Sleek Garden of Eden palette and brow kit review

It's been almost a week since I updated this blog.  I've been working hard, moving house, and being terribly ill, all at the same time.  Not a good week.  You can tell how crappy I've been feeling.  I picked up Sleek's new Garden of Eden palette on Tuesday (thank you Boots points!), but I haven't played with it until today!

Like all of Sleek's palettes, Garden of Eden contains 12 eyeshadows, housed in a black case with a mirror, and a double ended sponge applicator (which I don't think I've ever used).  This offering is a mixture of muted purples, greens, and browns.  I always love the mix of colours that Sleek come up with, and this is no exception, although I would like it if they included a decent highlight colour.

The palette is quite frost heavy, with over half the shades being a frost finish.  That's not a bad thing, as that's where Sleek's strength lies, but if you're more of a matte person, you may be disappointed.  

Top:  Gates of Eden, Eve's Kiss, Paradise on Earth, Python, Forbidden, Flora

Bottom:  Entwined, Adam's Apple, Fig, Evergreen, Fauna, Tree of Life

Upon first swatching these, I was a little disappointed.  Forbidden, in particular, had very weak colour pay off.  Entwined and Adam's Apple were also dry and sheer.  Even some of the frosts like Fig and Evergreen were pretty sheer.  But I remembered that I felt the same when I first got my hands on the Celestial palette, so I decided to try the shadows over a base before giving up.

Applying the shadows over NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk yielded far better results.  Part of me resents having to use a base to get this sort of colour pay off.  But then again, I almost always use a base when applying my eyeshadows anyway.  If you don't usually use a base in your looks this could be a deal breaker for you. 

Whilst in Boots I also picked up their brow palette.  I love my MUFE Aqua Brow, but I find it can be a little OTT when I'm wearing a softer 'no makeup' look.  I'm a massive fan of Benefit's Brow-zings, but my budget didn't quite stretch that far this month, so I decided to give Sleek's offering a go.

Just like Benefit's Brow-zings, Sleek's brow palette contains a brow wax, a brow powder, two brushes, and a small pair of tweezers.  You apply the wax first, and then set with the powder.  I used my usual Sephora angled brush to apply the wax, which had better pigmentation than I was expecting.  I then used the flat brush to apply the powder to set the wax.   I was really happy with the results!  Staying power isn't as good as Brow-zings, but with the Sleek palette coming in at almost 1/3 of the price, I can't complain too much.  I'll also add that the tweezers included are really good too!  I'm not sure that it'll replace Aqua Brow for me, but it's definitely nice to have a softer option.

I had a quick play around with both the eyeshadow, and the brow palette.  I'm happy with the way the eyeshadow palette performed, and I'm sure I'll be spending some more time doing some better looks soon!

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
Sleek Garden of Eden palette -
  Inner lid - Eve's Kiss
  Outer lid - Paradise on Earth
  Crease -  Adam's Apple, Fig, and Tree of Life
  Tear duct -  Gates of Eden
  Lower lash line - Forbidden
MAC eyeshadow in Nylon 
Miss Sporty Metallic Liner in Purple Hit
Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Mildew 
Lancome Hypnose Star mascara
Sleek Brow Palette in Light