Sleek Advent Calendar 2018 – Review
So… it might be 2019, but I am still just getting over the beauty extravaganza that was my Christmas. I got a couple of beautiful new palette that I am really excited to share with you this year, and between myself and my sister we had four beauty advent calendars.
By far the most expensive of them was this one I got in Boots from Sleek Makeup. The full calendar cost £35 and I got it on their 3 for 2 offer they run at Christmas along with some presents. The contents of the calendar is worth £55, so even without the offer it was pretty good value for money.
It’s also worth mentioning that unlike most others i’ve seen, this calendar has 25 windows rather than 24 which means that each item cost £1.40.
First off, I would like to point out that this Calendar had two eyeshadow brushes which I don’t have pictures of. These are full length and reasonable quality, but nothing too remarkable.
In the picture above, you can see some of the items I got.
A full size Blush in the shade Rose Gold. Far more orangey on the picture than in real life, with a really beautiful soft golden shimmer. As someone who doesn’t really use Blusher often, I can see this becoming one of my new favourites.
The two liquid eyeliners are also full size and lovely, although I think the glittery one in the shade steel is my favourite .
I’m Conditional Mascara, is just over half of the full retail size. Interestingly the ingredients don’t include Beeswax and looking on Double Check Vegan its seems that it may be Vegan, although I would have to double check with Sleek themselves.
Lastly from this picture is four lip liners and three eyeliners. None of these items are available to buy on their own in this format or shade, but they are a great addition to the selection and are all highly pigmented and buttery.
Next up are the three teeny tiny eyeshadow palettes, and when I say tiny… boy do I mean tiny! Each pan of shadow is less than a centimetre wide with the whole palette being the same size as the Blush, the whole thing only weighing 2.4g.
The palette names are Gleaming In Gold, All Night Long and Storm. None of these seem to be available separately which is really a shame as for all my moaning, these palettes are really nice, giving you a great ideas as to what Sleek eyeshadows can offer – high pigment payoff, and beautiful shimmer.
These nail varnishes I have to say, are the things i’m most dubious about. Having never seen any Sleek nail products before, I really don’t know what to expect. They are all a decent size and all colours I would wear (some even matching the Liquid Lipsticks!)
UPDATE: I tried these varnishes and they are very disappointing. They are matte - not my favourite - and chipped terribly after just one day. I can see why Sleek don’t make nail products to buy.
And now for the main reason I bought the Calendar.
I’m a bit of a liquid lipstick junkie and getting four new shades in half-sized handbag friendly packaging sounded right up my street.
Two nudes, two reds, all four of the liquids are Matte and super long wearing. Having worn one through eating and drinking a Boxing Day dinner I can vouch for them having serious staying power. They can get a bit drying, but I find a very thin layer of lip balm underneath does stop them from looking crusty (although it does make them less long wearing).
And finally on the 25th I received a Lip V.I.P Lipstick in the shade Couture. This shade doesn’t seem to be available in store but it’s a lovely, full sized, semi matte lipstick in a nice christmassy shade. Comfortable to wear but a little bit tricky to get off without leaving a stain (so be careful not to smudge!).
Overall, I would say this Calendar is defiantly worth the money, even though it is on the slightly pricy side for a drugstore brand. It’s a great introduction to the Sleek brand or just a great way to test out some of the products you’re not familiar with. I don’t however think that I will be buying it next year as a quick Google search shows that this has pretty much the same items as the year before. Kinda hoping it gets a makeover before next Christmas! – and while they’re at it, add in one of their highlighters as they are some of the best on the market!
Happy New Year everyone and here’s to another great year of cruelty free beauty.
Sophie x
This post has been re-uploaded and edited from its original posting on the 6th January 2019.