Sleek i-Divine i-Candy Palette

Although Sleek is a regular UK high-street a.k.a. drugstore brand, their attention to details and modern approach certainly make the entire experience of their products on a seemingly higher level. The first thing I noticed (and you should have this in mind) are the dimensions of this eye palette. For some reason, I thought that it would be a bit larger. I assume that those numerous close-ups of the palette on the net contributed to such an impression. These aren't tiny at all but they aren't huge either. That can be a good or a bad thing. The bad part is that some might feel as they got a smaller palette for their money but rest assured that you are not ripped off. Its measures are 4 x 7.3 x 1cm and I could compare it to a size of an elongated lady wallet. It is very light-weight even though it houses 12 shades. So the good thing is that it's portable and can fit any make-up bag. It wouldn't be as handy if it was a big, bulky palette now, would it?

Iako je Sleek klasican drogerijski brend u Velikoj Britaniji, zbog paznje koju poklanjaju detaljima te modernom pristupu, definitivno pruzaju svojim kupcima kozmeticko iskustvo koje djeluje kao da je na znatno visem nivou. Prva stvar koju sam primijetila (ovo bi trebali imati na umu) su dimenzije ove palete. Iz nekog razloga, mislila sam da ce biti veca. Pretpostavljam da slike izbliza mogu biti okrivljene za moju pogresnu percepciju. Ne zelim reci da je paleta sicusna jer nije ali uopste nije ni velikih dimenzija. Ovo moze biti i dobra ali i losa stvar, ovisi kako na to gledate. Negativna je u slucaju da imate osjecaj kako ste dobili nesto manju kolicinu za svoj novac ali uvjeravam vas da nema potrebe da se osjecate prevareno. Dimenzije citave palete su 4 x 7.3 x 1cm i mogla bih je uporediti sa osrednjim duguljastim damskim novcanikom. Jako je lagana iako se u njoj krije 12 nijansi sjena za oci. Dobra strana je i sto je lako prenosiva te moze stati u svaku kozmeticku torbicu. Ne bi bila tako prakticna da je glomaznija, zar ne?

It is made of rubbery, matte, velvety plastic which is soft to the touch. Many compare the appearance and the finish of its casing material to NARS products. I find that it can catch fingerprints and dirt easily but you can also clean it as easily, with just one swipe. Upon arrival, I also loved how it looks wrapped in its small, candy ornated box – like a very pretty chocolate gift! It leaves an extremely positive first impression. The palette is enclosed with a convenient full-sized mirror which is placed inside the lid. Twelve eye shadows combined weigh 13,2g so each eye shadow pot weighs 1,1g which is decent. I find that it is well made so you don't have an impression that you've bought something cheap. Quite the contrary – it looks and feels more expensive than it really is.

Napravljena je od plastike koja ima gumenasti, mat i donekle barsunasti finis koji je primijetan na dodir. Mnogi ovaj materijal porede sa onim koji imaju NARS proizvodi. Primijetila sam da se lako skupljaju otisci prstiju i prasina na paletiali se jednako brzo i skinu – jednim potezom ruke. Kada mi je tek stigla na kucna vrata, momentalno mi se dopalo kako izgleda u svojoj kuticiji ukrasenoj motivima slatkisa – doima se kao jako slatka cokolada! Ostavlja jako lijep prvi dojam. Sa paletom dolazi i iznimno prakticno ogledalo solidne velicine koje se nalazi unutar poklopca. Svih dvanaest sjena za oci teze 13,2 grama tako da svaka sjena tezi tacno 1,1 gram, sto je pristojna gramaza. Uopsteno gledajuci, paleta je kvalitetna te uopste nemate dojam da ste kupili nesto jeftino. Cak suprotno – djeluje dosta “skuplje” nesto sto zaista jeste.

I also prefer the fact that Sleek prints the name of the palette and collection (if a product is a part of one) on the front. Older palettes don't have this detail which I find very convenient when I'm in a rush. Now, opening this eye palette is a bit harder in terms that one might break a nail while doing so. It's not impossible to open but ladies with longer nails might find this to be a difficulty. The good aspect of it being tightly closed is that it won't accidentally open while inside your purse and stain it. When you do open this eye-candy, it smells of something “new”, freshly made. I personally like this smell which goes away during time. You get a double-sided sponge applicator which would be a tremendous thing if it was a double-sided eyeshadow brush. You can't get everything, can you? 

Takodjer mi se dopada sto Sleek sada sa prednje strane paleta ima napisan naziv palete i kolekcije (ako je paleta dio neke kolekcije). Starije palete nisu imale ovaj koristan detalj koji itekako dobro dodje kada sam u zurbi. Sto se otvaranja palete tice, dosta je cvrsta u smislu da nije iskljucen slomljen nokat. Nije je nemoguce otvoriti ali dame sa duzim noktima bi na ovo trebale pripaziti. Dobra strana toga je sto se nece desiti da se paleta neocekivano otvori u torbi i uprlja unutrasnju postavu torbe. Kada paletu tek otvorite, mirise na nesto novo, nesto sto je tek izaslo iz tvornice. Meni se miris dopadaali svakako se smiri nakon nekog vremena. Unutar palete dobijete dvostrani spuzvasti aplikator koji bi bio odlican dodatak da se radi o dvostranoj cetkici za nanosenje sjena. Izgleda da ne moze da nam sve bude po volji.

The shades are yummy to say the least. I find that they go very well with the entire candy theme. It's a terrific combination of well-thought shades. Not exactly neon, more accurate would be to say that these are vivid pastels. Quite contradictory but this is really how I see them. I will elaborate below on the hues themselves. Out of these twelve hues, three are of a pearly finish while you get four mattes and four shimmery ones. 

Nijanse su blago receno, odlicne! Mislim da se super uklapaju u citavu ideju slatkisa. Upitanju je izvrsna kombinacija dobro kombinovanih boja. Nisu mi bas neon, licno bih ih opisala kao zive pastelne boje. Prilicno kontradiktoran opis ali zaista ih tako dozivljavam a sve cu objasniti ispod. Od ukupno dvanaest nijansi, tri su bisernog, cetiri mat i cetiri svjetlucavog finisa.

Top row:

• Strawberry Sherbet – matte, powdery cool-toned Barbie pink with subdued teensy shimmer, pretty intense and bold
• BonBon – shimmery, almost metallic-y pink, almost frost-like but looks amazingly flattering on the lids as an all-over hue
• Parma Violet – dusty, matte eggplant hue, perfect for contouring and shading
• Apple Sour – true summery shade, shimmery light turquoise with noticeable predominant greens
• Pear Drop – beautifully pigmented, zesty lime hue for bold eyes
• Flump – almost a matte violet but the slight pearl sheen gives it a little oomph

Bottom Row:

• Liquorice – matte, charcoal hue and do not mistake it for a pigmented black we all crave for -this is not it people, this is not the good stuff…sigh
• Blue Fizzle – gorgeous navy, almost petrol blue hue with lilac udnertones with just a slight sheen
• Aniseed – golden-toned deep rose color with a complimentary metallic shimmer, a very special color
• Bubble Gum – a matte, almost chalky bright blue with no shimmer/ sheen whatsoever
• Mint Cream – pearly mint color which goes along with Apple Sour like peaches and cream!
• Cream Soda – well pigmented creamy metallic white

Gornji red:

• Strawberry Sherbet – mat, puderasta Barbie ruzicasta hladnog podtona koju krasi i jako, jako sicusan shimmer, dosta intenzivna nijansa za hrabre
• BonBon – svjetlucava, skoro pa metalik, cak malo i ona “frosted” ruzicasta ali jako lijepo izgleda na kapcima kao bazna sjena
• Parma Violet – pudrasta, mat boja patlidzana koja je idealna za konturisanje i sjencenje
• Apple Sour – odlicna ljetna nijansa, svjetlucava svijetlo tirkizna primijetno dominantnog zelenog podtona
• Pear Drop – prekrasno pigmentirana ljuta limeta zelena za posebno istaknute oci
• Flump – skoro pa mat ljubicasta koja ima blagi odsjaj sto je cini nesto drugacijom od vecine

Donji red:

• Liquorice – mat, ugljeno siva nijansa koju ne zelite zamijeniti sa pigmentovanom crnom koju svi zelimo jer – to nije to ljudi, ovo nije zgoditak po tom pitanju
• Blue Fizzle – prekrasna morska tamno plava koja ima lila podton i blagi sjaj
• Aniseed – boja ruze zlacanog sjaja koji je cini skoro pa metalik, dosta fascinantna boja
• Bubble Gum – mat, skoro pa kredasta jarka plava koja u sebi nema nikakav sjaj niti sljokice
• Mint Cream – biserno mentolasta nijansa koja se savrseno slaze sa Apple Sour sjenom iz palete
• Cream Soda – dobro pigmentirana kremasta metalik bijela

They are all smooth like buttah and by that I mean they are very soft, fingers simply glide over every colorful pot. All are very pigmented except the Liquorice one, that one I find to be a slight dud out of the bunch. I expected it to be the black we all hope for to find in a eye palette but it seems like Sleek simply cannot master the art of true matte black. It is still something I will use but it simply doesn't have the intensity I hoped for. I have read in a few reviews that some come off sheer but the only sheer-ish hue is Flump which must be applied in two layers to get the right intensity. Pearly Apple Sour, Aniseed and BonBon are well pigmented even with all the sheen. True matte hues like Bubble Gum, Strawberry Sorbet, Mint Cream and Parma Violet are well made and leave great trace of color on the lids. Blue Fizzle and Pear Drop are amongst my faves in this palette. Such a surprisingly pretty hues and incredibly wearable. If in doubt, do take a look of a small eye make-up swatch I made using them and Parma Violet. This is actually something I wear in real life and no, I am not afraid of color. At least, summer is a wonderful excuse to go crazy and experiment but I still have a vision of many autumn make-up looks that include these vibrant colors like Pear Drop. I used the Flormar MAXXL Mascara and on the last photo I have applied the Flormar Ultra Purple Eye Liner to add more dimension to the look. These eye shadows are amazing, the fallout is there but doesn't bother me the slightest. The palette isn't covered with fallout, it really isn't a big deal to me. They are very long lasting and don't crease at all. I pair them with my Artdeco eyeshadow base and together, they're indestructible! In the end, I think that this palette is most definitely worth buying. I hope many of you grabbed your own piece because we all know how LE products are often too good to pass by.

*swatches are made by picking eye shadows with clean fingers (along the lash line an angled eyeliner brush was used) , dry application, no eyeshadow base underneath

Ove sjene su glatke poput putera i pod time mislim na to da su iznimno mekane, prsti naprosto sami prelaze preko svakog sarenog kruzica koji prsti od boje. Sve su jako pigmentirane osim Liquoirice nijanse, ona mi je jedina donekle razocaravajuca. Ocekivala sam da ce to biti ona duboka crna koju svi zudimo vidjeti u paletama ali izgleda da Sleek naprosto ne moze da usavrsi umijece savrsene mat crne sjene za oci. Ja cu ce i dalje koristiti ali nema onaj intenzitet kojem sam se ponadala. Citala sam u par stranih recenzija da neke nijanse djeluju poluprozirno ali jedina nijansa za koju bih to mogla reci jeste Flump koju je potrebno nanijeti u dva sloja kako bi se dobio zeljeni intenzitet. Biserne Apple Sour, Aniseed i BonBon su jako dobro pigmentirane, cak i pored izrazenog odsjaja. Mat nijanse poput Bubble Gum, Strawberry Sorbet, Mint Cream i Parma Violet su odlicno uradjene i ostavljaju jak trag boje na kapcima. Blue Fizzle i Pear Drop su mi medju favoritima u paleti. Zaista su iznenadjujuce prekrasne i nosive nijanse. Ako imate sumnji u nosivost, ispod pogledajte jedan jednostavan make-up look koji sam za par minuta napravila na ocima. Napravila sam ga upravo koristeci spomenute nijanse i Parma Violet. Ovo je nesto sto nosim u stvarnosti i uopste se ne osjecam zastraseno silnim bojama. Barem je ljeto samo po sebi idealan izgovor za malo eksperimentisanja ali imam i viziju par jesenjih look-ova u kojim cu ukljuciti sjene poput Pear Drop. Koristila sam Flormar MAXXL maskaru a na posljednoj slici sam nanijela i malo Flormar Ultra Purple olovke za oci na unutarnji rub oka. Ovo su nevjerovatno kvalitetne sjene zaoci. Jako malo se rasipaju sto mi ne smeta. Paleta nikada nije prekrivena ostatcima sjena za oci pa samim tim mi to ne predstavlja problem. Iznimno su dugotrajne i uopste mi se ne nakupljaju u kapcima. Ja ih koristim zajedno sa svojom Artdeco bazom ispod njih i ta kombinacija mi se pokazala izvanrednom! Na kraju, misljenja sam da ovu paletu itekako vrijedi kupiti. Nadam se da je dosta zainteresovanih citateljki sebi obezbijedilo primjerak posto svi znamo da su limitirane edicije nerijetko previse dobre da bi ih propustili.

*swatchevi su napravljeni tako sto su sjene nanesene cistim prsticima (uz rub oka je koristen koso rezani kist), suho nanosenje, bez baze za sjene ispod