Eco Tools Alicia Silverstone Spring Collection

Just a follow up post on the Eco Tools Traincase, this is the newest collection from Eco Tools' Spring Line from Alicia Silverstone. As you can see they have re-vamped the design of these bags. They are of course made of eco-friendly materials such as natural hemp, non-toxic inks, and tree-free paper. Also made of bamboo, recycled plastic, steel and aluminum, soybean oil, and crushed walnuts.

Best part? 1% of eco tools annual sales is donated to the 'For the Planet' organization.

I love Eco Tools, incorporating beauty with helping the environment all at the same time! Not to mention their stuff is great for those on a budget, and great quality! They put a lot of thought into their products and constantly come up with new things, and I can appreciate that.

The 2011 Spring Collection additions are:
- Deluxe Pencil Case ($7.99) which are designed to hold all your Eco Tools brushes. Has a removable interior case and storage pockets.
- Hanging Valet ($15.99) which is great for hanging in a hotel room when you travel, or for storing beauty must-haves. The tri-fold bag has three zipper compartments, including a removable bag and a secure hanging hook.
- 4-piece Backstage Vanity Set ($12.99) comes with a convenient countertop brush holder stocked with a Finishing Brush, Angled Eyeshadow Brush, and a Lash and Brow Groomer.
- Revised 6-piece Brush Set and Bag ($14.99) holds even more of your favorite brushes, and comes with a Blush Brush, Mini Foundation Brush, Mini Powder Brush, Spoolie Brush, and a Detailed Eye Shading Brush.
- Cosmetic Bag ($8.99) Great for keeping in the purse for on-the-go touch ups. (It's the one I have)
- Traincase ($14.99) Similar to my last Eco Tools Traincase post, just with the new design.

The Hanging Valet Bag is ideal when I am staying in a hotel, because I can just hang it on the hook on the back of the bathroom door and have all my essentials, moisturizers, toothbrush, etc. easily accessible to me and have everything organized in one spot. I love that they are see-thru too (instead of the mesh that some other valet bags have) because it makes it easier to see your things. The removable second pouch also comes in handy when you don't want to bring the entire thing with you.

The cute little cosmetic bag is what I am toting around in my purse right now, it's the perfect size but stores a lot!

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Eco Tools Traincase (Alicia Silverstone)

*New design*

Eco Tools has added super cute bags and traincases to their popular collection from Alicia Silverstone (this particular style that I have is different from the new Spring 2011 collection (bottom pic) because it's the original version,  but I will be reviewing other bags from the new collection in my next post), but wanted to show the original first for comparison purposes. They are the same in terms of style and function, just a different design.

I bought this one at Walgreens for $11.99, and it has a removable clear zippered compartment underneath the lid on top to store more essentials like a toothbrush/toothpaste. makeup brushes, etc., and it's fastened with velcro. The traincase itself is pretty spacious, it fits a lot of things; however I don't like that there's no shell or liner to keep the case upright and sturdy, instead it flops around and potentially your stuff can fall off if you're not careful because it feels so flimsy.

Two of the popular cosmetic cases from the older version have been revamped with a very feminine floral design: the traincase ($14.99) and the cosmetic bag ($8.99) which carry all your necessary beauty accessories and can fit in any suitcase to make traveling a breeze.

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Sigma MAXBag in Violet (& Giveaway)

Happy Easter everyone! I recently received the Sigma MAXBag in Violet ($29, www.sigmabeauty.com), and this baby is not your normal makeup bag- it's HUGE! I love it! It comes in 2 other colors: Black and a light blue. My baby sister is graduating Junior High in June, and I will be flying up for the event, so when I travel- I always have the intention of packing light, and never do....but this bag eliminates me having to carry more than I need. Especially if I am at the airport, I hate bringing a makeup box because it's bulky and just causes a headache at the security point, so this bag is just a nice simple carry-on, in addition to my purse.

It is very spacious and it fits a lot of large items you can't normally fit in a regular makeup bag/box, I was able to fit my Sigma Make Me Up Brush Kit, a large eyeshadow palette, my Z Palette, my NuMe Flat Iron, and my hairbrush, and still had some room left for other things. It has a silky quilted pattern on the outside, (but be careful with this material, it tends to scratch or run easily if it gets snagged with something sharp, and can stain easily too), it has a handle on the side of the bag, and has a Sigma heart logo on the lower corner, it zips up top and has two separate compartments inside of the bag, and a zippered compartment on the other.

GIVEAWAY!!!  Want a chance to win a Sigma MAXBag? Sigma Beauty is kind enough to give away 3 of my readers a MAXBag in the color of their choice, no need to enter as I will randomly pick 3 winners who follow me on Twitter and/or has liked the Facebook page. (I want to avoid people having to put their emails down to enter due to spam.) Winner will be announced on Wednesday April 27th and winner will be contacted for the color of their choice and address to ship to. Winning item will be shipped from SigmaBeauty.com. Must be at least 18 years old to enter. US and International participants welcomed.

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. These products were given for review consideration by www.sigmabeauty.com.
 

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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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Product Review: NYX Carry All Beauty Bag

Product: 5 out of 5
Quality: 5 out of 5
Functionality: 5 out of 5
Price: $25, CherryCulture.com
Would I recommend? Yes
 
As Beauty Editor for CherryCulture.com's Insider Picks, they were graciously kind to let me do a review on some of NYX's newest products! So I will be posting about each product separately, but here is a sneak peek of product reviews to look forward to: NYX Makeup Remover with Green Tea Extract and NYX The Runway Collection Eyeshadow Palette in "Velvet Rose".

But for this post, I will focus and review the nifty NYX Carry All Beauty Bag. I love a good makeup/travel bag that is multi functional with many compartments, as well as being light enough to tote around, whether you are doing a weekend getaway or getting on an airplane, it's nice to have something that isn't bulky or heavy, but can hold all your essential items.

Meet the NYX Carry All Beauty Bag.

It's such a cute sturdy little black bag with a handle and can hold a lot of your makeup and travel goodies. The material feels nice and smooth, like faux leather and it has 7 brush holder compartments covered by a flap to hold your essential makeup brushes or mascara, and the flap that covers it is great for protecting your brushes from getting dirty or ruined. The flap itself has a deep zippered pocket to store things such as eyeshadow applicators or Q-tips, and also has a little pocket to store business cards for makeup artists on the go.

It also has 2 removable zippered pouches, each having one mesh side and one clear side so you can easily identify your items; they are held in the beauty bag by two snap-on buttons so you can easily remove and attach as you please. I think these removable pouches are great to store travel items such as a toothbrush/toothpaste, Q-tips, so you can easily take with you to the bathroom, or ideal great for holding blushes, pigments, and more. The other end of this nifty beauty bag is a large mesh zippered pocket which I use to store my NYX Green Tea Oil makeup remover, as well as other items such as my primer and moisturizer. It's also a great sidekick for your current makeup bag or case, or for makeup artists who can use this bag to carry extra items such as bobby pins, makeup wipes, etc.

This will definitely come in handy when I go to Washington for Christmas to visit my parents and sisters!

[CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE]

Has a handle:

The bag zips opens from the bottom:

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