I recently received a press kit of the Sleek Makeup Caribbean Collection for Summer 2011 and was delighted by the vibrant tropical colours.
A veritable rainbow, the I-Divine Curaçao eyeshadow palette stirs up the colour fiend in me – though smokey shades are more Mag, brights make for some really fun makeup play. :)
Named after colourful alcoholic cocktails, this palette is a paintbox of happy hues! I wish there was an absinthe or crème de menthe shade, though, given my penchant for greens. ;)
Top row, from left to right: Tequila Sunrise, Martini, Blue Hawaiian, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver and Green Iguana
Bottom row, from left to right: Apres Midori, Blue Lagoon, Purple Haze, Green Martini, Singapore Sling and Espresso Martini
Just look at the incredibly vibrant hues!
As with many of Sleek eyeshadows, the colour payoff of the shimmery shades is superb. Pigmented, smooth and blendable, these go onto the skin ridiculously well. The matte shades, on the other hand, can skip a little, although some of the mattes are really satin in texture, so smooth are they. Like the other I-Divine palettes, this one is also made in China.
Applicators – be they fingers, sponge tips or brushes – can kick up a fair amount of product in the pans, so do be careful when picking up and applying the shadows; they can be a pain to remove when the loosened powder fall onto the undereye area, especially the darker shades.
Made in Taiwan, Aruba is a startlingly bright, sweet tangerine blush.
This matte blush is as vibrant in real life as it looks in the pan and very pigmented. A little goes a very long way, so I’d advise you to use a duo-fibre brush for subtle colouring. The blush can go on a little unevenly but careful blending will solve this problem.
Using it straight looks odd on me, so to give it more dimension and to tone down its strength of colour, I’d pair it with:
Cream highlighters like Canmake Highlighter in 05 Baby Beige
Gold highlighters like Tony Moly Shimmer Lover Cube in 05 Gold
Golden-white highlighters like NARS Highlighting Powder in Albatross
These shades go well with the sweet orange tone of Aruba – I love how they not only lift the blush with their shimmer and reflective quality, they also transform it into delightful, wearable shades of pleasing apricot and sun-kissed peach.
Also made in Taiwan, Bonaire looks similar to Aruba in depth of tone.
However, it is really a sheer orange-tinged caramel tinted lip balm…it even smells like the confection, so sweet is its scent.
Launched last week, this limited edition collection is available at Superdrug stores in the UK and on the Sleek Makeup website (they ship internationally!).
Wow! Fantastic color pay-off! I didn’t know it was so vibrant! :-) The Aruba blush really pairs well with the other highlighters you chose! ;-)
Does the waffle print of the e/s bother you much, in terms of appearance?
Hey Milktea,
I know! They’re so richly pigmented! The waffle print does get to me; it makes the Sleek palettes look cheap (granted they are very affordable but they don’t have to look it :P). That said, the print does wear off eventually.
OH WOW!!! Now colors are so fun and cheerful!!!!
Hey Chantana,
They go on really well too! :D
Can I be cheesy and say “I’m drunk and high on the bright colours”? LOL! I like the blushhhhhh!
Hey Kas,
They are quite intoxicating! ;) Yours will be in your hands very soon!