This was recomended to me by my good friend Koneko (leader of Hibiscgyaru) after I told her I wanted to experiment with doing Manba make for fun. Because you have to do it for at least a few miitsus right? XD
Stats
Cost - £6.99
Colour - 462 Hot Chocolate (as show in picture above)
Weight - 9g or 0.31oz
Available from Superdrug in the UK or afro hair shops
First Impressions
I love the packaging on this. The casing is matte black so no pesky finger print marks. The writing on it is gold so it creates a nice contrast and gives it a nice gal feel. When you open it up, it's got a mirror on the inside of the lid which is really useful when you're on the go and need to touch up your make. Then there's the pan of make itself. It's such a great colour. Perfect for doing Manba if you don't want to go super dark although this is a colour darker than this one but I went for Hot Chocolate instead because it's a slightly warmer colour. Underneath the pan is a make up sponge. It's really up to you if you use this. I personally prefer using a brush to apply with as it's more hygienic but the sponge is useful for blending. Just make sure you wash it after use gals.
So far so good
Application and wear
I put this on over a primer just out of habit so everything I tell you will be based on that.
When I first put this on, I struggled a bit as I've never used a creme foundation before but once I got used to the texture it was fine. It does take a little bit of time though if you use a brush and want to get good coverage. The only problem I really had with application is blending it so it didn't look patchy i.e darker in some spots and lighter everywhere else. Now this could be down to the primer mind you but I've never had this problem before now. I'll do a patch test though without a primer and see what happens and I'll update this. So most of my time was spending blending it out using a foundation brush and the sponge it came with. Eventually though, I got it the way I wanted it and set with powder although Koneko gave me a great tip which is to set with a bronzer which will help take away any unevenness.
As for wear, I can't fault it. Once it's on, it stays on. In fact it stays on so well that when I wash it off, I have to do a double cleanse just to get my face completely clean. The colour stays true throughout the day. It doesn't have any kind of smell to it which I LOVE because some foundations have an odd smell which assaults your nose for the first hour of wear lol.
Overall I'd say this was a great foundation to use for everyday or occational Manba. Even though it seems like you're putting loads on, you don't actually use that much so it'll last you a while. As with all Creme products though, be sure to throw it out after a year of use or if it changes colour/smell/texture. I definitely recommend it though. The coverage is brilliant even for those who are pale like me.
My Rating - 4 out of 5
I really love Sleek foundation, and im glad someone has done a review, so that other Western girls who want to try Manba make have a good starting point! I first bought Rimmel Matte or whatever that crap was - it sucked - and I never used it after trying it out at home. It was all liquidy and really odd and difficult to apply. Its definitely made for people with dark skin already, not those with light skin.
ReplyDeleteI found Sleek in a beauty store in Peckham when I first met Niijii and bought it because it was cheap and looked convincing. Its awesome stuff and I really do recommend it to anyone who wants to do Manba make. I used to use Hot Chocolate but moved up to the darkest one which I can't remember the name of.. like Fawn? or something like that haha
Yeah, I find it easiest to apply with the sponge added onto a clean face. Set it with bronzer (or indeed same color face powder) and you're good to go! I find that bronzer gives you a darker face with little hints of glitter and shimmer if you look closely :p It also means you don't have to keep reapplying your foundation during the day :D