Sigma - Sigmax Kabuki Brush Kit - First Impressions

Hey everyone. 

Recently I splashed out my money on a Sigma brush kit, I was getting tired of not having any good brushes to apply my face products with.. & I must say, It's the best decision I've ever made! 

I find you can make any products wearable when you have the right brushes. The product may not be the best quality but using the perfect brushes can make up for the products lack in quality. 

Sigma's Kabuki brush kit is made up of five quality brushes. My first thought was 'These brushes are super soft, but they're so large. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to work with them'. Boy, was I wrong. OK, so the brushes may be large but Sigma have thought of the design of each brush really well. Each with a different shape & angle, you're able to reach every area of your face with ease. They're made with Sigma's sigma fibres so you're able to apply liquid, powder & cream products without the product absorbing into the bristles.

The product value of this set is around £79 but for the whole kit it only cost me £65. As Sigma Beauty is based in the US.. It's difficult knowing where to purchase the brushes, although they deliver to the UK it may be expensive. I got mine from lookfantasic.com, but I know you can also purchase them at feelunique.com & beautychamber.co.uk. 

The Flat Kabuki Brush

Now, this was the first brush I used.. & I knew straight away I'd judged these brushes so wrong. The application of the foundation was flawless. Amazing. The flat kabuki brush is designed to apply liquid or cream foundation to the flat areas of the face, eg. forehead & cheeks. It picked up just the right amount of the product & applied it evenly over the skin, I was impressed. 

The Tapered Kabuki 

Using this brush to apply cream or liquid foundation to the harder to reach contours of the face, such as the nose & eye area. The smooth application of this brush makes the skin look so natural & it leaves no brush marks, like most foundation brushes would in these areas. The shape of the brush is perfect for getting in those areas harder to reach with a normal foundation brush. 

The Flat Angled Kabuki 

To blend the foundation in those harder contours of the face, this is the brush to use. It blends those minor imperfections that the other brushes haven't managed to reach The curves of your nose? No problem. 

The Angled Kabuki

I use this brush to apply bronzer to the contours of my face, under the cheekbones, along the jawline & my forehead. It doesn't leave a harsh line of the bronzer either, it picks up just enough of the product to make it look natural but giving fierce cheekbones at the same time. It can also be used to buff blush onto the apples of the cheeks.

The Round Kabuki

Use to buff the bronzer if you've applied too much to one area to even out the contour (Not that it's even possible to do when using these brushes). It can also be used to apply mineral products to the skin to prep.

And if that wasn't enough already, they threw in a free mini blending brush. It's so cute & sparkly. Again, it's unbelievably soft & will be able to blend eyeshadows perfectly. So, if you haven't already guessed, I was over the moon with my first Sigma purchase. I'll definitely be buying more brushes from them, instead of wasting money on branded brushes which I find are no good. 

If you haven't already tried Sigma brushes, I would really recommend them. Amazing quality & they're reasonably cheap for brushes. 

Keep updated with future posts on bloglovin' & twitter

Thank you for reading.

xo

Winter Beauty Wish List

Hey guys.
I admit it's been a loooong time since I've posted, but I've been extremely busy filling out ucas forms & sorting out a few resits. As I've got a spare few minutes before I go to work thought I'd write a little beauty wish list for this for the upcoming winter months.

Mac Lipstick - Sin

A dark berry wine colour is a must have! It's perfect for nights out, as the weather gets cooler it's always good and refreshing to have a dark, warm colour on your lips. I've been wanting this shade for ages, but I've been waiting for the right time to buy it, & I think that time is now. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Self-Made Palette

Ever since I saw an image of this palette I wanted it. It contains so many pretty shades, which vary from light to dark. This palette is perfect for christmas time, as it's got so many pretty, shimmery colours. This palette is limited edition so get your hands on it before it goes!

Zoeva - Complete Eye Set

Having never bought any of Zoeva's brushes but knowing how amazing they are, is killing me. The prices are so reasonable for such good quality brushes. I've always been a fan of their professional sets, as I prefer the classic look of the brushes. This set is perfect as you're able to create any eye look with these 12 brushes. 

Chanel - Bronzing Makeup Base

This product would be so perfect for this time of year. Giving your skin a natural, bronzed glow. You're able to wear this alone or under your foundation. I personally want this to contour my cheekbones and forehead underneath my foundation, but it would also be handy to apply a thin layer all over, to stop myself looking so pale this winter.

I could go on for days saying all the products I want to buy, but I simply don't have time & I also don't want to bore you guys. I will be back posting more each week, as I feel as though I've let my blog go a little. But as soon as all the stress of applying for uni has gone, I'll be able to post a lot more. 

x

Recent bargains!

Hello everyone, I'm back! 

Ever since I bought a lil'kitten, she has taken over my life & I've completely forgotten to post any of my reviews or hauls. Although it's probably too late to post the majority of my hauls.. I'll review all the products I've bought. 

Anyway, enough babbling.. I'm sharing all my recent bargains that I've picked up from T-K-Maxx, which is slowly becoming my favourite place to shop!

Firstly I picked up these two Too Faced products for under £20! 

I was so happy when I saw a bunch of Too Faced products, so I couldn't leave empty handed could I? 
I wasn't quite sure what shade foundation I was, as I've never bought Too Faced makeup before but I actually managed to guess really well. 

I picked up this Amazing Face Oil-Free liquid foundation for £7.99! The original price of this product is £23 so I was pleased! I got the colour Honey Beige which is actually quite a warm shade, but it's perfect for my summer tanned skin & I don't mind paying that price for a summer foundation! The coverage is just fab, it smooths on beautifully & makes the skin look flawless, I honestly wasn't expecting it to be that great, but I'm amazed! The only fault I have with this product is that it's got no pump, so I find there is some wastage when I use this foundation. So I've gotten a little tub which I put the left overs & I just use this to touch up during the day. 

I also managed to pick up this Absolutely Invisible translucent pressed powder for £9.99. This product is not available anymore, because it's been replaced with Candlelight pressed powder £21. I'm not completely sure whether it was just a redesign of the product or they've changed the formula.. But this powder is a life saver! It doesn't effect the colour of the foundation at all, it just sets it nicely and leaves the face looking gorgeous and matte. There's no shiny, oily skin when wearing this product. 

One thing I love about T-K-Maxx is that you can pick up cheap designer items, I managed to pick up these Calvin Klein Court Heels for £34! Normally Calvin Klein shoes are over £100, but as these are no longer available I can't find out how much I saved. A girl can never have too many shoes, plus these classic black heels will never date. 

These aren't too high as well, so they're so comfortable to wear. and the patent finish is just beautiful. I'm a lover of patent court heels. If only I could own them all!

My last purchase was this beautiful Paul Costelloe bag, which I picked up for £69.99 instead of its original price of £260! As you can imagine.. I was pretty delighted. The lighting in this picture is terrible, but it's a stone colour & is absolutely beautiful. Such a smart, classic bag, suitable for all occasions. 

What are your best bargains?

x

New Vice Palette!!

Heyy guys!

So, I just got a little too excited when I found out that Urban Decay were bringing out another Vice palette! Unfortunately I never purchased any of the other vice palette because I didn't used to wear eyeshadow, but now I'm totally excited about this one. I have researched all the previous vice palettes and they're all amazing, loads of different colours and the look possibilities are endless! Containing 20 beautiful shades. 

We all know Urban Decay do the best eyeshadows! If the craze for Naked smoky wasn't enough, this will definitely have you on the edge of your seat! 

I mean if you packaging isn't enough to get you excited, then the swatches definitely will. There's been no release date as of yet, but Urban Decay have been teasing us with images on Instagram. 

There? Are you excited now? Think of all the smoky possibilities! This palette contains colours for every occasion.. there are subtle colours, & incredibly bold colours, perfect for everyone.

Hope you enjoyed reading! 

Alix, x

10 Summer Must Haves☀

Heyyy! England's finally sharing the sunshine so I've decided to share some fashion and beauty must haves for this summer, hope you enjoy!

1. Topshop's Poppy Garden Print Bardot Top £26

Bardot tops are very in this year! This top in particular is gorgeous, I love the colours and print. Topshop sell many of these tops, in different styles and prints to suit everyone. One thing I love about these tops is they're very airy in the sun, which keeps you cool. I have this top and a similar white one  and I wear them all the time, they're so flattering and floaty. This top has a lovely cross over back and will look beautiful with a tan.

2. Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint Natural Healthy Glow Powder £35.50

This product adds a lovely glow to your face and there are different shade to match your hair colour which makes it perfect for everyone. This powder gives a light coverage and pigments are less intense than a bronzer. It has a pink tint for blondes and apricot tint for brunettes and leaves a light sun kissed effect to deliver a burst of radiance. 

3. Topshop's Kingdom Ghillie Pointed Shoes £59

Now these lace up shoes have been noted as 'the shoes that stole summer' & they're totally right! I love the pointed toe on these shoes, and they're available in many colours. I've wanted a pair of these for ages and a pair of lace up heels. They're very slimming and look incredible on, an absolute must have!

4. The Body Shop Brush on Radiance £14

Aren't these highlighting pearls just the perfect shades? Truly gorgeous! They give a lovely shimmery finish and help give the skin a luminescent glow. Using these on the cheek bones and to highlight the nose and lips to create a perfect face shape. 

5. River Island's Pacha Crochet Halter Neck Top £20

This top is available in black and cream. It's the perfect cover up if you're on holiday or just to wear out when the weather is hot. Unlike most crochet tops, this top has a lined chest area so it's not see-through which I think is a bonus/ 

6. Mac Lipstick in Morange £15.50

I'm all about orange lips this year! I have recently purchased this lipstick and the colour is perfect! It really compliments tanned and olive skin tones. I thought this colour is perfect for festivals and just wearing out casually. Every girl needs a orange lipstick in their makeup bag this summer.

7. Topshop's Snake Chain Floppy Hat £32

I'm in love with these floppy hats. They can be dressed up or down, and will definitely get a lot of wear out it. It's important to protect your head from the sun if you're out for long periods of time, so why not protect it with something as stylish as this floppy hat? I really love the snake chain detail, a little chain can make a whole lot of difference.

8. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Multicolour £44

This duo bronzer offers the pure, fresh radiance of spending days outdoors. I wore this product for my leavers ball and fell in love with it. You can read about my leavers ball here. Blend the two colours together over the face to give your face a natural tanned glow. Add the lightest shade to the areas which capture the light and the darker shade below the cheek bones for a subtle contour. This really is a beautiful bronzer which you'll all fall in love with!

9. Topshop's Floral Print Strappy Bodycon Tunic £36

This beautiful print should be in everyone's wardrobe. This is a very flattering tunic and the cross over back is gorgeous. 

10. Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette £38

This palette has everything you need for summer, it's warm shades for the eyes and cheek are beautiful. It includes 6 eyeshadow shades, a full size blusher and a highlighter/bronzer to create the perfect contour look. 

So There we have it. Those are my summer must haves.. What are yours? 

Thankyou for reading x 

YSL review

Now, I'm not going to lie, I wanted to buy the YSL Touche éclat Blur perfector because of the packaging, but I was put off by bad reviews and the price at £31.50. But after trying it in the shop, I knew I had to buy it! I do advise trying before you buy as this product suits some skin types better than others. Personally, this is the best product in my makeup bag and I now wouldn't be able to live without it. 

It comes with a lovely velvet pouch which is split into two, so the product goes in one side and the applicator goes in the other. I believe this is the only product on the market which can achieve a light coat and blur out imperfections of the foundation. It is used to apply over the foundation, during the course of the day to blur out any lines, flakes that the foundation has made during the day or it can be used on its own to make your skin feels gorgeous and smooth. It's a light pink balm but once it's applied to the skin it feels like a powder and makes the skin feel incredibly soft, like silk. 

People shouldn't mistake this product for a primer, it's a balm which disguises imperfections and enhances skin's natural, healthy rosy glow and this product does exactly that! It's now available in a sun kissed addition which can be used as more of a bronzer to give a sun kissed glow or for contouring. I will definitely be buying the sun kissed version for the summer, it's a must have after the high quality of the original blur perfector. 

You can buy the product here. 

x

Top 10 Mascaras

Hello!

The start to my summer has been very busy so I've been unable to write many posts. But I've decided to share my 10 favourite mascaras with you, as I'm someone who never sticks to one as there are so many to try. 

10. Benefit They're Real! Mascara £19.50

Now, everyone raves about this mascara and I totally understand why! This mascara does create incredible results, it's lengthens the lashes and is very long-lasting. The application of this mascara is great, it applies the right amount of mascara to the lashes leaving no clumps. This mascara is now available in brown and blue. The reasoning this is number 10 on my mascaras is that I find it's not volumizing enough for my eyes as they're really small I need something thicker. 

9. Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes Mascara £22.50

I do love this mascara and it really suits its name. Giving the outer lashes more length than the inner lashes, the results of this mascara are beautiful. I do find this mascara leaves a more natural finish, rather than giving the lashes full volume. But this is a lovely everyday mascara if you're looking for something a bit more natural.

8. Yves Saint Laurent Luxurious Mascara For Flash Lash Effect £25

So, I haven't got this mascara myself, but I have used it a couple of times which is why it's only number 8, otherwise it may be higher. I found this mascara really does what it says, it gives the lashes so much volume and defines each lash perfectly. It also extends the lashes, if you're a person who has quite short natural lashes then this mascara is perfect for you. 

7. MAC False Lashes Extreme Mascara £19

I recently received a free sample of this mascara in the post, so I haven't really had enough time to fall in love with it yet. I find this mascara leaves a beautiful, natural finish to the lashes. But also leaves them looking long and gorgeous. I also find you can build up on this mascara, applying more layers to create a more dramatic look. 

6. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £16

This mascara is for you if you love volumous and thick lashes! Although this mascara can clump, it can be easily fixed by using a good primer before and after. I find this is particularly good if you wear eyeliner on your eyelid, it makes the lashes longer so you're able to see them over your eyeliner. 

5. Eyeko Black Magic Mascara £18

This mascara creates dramatic volume and curls the lashes. It has an extreme black finish which volumizes the lashes even more. The lashes appear thicker and longer without clumping. Eyeko mascaras also come with a little shield which allows application clean and easy and it's easy to remove as well so you don't have to spend ages rubbing your eyes at the end of the day. 

4. Dior Diorshow Mascara £25

I absoulutely love this mascara, the volume doesn't deflate during the day, the perfect amount of mascara is applied to the brush so when it's being applied to the lashes it looks amazing! Everyone else who has used this product has loved it as much as I have!

3. Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara £25
This is so close to being one of my favourite mascaras, I do really love it! It does everything a mascara should do, lifts, curls, adds volume and length, what more could you want from a mascara? It is definitely worth every penny, I only have the little sample I was given from my leavers ball, and I will definitely be buying the full size one as soon as it runs out. 

2. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara £19.50
Of course Benefit's roller lash is in my top 10! It really is one of the best mascaras I have ever used, I love it. It does everything it says, It really curls the lashes and gives them an incredible length. The brush is the perfect design to give the lashes a real boost. 

1. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara £17.50
Here it is, number 1, Urban Decay's Perversion. It's perfect for making eyes look bigger which is what I look for when buying a mascara. This has been my favourite mascara ever since I got the travel size in the 'NAKED on the run' palette, so I had to buy the full size as I know wear it everyday without fail. The volume this mascara creates is unbelievable, it's so amazing I cannot put it into words, I recommend this product to every who hasn't tried it. There's no turning back for me.

So there we have it. My 10 favourite mascaras, what are your favourites? I will be trying to post at least once a week from now on, I've just been so busy I don't know where the time has gone!
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x

Leavers ball

Hello

So I just had my leavers ball, and it was amazing! It's scary how fast the past two years of sixth form have gone and being with the same people for the past 7 years and that was the last time we'll be together as a year group is upsetting. But now's the time to go our separate ways and achieve great things.

The evening was held at Thropeness country club and it really was a beautiful venue with a lovely view of the sea. In this post I'm going to show what makeup I wore and my outfit and then I few photographs I took. 

So I'd arranged to get my makeup done at Chanel for the ball, as I love getting my makeup done. This cost £25 and with that you were able to spend that £25 on a Chanel product, which I think is really good. With this I decided to buy the lipstick she used and a lip liner to go with it. I don't have a photograph of my makeup close up but I'll list all of the products she used. For the base she applied 'le blanc de chanel' £33, which is a multi-use illuminating base, this made the skin look really fresh and gives a lovely finish when the foundation is applied. For the foundation she used 'vitalumière' £36, this gives a satin-smooth finish, it has a fuller coverage than my Chanel foundation but I thought this would last longer as I needed to keep it on all night and she gave me a little sample to take home with me to use. She then used the 'correcteur perfection' £27, long lasting concealer under my eyes and on my eyelids to correct the colour and creates a nice base for the eyeshadow. For my eyes she used the 'les 4 ombres' eyeshadow quad £36, the colours she used were the lightest 2 from the colour '266 Tissé Rivoli' and the 2nd darkest from the colour '202 Tissé Camélia', these eyeshadows are lovely, they're so pigmented and have a beautiful glittery finish. For my eyeliner she applied the 'écriture de Chanel' eyeliner pen with effortless definition £27, on my eyelid and to then make the flick shadowy she applied 'stylo yeux waterproof' long lasting eyeliner £19, in shade '88 noir intense'. The mascara she used was the 'le volume de Chanel waterproof' mascara £25, and also give me a little sample to use. For my brows she applied the middle shade of 'le sourcil de Chanel' perfect brows £43, just to give them a natural finish. I decided to wear a bronzer instead of a blusher, so she used the new summer 'les beiges healthy glow multi-colour' in colour No.2 £44, I absolutely loved this bronzer and will probably buy this before it goes! For my lips she used the 'le crayon lèvres' precision lip definer £17.50, in the shade '55 Fuschsia' and for the lipstick 'rouge allure velvet luminous matte lip colour' £26 in the shade '50 la Romanesque', I loved the lipstick and thought I'd have to keep reapplying it all night after I ate and drank, but I didn't need to! It's really amazing. 

This is my little Ted Baker clutch bag, which I am in love with. It was £99 but I got it when there was 20% off. It's a lovely leather cute bag, with a gorgeous gold bow detail on the front. This bag has patent sides and comes with a gold cross body strap, if you wanted to wear it as a cross body bag. I got so many compliments on this bag as it truly is beautiful. 

I got my heels from Lipsy, £65. They are just a plain black suede, with a gold clip to do up the strap on the ankle. These are surprisingly comfortable and I love all of Lipsy's heels, they have a cutest little details on the sole. My dress was from French Connection, £79. 

Thankyou for reading x