Sleek CC Cream

I recently went on holiday for a week to Turkey and came back extremely tanned! My skin hasn’t been this tanned for a while and even though I do like the bronzed glow it has given me, it meant that my current foundations are much too light for my skin now.   

I made a trip to Boots after work to find a foundation which would match my tanned skin perfectly. Firstly, I was really surprised at the lack of shade ranges that were available, especially in regards to darker shades. I came across mostly medium toned foundations at best with heavy pink and peach undertones – not all suitable for my yellow toned complexion.

I decided to look at the Sleek counter as I know they cater quite well for those with darker skin tones.  I came across their ‘CC Cream’ which is advertised as a cream to boost radiance and mattify shine and a complexion corrector that treats and conceals imperfections. It also contains vitamin C said to protect skin against damage caused by free radicals, reduces fine lines, wrinkles and improves skin elasticity and the formula nourishes skin and combats dull and uneven skin tones leaving a beautifully fresh and even complexion. Furthermore, it contains ‘colour adaptive technology that adjusts to your skin tone and works to brighten and enhance skins natural radiance, whilst fighting against shine’. It also contains SPF 29 which is a bonus and I have found that is photographs quite nicely given the SPF factor.

 

I went for the medium shade in this but, as you will see from the images, it is really quite dark (even for my current skin tone) and I would possibly compare it to a MAC NC45. The reason I picked it up was because of how yellow toned it was in comparison to all the other foundations I came across and it was my intention to mix it with my current foundations so I didn’t mind that it was a bit on the darker side. I also felt that getting a CC cream was hopefully better for my skin then just an ordinary foundation, or convinced myself of that at least!

Just swatched

Blended

I would say that is coverage of the cream is medium and buildable too. It does cover minor skin imperfections and evens out the skin tone nicely, however, you probably will still need a concealer for any problematic areas.  It has quite a thick consistency but does blend well into the skin and I like to apply it with my Real Techniques buffing brush. The finish is quite dewy on application but doesn’t feel sticky or uncomfortable if blended well. In terms of colour adapting technology, I’m not sure I can comment fully as I do mix with another foundation but I think it suits and also brightens my tanned skin quite well. It also has quite a decent lasting power considering it’s a CC cream.  

However, my only gripe is that I’m not 100% convinced that the cream mattify’s shine. I have combination skin and have found foundations I’ve used in the past such as Bourjois’s Healthy Mix Serum and Chanel’s Vitalumiere Aqua, which have not left me oily in my t-zone area, however, this slightly does. I mean it’s not terrible but I have used it a few times now and have learnt that I must use a mattyfying powder on top to prevent too much shininess from occurring throughout the day. Therefore I  wouldn’t really recommend this product for those with very oily skin types and it is probably more suited to those with dry skin. Due to the formula and finish, perhaps it would be more suited to the winter months?  

All in all, it’s a doing a pretty decent job of giving my current foundation more of a golden brown hue and I will probably use it all up. However, apart from the shade, I wouldn’t say that it is a stand out product for me as I think it does a job which many other creams and foundations can do.

 

I hope you found this review to be helpful, I would love to read your thoughts and comments!

 

Xoxo