I've been hearing the buzz about Sleek Makeup since late last year but didn't manage to get anything from Sleek on my last trip to London. Was a bit tied up running around like a right nutter. Since a friend of mine was coming back to KL for a short break I gave a list long of things to buy including stuff from Sleek. I gave her a choice of three when it came to choosing a blush, one of which is Sahara.

I wasn't sure what to make of the colour when I saw it. I've never had an orange coloured blush before. The closest I have are peachy ones like NARS - Gilda *♥* and MAC - Foolish Me. Sahara is a matte orangey brown, colour looks pretty intense.

The texture is surprisingly fine. Swatched lightly it appeared warm and didn't look as loud as it did in the pan. Wouldn't know what to do with it if it did *phewh*. It's very pigmented so it's advisable to apply with a light hand and a fluffy blush brush to blend out. Better safe than applying too much and looking like a clown with orange ovenbaked cheeks. Intensity is buildable to suit your preference.

I applied two light layers on my cheeks and it gave me an instant warm glow. Almost sunkissed. I'd say Sahara works best on tan, medium and dark complexions. It reminds me of a colour I'd wear on a beach holiday paired with a bronzey gloss. It has great staying power. Lasted about 6 hours without running off!

It comes in a sleek black casing which is very similar to NARS blush but without getting those powdery bits stuck on it so easily. It also comes with a mirror and appear to be rather sturdy. It's really worth the money since it's only £4.30 for 8g/0.27oz. I feel a blush spree coming on.. *oh noo!*

You can purchase Sleek Makeup products online.

The final one to be reviewed from The Body Shop's New Extra Virgin Minerals range - the Loose Powder Foundation with SPF 25  which gives a radiant and natural-looking finish. It consists of ultra-fine, pure mineral powder which is good for your skin and does not clog your pore which is always a plus point. I usually associate powder foundations with clear flawless skin. Not that I'll achieve clear flawless skin with it but more like I must have clear flawless skin to use it. I've tried a few powder foundations before and they seem to be lacking in coverage which is essential for uneven skin tone like mine. So I was quite excited to give this a go when the description said it gives buildable coverage.

Compared to the cream compact and liquid foundations I reviewed last week, I noticed that this comes in a smaller container with a content of 5grams (0.17 oz). Possibly because with mineral loose powder foundations, you only need to use a small amount. It's also recommended to be used with a specific foundation brush with dense bristles to ensure the right amount of foundation is used. Since I don't have said brush I decided to experiment with kabuki brush to see if it'll work. *grins* This foundation comes with instructions just in case it's your first time using a powder foundation.

I like the silky smooth texture that feels light on my skin. Upon applying the first layer, coverage was bare. So I tried on 2 more layers, I noticed that my complexion had a healthy radiance. However coverage is minimal at best. It does not cover up or even out my skin tone and does very little for my dark acne scars, concealer still required *sigh*. Plus it doesn't stay on all that well on oily skin as there was foundation residue on the blotting paper as I blot off excess oils. So I decided to try it on top of the EVM Cream Compact Foundation, and it worked well to set it still making me look radiant. I feel the loose powder foundation would work best if you have minimal flaws or if you're going for the 'barely there make up' look. As for me I would use it as a setting powder on top of either a cream or liquid foundation.

It is non-comedogenic and suitable for sensitive skin. It retails at RM79 for 5grams/0.17oz and comes in 6 shades in Malaysia. The EVM Foundation Brush retails at RM75. Find out more about The Body Shop's Extra Virgin Minerals range here.

*Note: Product courtesy of The Body Shop Malaysia.

Tell me you don't want this and I'll say you're bonkers. I know there have been a few make up pieces I've lurved this year but I've really fallen for this particular one. It's Lancôme's New Blush Subtil Rose. Not only will the signature rose design captivate you, the colour it imparts is like a pretty dose of gorgeous on your cheeks!

From what I've learnt this new range of complexion enhancers is only available in Asia. So I'm assuming the colours are designed to suit most Asian complexions. It's meant to instantly highlight, contour and add radiance to the cheeks. Each shade has 4 colours that can either be layered together or worn separately.

The shade I have is Rose Rouge and I ♥ it to bits! It's a palette of red and bronze. I couldn't take my eyes of that bright rosey red shade, there's just something about it. Each complexion enhancer comes with a short instruction on which part of the cheeks and face it should be applied to. I tried following it and it turned out a right mess! I gave up and decided to have some fun with it. One day a bit more pink, the next day a bit more red. Experiment!

Shade 1: Bronze Powder - Apply at center of cheeks

Shade 2: Highlighter - Apply to highest part of cheeks. Can also be used on other parts of face

Shade 3: Pink - Apply below shade 1 to create depth and contour cheeks

Shade 4: Rosey Red - Layer on top of shade 1 for colour or use on external corner of brow bone to open up eyes

The texture of this blush/complexion enhancer is smooth and feels light on the skin. It's also easy to blend which means you can play around with the colour intensity. The bronze powder (can be used for light contouring) and highlighter are lightly pigmented but delivers great effect. The Pink and Rosey Red colours are more pigmented so you can actually pick and choose to use them together or either one depending which one you want to stand out more. Since it layers with ease I say just have fun with it! :)

I ♥ the fresh and radiant glow this blush/enhancer gives me! If you have medium or tan complexion I suggest you try out Rose Rouge. It gives that "I've been up to something naughty, but I'm not gonna tell" look! Flushed! *cheeky smile* And you know how blush/cheek colours usually run off after a few hours especially on oily skin, well this lasted up to 8 hours on me!

Left: Rosey Red worn alone

Right: After layering on the other 3 shades

Left: Rosey Red worn alone

Right: Layered on with the other 3 shades

Perfect glow! ^^

Also featuring on lips: Lancôme Satin & Hydrating Lip Colour in 320

Here are some tips from Lancôme's finest:

1) I asked Zamri, Lancôme's National Makeup Artist how best to wear it. According to him to use as a simple blush with a more intense colour just swirl the three main shades together without the highlighter (1+3+4) and blend it on your cheeks. Thats what he did for my makeover last week using 30 Rose Melba. Turned out amazing!

2) Another tip from Alan, Lancôme's Make Up Artist - to create a 3D effect which I'm definitely not going to be able to do, use the darkest/intense colour (4) first on your cheeks then take the other three colours (1+2+3) and layer it slighty above the cheek colour and blend out. I tried it, but I'm not sure it turned out all too well. Lol! But the colour still looks super pretty!

Lancôme Subtil Rose Blush comes in 4 shades - 10 Rose Rose, 20 Rose Coral, 30 Rose Melba and 40 Rose Rouge. Retails at RM120 and available now at all Lancôme counters. Remember to follow Lancôme Malaysia on facebook.

*Note: Product courtesy of Lancôme Malaysia.

Next to be reviewed from The Body Shop's New Extra Virgin Minerals (EVM) range is the Liquid Foundation with SPF 30. As with the other products in this range, it contains ultra-fine minerals and extra virgin olive oil. The EVM Liquid Foundation is described as moisturising, which I am a tad apprehensive about.

It has great packaging - glass container and a convenient pump dispenser. I find the texture to be light and slightly creamy. I was told by Ting, TBS  MA that to get the best result from this liquid foundation is to apply it with a sponge in a dabbing motion which will give you a smooth finish. I don't really fancy using sponges as a lot of product ends up on the sponge instead of the face. But for this review I tried out the sponge. It was easy to blend and my skin looked smooth with a dewy finish. It felt comfortable on my skin. My oily skin in mind I brushed the EVM Loose Powder over it with a light hand. I'm pretty sure that defeats the dewy effect but without the powder it may not have lasted long. It has a medium to high coverage which is buildable. I'm quite impressed, it managed to cover up my dark blemish scars rather well.

My shade: 208 Golden Vanilla

This shade is still a pink tone but is the closest match to my yellow tone skin from this range.

Notice the dewy look even after loose powder

What I noticed within the first half hour was that my oils were slowly seeping out making me look a bit too "dewy". Surprisingly it lasted about 6 hours on my face without melting off or looking patchy. But there was foundation residue on the blotting paper everytime I blotted off the oily bits. Expect no oil control properties from the EVM Liquid Foundation as it is meant for all skin types. I feel that it would work loads better for dry and normal to combination skin types. For those with oily skin like me, you might want to try this out at the outlet first to see the effect it gives before settling on it.

Extra Virgin Minerals Liquid Foundation retails at RM79 (28ml / 0.95oz). It is available in 6 shades in Malaysia.

Read The Body Shop Extra Virgin  Minerals Compact Foundation Review here.

*Note: Product courtesy of The Body Shop.

The Body Shop's New! Extra Virgin Minerals Foundation was launched late July and is now available in all Body Shop outlets. I did a brief intro on it some time in August (read here). Basically Extra Virgin Minerals uses finely-milled pure minerals combined with cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and is meant to be good for your complexion. It is available in three variants - liquid, cream and powder. It is also suitable for all skin types.

The compact foundation is a cream-to-powder texture with SPF 15. I find it light and it goes on smoothly. It's also very easy to blend which means the chances of looking streaky is highly unlikely. It offers a medium to full coverage, depending on what you're going for. It went on semi-matte on me. Though best to set it with the Loose Powder Foundation (review soon) to ensure it stays on longer. Despite the light creamy texture, it actually stayed on for a good few hours without melting away when Ting from TBS used it for a makeover on me (link above).

My shade : 208 Golden Vanilla

This shade is still a pink tone but is the closest match to my yellow tone skin from this range.

It comes with a brush housed within the compact in a lower compartment of the compact. The synthetic bristles picked up the foundation easily and was gentle on the skin. The compact also has a built in mirror.

To apply

Step 1: Pick up foundation with one side of brush

Step 2: Apply onto skin. Then blend out with other side of the brush in a downward motion.

Looks pretty smooth...

Final Result

My skin looks smooth with a semi-matte finish. The shade appears a bit on the fair side in this photo but it looked alright after it has oxidised. Mineral foundations tend to get a shade darker after it has oxidised.

Cream foundations aren't exactly my first choice due to my oily skin. I usually opt for liquid and powder. Which means I'll review the Extra Virgin Minerals Liquid and Powder Foundations soon. ^^

Extra Virgin Minerals Compact Foundation retails at RM89 (8.5g / 0.3oz). It is available in 8 shades in Malaysia.

*Note: Product courtesy of The Body Shop.

I haven't had a hectic weekend in a long while and I'm still recovering from it. *yawns* Yesterday evening was Part 2 of my friend's wedding. There was loads to do as I was helping out as well but everything came together in the end.

Amidst the chaos I had to somewhat sort myself out. I was cutting it real close though. Thankfully make up was the least of my worries because I was in the hands of Zamri, Lancome's National Make up Artist. *phewh*

I lurved what Zam did for my eyes!! He also used Maison Lancome blush and Blush Subtil Rose in Rose Melba. I rather fancied the sweet pink colour for my lips, it's L'Absolu Creme De Brilliance 320. Needless to say, I bought it! :)

That done, I did a mad dash to the hotel to get change for the tea ceremony which was due to start in 45 minutes. I did say I was cutting it close.

Loads of angpows being given out. I tried passing myself off as a "child" to get one but heck that didn't work despite the cutesy oufit. Lol!

After the swift session it was another quick change for dinner. Yes I had two outfits and no I wasn't the one getting married. Though that seems to be a popular question posed to me over the past few years. My fave responses are either, "Do you really need to be nosey?" *grunts* or "I'm waiting for Peter Petrelli!" *drools*. Really I was fine with just the one but my friend convinced me to have a second one for dinner since I rarely make wedding appearances. I'm pretty sure they felt very honoured by my presence. Lmao!!

The Bride

Spotted in the newly weds room, Lancome Tresor In Love! The Bride's choice!

As always make up by Zam looks ah-mazing!

Nails: OPI A Good Mandarin Is Hard To Find

*wonder what they meant by that..*

Went for a more elegant look for dinner

As guests waited eagerly for the big entrance, I was running around with laptop in hand and a bunch of tissues getting ready for the maid of honour's speech and duties. No that wasn't me either. I would've have gone bonkers with that responsibility but I was told that I may actually have to take it on at some point of time. Errkk...

The evening went on well, the happy couple enjoyed their special moment, food in abundance and terrible singing by a local celebrity, but that's another story altogether. By the time everything ended I was pooped! Wishing loads of happiness and awesome times to the newly weds! You guys were made for each other! :)