Sigma Beauty

My first purchase from Sigma Beauty has arrived! Most of the brushes that I usually use are from MAC however I find that with the MAC ones the brush bristles tend to fall out quite often which is never helpful when you are trying to put on your foundation. I know that the Sigma brushes have been much raved about on Youtube and by various bloggers, so naturally I wanted to try them for myself! And finally got round to buying the "Premium Travel Kit" in sweet pink. Initially I wanted to buy it for my Malta trip but I ordered it too late in time so I haven't had a chance to use them yet. It took about 2 weeks for it to arrive (I'm writing this post quite late in time).

It came in a pretty hot pink bag and I got a free gift which was a small blending brush (E25)


Inside brushes L-R: Tapered Face (F25), Duo Fibre Power/Blush (F15), Large Concealer (F65), Large Fluff (E50), Small Tapered Blending (E45), Short Shader (E20) and Small Eye Liner (E10).

I also just got the dry'n shape brushroll which hasn't come yet. I usually wash my brushes with MAC cleaner and then just use tissue paper to wipe them off but the amount of tissue paper I go through just to clean even 2 brushes is a lot. However a few days after placing my order I got an email from Sigma Beauty that they will be holding their 'Annual Worldwide Free Shipping Event" on 25th November 9am-5pm (United States Central Standard Time) which is around 5pm-1am GMT. I'm sad that I missed this because shipping costs quite a lot so if you've been planning to buy the brushes get it with the free shipping event!

[Review] Feeling Christmas-y - Gold Nail Varnish

The past few years as I've grown older and no longer count as a child that can choose toys for Christmas I haven't really felt that excited about the season.. However upon seeing Christmas decorations and lights everywhere it does ignite a child in myself and I find that I actually do look forward to Christmas really, heh. This year one of the things I wanted was a gold nail varnish to suit the season and Topshop was my first point of call as their nail varnishes are easy to apply, last fairly long and are cheap-ish (£5 for one). Also today Carnaby Street had the Grazia Event for 20% off in all their shops so I went into Illamasqua and got myself a nail varnish set with a gold glitter color and a black one, they had another set which had a red one and then a red glitter one but I had to refrain myself. I've heard good things about the Illamasqua nail varnishes so that's why I went for that brand.

Topshop 'Heart of Gold' - When I first saw the colour in the bottle it wasn't very appealing as it is very metallic but upon trying it on I quite like it.

Illamasqua 'Spartan' - This one has very big gold pieces compared with the Topshop one and it is the kind of nail varnish that when you remove it you end up with glitter all over your hands. I wouldn't wear this on its own as its more of a base color with gold glitter.

The one that I will be wearing for Christmas will be... Both of them :p
I will use the Topshop one as a base for a strong gold colour and then add the glitter from the Illasmasqua as the topcoat.

[Review] Shu Uemura Depsea Water

Today I am going to review the Shu Uemura Depsea Water in Rose. The rose one seems to be the most popular, even now I just checked Shu Uemura's UK website and the rose one is the only one that is sold out. The other scents in this range include: Mint, lavender, rosemary and fragrant-free. I got mine from the little boutique store in Covent Garden although I did check Selfridges a couple of times because it was more convenient for me however they were sold out and wouldn't be stocking up anytime soon. Taken from the Shu Uemura website the product information says:

"Eight herbal aromas formulated with Depsea Water provide a refreshing feel with a fine mist that gently wraps the skin. New pump update achieves a finer mist for enhanced comfort. Suitable for all skin types."

Ingredients: Sea Water, Methylparaben, Linalool, Parfum/Fragrance

My thoughts: I actually bought this back in summer and it didn't seem to do anything for me however I recently started using it again. The thing about combination skin is that it tends to get drier in the winter seasons and for me it got really dry! So I had to switch up my skincare routine and one of the things I changed was the Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 which is way too harsh for winter to the Shu Uemura Depsea Water which I am now using as my toner. I can actually tell that it is moisturising my face as the dry patches disappear. It is not a miracle product (I don't think that exists) but it certainly helps me keep moisturised and is a gentle alternative, also I save on cotton pads since you can just spray/mist it on. The smell isn't too overpowering either which is another plus. I would say the downside is the price which is set at £16.50 for a bottle. However there is a 20% Christmas Shopping Evening at Covent Garden coming up on 1st December 5-9pm ^^! And you can register for a ticket here: Sevendials Covent Garden