Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Palettes

I know I am behind on these awesome Wet N Wild palettes, but better late than never right? I saw a few people do gorgeous looks with these palettes and I was curious to see just how good they could possibly be- and boy are they really pigmented! I was amazed how bright and pretty the colors were. And they are $5 each palette! ONE MAC e/s pan refill costs more than that...and that's just for one color! I found these at Rite-Aid (which had all the colors), Target had only Lust and Vanity.

6 yummy shades are in each palette, the 3 eyeshadows on the left side are all matte, and the other 3 on the right side, are all shimmery shades. Comes with a tiny brush and applicator.

They have 4 palettes of this kind: vanity (browns), pride (blue/teal), lust (purples), and greed (smokey/neutrals). Wet N Wild also has other palettes that have 3 or 8 eyeshadows. There's a lot of buzz that these are great dupes of some of MAC eyeshadows, I found a helpful link here that breaks what its a dupe of HERE.

I will be doing looks in the coming days from each palette to really give them a good test drive.

***The swatches below were done in ONE swipe, dry (no base, nothing). ***

[CLICK TO ENLARGE TO SHOW DETAIL]

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Sigma Make Me Up Brush Kit Review (Aqua)

 

Product: 4.8 out of 5

Packaging: 5 out of 5

Quality: 5 out of 5

Overall: 5 out of 5

Price: $99, Sigmabeauty.com

Colors: Aqua, Black, Purple, and Coral

Disclaimer: All product reviews and honest opinions on this site are solely that of my own and I am not endorsed, affiliated, or paid for this review unless otherwise specified. This review on the Sigma Makeup Brush Kit was given courtesy of www.sigmabeauty.com for review on my blog.

I was really excited when Sigma Beauty sent me a brush kit from their Make Me Up Collection ($99) to do a review on my blog, I have always been a fan of their brushes and have a few brushes from them that I absolutely love because they have good quality brushes, not to mention how affordable their brushes are in comparison to MAC brushes.

Their Make Me Up Collection comes in 4 colors, each one of them are named differently and have its own unique cute cartoon character on the box: Black (Make Me Classy), Purple (Make Me Crazy), Coral (Make Me Blush), and Aqua (Make Me Cool). Each brush kit is $99 (not including shipping and taxes).

Click pictures to enlarge (may have to double click)

 

It's a 12-piece kit, w/the following brushes:

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

PROS: Great for travel as it has a sturdy case, turns into 2 brush cup holders, one for dirty brushes and one for clean brushes. Great starter kit to have for those who are new to makeup or are just looking for some quality brushes. Has basic brushes for all over makeup application and the bristles are really soft. Great price for all 12 brushes including the case. (MAC brushes already cost like $80 just for 2 brushes!)

CONS: I just wish it had a lip brush and maybe other basic brushes such as a spoolie or an eyelash/eyebrow comb.

Overall: It's a great kit to have. I love that it's sturdy and is easy to take along and can withstand my travels! A lot better than my old brush roll. The fact that it has 2 brush cups is nice too, helps keep things organized when it comes to which brushes to clean, etc. These brushes are also well worth the price, you get so much; all the basic brushes to do a full face, and they are high quality brushes. I highly recommend!

**Nailpolish is Zoya "Audrina"**

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New Urban Decay Items

It looks like Urban Decay has heard our cries in regards to the amount of product being wasted in their infamous Primer Potion (eyeshadow base), however they did not change the bottle, just angled the wand, hmmmm I am wondering if that should completely solve the problem...I see it helping, but I think their might still be a lot of product that this clever little angled wand might miss, if any of you ladies happen to get this new and improved version of UDPP, let me know how you like it!

They also made their UDPP 60% bigger! Damn that is a lot of primer potion loving right there!

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Beauty Blender vs. Sonia Kushuk

CLICK TO ENLARGE


See video on How to clean your beauty sponge.

Many of you have asked me for awhile now to compare both the Beauty Blender Sponge and the Sonia Kushuk version from Target, so I finally got around to it! It's hard sometimes to do requested product reviews because 1.) 90% of the time the products I review are out of my own pocket, so if it's pricey I'll wait to try it because 2.) I have similar products I have to finish first before I go buying another one (such as liquid foundations, I have like 3 different brands so I better finish at least 2 of them before buying any more!)



Anyway, I bought the Sonia Kushuk one the other day at Target for a nice and economy-friendly price of $10! I wanted to get a "backup" for my makeup bag, and even though I have a brand new Beauty Blender Sponge I could use; I didn't want to risk losing it since they are expensive, so I figure the Sonia Kushuk one is just as good and at least if I lost it I won't feel as bad! We all love good deals anyway, so I just had to try it.



These 2 sponges have A LOT of similarities they could seriously be twins. First of all, look at the packaging, they are pretty similar although the Beauty Blender Sponge has its own stand that you can use to store your sponge or use it to dry after washing, and is more aesthetically pleasing (I am a sucker for polka dots), while the Sonia Kushuk is simple and basic. The sponges themselves are also identical in size and feel (althought the SK one seems a bit more dense and a tad bit more sturdier), and almost have the same egg-shape. They are both soft, squishy, and just as flexible; not to mention easy to wash. You can use baby shampoo or Dr. Bronner's Pure Castille Soap available at CVS, Target, or even from my good friend Robyn at Purely Cosmetics who also sells the actual Beauty Blender Sponges! (CLICK HERE to watch video on how to clean these beauty sponges).

The only noticeable differences I can say is: 1.) The Sonia Kushuk one only costs $10 whereas the Beauty Blender Sponge starts at around $18+, and that's not even including the Beauty Blender Cleaner, that's just the sponge. 2.) The Sonia Kushuk sponge has an almost plastic-manufacturer type smell, nothing foul or anything like that but you can definitely smell like it's "new" whereas the Beauty Blender Sponge has no smell at all. 3.) The Beauty Blender Sponge comes with it's own cleaner that you can purchase with a sponge or separately, whereas Sonia Kushuk is just the sponge (but you can easily use the products I mentioned earlier) 4.) The Sonia Kushuk one seems much more thicker than the Beauty Blender Sponge, and not as light; could be perhaps that it's still new and hasn't been broken in, but nonetheless, this is great because it gives more control when it comes to stippling liquid foundation on your face or even applying mineral foundation wet for an airbrushed look. Simply spritz some water or MAC Fix+ spray onto the sponge, then into your mineral foundation. Then gently dab across your face till you reach your desired coverage. You don't want to wipe it across your face because this will cause streaks which you want to avoid.

Does the slight difference in shape make a difference? I honestly didn't notice any dramatic difference in terms of the shape affecting the way this sponge performs, like I said before, the Sonia Kushuk sponge seems a little bit more thicker and wider at the bottom which probably makes this the better sponge for applying liquid foundation because there is more surface area so you cover a lot more. It's also pointed at one end like the Beauty Blender Sponge to help conceal or apply foundation in hard to reach areas like the sides of the nose, inner corners of the eyes, etc. I think the slight indentation on the Sonia Kushuk sponge is genius as it gives you somewhat of a "grip" so you can hold the sponge better, again giving better control.

Is this a good dupe? Yes.

Overall? The Sonia Kushuk blender sponge is an AMAZING dupe to the Beauty Blender Sponge. Definitely worth $10 in comparison to $18+ and if you have a Target near you, you save on shipping since the Beauty Blender Sponge isn't accessible everywhere in terms of actual stores (that are near me anyway), and the ones that are, jack up the prices on it! I definitely recommend it to all of you who have never tried it or even those of us who already have Beauty Blender Sponges and are looking for a cheaper alternative when it comes time to replace 'em. I know I will definitely be buying this one from now on!

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Bath & Body Works- Vanilla Noir

I recently got a perfume for Christmas from Bath & Body works called "Vanilla Noir" and I loved it so much I ended up going to the store and buying a few other products that had that same scent. I bought another travel spray that I can take along in my purse, a body cream, and a sparkling powder spray which sprays subtle fine gold colored glitter, making it perfect for a night out.

Described as: A tantalizing scent that transforms Madagascar vanilla into pure glamour.

Fragrance Top Notes: Living Black Plum, Exotic Dark Berries, Bergamot
Fragrance Mid Notes: Silky Gardenia, Purple Carnation, Vanilla Orchid, Tuberose Mist
Fragrance Base Notes: Living Vanilla Bean, Vanilla Extract, Whipped Toffee, Cinnamon Stick, Cashmeran, Sandalwood, Sensual Musks

So if you are looking for a new scent or just love Vanilla in general, definitely check this scent out at your nearest Bath & Body works!

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Mascara Guard- Tired of getting mascara on your eyelids?

I have had many questions on how to avoid getting mascara on your eyelids upon application, and sorry I am barely getting around to it now! I actually bought this mascara guard back in January I believe from a little Asian store near the BF's house (for any of you that live in Southern California, it's in the Diamond Life Plaza), for around $3. I went back recently and they didn't have anymore so I am not sure if they are just out of stock. But you can also find it here on this website for around $6 Onatoko.com, and the one shown is the EXACT one I bought.

I hardly use mine because I forget or I am in a rush so I just apply a few coats and I am good, so I rarely deal with it getting on my eyelid since I hardly try to make it "perfect", but if you are looking for something like this to avoid getting mascara on your lid, then I highly recommend this one since it also comes with a comb to get any clumps out.









There are many other versions of mascara guards such as these, the Shape and Guard by Brenda Christian, or the i-Lash, these are reverse versions (the handle is on top, the curved part fits the shape of your eye), it also catches fallen eyeshadow during application of mineral eyeshadows or pigments.


Alice Cosmetics also has their version at $3.99.

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Barry M Cosmetics (www.barrym.com)

Barry M Cosmetics is a UK cosmetics company that have so many different makeup products that are bright, eye-catching, and really pigmented makeup.

I am in love with their "Dazzle Dusts", which are finely-milled pigments with amazing color-payoff. They are just so gorgeous and so rich in color. And I am loving the cute little jars it comes in, perfect for travel and just the right amount. The Dazzle Dusts are like your everyday mineral pigments, same texture and feel, most are satin (sorta matte with some sheen/shimmer), the Fine Dazzle Dusts are described as "22 brilliant shades of loose pearl colour that have been cleverly blended with ultra fine, diamond like glitter flecks to dazzle". These are more glittery than the regular dazzle dusts and do have flecks of glitter as you can see from "Black Purple".

The only flaw? It's expensive if you don't live near the UK. I really wish some of his products were available here in the US, like in a drugstore. The pounds currency is a lot more than the US dollar, so shipping and the items in itself are expensive when you convert it. All this (pictured) costs about $70 with taxes and shipping (three of them were gifts from a friend), so you can imagine that 5 jars was already $60. And usually when I do a big haul on other mineral makeup sites for pigmented eyeshadows, it only costs me about $40 USD.



(swatches done dry, no base)




A closer look:

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