Sleek Blush Review- Suede, Flamingo, Scandalous & Rose Gold

Product: Sleek blush

Cost: $5.99 AUD

Purchased at: http://www.sleekmakeup.com/face/blusher/blush

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Colour(s): Scandalous, Rose Gold, Suede and Flamingo

Longevity: GREAT!

Okay so excuse me dodgy ass photos, as you can see, these are ‘much loved’ blushes. (Meaning they look filthy as heck because I’ve used them so much.)

I’ll summarise by saying that these blushes are ah-maz-ing! Matte or shimmer, the quality is better than anything you can buy here in Australia in Priceline, from most brands, at this price, by far! Recommend them for pros or everyday users alike. I have tried the four colours listed and I can assume that the other colours on the site that sleek offers are of the same quality and texture. 

Top left: Rose Gold
Top Right: Suede
Bottom left: Scandalous
Bottom right: Flamingo

Swatches with flash
(L-R; T-B: Scandalous, Rose Gold, Flamingo, Suede)

Swatches without flash
(L-R; T-B: Scandalous, Rose Gold, Flamingo, Suede)

Scandalous:

Matte fire engine red.

Absolutely no shimmer or dimension

Looks great with a tan or medium skin tones, not too sure for super fair skin tones, but deeper or tanned skin tones would love this

Gives almost ‘sun burnt’ look to cheeks which looks incredible if applied correctly (top of cheeks, lightly dusted on forehead, bridge of nose and small amounts on cheeks)

Tips: Use stipple brushes or less dense brushes as this is HIGHLY pigmented as all sleek blushes are.

This can be patchy when applied but is blended over a small amount of powder it will work great

Suede:

Matte light brown with pink undertones

Absolutely no shimmer or dimension

Works well as a contour shade! For fairer skins this works fabulously as a contour, medium light skin tones can use this as a super natural blush, as I do sometimes

Swatches lovely and is a great texture on the cheeks

Tips: Apply in hollows of cheeks and bring up onto apples of cheeks with a n angled blush brush for a beautiful contour and blush in one

Flamingo:

Matte cool hot, vibrant pink

Absolutely no shimmer or dimension

Amazing natural flush colour if applied with a light hand

Works well on fair and deep skin tones! Very versatile!

Lasts so long on the cheeks, again, as all of these blushes do.

Tips: If applied lower on the cheeks, more in the hollow of the cheek, it gives a natural contour if applied over a matte bronzer/contour shade

Pair with all your pink lipsticks and you’ve got a great complimentary blush shade!

Rose Gold:

Peach/pink toned blush with gold toned shimmer

DUPE FOR NARS ‘ORGASM’ BLUSH

Pretty, pretty shade!

Would work great on fair skin tones and it would be a great highlight on deep skin tones

Works best for a blush shade, higher on the cheekbones as the gold shimmer catches the light beautifully and gives the prettiest glow in pictures. (See swatch with flash to see the gold glow this creates)

Tips: Use an angled blush brush or round blush brush, apply the blush below your iris on your cheekbones and sweep back into the hairline

Overall Summary:

If you are a beauty addict, go and get your hands on these! Rose Gold and Flamingo and my top 2, but Suede and Scandalous are amazing too! Gosh, they’re all my favourites! LOVE THESE!!!!

Australian Essence Makeup Review

After watching so many YouTube beauty guru’s who live over in the USA, I’ve seen a pattern forming. Other Aussie YouTube watchers always comment on how the prices in America are SO much cheaper than here in Australia and I have to say that this is true, however, you’ve just got to know where to look to get that bang for your buck. There are options out there so we should stop and see what we’ve got here.
 Essence is fairly new here but their products, as far as I can tell so far, are amazing for that cheap ‘drugstore’ price us Aussie girls have been looking for. Here is a quick, sharp review on three of their products.
Essence is available from Target and Priceline as far I could find. Go and check them out for some new items in your makeup bags. 

Product: XXXL Shine lip gloss

Cost: $3.50 AUD

Purchased at: Priceline

Overall Rating: 6/10

Colour: #08 GLAMOUR TO GO

This lip gloss is very pretty. It was the only real nude colour that Essence offers but it is quite versatile. It was also the only lip gloss which didn’t have real chunky glitters in it. Placed on the centre of the lip over another lipstick, it adds the most beautiful shine and gives the lip a plumped up look. I personally wouldn’t wear it alone or all over the lips generously as it washes me out with my skin tone but I do think it’s a great gloss formula.

It has a super shimmery look and is not sticky at all. It also wears off quite nicely and lasts quite a long time on the lips.

Really nice product for such the cheap price tag.

 Product: Quattro eyeshadow

Cost: $5.95 AUD

Purchased at: Target

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Colour: #07 OVER THE TAUPE

Without Flash

With Flash

#7 Over the Taupe

This quad has to be the best drugstore eyeshadow out there. For a little less than six bucks Australian, you get four shadows which are simply amazing quality. I chose the taupe colour selection, but they also had a purple, blue, neutral and classic smokey colour quads as well. The swatches shown are proof, the colours and highly pigmented, but more importantly they are creamy and rich in texture and have next to no fallout if applied correctly. They blend beautifully and in this Over the Taupe palette the top two colours have a demi-matte finish on the skin and the deeper two colours are shimmery, but not too much so that they are overdone.

Cannot recommend this palette enough for those cool toned taupe lovers like myself.

Highly recommended and it is such a great price for Australian makeup!

Product: Stay natural concealer

Cost: $3.95 AUD

Purchased at: Priceline

Overall Rating: 7/10

Colour: #02 SOFT SAND

With Flash

Without Flash

#2 Soft Sand

This concealer is quite nice also. There is definitely a pattern forming in this brand. For the price, it’s amazing quality. This concealer is no different. It’s super natural looking and in this shade, it has a very neutral undertone, not too warm or yellow, just right in the middle. It is great for under eyes as it’s lightweight and wouldn’t really sink into any wrinkles which may be around the eye area. It has no shimmer or shine but it looks super natural on the skin. It wears well and lasts up to around five solid hours. I wouldn’t recommend it for blemishes but it does cover my redness around my nose and on my cheeks too. For the price, again, it’s fabulous.



To summarise this brand as a whole, it simply is a breath of fresh air on the Australian makeup market. I personally couldn’t recommend it more, especially for beginners or those who want to be a bit budget friendly on their makeup bags. These three products that I’ve tried so far have all been beyond their price by a mile. 

I cannot wait to buy some more Essence products, check back to Girls War Paint for more essence reviews. 

Australian CHANEL Soleil Tan De Chanel Review

Cost: $75 AUD

Purchased at: MYER Chanel Counter

Overall Rating: 9/10

Okay, so this is my first review and it is for the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel cream bronzer. 

Now, price wise, this is pretty expensive, but after much use of mine I've found that a little goes a long way, making this product quite cost effective in the long term.

FINISH: 

The finish is demi-matte on the skin but having said that, when you look at the product when its in the jar it does have small amounts of shine, shimmer not appropriate here, but there is a glow to the product when it's in the jar and slightly on the skin. The shine doesn't add grease to the skin, it makes it perfectly glowing in a way.

This would be amazing for brides to wear beneath the cheekbone for a contour that doesn't look fake at all.

(I use this for a contour daily!)

The bronzer picks up the shine and is not greasy at all

APPROPRIATE SKIN TONES:

Fair skin tones might find it difficult to blend/too orange on your skin tone. For fair skins though, if you work with it using a light hand and dabbing excess product onto your hand before going onto the cheeks, you might really love it. (Blending with your foundation brush will also help to make this go on beautifully!)

Medium skin tones will have the best luck with this bronzer, my skin tone is fair/medium and I adore this for contouring or bronzing, depending on the time of year and my level of tan.

Deeper skin tones and dark ebony skin tones, this bronzer may not show up as anything but I have not tried it on richer skin tones myself.

APPLICATION:

A light hand is key in all applications.

I have found my perfect application to be a semi-dense synthetic brush is the best way to apply this to contour cheekbones, temples, nose and jawline for a super natural looking contour shade. 

I have also used foundation brushes, stippling brushes and flat top kabuki style brushes also work amazing with this product. Use your creativity with your brushes, the typical blush brush is good, but sometimes other brushes work better.

**But make sure they are synthetic as you do not want to ruin your natural hair brushes by dipping them into this cream.  On a side note: EcoTools brushes are synthetic and they've got a flat top buffer brush which works great in this Chanel cream bronzer.

Swatch is highly concentrated. You need the most minimal amount on the cheeks/skin

STAYING POWER:

Very long staying power on this. I have worn it alone and set it with a powder and both times provided at least eight hours of good quality wear. Note that I have normal/dry skin, oily skin tones though, this is a cream which sets quite quickly on the skin to a dry cream texture so don't be turned away just because it is a cream.

SUMMARY:

I think, if you have the money to spare and you are a makeup fiend, then go for it! It's a great bronzer and experimental product and it looks great sitting on a vanity or bathroom counter. 

Having said that, the price of seventy-five AUSTRALIAN dollars is A LOT in my opinion. I bought this with a $50 voucher. But as I said before, it's lasting me so long. 

Some cons are that brush hairs do shed in the product. I've tried numerous brushes of varying costs and it took me ages to find a brush which didn't shed in it and ever since I've used it every day. 

It might not work on your skin tone, so go and get them to test it on you at a Chanel counter and do not be intimidated to ask! It's okay to ask them to try it on you in store, which is what I did many times before buying ; )

I don't know what it is about this, but it adds a glow without adding grease and every time I wear it I get compliments on how amazing my skin looks.

This is sort of a cult favorite on YouTube and in the pro makeup world and I have to say I am very glad I did end up getting this. 

This is a highly luxurious product and it's just amazing, recommend it if you've got the money to spend and if you love the idea of a natural looking cream bronzer or contour, depending on your skin tone.