Celebrate CNY with the January Bellabox...

Gee, January is just flying by isn’t it? It wasn’t long ago we were celebrating the New Year - now it’s already the 18th, and it won't be long before we’re celebrating Chinese New Year.

The January box for Bellabox is actually quite cute in this aspect – themed “Celebrate CNY with Bellabox”, they’ve included items this month that are meant to help you look good ahead of your CNY celebrations. Even the wrapping in the box this month reflects this, detracting from the usual Bellabox logo sticker and bright pink tissue paper.

First up is a b.liv Feel No Sluggish Mask that is meant to help prevent the signs of aging by invigorating the skin with fruity essences – it’s supposed to be apple-derived too, which I happen to like. :D

Next up is something I’ve heard interesting things about – Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Infused Comb – a comb that is supposedly infused with the Healing Oil treatment so it gets distributed evenly on hair without leaving a residue on hands. Will let you know once I try it out! Below it is a small “to be hung on your handphone” size of Sleek High Shine Lip Gloss in a pretty (if not bright) pink shade – as if I needed any more lip products, but it’s cute nevertheless.

There was also a trial size set of Skin Food’s Gold Caviar Toner and Emulsion, both of which I’ve briefly tried before and been ok with. The interesting part is that the toner and emulsion are infused with tiny flakes of pure gold. Go check it out – you’ll see what I mean. ;) There was also a small tube of Natura Bisse NB Ceutical Tolerance Cleanser which I’m looking forward to trying out. Skin Food also threw in a few sachets of their eye cream as a bonus together with a card for a personal consultation and sampling at their stores.

To be honest, this month’s box was a little bit disappointing apart from the mask and comb, but it’s still not too bad since there were items I was looking forward to trying out. Does anyone else share the same sentiment?

The Sleek Original i-Divine Palette is oh so divine!...

When it comes to wearing eyeshadow, I’m usually the finickiest person around – anything too gritty, too powdery, too difficult to apply, etc gets relegated to the back of the drawer almost immediately. However, enter the Sleek Original i-Divine palette which I got as a Christmas present from some loverly ladies *wink* – and despite initial reservations, I’m quite in love with this baby!

Description:

The Original i-Divine palette contains a variety of highly-pigmented colours, ranging from green to purple, allowing you to create endless looks fit for day or night. The velvet-touch consistency gives full and shimmering coverage to the eye lid for maximum effect. Each of the 12 shades can be applied alone for a dramatic effect or mixed to create a personalised look.

When I first opened it up, the colours were breathtaking – this palette doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to colour! I was a bit alarmed by the powdery flecks scattered throughout the palette but I reckon it was just due to shifting during transport/ shipping.

And here come the swatches:

Gorgeous colours, aren’t they? With the exception of the flat black shade (top left shade or #1) which feels a bit gritty and is the only matte shade in this palette, the rest have great colour payoff and texture. Personally, I do like my colours a bit on the shimmery side so this is right up my alley.

My initial hesitation was not with the texture of the eyeshadow, but rather the hues – knowing me, I’m more of a brown/ nudes/ neutrals sort of person with a strong hue added in (think deep jewel colours like emerald and amethyst) and only ever use multiple bright colours for special occasions, so I was initially hesitant to try a lot of the shades (hel-lo, bright blue? Uh oh…).

However, I’ve found that using my fingers to apply this gives me a more muted look and makes the bright hues easier to blend (although the instructions say the eyeshadow is best applied with the enclosed dual-ended sponge applicator), so now I’ve gotten quite used to it and (god forbid!) am even starting to use brighter colours overall.

Incidentally, the i-Divines have been given a makeover – the outer packaging has been updated and they’re now pressed flat instead of the waffle print you see in these pictures. A bit of a shame really, since I kind of like the waffle print. :D

Ingredients for those interested

Overall, this is a great palette for those wanting to experiment with colour and want shades that are easy to blend. It's certainly gotten me out of my neutrals comfort zone and who knows, you just might see me with a lot of brighter colours soon?

And on that note, Happy Friday and have a lovely weekend!! :D

The Sleek Original i-Divine palette retails at £6.49 and is available from the Sleek Makeup website. International shipping is available (except to African countries).

Rating: 4 / 5

Value: $$$