Sleek i-divine Original Palette and swatches

I have been coveting a Sleek i-divine palette for quite some time now and I decided to treat myself as a finishing university present. I must have stood in Superdrug for ages trying to decide which one I wanted. After a lot of consideration, I decided to go with the Original Palette. Each Sleek i-divine palette can be bought from larger Superdrug stores or online and costs £7.99.

All Sleek palettes comes in (for lack of a better word) a very sleek looking black box. The box is rectangular in shape and has the Sleek logo imprinted into the top of the lid. It is made from a black plastic but is extremely smooth to the touch and both looks and feels nice to hold. Although the box is plain black, and should look quite boring, I don’t think it does at all. For me, the box looks more expensive than what the product cost and while there is nothing fancy or colourful to it, it is a nice box for eye shadows. Obviously, as a cheaper palette, you don’t get all the fancy add ons like you would with something from the big Urban Decay palettes but as this is going to sit in my handbag mostly, I am glad for the simple design.

As you flip the lid open, you can see the 12 wonderful colours of eye shadow, as well as a large mirror on the inside of the lid. In front of the eye shadows, there is a long compartment where a double ended applicator sits. The reason I chose the original palette because the range of colours in this palette were more every day colours compared to some of the others. I wanted something I could use a lot and something I could take on holiday with me later on in the year.

On the top layer (from right to left) you get black, purple, dark blue, light blue, a teal kind of colour and dark green.

On the bottom layer (from right to left) you get a soft gold, light pink, slightly darker pink, brown, copper and a dark olive colour.

The eye shadows are made from a pigment which means the colours not compact like other eye shadows. These come away quite easily once you put a brush or applicator to them. I have used the applicator provided but I prefer to use my own, softer brushes as they tend to give a smoother application. As these are pigmented eye shadows you do need to be careful when putting the brush to the colour. If you press too hard, the colour will break and you’ll end up with a messy box of powder on your hands.

When applying, it is best to start off with a little amount and to build up the desired colour. For instance, the purple could either end up as a soft lilac if you only use a small amount or it could also be a rich violet if you add a couple of layers of colour. I really like the diversity you get in just one palette and also the fact that the colours go really well together. This is a well thought out palette as you can use some of the colours as base colours while using some of the others as highlighters.

As these are pigmented eye shadows, it is highly advisable that you use some form of primer before applying them. Pigments are loose and by using a primer, it makes sure the powder sticks to the eyelid rather than it coming off over the course of the day. I use a Benefit primer underneath my eye shadow and this makes it last the whole day without any creasing whatsoever. Before buying this, I was very loyal to Urban Decay in regards to eye shadows but considering the price difference and colours available, I may now be a Sleek girl through and through.