Showing posts with label Sigma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sigma. Show all posts

Sunday, April 15, 2012

March Favorites

Hello Lovelies,

I have been keeping my makeup relatively simply this month since the weather has really been warming up here so here are my belated March favorites. To start off with, I picked up a Flo Refillable Fragrance Atomizer. I hate having to carry around a full sized perfume with me in case I need to spruce up my scent during the day; with this refillable atomizer, I can mix fragrances and fill it up whenever it runs out. I have really enjoyed using it this month and mixing fragrances together.

My next favorite is the Lavanila The Healthy Body Butter in Vanilla Lavender. The pure vanilla scent is my favorite but the vanilla lavender is a close second. The body butter itself has a consistency between a normal lotion and a traditional body butter; it is thicker than a lotion but thinner than a body butter. It absorbs into the skin relatively quickly and leaves a faint scent on the skin. I have been trying to use up my all of my various lotions and body butters this month so this will probably be the first of many lotions included.

I switched back to my HG Laura Mercier mineral powder foundation since it is a little lighter and more natural looking than my MAC Studio Fix powder. I have the mineral powder in the color Tender Rose, which is currently a little too dark for me but if I blend it down my neck you can't tell. For me, this is my go-to foundation because it gives a natural finish and makes my skin look absolutely flawless.

I picked up the Sephora Professional Mineral Powder #45 brush and I absolutely love it with the Laura Mercier mineral powder. It is less dense than the Sigma kabuki brushes so you can apply a lighter layer of foundation to give a more natural finish. I find that I need less product when I use the #45 and I can build up the foundation to a higher coverage where I need it. I have been using a lot less foundation and have almost stopped using concealer altogether (except for under my eyes).


My next favorite is actually a skincare product; it is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, which is a moisturizing toner/face spray. I use it everyday after I wash my face and before I apply my moisturizer in the morning and before I go to bed. Occasionally I will also use this during the day if my face is feeling dry or irritated. This has a relatively herbal smell, really a mixture of mint and rosemary for the most part. The scent is relatively strong until it dries so this may be off-putting for some people. That being said, if you can get past the smell I would definitely recommend picking this up because it has really made an improvement in my skin; I usually have some hormonal cystic acne but with this that has really cleared up for the most part.

My lips have been very dry and flakey this month so I have been using the Smith's Strawberry Salve all the time. I apply it when I put on my moisturizer in the morning and at night, as well as using it as a base for my lipsticks or whatever lip product I'm using that day. It gives your lips a nice rosy glow without really looking like you're really wearing anything on your lips. It smells delicious but I don't think it really has a taste as far as I am concerned.

I have been really lazy with my makeup this past month so I have been loving Tarte Amazonian Blush in Exposed. It is a gorgeous nude that I have been using as a blush/bronzer combo by using an angled blush brush to apply it to the contours of my cheeks and just a dusting on the apples of my cheeks and temples. It gives a natural flush without looking fake or orange. The pigment is great and I have a feeling more Amazonian Clay blushes will be making their way into my collection in the future.

My last favorite is from Arbonne, specifically the FC5 line, and is the mattifying powder. It is a green powder and it works wonders to leave your face looking matte and flawless. The green helps to cancel out any redness in your skin and even out your skin tone.  I always have at least two backups on hand because you do have to order it either online or through an Arbonne representative so it can be a bit of a pain to get your hands on but it is well worth it in my opinion.

So that's it for my monthly favorites. So what are your favorites from this month?
xoxo



Thursday, March 22, 2012

Travel Makeup Bag: Long Weekend

Hello Lovelies!!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am going to Chicago this weekend so I thought I would share with you what I am bringing. I always overpack so for some of you this may be way too much but I always want to have a variety of products so I have options depending on what I will be doing. To keep this short, I am just going to do a quick list. Hope you find this helpful!


Benefit Porefessional primer
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NC15 (blemishes) and NW20 (under-eye)
MAC Studio Fix powder in NC15
Bobbi Brown creamy concealer in Porcelain *
Bobbi Brown correcter in Light Bisque *
MAC powder blush in Pinch O' Peach
MAC paint pot in Painterly
MAC eyeshadows in Omega, Mulch, Naked Lunch, All That Glitters, Espresso, and Mylar
NARS eyeshadow in Ashes to Ashes
Urban Decay eyeliner in Stray Dog
Clinique High Impact mascara in black
NARS lipstick in Cruising (holy grail by the way -- "my-lips-but-better" color)
Korres lip butter in Jasmine
Sigma Make Me Classy Travel Edition Brush Set
MAC brushes - 239, 217 (X2)


I have everything in a clear Laura Mercier cosmetic bag that came with the Flawless Face Kit and the brushes in the case that comes with the Sigma kit.

* I am testing out the Bobbi Brown correcter and creamy concealer but I am bringing my MAC concealers just in case I have any problems with the Bobbi Brown ones.

xoxo








    Thursday, March 15, 2012

    Haul: Sigma Make Me Classy Travel Edition Brush Set


    Hello Lovelies!!

    I have a quick haul today that I thought that I would share with you all. I am going to Chicago next week and I decided that since I am not checking any luggage, I wanted to get a travel brush set so that it would fit in my carry-on luggage more easily. I have purchased brush sets from Sigma in the past and I have found that for the most the brushes are very comparable to MAC brushes, although occasionally they do not last as long as MAC brushes depending on how frequently you use them. I reviewed all of their travel sets and decided that the Make Me Classy Travel Edition set was my best bet. I have a few other travel sized brushes that I am going to throw in for when I travel next week but this set contains all of the essential brushes for doing a full makeup look. The set contains seven brushes; the E30 pencil brush, the E40 tapered blending brush, the E55 eye shading brush, the E65 small angle brush, the F30 large powder brush, the F40 large angled contour brush, and the F60 foundation brush. The kit has a nice array of eye and face brushes that can be supplemented with a few additional eye brushes to create a very nice travel set. Additionally, Sigma was kind enough to send me an additional travel size E25 blending brush free with my order. I absolutely love the E25, which is very similar to a MAC 217; I use it for my concealer as well as for blending out my crease everyday. The E25 is a wonderful addition to this kit and will definitely be coming with me to Chicago. If any of you are interested in purchasing any brushes from Sigma, here is a 10% off code for March: MARCH2012.

    I hope this haul was helpful!!

    xoxo