin, create a sheer canvas for makeup and leave you with a vibrant complexion.

The newly released Step-By-Step Contour Stick Trio also caught my attention and, although a seemingly futile purchase considering the recent addition of the ABH palette to my collection, I easily convinced myself that this was a necessity. 

These pencils are in universal contour, bronze and highlight shades for defining and sculpting all face shapes. They are easy to apply, blend seamlessly and are perfect for a quick contour when in a rush.

Lastly I stopped by the Sleek MakeUp display, which I am rarely able to indulge in as my local store doesn't stock their products. I picked up the Face Form palette in ‘Light’, which contains a matte, ashy-toned contouring powder, an illuminating highlighter and a blush. The blush in this palette stands out the most as it is a pigmented rosy pink with flecks of gorgeous gold shimmer. 

I also bought the Blush By 3 Palette in the shade 'Californ.I.A', a trio of peach-toned cream blushers. I love using cream blushes to add a natural, dewy flush and I know that I will use this palette endlessly throughout the summer. Inside are the shades Newport Peach, The Surf and OC; all of which are amazingly pigmented, buildable and easy to blend. 

That’s all for this mix and match makeup haul and I hope that you enjoyed hearing about the most recent additions to my collection. I would love to hear all about your recent purchases as well as your current go-to products.

Devon

xoxo

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13599149/?claim=hxw5eqfq2ba">Follow my blog with Bloglovin