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May 24, 2010

sigma professional brushes complete kit vs mac brushes

Last week I received a very exciting package from Sigma! The brushes came roughly one week after I had an email from Sigma confirming they had been shipped, which was great. I have been lusting after a brush set by them for what seems like forever, and finally I have my hands on them. I was sent the brushes for reviewing purposes and have managed to keep schtum about it on twitter so that I could wait to do a blog post about them. I know that they are very popular as a cheaper alternative to Mac brushes, but for some reason I never expected the quality of the brushes to be 'that good' as people were saying. It just seemed to me that brushes so inexpensive surely couldn't be compared to Mac brushes. Well I was so wrong as actually some of the brushes are better than a few of my similar Mac brushes. I have no idea why anyone would buy loads of Mac brushes these days when you can easily buy just as good if not better brushes from Sigma for less than half the price. Don't get me wrong, there are a few Mac brushes that I haven't seen dupes for, which are worth buying, but for the main part, buy Sigma! I was kicking myself that I had ever spent that money on Mac brushes in the first place instead of getting Sigma brushes. I obviously am not going to do an in depth review of each brush, if there isn't any review for the brush, then there isn't anything to say, apart from it does exactly what it was made for!

SIGMA PROFESSIONAL BRUSHES COMPLETE KIT


Left to right:

Powder Brush, Duo Fibre Brush, Foundation Brush, Large Angled Contour Brush, Large Shader Brush, Concealer Brush, Tapered Blending Brush, Eye Shading Brush, Medium Angled Shading Brush, Pencil Brush, Small Angle Brush, Eyeliner Brush.


LARGE POWDER BRUSH

This brush is super super soft and amazing at applying face powder. You can literally put all your face powder on in just a few strokes using this brush. It glides over the skin beautifully and it is one of the softest make up brushes I have ever felt.


DUO FIBRE BRUSH

It is pretty much an exact dupe of the Mac 187 brush. I do slightly prefer the Mac brush though because of the shape. As you can see in the pictures, the Mac brush is slightly more rounded and the brissles are much firmer making it easier to blend in foundation. However, the Sigma brush is a very good dupe and for the price its well worth skipping the Mac brush for it.


Top - Mac 187
Bottom - Sigma Duo Fibre Brush


Left - Sigma
Right - Mac


FOUNDATION BRUSH

I am completely in love with this brush! I have been using it for about a week now and it makes my liquid foundation blend into my skin perfectly and flawlessly. My Mac 190 is really old so I can't compare them as it needs chucking out. But you can see they look very similar and probably perform exactly the same. I would repurchase the Sigma foundation brush again & again without a doubt. It is just perfect!


Left - Sigma Foundation Brush
Right - Mac 190 Foundation Brush


LARGE ANGLED CONTOUR BRUSH

This brush is really good for adding a touch of blusher to the cheeks but I much prefer the Mac 168 contour brush. The Mac brush is much firmer which gives you a lot more control over the brush, whereas the Sigma brush is too floppy for my liking. But again, it is worth buying if you don't want such a 'professional' finish.


LARGE SHADER BRUSH


CONCEALER BRUSH

This works perfectly at pushing concealer into the skin. Again, it is an all round great brush and works really well.


Top - Mac 224 Blending Brush
Bottom - Sigma Blending Brush

In my opinion, the Sigma brush is much better than the Mac Blending Brush. It is slightly more firm than the Mac brush which makes it much better for blending eyeshadow as you get more control.


Left - Eye Shading Brush
Right - 213 Mac Fluff Brush

They pretty much do the same thing but the Sigma brush lays down more eyeshadow on the lid as it is wider, so therefore it is better.


MEDIUM ANGLED SHADING BRUSH


PENCIL BRUSH


SMALL ANGLE BRUSH


The Mac eyeliner brush is much more precise than the sigma one. I wouldn't really recommend buying the Sigma as doesn't apply the eyeliner in a thin enough line, for me.


I purchased these little plastic beads on ebay for less than £3 including postage, it means that you can find your favourite vase or jug to put your brushes in, and they will all stand up straight!


A few of the brushes had plastic brush protecters sent with them which is great for stopping them from being shaped funnily while they are in my make up bag.


Here is the manual that was sent with the brush set, it has all the brushes in it and describes what the use for each one is really well.


Overall, I would highly recommend this brush set to everyone. It would make such a great investment, and it really transforms the way you put on make up. You can buy the brush set on the Sigma website here for roughly £47.68/$69, it is well worth it, trust me! I will definitely be re-purchasing Sigma brushes in the future. I just hope that more people invest in these beauties!

May 16, 2010

mac took my money..

I popped into Mac the other day and picked up some bits and bobs. I was pretty good and didn't end up going overboard this time. I usually end up spending close to £100 most times I go in there, madness! I'm trying to spend less on make up for the next few months and just get basic/staple eyeshadows & lipsticks etc. 


Shadestick in Beige-ing

I love wearing this alone on my eyelids. It draws attention to my eyes without being noticeable so it is really nice to wear with natural make up or a base for brown eyeshadows. It is so frosty but slightly warm toned.





Lipstick in Please Me

I'd describe this as a 'dirty pink' if you get what I mean. It is a gorgeous pink that is slightly grey looking. I really like this as an everyday lip colour as it isn't as bright as my usual St Germain. It would look really good on most people as a lipstick to wear to work, especially if you have brown hair and olive skin like me.


Swatch


Eye shadows in Satin Taupe (left) and Blanc Type (right)

I bought these eyeshadows because I thought they would look great for everyday make up, again. I have wanted them both for ages, too. Blanc Type makes a great highlight and it also works great as a base for brown eyeshadows. Satin Taupe is a lovely frosty silvery brown, and not orange looking like quite a lot of brown eyeshadows can look like.


 

May 14, 2010

aussie haircare

Here are my favourite products to use on my hair at the moment. Every time I stop using these three I can really tell by the look of my hair. My hair always looks so healthy, shiny and happy when I use Aussie products!


Every single one of these is worth buying, they all smell delicious and yummy. They smell like a gorgeous fruit smoothie, but in no way sickly. Yummmmmm.

Miracle Moist Shampoo

My hair can often look dehydrated and dull looking, but using this shampoo really helps to combat that. Just an all round great shampoo. Combined with the other Aussie products it helps to maintain great looking hair.

3 Minute Miracle Frizz Remedy

This has to be my favourite of the bunch. You basically leave it on your hair, like a normal conditioner, for 3 minutes, and it transforms your hair! My hair simply cannot live with out it. As I have naturally curly hair it tends to go frizzy very easily. This has to be my 'holy grail' product for frizzy/curly hair! It also makes my curls defined and lovely. Definitely worth investing in!

Luscious Long Leave-In Conditioner

It was so hard to choose my favourite between this and the conditioner. It really helps to nourish my hair and keep it at its best. It has to be the best leave-in conditioner I have ever used, by far. I seriously recommend this! 

I have been using Aussie hair products for about 4 or 5 years now, and have always loved their products.

May 04, 2010

models own top turquoise


I always seem to rant on about how much I love Models Own nail polishes. I adore so many of their colours as they are so unique and different. I keep swapping favourites as I try new ones out.. but I have to say that Top Turquoise is my ultimately my current favourite. Its funny how someone could like a nail polish so much. Whenever I look down at my nails when I have this on I always smile, it's so bright and cheerful. Paired with Seche Vite top coat it is a match made in heaven. If you love bright nails then seriously do not miss buying this, it also matches my skin tone perfectly, whereas some bright colours can really make my hands look pale.

You can buy Top Turquoise for £5 on the Models Own website, though keep an eye out for a Models Own stand in selected Boots stores!


What are your favourite Models Own nail polishes?