Summer shades

 Sleek Del i-Divine Del Mar Volume 1

My favorite product for summer:

the Sleek Del Mar palette!

During one of my casual 'not-buying-anything-just-looking' strolls through Superdrug on a sunny afternoon I spotted this palette on a limited edition display and was instantly drawn in by the burst of colour I was seeing. I'm a huge fan of pastels at the moment, and this palette presented a shimmering cocktail of summer pastels, including warm coral, lime green and an ocean-like jadey blue. Then there's 'lounge lovers' - a shimmery pale gold which I knew would add a little sparkle for those summer evenings when matte just isn't enough!

All colours are super pigmented and most are just perfect matte shades for summer. Using this palette you can create an array of different summertime looks - from cool and beachy to warm and tropical - however it is also possible to go for a more natural sandy effect using 'Talamanca' and 'Lounge Lovers'. You can also make your look stand out even more by providing contrast using the Sleek brow kit - read a review of this over on Millie's blog! There are so many fun, summery looks to try with the Del Mar palette - if you own this palette let me know your favorite shades! If not, which colours would you team together? :) Here are some of mine:

For a light everyday look:

1) Sweep 'Talamanca' along the crease and outer corner of eyelid.

2) Use 'Chilled Out' on inner corner of eye and across eyelid.

3) Take 'Feel Euphoric' and put onto outer half of eyelid, blending it in with 'Chilled Out' in the middle.

A hot tropical orange look:

1) Smudge 'Chilled Out' into inner corner of eyelid in order to create contrast and give the bright colours more of a pop.

2) Imagine your eyelid having three vertical sections. Sweep 'Sunset Strip' over first third of eyelid, closest to inner corner.

3) Take 'On the Rocks' and apply to middle third (don't worry if this goes further across the eyelid as it becomes the main colour of this look).

4) Apply 'Talamanca' to remaining third and into crease.

5) Blend!

A cool beachy look:

1) Repeat previous steps replacing 'Sunset Strip' with 'Poolside', 'On the Rocks' and 'Talamanca' with 'Blue Marlin'.

Hope you all have a great summer! 

Lil x

Tanya Burr Lipgloss

Earlier this year one of my favorite Youtubers, Tanya Burr, released her own make-up line - how exciting! When the line first came out I couldn't wait to get my hands on one of her products. Tanya's collection includes a range of lip glosses and nail polishes in some absolutely gorgeous colours. I took forever to decide which colour I wanted, and I'm a bit indecisive but I eventually picked two, one of which I bought to give to a friend as part of her birthday present. Unfortunately I couldn't try the polishes because I have an allergy to an ingredient which is used in most nail polishes, however the colour 'Little Duck' looks beautiful and I know that would be the one I'd order if I could!

The Colour

The lip glosses come in a variety of shades and colours. I chose one I thought would be pretty and girly and not too bold or glittery (some shimmer and some shine!) so I went for a kind of nude pink, named 'Afternoon Tea', how cute! In the tube it looks slightly brighter than it actually goes on (see my swatch below) however the subtle pink makes for a perfect day-time look, and I find it suits my pale skin very nicely. It's definitely one of these my-lips-but-better products and has been finding its way into my handbag on a regular basis.

The Design

I love the design of the tube, from the simple black lid and matching brand name text to the little pink heart printed on the top. The wand tip has a curve to it which fits to the shape of your lip, which makes for super smooth and easy application. As for the gloss itself you'll notice that it smells incredible, like strawberries and cream, it's lovely. I like to apply two coats when I wear 'Afternoon Tea' for the best coverage, however the gloss is very pigmented and creates high shine which lasts longer than I expected it to. It's also not too sticky which is great as I find some lip glosses to be a bit 'oh-good-the-wind-blew-and-now-all-my-hair-is-stuck-to-my-mouth'.

Whats more, both the lip glosses and nail polishes are pretty cheap to purchase. I ordered mine from Feel Unique and the delivery did not take long at all, very impressed. If you bought one of Tanya's products let me know, which one do you like the most? (I'm so jealous of all of you who can wear her nail polishes!)