I was first introduced to these wonderful lipsticks when I won Ambre Rose on a blog competition (I love fellow bloggers!). Ambre Rose is in the pink family of these lipsticks and the other week I was browsing Superdrug on The Strand (probably my favourite Superdrug, it's so well stocked and organised) and Maybelline had 3 for 2 on certain products.
Impressed the first time round with Colour Sensational, I knew I could trust the quality of these and there were so many great shades to choose from. I like how the shades are organised into colour families, it makes it a little easier choosing the right colour for you. Nothing from the Plums appealed to me, I don't know if plum would suit me, I've just always avoided it so I guess I'll never find out. So I got 3 from the remaining 3 families, Pearl, Brown, and Red.
Red is again a colour I struggle with, I think it's the fear factor that stops me reaching for red lipsticks. Amongst the red family, there were a few coral numbers which is a colour I adore. I found the perfect lipstick to wear under Revlon's Coral Reef lipgloss. It's almost an exact match, unfortunately the pictures below don't show the vibrancy. It's called Coral Pop (number 420) a peachy/red tone that's quite bold and so best paired with a toned down eyeshadow look. I think you could still go quite bold on your cheeks though and pair this with a coral blusher like MAC's Peach or a nice bronzer.
The consistency of this one is a little more drying than the others, I would recommend exfoliating your lips before applying as even the tiniest amount of dry skin seems magnified by this. Having said that, the pigmentation is fantastic, as is how long this lipstick lasts, I'd say a good few hours and because it's quite a matte finish, doesn't rub off on your glass when you drink. Applied well, it looks great.
Next we have Rose Pearl (822) from not surpringly the Pearl family. These shades were released later than the other colour families and are probably the most appealing to me. I think these are the hardest colours to find as I haven't found them in all the Superdrugs I visit. Rose Pearl is this gorgeous shimmery shade. It looks like a nude in the tube, but with a very fine bluey silver shimmer to it which is more apparent when applied. Think crushed pearls on your lips! I think nude fans will love this shade, I wear it mostly during the day time but this would look so glamourous with a smoky eye instead of a classic plain nude lipstick.
And finally, Velvet Beige (630) from the Browns family. I think this might be my favourite of the three
I bought because I took a bit of a risk with it and found a colour that I never go near, but actually really love and think I will reach for this the most. I happen to be a big fan of browns but I usually go for the nudey browns, for example my favourite shade is MAC's High Tea. This is still a nudey brown but somewhat darker than I've tried before.
I love darker colours that suit my skin tone because I find them more long lasting than lighter shades. My lips are really pigmented too so I need quite a strong colour that's just as pigmented to show up on my lips. Velvet Beige leaves my lips with this wine stained colour that really warms my entire face up. At the risk of sounding like an idiot, this is also a lipstick that makes me feel "sophisticated" and "grown-up"! I guess it's a shade I associate with older women than myself, but I think if something looks right on you, or more to the point,
feels right on you, you should wear it, over something you feel you should be wearing for your age. I love the creamy texture of Velvet Beige, (it's funny how all the Colour Sensational lipsticks feel like they have different consistencies, yet they still have that same marzipan smell!) it's moisturising without being overly glossy. This will definitely be my most used lipstick over Autumn/Winter.
Here's a few of my recent beauty buys. I wanted to try this bubble bar from Lush called Dorothy. It smelt rather lovely, and sent my bath water a rather rainbowy shade! I also got one of the mother's day flower bath ballistics which I sent to my Mum. I didn't realise it at the time but they are not a new scent, they have used 3 other bath ballistics ingredients, so this one was Space Girl. It came with some seeds that you can plant and grow your own wild flowers, quite a sweet little extra I thought. I got another pair of my favourite lashes which are by Eyelure, I always go for the lengthening ones as I think they make the most impact without looking obviously fake. These are number 050. I also wanted to try another Maybelline mascara as I got on really well with the Falsies mascara and this is equally as good. If I put this one over a coat of the Falsies it actually gives me a false lash effect! This is a really great mascara for thickening your lashes but separating them at the same time, hence the name One-by-one. The wand is very similar to Loreal's Million lashes mascara but this has a lot more impact, I would use the Loreal Million lashes for everyday use if you want a really low-key look. Also in the picture are the GOSH nail polishes I picked up on Superdrug's 3 for 2 offer, they are FABULOUS...more about those below.
This palette is Sleek's latest offering, part of their avoir la peche collection which is limited edition. I thought it looked nice for Spring/Summer as they are quite cheery colours. It also has a few shades in there you can use to create a smokey peach eye. I think the peach/orangey pink shades are gorgeous colours in their own right and I won't neccessarily reserve them for eye shadows as I think some would make amazing blush shades, making this palette a perfect multi-use travel kit!
Finally the nail polishes, LOVE these! I always tend to buy colours that look good together when I buy 3 for 2's which is silly on nail polishes as I won't wear them all at the same time! 
This one is called Groovy Grey which is a rather distinctive light beigey grey. I have a couple of grey colours, but they're both quite dark in comparison, it's nice to find a shade like this.
Miss Sweety is a very gorgeous girly pink. It does in some lights appear to blend in with my skin so I would recommend it more for a paler skinned person or someone more tanned and olive than myself! It's still a gorgeous shade though and clashing doesn't put me off wearing something if I like it! I think this may be my go-to shade for work after Easter.
Finally this is Lavendar Love, and I am pretty much IN love with this. It's a cool, blue based lavendar. It's bright enough for Spring and Summer without screaming neon at you. I can't compare it to any other shade I've seen it's just lush. The consistency of all these polishes is fantastic too, en par with Barry M for there chipping quality, you can get a good 3 days with these chip free, unless you're playing frisbee in the sun like I was when I wore Miss Sweety, dang my frisbee catching skills! They are all also very glossy, Miss Sweety has an incredible shine on it which I couldn't stop looking at in the sunlight, so glossy! This is my first experience of GOSH polishes and I will definetely be buying more of them, not sure why I always overlooked them because they have some quite impressive shades to choose from, they just never really grabbed me before, I don't think it helps that the stand often appears dirtied with makeup, Superdrug seem to be on top of this now so these are in my good books. Have you purchased any of the GOSH polishes? Let me know your faves!
I used the champagne gold colour all over the lid, it's a perfect wash colour, and probably one of only two colours I can use all over the lid. Then for the crease I picked out the plum/purple shade, and used the silver on the inner corner. Still a pretty neutral look, but the purple livens it up a little. Sleek is fantastic for their pigmented eyeshadows, they look so multi-dimensional once applied, so much depth to the colour. The only problem is finding a palette with an entire range of colours that I can wear. I wish they would bring out a neutrals palette, like the Urban Decay Naked palette, it would be pretty near perfection in a £5 palette. 
The second product I received was the Sleek pout polish in Electro Peach. I'm a huge Sleek fan so keen to try out any of their products, I haven't had a single disappointment yet which is great for a relatively new brand. 
The colour is very bright and conventionally a bit off putting for someone of my skintone. You can get quite a good colour pay-off with this product if that’s what you want, but I will use this in the same way I’d use a lip balm, just a small amount so the colour is a lot less scary. I actually love the smell of this, it reminds me of a Natural Collection set of stackable lipbalms I had when I was younger and used to death (they were such a novel idea, I wish they’d bring them back!). There are some key ingredients in here which are very beneficial for keeping your lips in good condition, those being: Jojoba oil, Shea butter, Sweet almond oil and avocado oil. I was quite surprised to see so many nourishing ingredients in one product, especially one not from Lush! May need to stock up on a few more of these, I'll see how I get on with it for a few days and see if there's any improvement to the condition of my lips. 
This eyeshadow quad is one of my favourites, and I’m amazed by how long it’s lasted me. All four colours work really well together for a neutral eyeshadow look with just a hint of colour, and these earthy colours suit me down to the ground. The texture is really great and I’ve rarely got creasing from these shadows, even from my old job in the café where I would sometimes work 10hr shifts! I’m pretty sure these are still available to buy in America but they were never released here in the UK so I don’t know when I will be able to get my hands on a replacement.
So while I’m happy this is a lipstick I can wear on it’s own, I also really like it teamed with the lipgloss I picked up. It’s a watershine gloss that contains shimmery particles, if you think the MAC dazzleglasses are a bit too much, you might like this, because it’s not overbearingly shimmery. The shade is Crystal Rocks, a kind of peachy coral colour, it smells pretty yummy too, although the smell of Lipglasses is still my favourite. Below is the two worn together.
Here is the gloss alone:
I got an eyeshadow palette whilst I was in MAC too, I really don’t like individual pots and it’s just so much easier to have all the colours I want in one place. I can’t actually fill it yet, but it’s easier to see which colours I could do with when the rest of the colours are laid out together. I can’t really believe I spent £10 on an empty palette though, considering I can get a palette from Sleek which is full with 10 shadows for less than £5...I feel slightly robbed.
Nothing ground breaking, just easy to wear makeup that's subtle, suitable for work/school and a little more interesting than your typical nudes/neutrals.
