Sigma Sigmax Brush Review!

So, I got the Sigma Beauty Synthetic Duo on the Sigma website a few weeks ago because they were on sale! It's a $32 value, so getting them for $24 was definitely a steal! I also used the 10% off code Sigma releases every month so including shipping, it   under $26!

About the Products: This duo comes with the F82 Round top Kabuki and the F84 Angled Kabuki. They're synthetic bristles and come from the Sigmax collection

My first impression: A lot smaller than I expected them to be even if I've seen a lot of the videos for them on YouTube. They were incredibly soft and dense. I knew they'd be perfect for any type of foundation (cream, powder, liquid, mineral for the round top) as well as powders like bronzer and blush!

Review: These brushes easily overtook my brush collection and I use them for EVERYTHING. The angled brush became my go-to foundation brush for my liquid foundation. It just leaves a flawless finish and is NOT streaky at all! Even when I mix my foundation with moisturizer. I also love using it for contouring because it makes everything look so natural since it blends so well. The round top brush was a lot smaller than I expected, but it's still a great brush. I use it to set my foundation and also use it with my Laura Mercier Mineral Powder! On occasion, I'll also use it to contour since it's so small and the perfect size for that as well.

I'm definitely going to buy the rest of the Sigmax face brushes and hopefully the eye brushes too! They're amazing quality and worth the investment. They're even better than the MAC brushes I've used and own!

Get the Smoothest Lips You'll Ever Have!

AQUAFINA Hydrating Lip Balm - $4 for 4

I purchased mine $1 for 2 at the 99 cent store, but you can purchase it at Walgreens or Walgreens online by clicking the link above

I know it may sound like I'm over exaggerating, but this lip balm changed the way my lips feel in ONE night. My favorite lip balm before was Nivea Kiss of Moisture (which is also amazing), but this is BETTER AND CHEAPER! I love that it's flat and fits your lips a lot better for a more precise application. I literally brushed my lips for a mild exfoliation and put on this lip balm and when I woke up the next morning AND the morning after that- My lips were silky smooth! Not only that, it gives a really cooling/minty sensation that I've only experienced with Bath and Body Works minty lipglosses and Burts Bees Lip Balm (which I hate -_-), so yeah! I really recomment this lip balm!

Studio Gear Studio Matte Foundation

STUDIO GEAR Studio Matte Foundation in Praline - $23

You can purchase this at Ulta or any Studio Gear counter

My skin: I have very oily skin. My skin isn't acne prone or sensitive, so most products don't break me out. I do have big pores on my nose and around my nose so my pores do get clogged easily.

Pros:

• Full coverage
• Affordable
• Stays matte
• Long lasting with the right primer and setting powder/spray

Cons:

• Clogs pores
• Transfers on clothes
• Hard to work with, doesn't blend easily

For my first high-end foundation, I really expected more out of this foundation. I like it, but it's definitely not my holy grail item! It's a really good foundation for the price though and I love the coverage!

My skin care routine

BIORE Steam Activated Cleanser - $5+

ST IVES Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub (Invigorating) - $4+

BIORE Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser - $5+

My steps:

1. Remove all the dead skin cells by exfoliating using St. Ives apricot scrub, then wash face thoroughly

2. Lather the Biore fighting ice cleanser in hands and massage face for one minute, then wash thoroughly

3. Lather the steam activated cleanser in hands and massage face thoroughly concentrating on clogged areas and areas with bigger pores, make sure the water is warm-hot and face the water so the steam activates the cleanser

SKIN BACKGROUND: My skin is extremely oily, except for the bottom of my cheeks near my jawline where it can get very dry. I don't consider my skin combination because 95% of my face is oily and I really need to control that oil. I have sensitive skin on my nose, so even though it's one of my oiliest spots, it peels when I use harsh cleansers. I do use mostly harsh cleansers though, because my face can take it and I like my cleansers to be super effective. I have only two problematic areas- around my hairline (especially sideburn area) and my nose. Hair follicles mixed with oil (my hair also happens to get oily so it's a double whammy -_-) is the main reason for any breakouts. My nose gets many blackheads that never seem to go away - even with pore strips- so I'm still looking for the perfect cleanser that will help with blackheads. I've found one that comes close, but I'm still experimenting. When I actually "break out", I'm fortunate to only break out with 1-2 pimples at a time. But they ALWAYS leave scars and I have hyper-pigmentation.

BIORE Steam Activated Cleanser: It's my FAVORITE cleanser of all time. It seriously unclogs my pores and takes out the majority of my blackheads. Of course, my blackheads are very deep in my pores and not even pore strips can remove them all, but this product has proved to be the most effective in clearing out a lot of my blackheads. It gives a really refreshing/cooling sting when I'm massaging it on my face, but only if I let it sit on my face for a minute- which I do unless I'm in a big rush. After I use it, I can really tell a difference in how big/clogged my pores on my nose are. I recommend using this in the shower because the steam of a hot shower really helps.

St. Ives Invigorating Fresh Face Apricot Scrub: This is a pretty good exfloiator. It's not my favorite... but it gets the job done. It doesn't remove all the dead skin cells on my nose when my nose starts to peel from harsh cleansers. There's not much I can say for this, it's good - not great.

BIORE Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser: I love this cleanser! It's probably the first cleanser I fell in love with. It's really good and helps with blackheads as well. The blackhead removal isn't as strong as the Steam Activated cleanser, but it's the first cleanser that I noticed a big difference in my blackheads and I love it! It also gives a cooling effect when used which I love because it just gives me assurance that it's working, haha. The one con about this is that it's pretty harsh and at times can make my nose begin to peel because I concentrate most of my cleansers on my nose because it's my one of my problem areas.

Overview: I like using this regimen and it makes my skin feel REALLY REALLY soft afterwards, but I'm still experimenting and trying to see which individual products are the best. I also buy different brands and am trying to find my perfect cleanser. I only use drugstore products, though. I don't have much money to spend and I also have pretty great skin that doesn't break out a lot, so I don't feel like I need a $30 cleanser.

If you know of any tips, tricks, or products to get rid of ALL your blackheads, please let me know in the comments below! It's the only thing I'm really concerned about on my face and haven't found anything to help it.

A white smile for under $5!

PLUS WHITE 5 MINUTE BLEACH WHITENING GEL - $4.78+

I purchased this at Walmart, you can buy them at your local drugstore.

Thanks to a certain YouTube guru by the name of MakeupbyAlli (one of my new faves btw!), I found this amazing product I want to share with you all! Every girl wants to mesmerize cute guys with their pearly whites when they smile, but let's just say most of us aren't fortunate enough to have naturally white teeth. I was saving up for the Crest 3D Professional Effects White Strips all the gurus talk about, but once Alli talked about this product- I thought "$5? What's not to lose?!" And I'm so glad I bought it! The results are AMAZING the first time you use it! Your teeth are dramatically whiter the after your FIRST use. You are supposed to use it twice a day for the first two weeks. I started off using my toothbrush to dab on this and didn't notice anything. But I remembered Alli saying she used a cotton swab. So after I used the cotton swab... I WAS AMAZED! You can use a cotton swab, tooth brush, or mouth tray; but I feel like the cotton swab can really help you work on the product on your teeth. So I'd recommend using the cotton swab to use it. Just the gel goes from $5-$8 depending on your local drugstore. At Walmart, I got it for $4.80!

Would I recommend this to you guys? ABSOLUTELY!

What saved my hair!

CHI Keratin Mist - $12+

I purchased this at Walgreens, but you can purchase this at most drugstores (Walmart & Target that I know of), Ulta, and salons/hair specialty stores that sell Chi.

I have extremely damaged hair from all the coloring I've done! I started dying my hair in 6th grade (5 years ago) and I bleached my hair 4 times this year and dyed it even more. It didn't feel as brittle or damaged until my last dye job. After I last dyed my hair black, it felt so damaged and coarse. I thought it would break off every time I brushed my hair! And it did. I found this product at Walgreens for $3.50 (originally around $14) and I had to get it! It said it strengthened hair and I didn't really care about that much. After all, it was a Chi product for only $3.50! After about a week spraying my hair religiously after showers and before bed, my hair is back to its original silky smooth and shiny, manageable state. It seriously saved my hair and I never thought something so gimmicky like a mist (which people think is just water in a sprat bottle) would really work, but it did and I can't thank this product enough!

Pros:

• Easy to work with
• Effective right away
• Big size yet affordable

Cons:

• NONE!

ELF Duo Cream Eyeshadow Review

ELF DUO CREAM EYESHADOW - $1

Butter Pecan (Left) & Mocha Swirl (Right)

I purchased this at K-mart, but you can find it at your local Target, K-mart or eyeslipsface.com

You don't understand how much I wanted to fall in love with this product. I think ELF is a pretty trust-worthy company and with their products starting at $1 - you can't really go wrong. Right when I opened the product - I was really impressed. The cream shadows are beautiful colors and they just blended out great and were highly highly pigmented. Here are the swatches!

I was impressed! I tried out the products and within the first hour, it faded. I tried it with primer (ELF eyelid primer) and within two hours, it faded. Maybe with an amazing high-end primer like Urban Decay Primer Potion, it wouldn't fade as quickly, but I can't base it on what-if's. Did it crease? Within the first couple of minutes I applied it, but the creasing wasn't a problem for me. It would only be noticeable to somebody who is literally observing the crease of your eyelid. HOWEVER, I did find a solution! It makes an AMAZING base. These two duos match perfectly to the ELF Butternut quad I have and all the colors have a match! When I use the cream shadows as a base, it doesn't budge and makes the colors POP! But it still does crease a bit, but even less than with the cream shadow alone.



Do I recommend this product? YES. It may be my very oily eyelids that makes it fade or melt off so quickly. But even so, it makes a PERFECT base.




Pigmentation (Color pay off): 5
Wear (How long it lasts): 1
Creasing: 3
Price: 5
TOTAL: 3.5