Sigma Brush Review

Hello beautiful readers
I bought a Sigma brush set a couple weeks ago and I have been absolutely loving it. I figured I'd do a review of my honest opinions! Overall, I am so happy with this set. I have always heard great things about Sigma brushes; that they are affordable and great quality. Before I bought this I had just been using some random Eco Tools, Bare Minerals, and Elf brushes.

THIS is the set I bought

This was the best pick for me because it gives you all the essential brushes you need, obviously, and has a nice mix of natural and synthetic brushes.

They are also great quality; really nice bristles and nice, wooden handles.

Since Sigma brushes are pretty affordable, it's easy to just add individual brushes as you find a need for them.

If you plan on ordering from them, Google "Sigma brush coupons" and you're bound to find some. I ended up finding a 10% off coupon code and I got a free eyeshadow with my order.

I hope this review helps you guys who are looking for your first set, or maybe just a new one!


E05 Eyeliner brush [synthetic] 

To be honest, I haven't used this brush that much yet. It has nice dense bristles, and is good for getting a very thin, clean line with gel liner. I plan on getting more use out of this.

E30 Pencil [natural]

This brush is great for applying shadows to the lower lash line. I almost always do this before applying eyeliner to my water line. I have only tried it with powder shadows, but I'm sure it would work with cream shadows as well. Make sure you spot clean this brush if you do use cream shadows though since the hairs are natural and will absorb product.


E40 Tapered Blending [natural]

 Personally this brush is too big for me to apply shadow to my crease, although I do LOVE it for blending out harsh lines. After I use the crease brush from the Naked2 pallet to apply shadow, I'll go back in with this brush to apply my brow bone highlight and blend.

E55 Eye Shader

This brush is very short and dense, allowing you to really pack on color. I prefer to use this brush when I am applying more than one color to my lid so that I can be more precise.


E60 Large Shader [natural]

This brush is also dense like the E55, but the hairs are longer, giving you more surface area to pick up shadows. This is perfect for me when I'm only applying one color as a wash to the lid.


E65 Small Angle [synthetic] 

 Not only is this thin, stiff, brush great for using gel liner, I love using it to apply shadow as eyeliner to the upper lash line. It still gives you the precision, but without the harshness of liner.

E70 Medium Angled Shading [natural] 

 I usually prefer shadow really blending into my crease, rather than a harsh line. I also don't like it to get sloppy, so after I apply shadow with a crease brush, I'll go back in with a little more color with this brush to get some more definition. You can also create a nice outer V on your lid with this brush.


F30 Large Powder [natural] 

This brush is great for applying a light powder to set foundation. It is very soft, and not very dense, so you can cover your face very easily. I wouldn't recommend this brush for bronzer or blush though since it is so large.


F40 Large Angled Contour [natural]

This brush has made contouring so much easier for me. It picks up product well and fits perfectly into the hollow of your cheek. 

F50 Duo Fibre [natural and synthetic blend]

 This brush isn't very dense, so you can't really stipple with it, but if you really work it in circles to buff in foundation it gives you a great finish. I usually like to apply my foundation with the F60, then apply my concealer, and go back in with this brush to make sure the concealer is all blended in. I  know you can apply tinted moisturizer just with your fingers, but I personally really like to use this brush to work it in and get good coverage.

F60 Flat Foundation [synthetic]

This is a good size brush to really get good coverage with your foundation. I pick up product from my hand and dot it around the center of my face and blend it outwards. It's pretty dense so you can really get around the angles of your face.


F70 Concealer [synthetic] 

 This brush has changed my whole opinion about my Mac Studio Sculpt Concealer. Before I thought it was a little too stick and didn't provide great coverage when I applied it with my fingers. Since using this brush I love it. It applies the product well so you get a lot of coverage and you can really blend it into the skin.

Of course you want to take good care of your brushes, so I recommend spot cleaning them every other day. I just use Mac Brush Cleanser on a paper towel and gently swipe them back and forth until they're clean. You want to do this often so the product doesn't build up and then you have to use more force to get them clean which will ruin them faster. A key part to making them last longer is laying them flat to dry. You don't want to stand them upright because the moisture will seep down and will ultimately loosen the metal from the wood and will made the brush head fall off. I also think deep cleaning them every one or two weeks is a good idea. People recommend using baby shampoo, but I think Lush shower gels work well. I don't know if that's bad. If any of you think so let me know please! I figure Lush uses all natural products so it couldn't hurt. But I might be totally wrong.

I hope this helped some of you!!

Thanks for reading

XO Kara

Summer Approved

Happy Friday!!

No big intro today. My friend Hanna is lucky enough to be living in Hawaii this summer and she requested that I do a makeup tutorial that won't melt off in the summer heat. I like to wear some makeup if I know I'm going to the beach but not swimming, so I think this look is perfect for that or really just any summer day. I hope you guys enjoy!

I'd love to hear any requests you guys have for future blog posts! This was really fun for me to actually create something for someone's needs rather than my useless babbling. 

Anyways, here we go!

 The key to sweat proof makeup is using tinted moisturizer [WITH SPF!!]. You get some coverage, but don't have to worry about it totally melting off like foundation. I use an Aveeno tinted moisturizer. You could simply use this, but if you're going to wear this some where you need more coverage, go ahead and apply concealer, a little bit of powder to set it and bronzer. I used Mac Studio Sculpt concealer, MSF Natural, and Nars Laguna Bronzer.

I think simply using a cream shadow works best for this look. If I had a more pigmented cream shadow, I'd use that, but all I have is my Painterly Paint Pot, so I went ahead and added a bit of Suspect from the Naked2 Pallet. 

 Next is the main part of this look, the colored liner. I really like either this minty green color or the metallic blue, both from NYX. I think you could use either of them, or a combination. I just applied that to my lower lash line, then did a very thin line with liquid liner on the top and applied waterproof mascara.

I think this really adds to the beachy feel and makes the look more interesting.

[I wish the color picked up better in the photo, it's more noticeable in person]

 If you feel like you're missing color in your cheeks I recommend a cream blush. I used Mac's color pot in Have A Lovely Day! Finally, I set it with Urban Decay's All Nighter spray to insure my makeup lasts.

 A variety of lip products could be used. I recommend a stain, like Benefit's Benetint, or a light, easy lipstick like Revlon's Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake or Mac's Modesty. [I'm wearing the lip butter in the photo]

 This can also easily be transformed into a night look with a change of the lip color. I still want a light look, nothing too harsh, so I used another Lip Butter in Candy Apple.

The finished look.

Basically the main things to keep makeup sweat-proof:

1. Tinted moisturizer instead of foundation

2. Cream eyeshadow

3. Waterproof liner and mascara [although the jumbo pencils aren't water proof, they're easy enough to re-apply]

4. Setting spray

5. Easy, light lip products

I hope this helps some of you keeping yourselves looking glamorous during the hot summer temperatures :)

Talk to you soon!

XO Kara

Shopping Addict

I'm done. Okay? You guys can't let me go shopping anymore.

I don't know why I just love buying things so much. I seriously love adding to my makeup collection and getting the occasional item of clothing.

It has gotten too frequent lately though. So now I'm going to focus on saving money, and maybe I can shop a bit in a couple weeks.

ANYWAY, here's a few things I've picked up recently :)

Overview

[I was listening to "Small Bump" by Ed Sheeran, as you can see YouTube is up on my computer. He's phenomenal, check him out]

NYX Jumbo Pencils in Peacock and Horse Raddish. NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Dolly Girl.

Aveeno tinted moisturizer and a travel size of Urban Decay's "All Nighter" makeup setting spray.

From Mac's Casual Color collection, Lip & Cheek pot in Have A Lovely Day! [I have been LOVING this, you need to check out this collection]

Finally got some Revlon Lip Butters!! Candy Apple and Strawberry Shortcake. OPI Nailpolish in Don't Mess With OPI. Sinful colors nail polishes in Pink Forever and Unicorn. Mac brush cleanser.

Tank from PacSun.

New organizer from Target.

Container that is meant for papers, but I put it on top of one of my ottomans to hold my jewelry boxes and perfumes and to de-clutter my makeup desk. I'm thinking of finding just a flat mirror that will fit in the bottom and making it a little DIY project. What do you think?

Also, I have a favor to ask. My friend Jesse submitted a t-shirt design to Threadless, and it would be awesome if you guys could go give his design 5 stars!

Here's the link

Thanks for reading!
I have a make up tutorial that was requested coming soon and it uses some of these products. Keep an eye out for that!
Talk to you soon :)
XO Kara

Simple Lines

Happy Monday!

Thanks for all of your very nice comments on my last post!

I don't know if I will ever be able to handle sharing a closet, so I admire those of you who do :)

I feel like it's been ages since I've just posted an OOTD.

The other day it was a little bit cooler out, so I could get away with wearing pants. I really love summer clothing, but there's times where I definitely miss more of the fall styles.

While this outfit is quite simple, I like the cut of it as a whole. From the top knot, to the high neck of the scarf, and to the clean cut of the pants, this outfit feels chic and put together without being fussy.

 Frankie likes photobombing 

 As always, stacked bracelets and ring I recently found

 My go-to sandals

Round sunnies

Details-- Top: Forever 21. Pants: Target. Scarf: Target. Sandals: Michael Kors. Bag: Coach. Sunnies: Target. Arm Candy: Handmade, D&G and Lucky Brand. Ring: Forever 21. 

Nails: Don't Mess With OPI by OPI.

Makeup for today-- I've been using my new Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple. It's easy to wear red lips during the day with this product since it's slightly sheer and not too intense.

I paired it with a light golden brown and slightly smokey eye and black winged liner.

Thanks so much for reading!!

XO Kara

Closet Tour!

Hello!

How is your week going?

Mine has been really good. My teeth feel so much better, I'm getting back into working and I've just been in a great mood.

It might have a little bit to do with my two shopping trips. Whoops.

Haul coming soon if you'd like!

But now, the exciting part, my closet tour! I don't know if you guys even get excited about posts like this, but I absolutely love seeing people's room tours, makeup collections and all that stuff on YouTube. I guess I'm just nosey like that.

I'm really happy with how I reorganized it and I hope you guys like it too!
I don't really feel like I need to do this since my closet isn't anything fantastic, but maybe I should anyway. Just as a disclaimer, this isn't me "bragging" about my closet at all. That just sounds so lame anyway. I know I get help about organization tips and such from seeing other people's tours, so I hope that I can help some of you out. Just throwing that out there :)
Here we go!

View from my bedroom 

 From back to front: Sweaters, jackets & blazers, pants & jeans going from dark to light

 Long sleeve then short sleeve tops- dark to light

Transitioning into tanks- dark to light

 Skirts and shorts in the back corner

Dresser with t-shirts, swimsuits, and extra sheets 

 Up top I have random storage for slippers, winter accessories, extra pillows and a bunch of miscellaneous things

 Above my jeans I keep my dresses- dark to light

 Above there are random boxes and duffle bags

 Shoe rack holding my leather boots and my rain boots

[A mirror will be going above here when I find the right one]

 On the right side is my tall dresser with bras, underwear, socks, and workout clothes

 To the right of that is more storage, my robe, and playbills from shows from high school and some of my favorite shopping bags

 Overview from the corner

I had a close up of the right side of this photo, but it wouldn't upload

I just have sweatshirts color coordinated on the top and my scarves tied around the pole on the bottom

And that's it for my closet tour!

I hope you guys enjoyed and thanks for reading!!

I'd love to hear some suggestions for future posts if you have any :)

XO Kara