Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Mascara Review

I was interested to try this mascara. I had heard from many youtube beauty gurus in the past that department store mascara was just as good, if not better than high end mascara. One even said that she thought the high end companies spent to much time making great foundations and eyeshadow products that they didn't put enough effort into mascara. I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but after that video posted, all of the popular makeup companies started coming out with new mascara. That very same makeup guru started raving about mascaras from several makeup companies. "Eyes to kill", "They're Real!"...etc. I did not actively seek out to try this mascara, it just sorta happened. My last Sephora purchase was $10 away from qualifying for free shipping. I thought there was no way I could find something for $10, but after searching, I found the Benefit Cosmetics, They're Real! Mascara Mini for $10. I thought, why not? If it isn't any good, I didn't pay $23 for the full size.

The first time I tried the mascara, I was very surprised. The wand frightened me lol. It's made of rubber and very spikey. I put on two coats, let it dry a little, then combed through with a lash comb. Let me tell you, the results were awesome! I had many comments on my lashes.

*picture obtained from www.sephora.com

This picture is from the first time I ever applied this mascara!
















The next few pictures are of just mascara, no eye liner or shadow.

This mascara lengthens, separates, curls...it does everything that I look for in a mascara! I will be repurchasing the full size next time! :)

Benefit Cosmetics "Hello Flawless!" Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup Foundation

Wow that was a mouth full. I got a deluxe sample size in the shade "I'm pure 4 sure" Ivory. I was really surprised by this foundation. The consistency is watery, it smells perfumey (not bad though). But it gives a really good coverage! It does brighten. Gives a glowy/dewy finish. My skin tends to be oily so my face came off shiny in spots. The full sized runs for around $34 at Sephora. I liked it so much that I had myself talked in to purchasing it until I realized that I could get another foundation, that I have been dying to try for about a year, for the same price. I think this foundation would be perfect for the summer months, it's very lightweight and has a glow to it. I think it screams summer. Another thing I like to do, because it is a brightening foundation, is to use it as an under eye concealer. Paired with the Benefit Eye Bright, the results are amazing!

Sigma Complete Kit: Review

Every makeup artist's dream, a full set of makeup brushes. This kit was the first thing I ever purchased from Sigma Makeup. All of the brushes are soft and made with amazing quality. Each brush has its own purpose, some more uses than others.

The kit is $79 without the brush roll (not including tax or S&H)
All of the brushes are available for individual purchase now but if you purchase the full kit as opposed to each brush individually you will save $53

Here is a description of  this kit:

12 professional quality brushes for a complete makeover! Everything you need to apply makeup to eyes and face.



Brushes in this kit:





Small Angle - E65 - Essential for the application of gel or cream eyeliner on the upper and lower lash line. This brush is also excellent for filling out the eyebrows. Synthetic bristles.

Medium Angled Shading - E70 - Angled, tapered, flat top. Ideal to apply highlight shades underneath the eyebrow and on the inner corners. It can also be used for a precise application of darker shades on the crease area. Natural bristles.

Large Shader - E60 - Flat shape is ideal for application of cream formulas and eye shadow primers. It also works great with loose eye shadows or pigments. Can be used to apply color all over the lid or precisely on the lash line. Natural bristles.

Pencil - E30 - Precise application of color on the crease, outer corner, and upper and lower lash line. Also ideal to smudge out pencil liner. Natural bristles.

Large Angled Contour - F40 - The angled shape makes this brush ideal to apply blush or contour shades. Natural bristles.

Large Powder - F30 - Very dense with a rounded top. Ideal to apply powder products on face and body. Natural bristles.

Duo Fibre - F50 - Specially designed to generate an ‘airbrushed’ finish when used to apply liquid foundation. It can also be used to apply blush, highlight shades and loose pigments. Blend of synthetic and natural bristles.

Foundation - F60 - Can be used to apply liquid or cream foundation. It is also recommended to apply moisturizers and conceal large areas. Synthetic bristles.

Concealer - F70 - The rounded, tapered, flat shape makes this brush ideal to conceal the under eye area. It is also recommended for a precise application in small areas. Synthetic bristles.

Tapered Blending - E40 - Rounded and tapered top. Specially designed to apply and blend color on the crease. Natural bristles.

Eye Shading - E55 - Soft and dense with a rounded finish. Can be used to apply pressed or loose eye shadows and pigments. Ideal to build intense color on the eyelid. Natural bristles.

Eyeliner - E05 - An extra-fine tipped synthetic fiber brush that delivers a precise, firm, even stroke to line the eyes.

Sigma Makeup offers a free travel size E25 brush with this kit!

This kit is perfect for anyone who is starting out in makeup or even a professional who wants the basics.

They are professional quality brushes at a fraction of the cost.

If you don't want to spring for the full kit they offer individual brushes or you can even just purchase the Face Kit (includes all the face brushes) for $45 (without tax or S&H) and then at a later date the Eyes Kit (includes all the eye brushes) for $45 (without tax or S&H)

Check them out!

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=803

Sigma Travel Kit: Nice In Pink Review

I've had the Nice in Pink Sigma Travel Kit since Valentine's Day 2010. It is so cute and PINK :)

The brushes are made with the same quality as their full sized counterpart. Here is a description of this kit:

The Sigma Makeup travel kit Nice in Pink retails for $49.99 (plus tax and S&H) It contains 7 essential brushes to achieve a flawless look on the go. Take Nice in Pink to your favorite travel destination or keep it in your purse for a quick touch-up during the day or a night out. All brushes are individually stored in a stylish metallic pink clutch equipped with a convenient pouch to carry all your must-have makeup items.




Clutch Dimensions (closed): 7 x 4 inches.

Face Brushes: 5 inches total

Eyes/Concealer Brushes: 4 inches total

Brushes in this kit:





Large Powder - F30 - Very dense with a rounded top. Ideal to apply powder products on face and body. Natural bristles.

Duo Fibre - F50 - Specially designed to generate an ‘airbrushed’ finish when used to apply liquid foundation. It can also be used to apply blush, highlight shades and loose pigments. Blend of synthetic and natural bristles.

Large Angled Contour - F40 - The angled shape makes this brush ideal to apply blush or contour shades. Natural bristles.

Eye Shading - E55 - Soft and dense with a rounded finish. Can be used to apply pressed or loose eye shadows and pigments. Ideal to build intense color on the eyelid. Natural bristles.

Concealer - F70 - The rounded, tapered, flat shape makes this brush ideal to conceal the under eye area. It is also recommended for a precise application in small areas. Synthetic bristles.

Tapered Blending - E40 - Rounded and tapered top. Specially designed to apply and blend color on the crease. Natural bristles.

Pencil - E30 - Precise application of color on the crease, outer corner, and upper and lower lash line. Also ideal to smudge out pencil liner. Natural bristles.

Sigma Makeup offers a free travel size F60 brush with this kit!

I also received the travel size E25 as a free gift with this kit

As I said before, these brushes are made with the same quality as their full sized counterpart....don't let their tiny size fool you :)
I was able to create a full makeup look with just these brushes while on the go.

Now the I must tell you that although the quality is exactly the same, their actual sizes and shapes of the brushes are not all identical.

As you can see here with the F40 the travel size is on the left, full size on the right. A slight difference but it still gets the job done.

Here the F60 (travel size on left, full size on right) These are pretty much identical

And the biggest size difference is the F50 (travel size on left, full size on right)

But really, how can you expect that they make the travel brushes identical to the full sized? It would be awkward in a travel sized clutch with short handles and full sized heads on them. It may be a big difference but I still find that it gets the job done while on the go.

The eye brushes on the other hand ARE identical to their full sized counterparts.

Here is the E40 (travel size on left, full size on right) The travel sized one was in a brush guard so its not a fluffy as the full sized. But you can tell, its the same

Here is the E55 (travel size on left, full size on right) again, the travel one was in a brush guard so the shape is a little more narrow.

And last but not least for size comparison is the E30 (travel size on left, full size on right) Exactly the same

Overall, the brushes are the same, sure some aren't the exact size but this is meant to be a travel kit. They fit nicely in a large purse or carry on bag. I will definitely be taking them with me when I travel. And for the price they make great gifts!

So there you have it, my thoughts/review on the Sigma Makeup Travel Kit: Nice in Pink.
 (They also have a Naughty in Black Travel Kit by the way)

Sigma Makeup Brushes! Review Introduction

If you have ever been on YouTube, you've probably stumbled across a video about Sigma Makeup Brushes....That is exactly how I found out about this amazing company.
It all started almost 2 years ago. I was on the quest to find some nice, yet inexpensive makeup brushes. My husband suggested I look on ebay (that's his answer for everything lol) So I searched...and found a lot of listings for MAC brushes, but way out of my price range. I finally found a full set of really nice looking brushes that were made with real goat hair. They were a no-named brand, but there were so many brushes...and looked so professional that I got them. I only had them for a few weeks when I decided maybe I should have done more research and found something different. The bristles were scratchy and smelled so bad. I was searching YouTube for a video about how to wash your makeup brushes and I stumbled across a Sigma Makeup Brush review. (By MakeupbyTiffanyD) She was comparing the Sigma Brushes to her MAC ones and they looked identical. I became more and more interested in these Sigma Brushes so I watched more reviews and they all had the same message: MAC quality brushes for a great price. A few months later I talked my husband into getting me the Complete Kit. 6 months later I got him to get me the Travel Kit and here we are 6 more months later I got him to get me the Premium Kit. These brushes are the nicest brushes I have ever used/owned. They are so soft, crafted so nicely. The company is great, their customer service is top notch and all of their employees are super sweet. I have had the pleasure of chatting with a few of them on Twitter, even the owner Simone and let me tell you - the nicest girls! They are committed to making excellent products and keeping things fresh. This fall they are launching some new products and I cannot wait until I can get my hands on them :)
They have recently launched a new website:

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=803

You can now purchase brushes individually and build your own kit!

And as always:





I really suggest you check them out! You will not be disappointed!

Stick around, I'm doing a review on the Travel kit next!

Primers: L'Oreal De-Crease vs Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Eyeshadow primers are very important to help your eyeshadow last all day and prevent creasing (especially if you have oily lids). I decided to do a comparison and see how well these stand up to each other. I used L'Oreal primer on one eyelid and the Too Faced primer on the other then applied the exact same eyeshadow on both. I knew which one I favored but I had no idea how much of a difference there would be in the end.

L'Oreal De-Crease:

You can find this in most drug stores. I got mine at Wal-Mart for around $7.99
On their website they claim "Prevent eye shadow creasing or fading for up to 8 hours "

Too Faced Shadow Insurance:


I found this at Sephora, at any counter that sells Too Faced products or on http://www.ulta.com/ for around $18
They claim "you can rest easy knowing your eye shadow will never crease flake or fade"

So Let the test begin! First off, here is my freshly applied makeup:

I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance on my right eye (your left) and L'Oreal De-Crease on my left eye (your right). Then for my eyeshadow I used NYX Jumbo Pencil in Pots & Pans, Coastal Scents colors Silver, Black & Soft Brown.

Here are close ups of the eyes at 9:00 am:

Too Faced                                                                                                    L'Oreal

 

I checked my makeup periodically. Here is are close ups at 12:00 pm:

Too Faced                                                                                                 L'Oreal

At 6:00 pm:

                                                                    Too Faced                                                                 

                                              L'Oreal (bigger to show its already creasing)

And finally at 9:00 pm before I took off my makeup:

                                                                        Too Faced

L'Oreal

As you can clearly see, the Too Faced Shadow Insurance held up pretty well, the eyeshadow looks almost as good as it did when it was freshly applied ....the L'Oreal De-Crease failed miserably in my opinion. I have oily lids and it just doesn't cut it for me. I want my eyeshadow to last all day.

If you don't wear an eyeshadow primer and you don't have a problem creasing but do notice your shadow fades then the L'Oreal will probably work for you.

But if you do have oily lids and notice your shadow "collects" in the folds of your eyelid then you should invest in a good primer. I know there is a $10 difference in the price of these two but it's worth it in my opinion. If your eyeshadow isn't going to last all day then why waste the time and money on eyeshadow?

I hope this review and comparison was helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible :)

Thanks!