Bundle Monster 4pc Kabuki Collection

The first time I saw the Bundle Monster Kabuki Brushes online I said to myself I need to check them out. The brush heads look just like the Sigma Beauty Sigmax Kabuki F80 range brush collection.

Price comparison:

• Bundle Monster Kabuki set of 4 brushes is $25 for the whole set and it includes a sturdy case. Another wonderful perk about Bundle Monster is they have free shipping in the US.
• Sigma Sigmax Kabuki Brushes retail for $21 each bringing your total to $84 if you bought all 4 individually or you can pick up their Sigma Beauty 5 Brush set for $84 (that also comes with the F88 Flat Angled Kabuki) I just want to point out that Sigma also charges shipping.

With a huge price gap why not give the Bundle Monster brushes a go? 

Review of Bundle Monster set:

When you first remove them from their original packaging there is a strong moth ball or plastic scent. No worries, after the first wash of the brushes and airing out the case the smell was completely gone!

All the brush head bristles are soft and blend your foundation really well. I only had shedding with 1 brush during first wash, the Flat Kabuki. Since then I haven't had such issues with them. The case that is included is durable and would definitely protect your brushes.  My final rave is a personal preference, I love the look of the rustic wooden handles, I don't think other brushes on the market have that design right now.

I have always been intrigued by Sigma brushes, particularly their synthetic brushes. I first viewed them as an affordable alternative to high end brushes but now I see them as outside my brush price range. I know I own more expensive brushes too but Sigma to me, seems more like a step up from drugstore brushes but certainly not a luxe brand so my willingness to pay for them is lower these days particularly when it seems companies like Bundle Monster can come to a close match on quality without the steep price tag.

Now I wish Bundle Monster would dupe Sigma's Sigmax Precision Kit too, I imagine it would be amazing and send us brushaholics to brush heaven.

Pic from my instagram @gymba24.

Left numbers below are the Sigma Brush numbers and right hand side numbers are the Bundle Monster version. They have equivalent names.

F80 Flat Kabuki K01
F82 Round Kabuki K02
F84 Angled Kabuki K04 
F86 Tapered Kabuki K03


The Bundle Monster Brushes are super high quality, I am very impressed with them. If you want to see them in action check out my video below.

The opinions expressed in this post are all my own, I was not paid to do this review, I received the items for review.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Demo & Review

The Beauty Blender retails for about $20. Sometimes you can find it up to 20% off, the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge retails for $5.99 and I picked mine up for 50% off when their website was having a sale. Right off the bat price wise the Real Techniques wins on price.

Often times when you try a store or generic beauty blender you do not get the same quality, finish of consistency. The are either too dense and hard or they pick too much product.  When damp, the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is the closest dupe to the Beauty Blender in softness and the finish that it gives you. Most of the cheaper alternatives are too hard and don't feel the same. They come in tie for quality and finish.

I actually like the shape of the Miracle Complexion Sponge, the flat surface is really useful. I would love to hear if you agree with me if you've tried both as well.

Review: Urban Decay Naked 3

I had to take some photos of this little guy before getting my brushes and fingers into it. With my love of photography this was my pick from our photo shoot with indoor lighting.

Aesthetically, Naked 3 packaging is higher than her sisters Naked and Naked 2. Also, the thought of pink and gold tone shadows is amazing. Though pretty to look at,  I found it a bit hard to work with my skin tone. I eventually came up with a look I would not be embarrassed leaving the house wearing. So far nothing I felt excited about. I don't doubt that this palettes looks amazing on other skin tones. I find Naked 2 to be my favorite and the most versatile.


Pros:

• Sleek and beautiful packaging
• Mostly high quality shadows
• May work well with certain skin tones (not mine Asian NC30)

Cons:

• May be harder to work with certain skin tones (mine) 
• Only comes with a small rip open type sample of primer (really? after buying a a pricey palettes you can't throw in a deluxe size sample?)
• Colors are not that unique (perhaps the easiest palette to find dupes)
• 2 shadows are powdery (Dust and Trick)

Watch my video for a few of my thoughts and comparisons with the Naked and Naked 2 and swatches of the Urban Decay Naked 3.

Deal Alert: ELF 150 Geometric Eyeshadow Palette

I Deal Alert! I saw that Target was having a clearance of all their holiday sets for 70% off. So this might be time sensitive for those of you hoping to catch the deal. Thank you to my friend Jenn for letting me know about the clearance.

My video gives more detail but these are the prices I saw at 3 different Targets in San Diego California.

The 2 things that I forgot to take pictures of but you'll be able to see them in my video above.
14 pc Nail Polish set $7
10 pc Essential Brush set $3

 Eyeshadow Geo Palettes

6 pc for $0.90 

18 pc $1.50

32 pc & 36 pc $1.80

96 pc $3

150 pc $4.50

Review: Mally Beauty Lip Fence

I purchased my Mally Beauty Lip Fence from Beauty.com, for $12.50 you get a 0.01 oz colorless lip liner. This is my first and only Mally Beauty purchase. I will have to do a comparison with the Sally Hansen version that I recently bought.

The most noticeable thing about it when I apply this is that I don't notice product distributing onto my lips (or hands as you see the swatch below). So whenever I used it, I kind of worry that its just brushing over my lips and not really doing anything.

The Review:
It's thin like a lip liner and white like a lip primer.  It smooths out my lips so that lipstick doesn't settle into my lines. It also makes drugstore lipsticks more flattering (sometimes I find drugstore lippies can be too opaque and therefore uneven on your lips) by evening out the base and letting them distribute better. It seems to make lip stick last longer and help lipstick keep from feathering. There is a faint scent of crayon but I don't seem to notice it so much after applying my lipstick. I'm not sure I would repurchase this because my favorite lip stick primer is still from MAC.

My rating: 7 out of 10

Looks like a white stick, almost like a deodorant stick in lip liner form!

 

As you can see below, it doesn't give off much color. I swear that I swatched a fairly large area on my hand but you can't even see a thing!

   

Review: Napoleon Perdis Eyeliner in Purple Reign

I own the Napoleon Perdis Eyeliner in Purple Reign. It retails for $20 and on their website is described as a creamy formula that is easily blendable. The packaging/pencil itself is prettier than say your average drugstore eyeliner and it has a nice cap (although, this is not a drugstore eyeliner though NP has their own middle range line called the NP Set line commonly found at Target and Nordstrom Rack).

However, my experience is that it is dry, hard and very difficult to get color out of it. As you can see my hand the swatch is streaky and not very pigmented. It really hurts my eyelids and water line when I try to use this as an eyeliner. If you get that little color on your hand which is not that sensitive, imagine how hard it is to get product around your eyes. Sadly this product was a dud for me. I will be sticking to my Tarte smolderEYES for now.

My rating: 2 of out 10

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW First Impression

During Sephora's November VIB sale I received a sample of the Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer stick and Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW foundation. Check out my first impression and review below.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

I won these nail strips form influenster last summer and finally broke them out. The print that they sent to me was the Queen of the Jungle pictured below in a casual photo I shot as I walked from my car to the office.

Each box comes with 16 strips that are split into 2 packets of 8. I was able to use 1 packet of 8 to do all 10 fingernails because my nails are currently short enough that some nail strips could cover 2 fingers.

I would rate these better than Jamberry Nails but not as good as Sephora OPI strips. Unfortunately, Sephora seems to be discontinuing their strips but you can still find them on Sephora's website in their sale section and discount stores like Marshall's and TJ Maxx. 

Jamberry Nail first impression video

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Sephora OPI Nail strip trial video

Product Spotlight: Sibu Beauty Sibu Sea Buckthorn Miracle Stick

What is it with my fascination with trying new products? I was drawn to Sibu Beauty in my quest to find natural skincare. Who can pass up a cruelty free brand that claims to "restore, revitalize and protect youthful beauty?"  

Earlier this year I made a large Sibu Beauty purchase on hautelook. I bought 8 products and intend to try more in the future. My opinion varies on each product I have tried and I will be working on reviews for each of them when I feel I've used them enough to form an opinion.

The Sea Buckthorn Miracle Stick is a moisturizing stick that is housed in a giant chap stick like plastic container (much larger than a chapstick!). It is 2 fl oz in size and retails for $19.95 on Sibu Beauty's website. The twist up container is kept by my bed, as I like to use this on my hands before sleep especially this time of year (winter) when my hands are chapped. I like that I can control exactly where I want to distribute this product and it absorbs quickly. It's not messy, greasy or residue forming. I usually wake up with my hands feeling fine as opposed to severely dried out. Because it is not liquid it would be easy to carry around in a larger handbag (though slightly too bulky for a small handbag). If you know what sea buckthorn smells like, it has that scent of being less fruity and slightly herbal.

This year on Black Friday to Cyber Monday (11/26-12/2) they had an incredible 60% off. However, I want to mention they charged shipping Sibu Beauty's website. Therefore, the discount worked out to be about the same as buying them on discount at hautelook (when buying over $100 to qualify for hautelook's free shipping). So if you missed out on their holiday special, don't worry I think you will be able to catch them on sale again in the future.

Product claims from Company website: Paraben-FREE and Cruelty-FREE. No dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast or preservatives. Our sea buckthorn is sourced through fair trade agreements with local harvesters in Tibet.

•            Soothes inflammatory skin conditions
•            Promotes skin recovery and healing
•            Supports skins’ natural lipid barrier      
•       Noticeably reduces visible sun damage
•            100% All Natural Ingredients
•            For All Skin Types
•            2 fl. Oz.

disclaimer: I am aware that everyone's skin is different and my tips are what worked for me and my experience. I'm not a healthcare professional and I am only sharing what helped me out. This post is not sponsored and all these opinions are my own.

Bundle Monster Puff VS BeautyBlender

Bundle Monster 4 Pc Pro Beauty Flawless Makeup Blender Foundation Puff  Sponges

I have been a big fan of the BeautyBlender sponge. I was so excited after I used this to apply my foundation. My excitement was soon dampened by the realization that to replace this would be really pricey! So I started my mission to try and find a dupe for this. I came across the 4 pc puff sponges from Bundle Monster on Amazon found here http://www.bundlemonster.com/beauty-accessories/4pc-pro-beauty-flawless-makeup-blender-foundation-puff-sponges.html

I bought the sponges with my own money and these are all my own opinions.

I didn't find them to be dupes at all but still an interesting tool. Check out my video here:

Sephora ZUCA PRO Sport bag

As you know I've been on the quest for the perfect makeup case for travel.

The Sephora ZUCA bag is a gorgeous bag that came with an outside protector and 5 inner bags. This carrier can double as a makeup chair if you don't have one and is supposedly able to support up to 300lbs. This bag seems more suitable for a PRO than a person looking for a travel case.

Check out my video as I compare it to my Samsonite travel carry on luggage. =)

Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation VS Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation

Tarte Friends and Family is going on right now until August 6th if you use the code FFAUG at:- http://tartecosmetics.com


Tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour full coverage foundation SPF 15 - in Medium and Tan
Revlon Colorstay Whipped in 370 Natural Tan
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Waterproof Concealer in medium
Revlon Photoready Concealer in medium

A Review: Makeup Brush Cleaners; MAC, Clinque, Cinema Secrets, Sephora andhome made.

Please excuse the empty, half empty and dirty bottles. As you can see, I love to clean my brushes!

I would categorize my brush cleaners into 2:

1) Quick Cleaner for in between makeup applications.

2) Deep Clean every once in a while.

Quick Cleaners:-

MAC Brush Cleaner, $13 for 7.9oz

Clinique makeup brush cleaner, $13 for 8oz

Cinema Secrets, $32 for 35oz

The MAC and Clinique ones work and even look similarly.  For both I spray it only the brush and use a paper towel or kleenex to and wipe the brush clean. These seem to wash off most of the product on the brush and you have to leave them a bit of time to dry before using them again. I tend to slightly favor the Clinque over MAC because it seems to be more potent in it's cleaning power. Maybe the formula is more concentrated.

Cinema Secrets dries very quickly after spraying the product onto the brush. So you have to work quickly to wipe it on a paper towel in order to get old makeup off the brush. A pro about this one is that the brush feels like it dries the brush completely so you could use the brush again immediately after cleaning. Probably good for professional use. It seems to take nearly of the product off however when it dries on your hand it leaves a white dry residue. it also has kind of a pungent chemical smell that seems to be masked with a vanilla scent. I'm not sure if this is related but this product has broken 2 spray bottles I've used to hold it in which has never happened with my other brush cleaners. 

Deep Cleaners:-

Sephora Collection Purifying Brush Shampoo,  $14 for 6.75oz

Baby shampoo

Youtuber EnKore's DIY brush cleaner (linked below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FwklwLsSSg

The Sephora Cleaner worked to me very much like a baby shampoo would. I pump out a little product into the palm of my hand and swirl my brush into it then run the brush under water. I may repeat this step until the water runs clear. I then squeeze the brush dry and make sure they dry in shape. A brush guard may help with that.

Baby shampoo worked pretty much the same as the Sephora cleaner in my mind. Maybe it doesn't contain any anti-bacterial to it though.

I personally wasn't too crazy about the EnKore DIY formula. It smelled chemically and I didn't feel like my brushes looked any cleaner than baby shampoo or the sephora cleaner. Although I initially thought it was a cool idea to make my own brush cleaner and possibly save a lot of money. I found my own mixture to be the least appealing in the end.

New Revlon ColorStay Whipped & ColorStay review

I've been a fan of Revlon's traditional ColorStay about 1.5 years now. I'm usually a cross between 330 Natural Tan/340 Early Tan and 350 Rich Tan (I also use NC30/NC35/NC40) depending on the time of year and how dark of a tan. Lately I've been wanting to try something with slightly less coverage as I feel as though wearing this daily may be causing me to get a zit or two.

My thoughts on the Colorstay Whipped:
1) More sheer than Colorstay. On days where I don't need as much coverage I may go for the whipped.
2) Strange consistency that may need a tad more blending.
3) Not cakey.
4) Does not give quite the flawlessly finished look that Colorstay does. I'd pick Colorstay over Whipped on a flash photography day.


*UPDATE* ok so I've been wearing he whipped shade 320 for 2 weeks now. I need update my opinion on this shade. I still feel like the coverage is more sheer than traditional ColorStay, which I like. However, this gives me a slight white cast which makes me appear ghostly and makeup faced. I need to return this. I haven't quite decided if I'll exchange for a new shade yet.

Lori Greiner 2 pc Cosmetic Bags

My makeup bags have finally arrived! I do quite a bit of traveling and I've been wanting a new makeup bag for a while now. I first saw this bag featured on YouTube guru emilynoel83's channel. The thing I loved so much about this system was the different pages with velcro and zippered pockets to put various pieces of one's travel beauty products! I was so excited after watching the video I went straight to QVC to order myself one. But then I read a bunch of mixed and negative reviews. So I held off on the purchase. Then I caught on YouTube shadesofkassie's channel her video featuring the same bag. I then left a comment asking her how her bag held up. She replied saying her bags held up and worked for her trip. I immediately went to QVC to buy it! A big thank you to my husband as he actually ended up buying it for me.

If you want to see my first impression of this bag I filmed a video called My first impression: 2 Quilted Cosmetic Cases by Lori Greiner:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWjdI46JNO0

First video I saw by emilynoel83:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5icbOb2i6YI
Second video by shadesofkassie:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G80KUmwFCPc

Where I bought this Lori Greiner 2pc Cosmetic Cases $29.16 + $6.44 shipping 

Though having to pay shipping bugged me, the bag in my opinion was not overly cheap. I mean, hello it's not a Marc Jacobs bag so of course I didn't expect the quality to be to that level. Overall, it only cost a bit less then $40 so I can't complain.

Small bag

Large bag open.

Review: Shiseido The Skincare line

I've been using this line mainly in the winter months when the air in San Diego is dry. I started using this in my mid 20s when I noticed that I had very dry skin under my eyes and cheeks. Here is my take on each product I've had experience with.

Hydro-Nourishing Softener: Good for re-hydrating very dry skin. I think this is suppose to act as a wet lotion or toner. It definitely softened my skin after application. In fact this was the product that ultimately lured me into trying more and more products from this same line.

Night Moisture Recharge: Much too wet on my skin. It skins on top of the skin and does not seem to soak in.

Day Moisture Protection SPF 15: Works like a moisturizer with a fairly strong scent of sunscreen. Goes on nicely.

Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam: I've been using this with my Clarisonic and nothing special. 

Eye Moisture Recharge: Much like the Night Moisture recharge, it just sits on top of my skin. I have not noticed any benefit and quite frankly felt like this product has been a waste of money.

In short, the softener was worth it to revitalize dry skin, I could skip out on anything else listed that I tried. The moisturizer was ok but I'd prefer something without that strong sunscreen scent.

Overall, I was happy with how my skin improved from very dry to combination. It could be my age now but this product line doesn't wow me anymore. Once I finish it off I will probably stop repurchasing. I have however bought a few items from Shiseido's White Lucent and Benefiance lines.

I have always had mostly clear skin with the occasional hormonal breakout and people always guess my age to be 5 to 10 years younger than I really am so I must be taking good care of my skin!

Here is a photo of my husband and I at our friend's wedding at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Clinique B. B. Cream

I started hearing about BB Cream from Jen frmheadtotoe on youtube. I believe she was showing one in a pink pump. I've done some research and everything I post is just what I've heard and am in no way claiming anything to be factual.  For all I know these could be Urban Legends. From my understanding, the story behind BB creams  also known as "Blemish Balms" and "Beauty Balms" originating from Korea for people recovering from surgery who should not be applying too many products to their face. They are supposed to be an efficient way to apply a product to your face with out having to layer on too many different products. They are supposed to have more than one active ingredient and serve multiple purposes for example maybe a serum, sunscreen and your foundation in one.

So I started getting curious about it. My daily foundation was routine was starting to feel a bit cakey for this time of year so I thought why not give BB creams a try.

I went to several shops: CVS, Sephora, Macy's and Nordstrom and picked up the following samples of full size. Here are my thoughts on my currently NC 35 combination skin.

The Garnier one I immediately did not like it. I used medium and felt like I looked like I had a spray on tan. I had the orange-y feel. However, I did feel like this could work for olive skin toned people.

Estee Lauder, didn't do much for me. I felt was too drying on my combination skin face.

Boscia, I initially did not care of this product. I felt like it didn't give my much coverage too many large glitter specks and also gave me a slight gray tone. After about a week using the premium sample I received during the VIB event I actually grew to like this product. I feel like the gray tone I would notice after sitting on my skin would change to match my tone. I used a finishing powder to take away the shine but I also liked how I would have a dewy finish.

Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm SPF 45 PA+++ also a gray tone initially a gray tone but nothing a finishing powder can't fix. I liked that it had an SPF of 45. I would use this one again but maybe I would go to Boscia before this one.

Clinque, this felt to me much like a tinted moisturizers. My mother also tried many of these samples over a month period and ended up buying the full size of this and wanting the Dr. Jart as well.