Review, Swatches + Look: Sleek Berry Collection

As is probably evident from reading my blog, I am a massive fan of Sleek. So when I saw their new collection I knew I had to have it! This time the collection is quite different from what we've seen in the past. It all comes packaged in a gift box - great for presents. Although this does mean you can't purchase the items separately. The pieces included in this collection are also something different, which I personally am really enjoying. The set includes...

• Blush in Fenberry
• Kohl Liner in Mossberry
• True Colour Lipstick in Cranberry 

The Basics

As I've just mentioned this collection has three products - Blush (8g), Lipstick (3.5g) and Kohl Pencil (4.2g), all of which have a matte finish to them. And as you may have guessed they all have a somewhat berry colour to them, all with slight variations - they don't all have the exact same colour! The set comes in a nice red box, perfect for present giving - sorry I haven't included a picture, mine was very scratched and messy (last one!). All for a great price of £9.99.

Wearing all three products.

Blush - Fenberry

When I first saw this I was a little worried it might be too dark, but actually after wearing it a few times I've come to really like the slightly dark and browned berry colour, especially for the colder months. It applies nicely, and lasts about 4-5 hours on me, but my cheeks aren't known for keeping blush on well! The pigmentation isn't quite as strong as other blushes I have from the brand but this is actually a good thing as it means it's easier to apply a good amount on my pale skin. I'm really liking this! 

 

Kohl Pencil - Mossberry

Out of the three this is my least favourite as it's not something I'd use much on my eyes. It does work fairly well with nudey gold shades though, but I do prefer to make sure I've used a black liner on my waterline for better definition. The pencil itself is one of the chunky style ones and to me smells a little waxy. The application is fairly smooth, but the product isn't creamy and could be better pigmented - but it's not bad. The colour again is a berry tone with hints of pinky plum. A colour you'll want to be careful using on the eye area! 

 

Lipstick - Cranberry

This lipstick has a matte formula and so does feel quite dry on the lips, I would strongly suggest using a primer or balm underneath for smoother application. But this style of formula does mean that the product is incredibly long lasting on the lips, I quite easily get 5 hours wear with even with some eating/drinking. I really like the deep red matte colour of the lipstick, although it's a more wearable colour for me than appears in the bullet, but others may want the bullet colour. 

Overall I think this is a great little set and would make an ace present or stocking stuffer for the special people in your life! My favourite of the three has to be the blush, with the lipstick coming in a close second. The Kohl Pencil I'm not so fond of, but it looks alright on the lips - not that it claims to be lipsafe!

I really hope you found this post helpful, or at least interesting, but if you have any questions or wanted more pictures, comparisons or anything else then don't hesitate to leave a comment below. 

This has been one of my favourite sets I've bought recently, how are you all liking it? Is it on your wishlist, or is it not something for you? I know I'd definitely appreciate a more fresh coloured set for spring/summer! Thanks for stopping by, H :) 

FOTD - Shiro Cosmetics Look

Recently I've found myself reading a lot of blogs that have a strong focus on indie make-up. And I must say their love for it is slightly contageous! I've found myself making some orders with some companies that caught my fancy - don't worry all the usual swatching will be featured soon! My first order from Shiro Cosmetics turned up yesterday, so naturally I had a bit of a play with them this morning and came up with this quick look, hopefully you'll enjoy it! 

As is often said with mineral make-up the photos do no justice to the shadows! The colours look a lot more beautiful and interesting in real life - I don't think my camera helps much either though! And if I'm honest I probably could have used a better base too! 

PRODUCTS USED

Face

• Too Faced Primed & Poreless Face Primer
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation - 51 Light Vanilla
• Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Fair
• The Body Shop Pressed Face Powder - 01
• Sleek Face Contour Kit - Light (both sides)
• Collection 2000 Blush - Bashful   

Eyes

• Too Faced Shadow Insurance 
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - Milk (base + highlight)
• Shiro Cosmetics - Din's Fire (lid)
• Shiro Cosmetics - Task Force (outer lid)
• Shiro Cosmetics - A Neat Gun (crease)
• Shiro Cosmetics - Still Alive (blending out crease)
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - Black Bean (liner)
• Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

Lips 

• 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick - Beehive

I hope you've enjoyed this look, but if you have any questions, comments or criticisms then don't hesitate  to comment below! A fair few of the products I used I'll be reviewing over the coming weeks, but I must say I wasn't that impressed with the NYX Jumbo Pencils as a liner - it was smudgarific! Pretty good as a base though. 

But anyway I'm rambling, thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate you all and hope you enjoy reading my blog, H :)    

Review + Swatches: ELF Cream Eyeliner in Teal Tease

Two eyeliner reviews in two days, I think I'm on a roll! I also recently reviewed some of the other shades of Cream Eyeliners ELF does. But they've recently released some new shades on the UK site so I wanted to get some swatches of one up and a quick look of it on my eye. And it wouldn't be a review without quickly talking about what I think of it too! This is available from ELF's website for £3.50. 

As always I've included a summary at the end.

The Basics

These liners come in a stylish and practical but slightly chunky plastic pot. There isn't a seal in the lid, but I haven't had a problem with the ones I've had drying out yet, so yeah! Inside each pot is 4.7g of product - which is a very decent amount. The range consists of an amazing 11 different shades - very impressive for the drugstore/highstreet! 

The Formula

This has a creamy easy to work with formula. It doesn't stay emollient on the eye though and dries down. Once dried down it means it won't smear everywhere, but I will say that if you get watery eyes, this liner will disappear with your tears! I have found it will smudge a little on my eyes by the end of the day, but this may not be the case for you as pretty much every liner will smudge to some extent on me! 

L-R: ELF Teal Tease, Urban Decay Flipside, Collection 2000 Teal, Rimmel Jungle Green

   

Colour and Pigmentation

The pigmentation here isn't awful, but unfortunately isn't the best either. But all is not lost as it is buildable as you can see on my eye below (~3 layers). The colour itself is actually really interesting bright shimmery teal with golden microglitter running through it - nothing scratchy though! The golden parts are very subtle and don't really show up on the eye and are much more visible in the pot. 

The Good - comes with a brush (great for brows), great colour range, cheap, unique colour in gel liners from UK highstreet. 

The Not so Good - could be better pigmented, have to buy online in UK, on me it's not water-resistant like it claims. 

Who might like it? Those looking for bright liners at a cheap price, they also make a nice eyeshadow base. 

Would I repurchase these? More than likely, as this one was a repurchase. Punk Purple looks really great too. 

Anyway that rounds off my review for today, I hope you found it helpful, but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me! But thank you so much for stopping by, I know I always say it, but I really mean it. Your all great! H :)      

Review + Swatches: No7 Mini Metallic Eyes Pencil Set - Beneath the Morning Skies

Possibly one of the longest post titles ever! But also one of my favourite eyeliner formulas too! I've used the pencil set I brought from No7 last Christmas so much over the last year that I decided it would be a shame not to check out this years offerings. On first look they seemed pretty similar to the shades I had, but after getting them home and swatching, it was definitly money well spent. Talking of money the set costs £13.50 from Boots. 

As always I've included a summary at the end. 

L-R: Gold, Bronze, Copper, Amethyst, Emerald.

The Basics

Like last year this pencil set includes 5 pencils in different metallic colours. Each pencil contains 0.8g of product, which isn't full size but is still a reasonable amount of product. The colours included in this set are Emerald, Amethyst, Copper, Bronze and Gold. They do have some resemblence to the ones in the sets last year, but none of them as far as I know are exactly the same (but I don't have all of last years ones!). And finally No7 has also released another Pencil Set with different colours this year called Beneath the Evening Stars. 

 

The Formula

Apart from the black plastic style tubing, the formula also reminds me of Urban Decay 24/7 liners. They are creamy and smooth and apply really nicely and easily to the eye. They don't drag on the eye either. One slight draw back of the soft creamy formula is that they're not the easiest to sharpen. But putting them in the fridge for a bit first can help!

 

Longevity

For me the wear on these isn't perfect to the end of the day, but nothing really is on my eyes! But this is my favourite pencil formula I've tried so far, especially for the way it lasts on my lashline. There is a small amount of smudging by the end of the day around my outer corners and only reminants on my waterline. So basically this is more of a lashline liner! 

L-R: Gold, Bronze, Copper, Amethyst, Emerald.

Colour and Pigmentation

The pigmentation as a whole with the liners is really good, with Copper in this set being not quite as strongly coloured as the other four. But it's still pretty good! They also all share the same lightly metallic finish.

Gold - This is a pretty yellowed, slightly paler but still bright true gold. What a muddled sentence!

Bronze - A really pretty tarnished bronze colour, with subtle golden shimmer, making it great with green eyeshadows. 

Copper - This is a pretty standard copper shade, not quite my thing, but a thin line is just about do-able! And like I said above this isn't quite as pigmented as the others. 

Amethyst - This is a bright plummy purple with a very slight pink tinge to it - don't let this put you of though as it's beautiful. Amethyst is a brighter/lighter purple than the Smoky Purple pencil from last year. 

Emerald -  This is VERY similar to the Smoky Peacock liner from last year, I'll probably think of them as the same when using them. But still a pretty, darkish emerald green, leaning slightly teal.

The Good - long lasting, creamy soft, good value set, good colour selection, good pigmentation.

The Not so Good - doesn't last on the waterline,  limited edition colours, can be a little too soft - don't press hard! (not that you'll need to)

Would I buy these again? Absolutly, I have 10 of the Metallic Eyes Pencils now and theres always room for more! And I must say I'm tempted by the other set they have this year... 

Who might like this? Those looking for a cheaper version of the 24/7 liners. People looking for a pencil with good longevity. 

After writing this post I've realised I really should have added some comparison swatches as I've mentioned a few other liners. So if that's something you'd like to see then just let me know and I'll get some up here for you :) But as always if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. 

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it, H :)  

Empties: Face & Body Edition

Introducing my super cute rubber ducky, he has no name, but he is definitely ready for a bath with his scuba mask! But anyway... I don't often write about Face & Body products here on Midnight Violets, but they do crop up sometimes. I found myself finishing a few products in the last week or so, it's strange how things all happen at once. Some of the products I loved and some I was trying to finish just so they weren't sat around, but I'll be sharing my thoughts on all! On with the post! 

My Empties are...

• Lush Grass Shower Gel (250g)
• Treacle Moon Lemonade Days Shower Gel (500ml)
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash (100ml)
• Skin Therapy Facial Wipes (Wilkinsons)
• ELF Brush Shampoo (120ml)

Lush Grass Shower Gel 

(250g for £9.25)

Lovely shower gel, which the name suggests smells just like freshly cut grass. Not to everyone taste, but I really liked it and found it could be used on your hair without drying it out too. It also worked really well in the bath mixed with Original Sources Lime Shower Gel. 

Would I repurchase this? Who knows, I liked it, but it's not my favourite and not the cheapest. But I love the ingredients list! 

Treacle Moon Those Lemonade Days Shower Gel 

(500ml for £3.03)

A lot cheaper than the Lush one, but for me that came at a price. I found that it made my skin a bit dry after using it. But saying that it did have the most amazing lemon sherbet scent to it. Not much more to say really except the packaging is really cute. Oh and these are sold at Tesco to save any of you hunting after the brand!

Would I repurchase this? Probably not the Shower Gel, but Treacle Moon sells some nice everyday body scrubs, I use the Coconut one quite a lot - it's nothing special but smells delish! 

   

The Body Shop Tea Tree Blackhead Exfoliating Wash 

(100ml for £5.50)

Really liked this scrub, it didn't dry my skin out like some of The Body Shop skincare can and was gentle enough to use frequently. I won't claim it gives me perfect skin, but not much, if anything on it's own will but this definitely made an improvement! 

Would I repurchase this? Well I did go in to buy a back up a while ago but came out with the Vitamin C Facial Polish as it looked good and was on offer. But I would have got the Tea Tree one otherwise!

Skin Therapy Facial Wipes 

(Very cheap, can't remember the exact price!)

These are dirt cheap face wipes from Wilkinsons. Smells not great, but they seem to do the job. I don't really tend to use these much on my face as I prefer to take my make-up off and clean my face properly. But these work great for removing swatches from your hand and lips during a swatching session. And I must say they make my lips feel really really soft after!

Would I repurchase this? This was my third packet and I've already started a fourth, which says it really! 

ELF Brush Shampoo (120ml for £3.50)

Not quite a face or body product, but it's managed to work it's way into these kind of reviews. I bought this almost a year ago but only picked it up occasionally as it's pretty expensive for what it is really, considering baby shampoo works just as well. But if you'd rather a specific product for brush cleaning this could be a answer. 

Would I repurchase this? Can't see it happening to be honest, but I'll definitely be back to ELF for makeup! 

That just about rounds off my empties for now, back to the make-up empties next time though! Unless you liked hearing about some of my other empties? Let me know :) But as always if you wanted to know anything else then don't hesitate to ask me. Thanks for stopping by, H :)

Review + Swatches: No7 Beneath the Morning Skies Compact

For the Christmas period No7 released an interesting selection of products, with quite a good idea behind them. Basically there are two themes - Beneath the Morning Skies and Beneath the Evening Stars, each with an eyeshadow palette, eyeliner set and nail set. I picked a couple up, this palette and an eyeliner set (review coming soon!). As you probably know this is available from Boots, and priced at £13.

As always I've included a summary at the end!

 

The Basics

This is a handy travel friendly palette containing 9 baked eyeshadows. I will have to say that I don't really think you get much product for your money - 3.6g combined (doing the maths that's 0.4g each). The look of the palette isn't really to my liking, but that's a personal opinion and I'm not quite sure I fit into No7's target market anyway! As I said in the intro this palette is also available in a different colour option - Beneath the Evening Stars. 

  

The Formula

These have a baked formula to them meaning they can be used both wet and dry. I personally don't like to use things wet, but they will come up a LOT stronger over a sticky base. As far as the rest of the formula is I do find they aren't the easiest to blend, but I find this a common problem with baked eyeshadows. Also even with using a primer and no sticky base (using a sticky base can make shadow crease quicker) I find these crease at about 5 hours wear. I feel I've been a bit harsh here, but this isn't the cheapest so I tend to set my standards a little higher!

My best ways to use it.

Lets put it out there, baked eyeshadows generally lack in the pigmentation department over a normal primer. And these are no different. However if you use a sticky base/use wet these come to life and give much more vibrant colour. But if you prefer a sheerer wash of colour then that can be achieved with a normal primer/bare skin. It's just down to personal choice, but I guess it's nice to have a more versatile palette - even if it does mean more effort to get bright colour! But I'm lazy haha! Check out the swatches below to see the differences :)

 The Colours

Most of these colours work really well for smoky looks and have more interesting shades to them than you might think at a first glance. All have a shimmery finish and some subtle microglitter to them.

First Row -  a charcoal black, a deep bronzey taupe and a deep true purple.

Middle Row - a pale coppered peach, a medium turquoise that leans more green and a deep forest green.

Bottom Row - A yellowed gold, a navy with slight purple hints and a black based pinky purple. 

 

  

The Good - Palette size and amount of colours makes it good for travel, can achieve a variety of finishes, good for smokey eyes. 

The Not so Good - not very pigmented without sticky base/wet, could be easier to blend, don't get that much product. 

Would I buy it again? Probably not, but it's not because it's a bad product, just not very suited to me. 

Who might like it? Those that like more subtle colours, but might want something stronger now and again. 

The Bottom Line - Not really my thing, but I think some will really like it. 

A bit of a mixed review today, it really depends on what you like really. But everybody likes different things so I've tried my best to cover some different angles. But if I haven't said what you wanted to here then feel free to moan at me or ask me a question! 

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog, it really means a lot to me and I hope you liked it, H :)      

Lip Swatches: Models Own Tinted Lip Balms

Back in the summer I took the plunge and brought the full set of the Models Own Lip Balms whilst they were having a 50% off sale. It has taken me a while to get the lip swatches up but better late than never as they always say! Being me I stupidy forgot to put one of the balms in the picture below, but all 6 have been included in the lip swatches! They are available from Boots and the Models Own website for £5 each. 

The Basics

These come in pretty basic but sturdy and practical glass jars that fit nicely in your pocket. Inside each one have 6g of product in. They all have different subtle fruity scents, nicer than the scent of Sleeks Pout Polishes and without the taste too. There is a range in pigmentation, but I'll go through that when I talk about them individually. They have a good moisturization and all have a nice glossy finish. 

 

01 - Glass

This is just a clear balm, with a nice glossy finish and a thick almost slightly gel like texture. Great for adding over lip stains or to use on it's own for a subtle shine. 

  

02 - Ballet Pink

This was the one that I was on the fence about buying as I was scared it would be a pigmented baby pink - which definitely isn't me! But it actually applied pretty much colourless with a very subtle golden shimmer to it. Again great on it's own or over a lip colour. 

03 - Tangerine

The name would lead you to think that this is a bright orange. But actually I'd probably call it more of an orange based red, which I think I can just about get away with on my skintone. This one has no shimmer/glitter to it with a fair amount of pigmentation for a lipbalm. 

 

04 - Fuchsia Full

This is the first one I ever brought back in last spring. This one sure packs a punch and is very pigmented, which is either good or bad depending on your preferences. But I like it! The colour of this one is a bright cool toned fuchsia with a subtle shimmer running through it. 

 

05 - Red Hot 

This is a bright scarlet red without any shimmer/glitter in it. The pigmentation isn't quite that of Fuchsia Full but is still pretty strong. This is also reasonably close in colour to Tangeringe - less orange though! 

 

06 - Blackberry

This one looks pretty scary in the pot, but luckily it has less pigmentation to it than the others making it much more wearable. The main colour here is a berry tone with tones of red and pink and very slight hints of plum. Again no shimmer/glitter and a great colour for this time of the year. 

Sorry again for taking forever to get this post up, but hopefully it's been helpful to some of you. But as always if I haven't gone over what you want to know then don't hesitate to ask me.

I think I'm having a bit of a tinted lipbalm thing at the moment, I'm really tempted to pick up some of the new NYX ones! Has anybody tried them yet? But anyway thanks for stopping by, H :)

FOTD - Barry M Dazzle Dusts!

Today I wanted to inject some colour into my life and decided to pick out one of my favourite Barry M Dazzle Dusts (99) and another one that I have neglected a fair amount (20) and came up with this look. I know I keep saying it but I really will get around to swatching the ones I have soon! And whilst we're talking here I just wanted to quickly say the new Sleek Berry Collection for Christmas is out today! Review to come soon. But anyway I hope you enjoy todays look :) 

PRODUCTS USED

Face

• Witch Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer 
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer - 53 Dark Radiance
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation - 51 Light Vanilla
• ELF Cream Blush - Seductress
• ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (bronze side)
• The Body Shop Pressed Face Powder - shade 01

Eyes

• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
• The Body Shop Eyeshadow - Minimalist White (lid)
• Barry M Dazzle Dust - 99 Bright Indigo (crease)
• Barry M Dazzle Dust - 20 Baby Blue (outer lid)
• The Body Shop Eyeshadow - Little Black Dress (deepen crease)
• Marks & Spencers Safari Eye Palette - shimmery nude shade (highlight) 
• Sleek Inkpot Eyeliner Gel Dominatrix
• Barry M Kohl Pencil - 19 Kingfisher Blue (lower waterline)
• Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara

Lips

Ciate Lipgloss - Ibiza

 

Thanks for stopping by to see my Barry M look. Hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed creating it! My Dazzle Dusts have been seriously neglected and need some more loving! What are your favourite ones? Thanks again, H :)