Sleek Whimsical Wonderland

Sleek is one of those brands who continues to surprise me, I adore their makeup and they are forever bringing out surprises. If you are a fan of pastel shades and something that little bit different, then Whimsical Wonderland will be right up your street. Launching on the 1st June with an i-Divine Palette, Lip VIP Lipsticks and Gel Cheek Blushers, this is a launch that will have you whooping with delight.

All the Fun of the Fair i-Divine Palette - £7.99

I love my Sleek i-Divine palettes and have 3 or 4 within my collection. This one has 12 mineral based long-lasting eyeshadows which are long lasting and simply stunning shades which I wish I could get away with wearing. They have quite a creamy texture and have very little fallout which is really impressive and they are more pigmented than I had been expecting. The palette hosts 5 shimmery shades and 7 pastel mattes shades and they are as follows:

On the top row from left to right, the shades are - Carousel, Shoot-The-Chutes, Loop-The-Loop, Ferris Wheel, Twister and Teacups.

On the second row from left to right, the shades are - Hit-The-Bell, Swing Boats, Hook-a-Duck, Helter Skelter, Dodgems and Hall-Of-Mirrors.

 Carousel, Shoot-The-Chutes, Loop-The-Loop, Ferris Wheel

 Twister, Teacups Hit-The-Bell and Swing Boats

Hook-a-Duck, Helter Skelter, Dodgems and Hall-Of-Mirrors

Lip VIP lipsticks - £5.50

Again, with all the fun of a funfair in mind, these three lipsticks are just incredible shades - Fancy Pants, Big Shot and Hot Tottie and in keeping with the VIP lipsticks, of which I am a fan, the formula and pigmentation is superb. All three lipsticks are semi matte and they give a velvet finish with the intense colour. Again, as with the rest of the collection, they are also moisturising and the colour pay off lasts for a good 3-4 hours before you need to re-apply.

Big Shot, Hot Tottie, Fancy Pants

Sweet Cheeks - £5.99

The final item within this collection comes in the form of three Sweet Cheeks Gel Blushes. Again, there are 3 shades that reflect the tones of the lipsticks and they have a gel like formula which allows you to have a sheer wash of colour across your cheeks which you can build upon to your desire.

The three shades are Lickety-Split, Hullabaloo and Tomfoolery and each one is so pretty and not at all as I expected them to be. The texture is one which is really lightweight and it is quite cooling on the skin.  The swatch below shows just one swipe across my arm and each shade is buildable to really make the colour pop, depending on your comfort zone.

Lickety-Split, Hullabaloo and Tomfoolery

The collection will be available from Boots, Superdrug and www.sleekmakeup.com from 1st June 2016.

Soft & Gentle #BodyBalance

For many of us, Soft & Gentle are synonymous with deodorant. Now they are taking to the high-street with a launch of a brand new collection of innovative feminine care products and as I have been trying and testing them out, I am today sharing them with you.

Soft & Gentle are experts in the field of women's personal care and the new collection presents the introduction of a new pH balanced intimate wash and care range.  I am sure many of us have wondered around supermarkets and high-street stores trying to discreetly shove the intimate washes into a basket without anyone seeing us. The lovely people over at Soft & gentle have taken this into consideration and have created a range that is not only discreet but has multi-use benefits.

Enriched with a prebiotic complex which protects and stimulates the skin's natural defences, bringing you beautifully balanced skin.  Each product uses soothing ingredients and cleansing extracts found in all products, they help to reduce any skin discomfort, whilst the delicate allergen-free scents offer all day freshness.

The products are:

2-in-1 Shower & Shave Mousse - described as being the hero product, this shower essential is a must-have as part of your daily routine. The innovative formula delivers a luxurious mousse that leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and moisturised.  What I love about this mousse is that you only need a small amount for a large amount of lather and at just £3.99 it is a bargain.

Daily Shower Wash - This is my favourite product from the trio and it is really gentle on the skin. It can be used all over the body and it smells just divine.  It not only moisturises the skin but give you that clean feeling.  Priced at £2.99 for 250ml again I think this is a bargain.

The final product is a Fragranced Spray and until now, I had never used anything like it. Designed to be an intimate deodorant spray for intimate skin it is suitable for use on underwear, sanitary wear and straight onto the skin and it neutralises any odour caused by sweating.  I have found no irritations when using this product and think it is just a brilliant concept.  Priced again at £2.99 it is well worth trying.

All these products are gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin, it is gynecologist approved and dermatologically approved and dermatologically tested range is pH balanced.  You can find them at Superdrug, Boots Morrisons and in independent pharmacies.

Panasonic Facial Ionic Steamer

Living in London, you won't be surprised to find it plays havoc on your skin, anyone who travels regularly on the tube will be all too familiar with black tissues! With that in mind, imagine just how dirty your skin can get and indeed feels after a day travelling round, never mind at least 5 of the 7 days each week! I do as much as I can to ensure my skin is as clean as I can get it and whenever the opportunity arises for a facial, I jump at the chance.

So being given the chance to try the Panasonic Facial Ionic Steamer, I jumped at the chance, it had to be a better method than leaning over a bowl of hot water. As you can see it looks like a simple, easy to use contraption and thankfully it is. 

"Panasonic's Nano Facial Steamer helps to remove makeup and dirt, promotes smoother, softer skin and can be used daily as a fuss-free component of your skin care regimen."

Using the water tank that is easy to remove and insert into the steamer, you have two options, half fill it for a 3 minute treatment or fully fill it for a 6 minute treatment and for this I just use normal tap water. Then using Ultra-fine nano-sized particle steam which is 4,000 times finer than normal steam to penetrate the skin and effectively supplement moisture and encourage deep pore cleansing. It is also said that cleansing with the facial ionic steamer will result in the removal of makeup, dirt and excess oil to leave your skin feeling incredibly clean and refreshed. 

What I love about this machine is not only how easy it is to use, but how incredibly effective it is.  After washing my face with warm water and wiping it dry with a muslin cloth, I set the steamer up ready to go, again, if you have a tight schedule then 3 minutes is perfect timing or if you do have that little bit longer than 6 minutes once a week is even better. So once the water tank has been filled and inserted, steam will begin to appear within about 15 seconds, so it is really quick. To use, you need to ensure that your face is 20cm away from the opening to avoid burning your skin, helpfully there is a measurement tape included to show you how far back you should be.  Then with your eyes closed, set a timer (I use my iPhone) for 3-6 minutes and allow the steam to work its magic.

Once that allotted time is up, simply grab two/three cotton wool pads and wipe your face and it is here you will see how much 'stuff' has been removed - honestly it is like the first time you get a Dyson Hoover and despite hoovering your carpet everyday, this thing still manages to find stuff to hoover up! Seriously, these cotton wool pads are just vile, but at least that stuff is no longer sitting on my skin!

Since using this steamer for the last few months, I have been amazed at how effective it is at cleaning my skin and they do say that the cleaner the skin, the easier it is for your products to work like they are supposed to.  So not only do I have baby soft skin, I do feel that my skin is being the chance to breathe once the dirt and grime has been removed.  I have had less blackheads on my nose, less dry skin on my cheeks and my makeup is lasting much longer on my skin, which is always an added bonus and it is a great way to have a facial at home!

If this sounds like a machine you would like to try, honestly I cannot recommend it highly enough, then you will find it retails for around £99.99 online and is worth every penny.

Makeup Revolution Flawless Matte 2

Following on from the success of the original Flawless Matte palette, Makeup Revolution now bring to you Flawless Matte 2 which has 32 highly pigmented Matte eyeshadows on one rather sleekly designed palette.

With a fabulously bright burnt orange outer packaging, this is not a palette that you are not going to miss on a shelf. Inside is the shiny sleek blackness that we have all come to recognise from Makeup Revolution and it is palette that has a little something for everything.  Whether you like your nudes (like me) but sometimes want to be a little adventurous, this palette can take you out of your comfort zone into a new one row by row.  With names such as Look, Standard and Order being somewhat within my comfort zone, I can see and want to try shades which are called Finest, Vintage and Total.

• From left to right across the top row we have - Flaw, Less, Perfect, Neat, Master, Accurate, Ripe and Matte
• From left to right across the second row we have - Look, Standard, Order, Able, Rate, Finest, Final and Famous
• The third row from left to right is - Ranking, Two, Tone, Best, Top, Notch, Valid and Total
• Finally from left to right in the bottom row we have - Whole, Sound, WII, Known, Right Vintage, Beauty and Define.

This is what the swatches look like!

Flaw, Less, Perfect, Neat

Master, Accurate, Ripe and Matte

Look, Standard, Order, Able

Rate, Finest, Final and Famous

Ranking, Two, Tone, Best

Top, Notch, Valid and Total

Whole, Sound, WII, Known

Right Vintage, Beauty and Define

I am sure you will agree that there are some absolutely stunning shades on this palette and whilst some of them stand out much more than others - Ripe, Valid and Vintage there are some other shades such as Best, WII and Known which are beautiful.  All of these swatches are done with just one swipe of my finger onto each colour.

I have also been using Flaw, which is an almost white in colour as a base for my eyeshadow and it works amazingly well (HINT ADAM) with any of the other shades over the top without altering the colour.  For just £8 this is amazing value for money, especially if like me, the thought of wearing something other than nude on your eyes is a step too far but you want a palette that will slow move you out of your comfort zone.

This post may contain PR Samples and/or Affiliate links. For more information please see my disclaimer page.

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Sheer Eau de Parfum

Celebrity fragrances are not usually my 'thing' but every so often there is one which lands in your lap and you expect to dislike it but infact the reaction is the exact opposite. I am not a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker admittedly, I cannot stand TV programmes such as Sex and the City and the films just irritate me beyond relief but Sheer Lovely as a fragrance is one I cannot help but like.

Sheer Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker is described as being a soft, sheer and gentle follow up to the classic and much loved Lovely, a shade I have not tried or ever come across, so how it compares I cannot comment but at just £20 for 100ml it isn't going to break the bank.

Encased inside this beautiful pearlesque initial embossed bottle with a stunning gilded lid is a fragrance which is light, refreshing and undoubtedly feminine. So with top notes of orange flower, mandarin and sicily the fragrance opens with a beautiful citrus twist before gardenia, pink peppercorns and blonde woods as the heart notes bring a slightly floral aroma as it begins to settle and then the base notes of musk, vetiver and amber finish off the fragrance.

As fragrances go, this one is that perfect Spring/Summer scent in a bottle because it isn't heavy and it does have really good lastability, one spritz onto my pulse points in a morning and I can still catch a whiff of the scent on my way home some 8 hours later.

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Sheer Eau de Parfum £20/100ml via Superdrug.

Viral Cats Hamper Giveaway

Regular readers of my blog will know I (well and the Mister) have three cats, often referred to as my fur-kids (we don't have small people yet) and they are just a little bit spoilt, okay a lot spoilt but their happiness means a lot to me, even if a 5am sing song is not really my idea of fun.

Dude, Dexter and Hector (who has his very own Instagram) are often featured across both mine and Beautykinguk's social media, so instead of getting baby spam, you get cute cat spam instead.  

But having cat comes with responsibility.  Did you know that there is an estimated 10.5 million cats in the UK with 24% of the population owning cat - wow!  Add to that 26% of cats have never been vaccinated, so that is 2.7 million vaccinated cats.  Vaccinations for cats are just as vital as those we have as humans to protect us from illness and disease. 

Many pet owners believe that if cats are vaccinated as kittens, the immunity received will protect them for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately this is not the case. After vaccination, the immune response reaches a peak and then begins to decline, until the level of immunity is no longer sufficient. Booster vaccination stimulates the immune response so that immunity is maintained. Merial is on a mission to change this! We have launched a national campaign to reach one million cat owners, with the use of social media, to educate them on the importance of vaccination. If you are not sure whether or not your cat is covered, take the quiz at the bottom of the homepage to check, it is just three easy questions and it takes seconds.

To raise awareness of and the people over at Viral Cats have kindly donated an incredible cat hamper to giveaway and here it is:

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is complete the widget below and it is a UK Only giveaway.  If you are under 16 I will need parental permission to enter as I will need your home address.  Anyone found not fulfilling the asks of the widget will be disqualified!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Makeup Revolution Primark Dupe!

Brush cleaning day, usually Sunday, is one of those chores that I huff and puff about having to do and a few months ago, I did a blog post on The Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette and the Makeup Revolution Pro Cleanse Brush Tool which you can find here.

Anyway, I have found a Makeup Revolution Brush cleaning dupe in Primark for £1.50 and they are so remarkably similar in how they look, how they feel infact looking at them, the only difference is that one is pink (Primark) and one is Purple (Makeup Revolution).

Designed to fit over your fingers, as you can see they have groves and knobbly bits to help clean your brushes. All you need to do is wet your brush, apply your brush shampoo and swipe the brush backwards and forwards along the grooves, as you do so, you can see all the makeup ‘stuff’ that has been lingering on the brushes run off into the sink and within seconds your brush is clean and ready to be left to dry. The Knobbly bits I use for my smaller brushes as I find it helps clean them much better.

So which one works better? The Makeup Revolution material is slightly softer and more pliable when washing the brushes, so instead of being rigid like the Primark one, there is some movement. Other than that, they are absolutely identical - same size, same number of grooves, same number of knobbly bits, same size part for your fingers to fit into. The only difference, other than the colour is that Primark charge £1.50 and Makeup Revolution £4.99.

Kiko Milano Wanderlust Limited Edition Collection

It is not often I see a makeup collection and yearn for it, but with Kiko Milano Wanderlust Limited Edition Collection, I very much wanted it because it is just stunning and I have already shared some of it on my Instagram. The Wanderlust design is just beautiful to look in all its coral gold glory and the collection is pretty impressive with over 15 different products and I was lucky enough to see them all on display in the Covent Garden Kiko Store last week, have a play with them and get advice from on-hand make-up artists about what would and wouldn't work with my own skintone.

In collaboration with Ross Lovegrove, the world reknown futurist designer, the Wanderlust collection is dedicated to people who love travelling and seeking adventure. Using a combination of elegance, sensuality, Femininity, cheerfulness and practicality, the term 'Kikoness' was born. 

The first item which stands out is the clutch bag, it is just beautiful and as I have got three weddings to go to this year, I am sure you will be seeing more of it! Featuring a rigid pochette with embossed KK logo, something you will see right across this range, is also a zipper closure. This clutch bag can be used in a variety of ways depending on what takes your fancy - a make-up bag, to accessorise with an outfit or just a clutch for a night out. It is quite a roomy bag with enough space for your essentials and for me it is the coral-tinged gold surface that stands out with its raised, three-dimensional design. RRP £16.90

The Desert Dunes Baked Bronzer is one of those 'wow' moment products. The compact is again embellished with a digital design, coral-tinged gold colouring and the KK logo on top. There’s a handy internal mirror which fills the entire lid and the powder itself is so silky soft, you literally only need to lightly swipe your brush across the powder to create your look and it is also enriched with jojoba oil and has a very light vanilla scent. Available in two shades, there is Warm Melange and Sienna Melange, of which I have the latter. RRP £22.90

The two foundations within this range are amazing. Sunshine Cream Foundation for Normal to Dry Skin or there is Sunshine Powder Foundation for normal to combination skin and both have SPF20. I have the cream foundation in shade 'Light' and again this is everything you need in a compact. It looks beautiful, it holds a mirror and a make up sponge. The formula is enriched with grape seed and cork oak extracts and literally glides onto the skin giving pretty impressive coverage, it is lightweight and manages to help hide the shine. RRP £15.90

Desert Dunes Baked Blush is an absolute thing of beauty. Once again the compact matches the rest of the collection and features a handy mirror and is very light to hold. The baked blush inside is is enriched with jojoba oil and vitamin E and is available in three different shades. I have Lust Coral and like the baked bronzer, the texture is light and silky and is a case of a little going a long way as it glides onto the skin. RRP £16.90

Endless Eye Volume Effect Mascara uses a formula whose ingredients instantly create a thick sheath that envelops, adds volume and helps to protect the lashes from base to tip. The texture is thick and creamy and it doesn't clump when applied. The Wand consists of a mixture of different fibers and colours the lashes in a brilliant, jet black, the only shade available, and the brush’s fine point even reaches your shortest side lashes. RRP £12.90

In The Shade Eyeshadow and Kajal is a double-ended eye-shadow kajal pencil with is said to give both intense colour and extreme hold. Available in six different shades, I am lucky enough to have two of those - Dark Brown and Gold plus Emerald and Petrol Green. 

If you like a formula which doesn't budge once it is applied, then these are well worth looking into buying because even swatching them, proves hard to remove. RRP £9.90

The lipsticks within this range are the products which caught my attention and I am a huge fan of Kiko lipsticks. The Mirage Lip Stylo is just stunning and I love everything about it from the hourglass shaped casing, the magnetic closure and the colour pay off is superb. There are eight shades to choose from within the collection and I have both Traveller Raspberry and Bohemian Sienna. RRP £9.90

Free Spirit Lips and Cheeks is a product which is not only versatile and multipurpose, but one which is perfect for on the go and has six different shades. The formula is creamy enough that it glides onto the lips, or cheeks and is something which is buildable so you can have as much or as little colour as you are comfortable with. This crayon also comes with a sharpener which is really handy to have. RR £9.90

Heatwave Lip Oil is in keeping with the current trend, I am sure by now most people will have bought, seen, heard about or used a lip oil.  I am a big fan of them and Kiko now have their own nourishing, coloured lip oil with a coconut, vanilla and grapefruit scent that smoothly coats the lips and leaves a glossy but not tacky or sticky finish. The formula is enriched with jojoba oil, shea butter, wild mango butter and vitamin E. They glide onto the lips and work well to moisturise the lips. RRP £10.90

The final item that I have from the collection is the Wanderlust Face Brush. Designed to be the perfect sized for travelling, this Kabuki face brush is ideal for applying and blending all kinds of baked and pressed powders. The fluffy, dense synthetic bristles ensure the powder is dusted on evenly, smoothly and without blotches. RRP £16.90

How beautiful is this collection? Everything about it screams luxury and yet it is priced so competitively you would be hard pushed to just purchase one item from the collection, which is much more vast than this.

Image Credit - Kiko Milano