Powder your nose–Sleek One Finishing Powder

Hi guys! Sorry I haven’t blogged in a few days, came back from the boys on Tuesday and didn’t really have anything other than nail posts. Also, I should be doing more on my dissertation/revision for exam/assignment/any of the above but nail varnish and lipstick is so much more interesting!

I know there was a big hoo haa about Sleek late last year that was ridiculous, what a big old mess. I didn’t try and get anything in the 50% off though I can easily see why others would have! I like the brand, I think their products are cheaply priced and I haven’t had any issues with any of their products.

Face powder is one of those things that I thought was just the same between brands, once you’ve tried one you’ve tried them all. I used Rimmel Stay Matte for a long while just because I always had, though since my skin got less oily it started to look more cakey on me and I decided to try something new. I started to dabble in loose powders then and have tried a few until now, a favourite being Elf’s HD powder that I keep meaning to repurchase but am on a no-buy every time they do a free shipping code!

So when browsing the Sleek section of yet another Superdrug in my quest for the elusive Rose Gold blush that is getting beyond elusive and more notworththetimeandeffort I picked this up. That was in Harrogate (the 10th Superdrug I’ve looked in for that effing blusher) so must have been at the beginning of the year though I didn’t crack this out until later. It first caught my eye because it is a water based powder, something I hadn’t heard of until MAC’s Venomous Villains collection. Worth a go….

They say ‘An oil absorbing, sheer finishing powder rich in anti-oxidants with botanical extracts to help provide an immediate cooling sensation’

‘Hydrate and set your look with this transparent finishing powder, that instantly cools the skin when applied. It can be used alone for a radiant, matte natural finish or to set foundation’

OK so first things first, the cooling sensation. At first this is really refreshing and does feel wet while it goes on but this disappears almost straight away. It also doesn’t last the entire way through the pot although I kind of didn’t expect it to I don’t leave this open for any longer than the 10 seconds maximum it takes me to apply this in the morning and always do it up tight so it is a bit of a shame.

The packaging is pretty sturdy and the holes in the sifter aren’t too big, it can get a bit messy when applying as with all loose powders but not due to excess product in the top, just due to my unwieldy brush skillz.

You can see in the bottom picture that this powder is sparkly. I don’t notice this while on my face but it does look pretty noticeable in the tub and on my swatch. While I would say this aspect may put off people with oily skin purchasing I just don’t think this a good product for oily skin at all. I have normal/combination skin with an oilier chin. Most face products last pretty well on me as long as I don’t touch my face. Not this, within three hours of applying I was shiny, not just on my chin but all over, needing a blot and re-powder. I don’t know why as this has never happened with any other powder though the last one I used was Maybelline Dream Matte so that could be why.

You can really see the sparkles in that bottom swatch.

This product is not a repurchase. This shows at £7.30 on the Sleek website for 8g which isn’t bad for a loose powder but not particularly good either. The packaging is nice but looks half full even when it is new. The sparkles aren’t visible on skin but this powder does nothing to mattify and I’m not even oily skinned. Last but not least the water-based cooling effect is a gimmick, it lasts for a few goes but not the whole way through the jar.

All in all pretty meh.

Have you tried this? What were your thoughts? Do you have any recs for loose powder? I’ve heard good things about the NYC one, I might try that if I can find it in my crappy local Superdrug. Also, have any of you managed to track down that sodding Rose Gold blusher? Is it even worth it?