A review on Sigma brushes

I was gifted this Eyes Kit by Sigma for my birthday in October so I've had a good enough experience to give a thorough review on all the brushes and their uses...

NOTE: the Small Angle - E65 also comes in the kit but isn't photographed

I'll start by the one I use most which is the Eyeliner - E05 brush

What I absolutely love about this brush is that it doubles up as a brow brush which means I don't have to faff around with another brush. It works beautifully with both gel and liquid liners (although I tend to like it with gel a tad bit more) and creates both a thick and thin line. The precise point means I can easily do my winged liner with no trouble. Love this brush.

Next is the Large Shader - E60 brush

When doing any type of eye-makeup, I find this to be the brush I reach for the most. It's large surface area means I can easily use it for a wash of colour over my lid or just as a highlighting brush, work really well for both. I usually find I only need this and my MAC 217 for a smokey eye. This one will remain a staple.

Small Angle - E65

I think my sister stole this from my make up holder which is why it isn't photographed like the rest.. -_-

Anyway, when I did have this brush, I used it for eyeliner and my brows.. it's really soft so I found it easy to use on my water line and tightline.

Tapered Blending -E40

This brush is so handy, especially for blending at the end of eye shadow application which is what I always use it for. Although it's tapered, I find it too large to find in the crease of my eye and give me a defined contour for my eyes but for making sure the shadows all blended, it works a treat.

Eye Shading - E55

I use this brush to pat on colour to my lid. Unlike the Large Shader, it's small enough to focus on a small area. It's worth mentioning that the bristles on this brush are very dense in comparison to the Large Shader but I haven't found that to be a problem in application. Cleaning this brush can take a bit of time just to take all of the product out.

Pencil - E30

I use this for definition along the lashline top and bottom (usually bottom) as I find that the Eye Shading brush is too thick to take under the eye and I end up looking like a panda. Overall thought.. it does the job :)

Medium Angled Shading - E70

 This brush seems like it'd be a good brush to fit in the socket for contour, I find that it's a little tricky to be precise as this brush too, is quite dense and thick so it covers more area (which isn't what I want in the crease). It can be used for other things though, highlighting the brow bone and contouring cheekbones seems a suitable use for it.

Overall I do love this set, it's inevitable that I like and use some more than others but they all do come into use when I'm doing other people's make up. The brushes are super soft and nice to clean, they don't scratch the skin at all and I haven't experienced any shedding from any of the brushes. I always think you get what you pay for with brushes. More Sigma brushes on my wishlist!

A special thank you to my best friend for the brushes <3

thank you for reading, 

Annam xx

March Favourites

I've got a feeling I won't be doing this every month but since there's a few things I've really been loving in March, I thought, "why not?" :)

 A make-up must-have I've been loving is the Urban Decay Naked Palette, I doubt I'll be writing a review on this cause there's about a gazillion already out there. I think it's enough to say I love it! The pigmentation of all of the colours is so hard to find, dupes match the colours pretty well but I'm yet to find one that's as pigmented as this. <3

Another beauty fave for this month are Inglot O2M Nail Enamel polish's. Ohhhhh how I LOVE this invention. For those who aren't aware, Muslim's perform ablution before praying which includes passing water on to the finger nails, of course nail polish prevents water meeting the surface which nullifies the prayer. Inglot have created these nail polish's which come in a huge range of colours, specifically for Muslim women as they allow moisture to seep through.

Despite the whole water-seeping-through factor, the nail polish's have only chipped on me a teeny tiny amount and it's my 6th day of wear, here they are.

Left: 672 - opaque off white colour (for tips)         Right: 602 - translucent pale pink (for base)

I'm still a little undecided about these lashes. Yes, I am aware they're in my "March Favourites" post, I just think they can be a little overwhelming on myself with some types of make-up looks, they do look amazing with a dramatic eye for an evening out, though. Oh and I got them in a pack of two which is always nice! (one pair is with my sister). They're they Eylure Naturalites evening wear lashes - #107.

Next up, my favourite "favourite" for the past month, these gorgeous heels from Zara. I saw them in the shop a few times but never plucked up the courage to take them off to the till but I found an excuse to wear black heels recently and bought them. I saw them on Sammie's blog too and thought they looked great on. Love 'em!

Lastly, my favourite app for March has been "iDrated", it allows you to track how much of your daily guideline of water you've had everyday for the past week. It's really motivated me to drink more and I feel much healthier :) I'll be keeping it for summer!

Thank you for reading!

love, Annam xx

Minimalist

So today, I went into sixth form for a few things so I opted for these few bits. I'm sure you can name every single one, nothing out of the ordinary from the beauty-blog world but a nice and simple first post to kick it off, (inshaAllah).

On my skin I used:

MAC Face and Body Foundation in C3

applied with Real Techniques Buffing Brush - part of the Core Collection

These two work like an absolute dream together, while the my-skin-but-better foundation gives a light coverage, the brush allows for a quick and seamless application.

For cheeks:

Natural Collection blush in Peach Melba

with Real Techniques Contour Brush also part of the Core Collection (which I swear by!)

Eyes:

Maybelline Gel Liner

applied with a Sigma E65 brush

No7 eyelash curler

On my lips:

MAC Brave lipstick

I'll always have a special place in my heart for this lipstick, I think every girl does for their first MAC lipstick. It shall remain in my collection forever. <3

If you got this far, thank you for reading and please visit again!

Annam xx