Sigma Makeup Brushes - Face

Did you ever buy some expensive makeup only to be disappointed with the results? If it happened to you, it may not have been the make up which was to blame. It may have been the brushes you used.

Recently Sigma Makeup contacted me and asked if I was willing to review their makeup brushes. Willing? What fun I had!

I not only had a great time trying their brushes and falling in love all over again with my eye shadow, I developed an urge to shop for new makeup and experiment with new looks! Also, Sigma is letting me share the fun with you. Read this post to the end and learn how you can get a set of brushes from Sigma for FREE!

What made Sigma brushes special?
* They pick up the right amount of color and apply it exactly where (and how) I need it.
* They are soft and kind to the skin. My skin is sooo sensitive, but Sigma brushes treated me well. In the past, I had a couple bad experiences with brushes that were too tough and were not a pleasure to use. Sigma brushes were like butterfly kisses.
* Good brushes stay intact. Sigma brushes did well on shedding test, only the powder brush lost 2 bristles...


Sigma Makeup offers 2 sets of brushes: for eyes and face. First, I will review their set for face. Read the details on all the 5 brushes below.

SS150 Large Powder Brush

What makes a great powder brush? Soft dense fluffy fibers combined with good powder pick-up ability! All of this applies to Sigma Powder Brush. SS150 applies powder evenly and makes it appear natural and almost invisible. The brush is big and feels nice in the hand. You can also use it to apply blush.

SS190 Foundation Brush

Love this brush! Even though the bristles are firm, the brush is extremely soft and mild to your skin! It has a tapered shape, is thick but flat and is perfect not only for all-over application but also to access and apply foundation on the narrow areas around nose, mouth and eyes. Applies and blends foundation (and concealer!) without streaks. You can build coverage up or blend out any lines with this brush easily.

SS187 Duo Fiber Brush

Also referred to as a stippling brush. This brush features 2 length soft bristles and has a dual application. You can use it to apply liquid foundation or blush. I use it mainly for blush. SS187 Duo Fiber Brush picks up just the right amount of blush, distributes color evenly, buffs it in and diffuses the powder blush very nicely. The result looks very natural! I tried applying illuminating powder with it but, in my opinion, it is too fluffy for this.

SS168 Large Angled Contour Brush

This brush features angled shape and soft thick bristles. It is quite fluffy and due to this and porous goat fibers, it picks up color very well. You can use SS168 for contouring your face or to apply blush. This brush easily creates the right shadow in the right place and is great not only to apply but to blend and smooth out any seams.

SS194 Concealer Brush

This brush is flat, slightly tapered and has firm bristles which is great for precise application! Bristles are mild to the skin and do not scratch or tug. SS194 makes conceler glide smoothly and is great for under eyes application. Sigma Concealer Brush is also convenient for targeted coverage of certain skin imperfections (acne, scars) and expression lines.

I did a photo of me after testing Sigma brushes for face. Please, forgive me for not posting the "before photo". The difference is too striking :-(

Brushes in this set are mostly goat hair excluding SS190 and SS194 that are synthetic just as Foundation and Concealer brushes should be.

I am impressed with Sigma Makeup Brushes set for the face and think this set is a great value for the price. But right now you have a chance to get it for free in our GIVEAWAY! Sigma Makeup offers a free brush kit to one of you. That is right!! Hurry now and go to Sigma Makeup website check out their wonderful brushes and select between 2 kits: for face or for eyes. Come back to this post and leave a comment stating your choice and your email address. If you are afraid of spam, leave a comment and send me your email address to beautyhealthinfo at yahoo.com (include the copy of the comment and your name as well). Please, only one entry per contestant!

The lucky winner will be chosen randomly in two weeks.

This giveaway is open till March 8, 22.00 GMT

Anyone can participate as this giveaway is international!!

Don't miss! Tomorrow: review on Sigma makeup brushes for eyes.

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Beauty Talk: Exfoliation - Part IV- How often should we exfoliate?

In our search for beauty we often forget that skin is a very complicated live organ and is not there to just please the eye. You may think exfoliation is beneficial for your skin and there can’t be too much of a good thing! But be careful: over-exfoliation and aggressive peeling, a strong recent trend among women, can lead to several very negative side-effects. Let’s remember that epidermis – the outer layer of skin - serves to protect the underlying layers and human organism on the whole from microbes and bacteria. It also helps to maintain balanced hydration and function of the skin as an organ. By aggressive exfoliation you can damage epidermis and make your skin vulnerable to invaders. This in its turn can trigger “inflammatory response” in the skin. Damaged epidermis will also cause increased transdermal water loss and result in dehydrated dry skin. In addition, your skin may respond to intensive exfoliation as to an injury and start producing more oil which will result in acne.

That’s why use this beauty treatment wisely. Follow experts’ recommendations to exfoliate 1-3 times a week depending on your skin type. Up to 3 times for oily and normal skin types and definitely, no more than one time for dry and sensitive skin.

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Beauty Find: The Face Trainer - Miracle Beauty Mask?

Think there is no way other than surgery and injections to fight wrinkles and sagging? Think again! I came across a mention of the FaceTrainer developed by no!no! in the last issue of Marie Claire. To me a stretchy mask that covers your head and face looked more like a torture device than a beauty gadget. It really caught my attention and I looked it up. So how does it work? Using patented technology The FaceTrainer mask “turns simple facial movements into a total resistance training workout” . What it means is that you just wear this mask for 10 minutes every day and do usual facial exercises recommended in a user’s manual.
The miracle mask comes at a high price of 200$ but no!no! is not afraid to run your expectations high as well. They promise that in 30 days The FaceTrainer mask will reduce sagging by 71% and wrinkles by 42%! The Face Trainer is the only device of its kind registered with FDA. Pretty impressing, isn’t it?

The only thing I would recommend is to make sure your boyfriend/husband doesn’t see you doing those exercises. ;-)

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Make Up Tip: Make Your Face Look Slimmer

The secret to making your face look thinner with makeup is contouring, enhancing the angles in your face. Here are a couple easy tips for those who have a round face and want to make it look slimmer.

*While applying blush smile and apply it to the front of your cheeks. This will make your face look thinner.

* Contour cheeks by applying pale brown face powder or bronzer (no shimmer!) in the hollows of your cheeks. Try making a fish face to better see where to apply. This trick will create a light shadow effect that will bring out your cheek bones and make your face look slimmer.

* Another trick I came accross online is to use 2 (or even 3) shades of blush to contour your cheeks. One light shade is applied in circular motions on the apples of your cheeks and the deeper shade is applied just below the cheekbones. Blend well! I have not tried this trick yet, so if you have, please let me know your impressions and opinions in comments to this post.


In this photo I used bronzer to accentuate the cheekbones. I also applied shimmery highlighter at the top of cheek apples. Actually now that I look at this photo I am thinking that it was a bit too much shimmer :-)

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Clinique SPF 40 Face Cream and Garnier After Sun Ambre Solaire Spray

We are finally going on holiday!!! Yes I know everyone has already had their fix of swimming, lounging and cocktailing… aaand we just got around to finally treating ourselves to a nice relaxing holiday. What can I say? We travel off season… weather is still good, it’s not so crowded and prices are better…
Anyway, I am so excited to finally go to Greece! We are going to Crete to an all inclusive resort! How cool is that?
So, of course, I have been shopping for some stuff for the trip!

I am going to use sun protection creams I have since last year. One is by L’Oreal and the other, developed specially for kids, by Eucerin.(I think) What I don’t like is to put sun protection developed for the body on the face. Because usually it feels very oily. So I thought I should get something else for the face. Without any prior research, just based on the fact that Clinique’s SPF 40 face cream has no fragrance and is allergy and photoallergy tested , I bought this cream today.

I also wanted something soothing and hydrating for the skin for after the sun. So I bought Garnier Ambre Solaire After Sun with cactus extract.

...in Greece, Rhodes about 2 years ago... gonna pack this dress! ;-)

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Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Collection Spring/Summer 2010

Spring must have sprung because Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess Collection has officially been released. This year Lauder introduces a (limited edition) line of makeup, fragrance, and skincare that will transform you into a tropical beach babe.

Here's a shot of me wearing the collection.

Oh wait, that's actually not me at all, but it sure does show the magic of their Liquid EyeShadow in the sizzling blue Aqua Flash shade. Ultra Violet is pretty eye-catching too and both nicely compliment the remaining two universally flattering shades; Sand Shimmer, and Molten Bronze. These 4 tubes have sponge-tip applicators (like a lip gloss) that you dab on your lids and either pat in with your fingers or blend it with a brush. I like the unique texture of the shadows which feels like a weightless mousse that settles nicely into the lids- even mature, dry lids because of the light formula. They don't cake, crease, or smudge and they wear a really long time.

Here's a shot I took that shows the colors well.

Here's another shot where the writing isn't visible so you can see the shades a little better.

The brunette bombshell above is sporting their Coral Look which consists of these products below. You can find the full color lineup of what was used for the look HERE.

Exotic Orchid is their other look, bright and pinky with a shot of bronze which uses these products shown below.

It's a fun collection and a look that's tropical, exotic, and eye-popping so you can kick-start spring with some splashy color.

But it wouldn't be a Bronze Goddess collection without something to get us all bronzy would it? Their well-loved sunless tanning formula comes in a base of gelée, milk, or a lotion that will get you that deep, even, safe tan. I use the Milk, which is colorless, but the tinted gelée for the body has a little bronzer to it so you can see exactly where it's going for a fool-proof application with zero streaking.

Within the past few months I've become a bronzer junkie. I don't know why I wasn't bronzing before (I always bronze everyone else) but now I rarely leave the house without a light dusting of the sunny powder. Their eye-catching Exotic Bronzing Blush, combines the two so you can balance out rosy with bronzy- a big trend right now. I'll be using their Bronzing Gel with a little moisturizer on my neck which is way lighter than my face. It's a perfect bronzy shade that isn't too dark on its own, but you can cut it with moisturizer to lighten it up for natural looking color.

One of the reasons I love Lauder is because they value tradition. They keep products they know are well-loved even if they aren't mainstream anymore. Bronze Goddess is another tradition I look forward to getting year after year. It's timeless, it's sexy, and it never disappoints.

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How to Keep Teeth White Naturally

There are many effective methods of teeth whitening available, but some come with heavy price tags. Here are some steps you can take at home to whiten teeth naturally without breaking the bank.

Things You’ll Need:

Straw
Toothbrush

Lemon Juice

Salt

Baking soda

Hydrogen peroxide

Strawberries

Step 1:

Limit your consumption of drinks that stain tooth enamel. A few of these include coffee, tea and red wine. If you simply can't cut back on these beverages, consider drinking them though a straw to limit the amount of liquid that actually comes in contact with teeth.

Step 2:

Brush your teeth immediately after eating, especially if eating foods that stain easily, such as berries.

Step 3:

Rub raw strawberries on your teeth, preferably pureed. There is an enzyme in strawberries that acts as a whitening agent. You'll want to brush and rinse after applying the strawberries to remove the natural sugars and acids they may leave behind.

Step 4:

Eat crunchy foods that require a lot of chewing such as carrots, celery, broccoli and apples. These foods are abrasive and will remove built up plaque, which dulls the appearance of teeth.

Step 5:

Dip your toothbrush directly into baking soda and brush. The results are worth the lousy taste.

 

Step 6:

Combine lemon juice and one teaspoon of salt to make a paste-like substance. Brush your teeth and rinse. Again, not so pleasant on the palate, but your teeth will thank you.

Step 7:

Use hydrogen peroxide to brush your teeth. Dip your toothbrush into a small capful of the peroxide and brush as you would with regular toothpaste, being careful not to swallow. Rinse with water.

- Tips -

Consider using one of the several whitening toothpastes on the market that have all-natural ingredients.

Brushing after every meal and flossing regularly are the first steps in maintaining a healthy smile.

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