Review: Sigma F80 and F05 Brushes!

I've had my eyes on the Sigma F80 Brush for some time now, especially since I've seen it on numerous blogs and YouTube videos with everyone claiming that it's their favorite foundation brush. So naturally, I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about.

I went ahead and placed my order for the F80, along with the F05, as by the photos, it seemed like a great sized blush or contour brush.

Here are the brush descriptions -

F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki - This exclusive flat top synthetic kabuki was designed to deliver a flawless makeup application. The Sigma Makeup F80 is a buffer brush that can be used to blend powder or liquid products. The short and dense bristles make it easy to buff your liquid foundation. The long handle adds comfort to your makeup application. The synthetic fibers are ideal to be used with liquid products and can be easily cleaned. Made of Synthetic Sigmax HD filament.

Rated 4.8/5 with a 94% re-purchase rate on makeupalley.com 

F05 Small Contour Brush - Ideal to apply, blend or contour powder products. Softly rounded dome tip smoothly blends colour into the face. (This brush is supposedly a "dupe" for MAC's ever-popular 109 brush)

Check out "GlamLifeGuru" on YouTube!

Whenever I come across a blog or YT channel I really like, I always like to share them with all of you because maybe some of you would enjoy them as well!

I was newly introduced to her blog by a fellow blogger (I'm so sorry, I don't remember who it was) and I've been hooked on her videos ever since! 

Tatiana of GlamLifeGuru is a gorgeous image consultant/stylist that resides in LA. For fun, she likes to make videos such as fashion/makeup hauls, product reviews and my favorite videos - the weekly drugstore sales! Every week she does separate videos for CVS, Walgreen's and Rite Aid highlighting all of the sales on cosmetics as well as other great buys you can find. She also links in her information bar coupons (if available) on certain products and mentions if there are coupons out in the newspaper/P&G mailers, etc for certain products. SO HELPFUL!

I love checking my local drugstores for good deals on cosmetics, but I rarely ever check the websites for sales. Tati's videos are incredibly useful and by watching them, I'll know if I should in for a good deal on something I need! Because of her latest CVS video, I was able to snag a Physician's Formula product I've wanted which is normally $10.99 for $3.99. Totally awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru

She is very well spoken and has an adorable, quirky sense of humor. Her boyfriend (or is it husband? I'm not sure) is the cameraman behind it all and usually says a joke here and there in each video. I've seen in her comments that some people find her bf to be a little over-the-top because he tends to compliment her or is "too" affectionate in her videos - and I understand that some people prefer to watch a certain video to get straight down to the point - some people don't like to hear ramblings, see footage of pets, etc.. but It really doesn't bother me at all. She is SO cute, and I don't blame him at all for saying how pretty she is!! She is providing awesome videos for everyone, free of charge, and she does say she does these videos for fun. I'm sure if she wanted the videos to be more professional, she'd easily be able to do that, but I like how her personality shines through in her videos and she doesn't edit everything out.

Anyways, hope you like her channel!

Review: Maybelline Volume Express Falsies FLARED Mascara!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
• Patented Spoon Curler Brush fans out lashes from corner-to-corner, while our Pro-Keratin formula instantly builds volume without clumping.
• Unique flexible wand lifts and separates lashes to provide the look of 300% more visible, lashes.
• Contact lens safe and ophthalmologist-tested.
• Washable, also available in waterproof formula.

To be completely honest, I have no idea what the difference between the "flared" version and regular version are. I looked on the Maybelline website and the product description for both were the same. If you do know, please let me know in the comments!

Some of you may already know, my favorite mascara for the past couple of years has been Covergirl Lash Blast (the regular orange tube - although the purple and red tubes are fine too) But as of lately, I've been a bit bored with the same mascara for such a long time. Recently I picked up a few Maybelline mascaras to test out, and I've been using The Falsies Flared daily for a couple of weeks now.

First things first, the packaging and wand. The packaging is pretty simple, but I think it's really pretty, especially with the wings design on the cap (I suppose they're supposed to represent long, curled lashes), but it is a much prettier tube to have in my clear cosmetic bag rather than the bulky orange tube of Lash Blast. I personally love the wand. It's not plastic, which is a nice change and is large, fluffy and slightly curved. It makes applying mascara very simple to the top and bottom lashes. **bear in mind that if you have very short or sparse lashes, this wand may give you a bit of trouble as it is pretty large.

The actual formula of the mascara is quite good too. It does seem to lengthen my lashes (nothing too dramatic though) and it's easy to build volume with continuous strokes of the brush. It is a little bit of a drier formula, so I find that it works best to apply a second coat right away, because if you wait to long, the first coat may be a little too dry, resulting in flaking or clumping. I think this mascara does a great job separating, and I rarely have to use a lash comb to separate any clumps.

Here are my lashes with two coats of mascara. Looks great!

Lastly, throughout the day, there are no smudges/transfer below my eyes - which is a total score for me because most mascaras I end up trying will transfer throughout the day. My only complaint about this mascara is that IT FLAKES! It's nothing horrifying, but I do have to check my mirror every few hours because there will for sure be a few little tiny flakes that have landed on my cheeks. Definitely not a mascara you want to take a nap in and then plan on going out afterward, because flake city will be sitting under your eyes. *sigh*

I can deal with the very mild flaking because I really do like the appearance of this mascara on my lashes, and I will re-purchase if I find it on a sale that's too good to pass up - but I will be exploring my other options. 

I purchased the regular version of The Falsies, and haven't tried it yet, but I will post a review for it as well (if the formula is any different? As of now, I don't know if it is).

Have you tried this mascara? What did you think of it?

MAC Creme Cup Lipstick Review!

MAC Creme Cup Lipstick

MAC Creme Cup Lipstick ($15) is described on the MAC website as a light, blue pink. It's a Cremesheen formula, which is one of my favorite formulas despite the fact that the formula is very soft, and prone to melting in warm temperatures or slanting if too much pressure is applied during application.

Even though Creme Cup is blue-based, the blue undertones don't seem to be very strong. I find blue-based pinks incredibly difficult to wear on my skintone, but Creme Cup is my perfect, bubblegum pink. It's fairly similar to MAC Hue on my lips, but the color is a bit brighter and more opaque.

With one swipe, it provides a nice wash of light pink to the lips that isn't too pale, and with additional swipes, the color can be built to full coverage.

MAC Creme Cup on my lips