Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Sigma 20% Off Individual Makeup Brushes Flash Sale!

Sigma Brushes 20% Off Coupon

I know 20% off might not be a huge deal, but for Sigma Brushes it's a pretty big deal since there are rarely ever sales aside from the monthly 10% off codes. For two days, Sigma's brushes are all 20% off when you use the code BRUSHCRUSH at checkout. This does not include brush sets - individual brushes only. It's a good time to purchase back-ups of your favorites! I'm picking up a few!

Click here to shop!

Giorgio Armani #24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow Review, Photos, Swatches!

Giorgio Armani 24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow

Giorgio Armani #24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow

Giorgio Armani #24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow ($33) is a black with glistening copper and gold. When the colors mix together, it turns into a beautiful dark khaki/olive green. It's a fabulous color, and the type of shade that I gravitate towards, as it flatters my hazel eyes and warm skin really well. It's a bit of a chameleon color, as it shines differently depending on the lighting and angle. Sometimes the color looks like a glistening warm brown and other times it looks like a golden olive. In the sunlight, the golden hues really shine through. It reminds be a bit of MAC Gilt by Association Mineralize Eyeshadow, a shadow I frequently wore in the past.

I know these eyeshadows are old news, as they've been out for a couple of years and I don't hear much about them anymore, but recently, I went through my makeup stash and dug out shade #8 Champagne, and have been using it multiple times a week. Naturally, it sparked my love for this product again, and I wanted more. So, #24 became my newest addition to my makeup bag.

The texture of the eyeshadow is like a very finely milled pressed/compacted pigment. It's incredibly silky and blends effortlessly. My favorite application tool is my fingertip or an old-school sponge applicator, as they both pick up the most product and apply the product in an opaque layer. A small flat brush also works well, such as a small concealer brush. You can also dampen the brush and apply the product wet for an almost metallic finish.

Giorgio Armani 24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow

Giorgio Armani 24 Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow swatch
Heavy swatch of #24

Swatched on my arm the color looks more brown, but on my lids it's a glistening khaki green!

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length + Volume Mascara Review & Photos!

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length Volume Mascara

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length + Volume Mascara

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length + Volume Mascara ($8) is a newer mascara by Revlon that provides length and volume and has lustrous black fibers so the result is super dark lashes with a hint of shine. It's available in water-proof and non-waterproof, as well as three colors; Blackest Black, Black and Blackened Brown.

In the past, Revlon's mascaras haven't worked that well for me. None of them provided enough length and volume for my liking. From all of the Revlon mascaras, Revlon Photoready 3D Volume Mascara performed the best, but still, it didn't replace my other Maybelline and Covergirl favorites. I've seen many bloggers using this new mascara recently, so I was really curious to try it out.

The mascara wand can totally make or break the mascara, and for this mascara, it's a win. No weird "innovative" shape, just a large fluffy tapered brush. I really love it. It's a good size for reaching all of the lashes, and it isn't too big to reach the smaller corner and bottom lashes.

The formula appears to be pretty wet and you can see the loads of shiny black fibers. It doesn't apply clumpy which is really nice, and it dries fairly quickly so you don't have to wait too long between coats.

The result with one coat is super pretty. It adds slight length and separation and makes the lashes look dark and noticeable. With many mascaras, one coat doesn't look like anything on my lashes. The formula builds really nicely and quickly, and by the second coat, my lashes look a bit longer and slightly volumized. It's not dramatic like some super voluminous formulas, but I really like the result. I don't think I'd apply more than a second coat, as the lashes can start to clump. It seems like the more I apply, the formula feels slightly sticky. I notice that when I blink sometimes my top and bottom lashes may stick together for a mili-second. Very annoying, but it can probably be fixed by applying a lash primer first.

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length Volume Mascara

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length Volume Mascara

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length Volume Mascara Before After Photos

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Guerlain Sun Blondes Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder Review, Photos, Swatches!

Guerlain Sun Blondes 04 Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder

Guerlain Sun Blondes Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder

Guerlain Sun Blondes Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder ($52) is a lightweight 5-shade mosaic bronzing powder consisting of beautiful bronzed pinks and tans. When all of the shades are swept together, a warm, glowing tan is created.

God only knows I probably don't need any new bronzers, but when I saw this bronzer in Sephora I couldn't resist swatching it (among all of the other product swatches smeared all over my hand) and tossing a box in my basket. Guerlain is easily one of my favorite luxury cosmetic brands, and for ages it's been said that Guerlain makes some of the best bronzers.

I use Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer #3 regularly and I really enjoy it. On a daily basis I really enjoy using MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powders probably more than anything because it's a really soft powder that blends really well and is great for contouring since there is no shimmer.

Sun Blondes is slightly different than both because it's not your standard brown bronzer. When applied, it has a slight rosy sheen to it. When I apply a few layers of this product, I don't feel that I necessarily need any blush as this seems to add a nice flush of color to my face. For my medium skintone, it's very light, but it can be built up with multiple layers or by using a denser blush brush. I typically apply it with a fluffy powder brush around the outline of my face and then use blush brush to apply it to my cheeks. On the cheeks it's a luminous bronzed rosy-apricot.

It may look shimmery in the compact, but it applies with a gentle luminosity and healthy glow. No obnoxious shimmer.

Guerlain Sun Blondes 04 Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder

Guerlain Sun Blondes 04 Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder

Guerlain Sun Blondes 04 Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder Swatches
Swatches from left to right: Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer #3, NARS Laguna Bronzer, Guerlain Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Powder #04 Sun Blondes (swatted heavily) and applied lightly. You can see from the comparisons that Sun Blondes has a very warm, rosy tone compared to the others.