Sigma Dare, Bare, Flare Palettes

I'm so excited that i will be reviewing the new Sigma palettes Bare, Dare and Flare in my own way. I've been anticipating these palettes before they were launched. I even put an alarm on my calendar so i wont forget the launching date, funny thing that my day started before the USA day so i had an early alarm, by the evening i was able to place my order. 

Each palette has its own cover, the palettes are very impressive and the quality is really good. It has a mirror inside and double sided brushes which is why i love the palettes more. I'm very obsessed with make up brushes and they come in the real quality of Sigma brushes not like MAC limited editions which are made with very cheap bristles, never the real deal.

I believe i took enough pictures of the palettes so probably the pictures will speak and explain more and better than i do.

With the covers

Without the cover

The Sigma palettes

Sigma Flare palette is the only palette between all that mixed two different colors, purples and greens. The other two mostly tend to stick to one color shading. I dont see any medium tones colors, all darks or lights and two vibrant main colors (Oversee and Allure) which i think the looks will revolve around. Just mix and match with other colors to have different looks.

Sigma Flare palette

E40 brush: tapered blending brush. This brush is supposed to be an equivalent of MAC #224 which i use for applying eye concealer. But this brush is bigger and more fluffier. I didnt find a proper use for it until now except for blending to soften out the edges of an eyeshadow.

E40 brush

E55 brush: eye shading brush. I talked about this brush before for applying pigments, loose eyeshadows or regular eyeshadow for all over lid. Its really good but its a bit bigger than its almost equivalent MAC #239. The bristles are softer though.

E55 brush

The Flare palette has two outstanding colors, Allure and Oversee. Allure isnt as velvety as Oversee so maybe i like the second one more.

Sigma Dare palette, is one hot palette. I love the colors, the colors are reasonable, nothing too much or too weird but they're very alive. I can see alot of really nice colors. Maybe this palette is the most wearable between all. The colors are very velvety except for Shout (yellow) which is matte.

Sigma Dare palette

E45 brush: small tapered blending brush. I'm not sure what to say about this brush, i dont like it, i dont even like the MAC's version (#226 discontinued as i heard), its used to apply and blend color in the crease area which i usualy do with the E25 or MAC 227.

E45 brush

E20 brush: Short shader brush. This is one handy brush, it will save your life applying color on the lashline. I love this brush and i have two of them. I dont think i need more, i use one for light colors and the second for dark colors, in case i'm using both in one look.

E20 brush

Shout is the most obvious outstanding color, i'm so into yellow eyeshadows this season, i love how daring they are and most people get scared or hesitant using one. We shouldn't always take the color as it is, we can always lighten,darken or blend the color that will eventually be very wearable.

 

Now this is the Bare palette, honestly i am not very impressed with it, and the colors are very "regular", i couldnt even find an outstanding color. There isnt any reason in putting 2 black eyeshadows, one is shiny and the other is matte, maybe because i am not very good with black that's why i didnt appreciate it. The brown colors could be close of being my favorite, Act and Command are really nice, but again nothing outstanding or wowy. I much prefer the Urban Decay Naked palettes and i absolutely went gaga over it, the colors are simply stunning.

Sigma Bare palette

E25 brush: blending brush. This maybe my favorite Sigma brush, i believe i have like 4 or 5 of them. The E45 is very handy and mostly used for blending.

E45 brush

E30 brush: Pencil brush. This is a pencil brush, it looks a bit weird in this palette, i didnt like the cutting of the bristles, its not neat, but it will do the work.

E30 brush

The palettes are bulky

Things i love about the palettes: There is variety in the colors, and i am talking about the Flare and Dare palettes, the colors are pretty wearable, they didnt just add colors randomly, you can use two or three colors in one look and you can just mix and match. The texture is velvety and this is my favorite, the payout is really good but not with all colors. The quality of the palette/box is good, i am impressed, i love the color and design of the palettes.

Things i hate about the palettes: when i opened the palette there were fallouts around the colors (obvious in some pictures), they werent broken or cracked or anything and it does happen in some of the eyeshadow palettes, but i hate when this happen when i first open a new item. I was disappointed in the Bare palette, it is not the most wearable naked/bare palette and i've seen way better, the colors are very regular. The palette/box is a bit bulky.

Shelf Life of Make Up

This is a very important topic to talk about and most people dont pay attention to it. I am not very good at it, because i have alot of make up and i dont wanna throw anything especially if its discontinued or limited edition, i'd rather keep it forever (not necessarily using it) than stick to the shelf life. Bad i know!!

Now its important to check the expiry date of each item, and always check the container or the box before opening it. You will usually see a picture of an open container with a number inside it like 12M or 24M. This means that this item is best used within 12 months or 24 months from the date of opening the jar, pay attention, its opening the jar and not buying the product! Most products do tend to stay for a long time in the stores shelves before you buy it, and there is nothing harm about it except of its been there for 10 years!!

Foundation bottle marked 12M

Tinted moisturizer marked with 18M

 My tip is, for example you just bought a foundation in a bottle and just opened it, stick a label on the foundation bottle marking the date of the opening, so you will know after months or lets say a year if you're still safe to use the foundation or not..

Most probably it will not cause you anything if you used it after the marked date, but dont way exceed the limit date. If you kept on using it for a long time after the marked date it will probably cause your rash or irritation. So better be safe than sorry.

Regarding mascara, this product might be the only cosmetic that doesnt last long, usually its safe life duration is 6 months, so its better to throw it away once you exceed the period. But for me and since i use mascara almost daily i tend to finish it quickly, so i'm pretty sure i'm safe in mascaras.
(I tried so hard taking a clear shot, the mark is so small that my current camera didnt take it clearly but it says 6M).

Mascara with a 6M mark

Now for lipsticks, lipliners and eyekohl and such creamy stuff, they usually last 2-3 years but always use your nose! When you start sensing a weird smell stop using it, it probably started to rot. If you have doubted, just a small doubt, then in most cases you're probably right.

Lip tint marked 12M

Concealer marked 24M

Cream highlighter marked 24M

Eye pencil marked 12M

Powder stuff could last very long, until now i havent faced a problem with old eyeshadows or blushes, but some of them (probably cheap stuff) tend to change a bit on the surface and feels like rocks are mounting. The color payoff wont be the same..here you would know that its time to throw it away.

Blush marked 18M

At the end, always use your senses, if you doubted a little bit then stop using it. IF you really liked the color and its no longer available in market try to find a dupe before throwing it away, it will make you feel better :-)
Example Indian Pink by NYX is dupe for MAC Ever Hip (from Give me Liberty of London collection)

MAC Ever Hip

NYX Indian Pink

Dove Go Fresh

I'm well known with my obsession of toiletries and skin care products, i like to try alot and sometimes take a risk of having breakouts and rash! 

So I've been using this product for a while now (probably a year), and its very refreshing as much as its moisturizing. You can actually feel the "moisture" getting into your skin and settling there. And will keep you skin fresh and moisture until the next day. 

What i love about it is that you can feel a tingling sensation after showering and applying the body lotion, just the same feeling when you have mint in your mouth, but on your body! I hope you really know what i mean by this..its so refreshing and best used in a summery morning.

I use the cucumber with green tea body wash and lotion.

Dove go fresh body wash

Dove go fresh body lotion

Look of the Day: featuring Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

One of the things i look into when i purchase cosmetics is how often i am going to use it, of course i dont necessarily use everything i have often, there are some pieces that will look gorgeous wearing it one time during a wedding party that matches a dress, and it will stay inside the drawers until it rots. But i do like to indulge myself more in the most wearable stuff, and always tend to buy the same shades but in different brand, does this happen to you to?

I bought a glitter eyeliner from Urban Decay in one of shopping sprees lately at Sephora-Dubai Mall, i love glitter liners and i used to get mine from Mekyaji but i dont like this store anymore, and i havent seen any brand with glitter liners or maybe i havent looked properly. The glitter liner is not very thick, the glitters are not consistent in line and this is why i like it. So i tried to create a different look using the glitter liner than my usual look and only use for glitter liners which is lining my under eye only. Which it looks really good above a color kohl. But this time i wanted something new.

What i did is VERY simple, all i did is that i first applied an eyeliner, i used for this look Dark Diversion fluidline from MAC, its a dark burgundy to brown, and i absolutely love, its one of my favorite liners. The i drew a line using the glitter liner above the MAC line. The line is very fine and as i said the glitters arent consistent in line so it will look very subtle, very wearable. Then i applied another line on my lower lid, just below the eyelashes line. 

I also used a product ive been hearing about for a while and thought of trying it, its SMASHBOX Halo Hydrating Perfecting powder, and honsetly i didnt see anything wow about it YET! Sometimes a different base moisturizer or a foundation could make a difference but not so far. It works like any other loose powder, i didnt see anything special in it. 

To compliment my look i curled my lashes, used MAC Wonder Woman Opulash mascara in Bad Bad Black (black), for my cheeks i used CARGO blush in Rome, and for my lips i used Calvin Klein lipliner in toasted pink and YSL Rouge Pur Couture 05.

Tools of the trade

Halo powder by Smashbox

MAC fluidlline in Dark Diversion (limited edition)

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Spandex

CARGO blush in Rome

YSL lipstick

Hello! My Name is Yellow!

I've never dared to use such color until i watched this make up tutorial video, it looks gorgeous and very flattering in real. For my skin tone i didnt have to use a lighter shade like its shown in the video, the whole look was made by Chrome Yellow and a black eyeshadow (You can use any bright yellow eyeshadow). To enhance the color its better to use NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk as an eyeshadow base.

MAC Chrome Yellow (matte) eyeshadow

I've complimented the look with MAC lipstick in Ever Hip (Limited Edition) and Benefit bella bamba blush.

MAC lipstick in Ever Hip

Benefit bella bamba blush

Seal Your Pigment

I've noticed that every year and when the summer season "the real season" comes, which i mean by June, July and August, i always like to use MAC pigments instead of regular eyeshadows. Its maybe the pearl reflections that i love, its not glittery nor too shimmery but the reflections are so gorgeous in the summer, they wont even look too much on a sunny Emirati morning.

MAC defines pigment as "Pigment is a highly concentrated loose colour powder that contains ingredients to help it adhere to the skin. Create a subtle wash of colour or an intense effect. Does not streak or cake. Easy to blend and long-lasting. Please note: Pigments are sold by weight not volume. Containers can appear to be less than full due to settling of the product."

 

I like applying a light color all over my lid and a dark one on the outside corner and blend, blend, blend. The color will look like it's gradually getting darker. Then i use little, just a little amount of black eyeshadow for an outer corner shading, just to give it some extra deep look.

To apply the pigment on the lid you can use MAC 239 or Sigma E55, and for blending you can use MAC 217 or Sigma E25.

MAC 239 Shading brush

Sigma E55 brush

MAC 217 blending brush

Sigma E25 blending brush

MAC Vanilla Pigment is my favorite for all over lid

MAC Naked is second best

The old pigment containers

MAC Melon Pigment (old container)

Make sure you apply an eyeshadow primer before you use a pigment, and to have an intensified color you can use a mixing medium by MAC (available at MAC PRO stores) or Illamasqua Sealing Gel (Available at Bloomingdales, Dubai Mall). Lightly dab your brush in the mixing medium then put the brush into the pigment.

MAC water based mixing medium (image courtesy of Temptalia)

Illamasqua Sealing Gel

You can also make your own mixing medium and here how to make one:

- 1/3 spoon pure Glycerin.

- 3/4 spoon water.

- Container.

Put the Glycerin and water in the container and mix very well. Then you will have a water based mixing medium that will last for 2 weeks (You can buy empty containers at Daiso Store, Sephora Stores).

Image courtesy of thebeautyofmakeup

Hand Food

Hand Food cream by Soap&Glory is my latest obsession. I am very picky when it comes to hand creams, i hate the greasy feeling on my hand and i also dont like the ones that get quickly absorbed by the skin. I want something in between, something that will smell good and makes my hands super soft without having the greasy feeling after applying it.

This Hand Food by Soap & Glory is the one for me, it smells really good, its contains shea butter which is a must in a hand cream, whenever i read shea butter in any product i say to myself "yes this will definitely be good", but again shea butter is kind of heavy and greasy but not with this product. Another fun ingredient in this hand cream is marshmallow!! Maybe that's why they called it Hand Food cuz you feel you wanna eat it! It also has macadamia oil.

I noticed when i first apply the cream it feels greasy on my hands, but after few minutes it gets absorbed but not completely, it leaves a little moisture in the hand. And this is where i like it, i can feel a certain amount of the product but not in a greasy way.

A tip when using any hand cream: this tip is for girls who wear abayas, probably you've noticed it too, when you apply a hand cream and you're wearing your abaya the tips of your nails turn a bit black. So be careful while using any hand cream while going out, you dont wanna look like you have dirty nails.

The best time in applying a good moisturizing hand cream is before bed, its the longer period of time you will keep the product on, so when you wake up you will have a soft hand all day long.

Hand Food by Soap&Glory is available at Boots.

Shatter Your Nails with OPI

Lately I became so obsessed in "shattering" my nails with OPI. I'm a person who loves her nails, and i love nail polish since i was a little girl, my nails obsession is so obvious and my friends and family know this very well.

I am not a big fan of nail trends, i like to keep mine simply and classy..but when this "shatter" came, even though it looks helluva messy, i LOVED it..

I still dont understand its technique, and how exactly does it break this way, but its a genius technique. Its becoming a huge trend of the Minx that came out almost 2 years ago, although i've only seen it about a year ago or less in the UAE, please correct me if i'm wrong.

The  shatter colors come in turquoise, navy, silver, blue, red, white and black.

How it works?

First apply your desired color, wait until it completely dries out, then apply a thin layer of the shatter nailpolish, make it quick because it dries out quickly. You can watch videos on how to use it on OPI website.

Black shatter over Teenage Dream from Katy Perry Collection. Image courtesy of beatyunmade

Katy Perry Collection

Not only OPI has this "shatter" technique, but also China Glaze called Crackle Glaze and Barry M called Instant Nail Effect .

my advice is that it will work better on short nails.

A Good Night Sleep

Tips on how to get a good night sleep:

- Take a hot shower before bed, and lather in your favorite body cream/lotion, and skin care products. Make sure that you cleaned your skin very well and applied the right skin care products.

- Wear a very comfortable night gown, preferably cotton. Dont wear anything tight.

- Spray on a very light scented perfume.

L'Artisan Perfumeur Drole de Rose

- Drink Camomile tea, it is well known as a sleep aid, it helps the body relax.

- Moisturize your lips and hands. It will work magic during the night and you will wake up having really soft hand and lips.

Helping Hands cream by LUSH

- Read a book, something inspirational and soul calming.

Chicken Soup for the Soul book

- Make sure the room is dimmed and cool, if you are scared to switch off all of the lights have a side lamp and wear a sleep mask.

- Make sure the bedsheets are clean and nicely smelled. You can spray from your light scented perfume on your bed an hour earlier (before taking the shower).

 - Dont leave any electronics switched on, like TV and computer/laptop.

- Put your cellphone on silent, dont let anyone disrupt your sleep. If you worry about having an emergency phone call just put your msgs/ bbm alarm in silent mode.

- Drink plenty of water.

Now i may wish you a good night sleep :-)

Garnier Eye Roll-On

Garnier Skin Renew Eye Roll-On claims to reduce under eye puffiness and dark circles in a week. One of the main ingredients (and the secret) of this product is Caffeine, just like it stimulates our body cells and awakens it, it does the same to the eye whether its in cream or gel. 

The caffeine stimulates the skin and tightens the area by reducing the fluid or moisture which causes the bags under the eyes. It also increases the blood flow that helps repairing the skin which reduces the dark circles.

The packaging*

Garnier Eye Roll*

The roller's shape*

 Now, i've used this product for about 10 days, i still cannot see any difference in the dark circles, but it does reduce the puffiness in the morning and this is when i like using it. Plus the cool rolling motion relaxes my eyes and awakens them. 

This pretty much reminds me of a product i used last year by Clinique called all about eyes serum, its an anti-puff eyes massage except that this product didnt reduce any puffiness, i only liked using it because of the cooling sensation, and it really feels good. 

Those eye rollers are not to be used as eye moisturizers, the formula dries out quickly.

Garnier product is sold at main supermarkets.

*Images courtesy of Lipglosseater.

Eyeshadow Primer

What is an eyeshadow primer?
Is an eyeshadow base, to coat the eyelid prior to eyeshadow and help it stay for longer time, will appear more pigmented and vibrant and avoid creasing of the eyeshadow.

Do we have to use eyeshadow primer?
Not necessarily, most of us girls used eyeshadow before getting introduced to the primers, but believe me, once you try it you will never leave it. Eyeshadow will never be the same. If you care much about your look and how perfect your make up is, then its definitely necessary to have one.

How do i use an eyeshadow primer?
Apply a very tiny, small amount of the product either directly on your eyelid (using an applicator) or on the tip of your finger and blend it on your whole eyelid and your lower lid line. Its supposed to dry out in few seconds.

Now, i havent used alot of eyeshadow primers but i can say that the best two products i've used are Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay Primer Potion

My personal preference is Too Faced Shadow Insurance because i like its texture more.
You can get both products from Sephora stores.

Pantene Clinicare Hair Time Renewal

I heard so much about this "new" product by Pantene called Clinicare-Hair Time Renewal that i wanted to try it so badly. 

This AWARD WINNING and BEST SELLING product at Japan since three years came recently into the Middle East. This product promises to renew your hair with more luster, softness and moisture. 

 

Here is a description of the product:

"Pantene Clinicare is an intensive care collection designed to solve your deep rooted hair damage issues."

Pantene Clinicare collection repairs years of damage in just one month by:

- Repairing signs of deep rooted dryness of hair.

- Repairing the most severe signs of damaged hair even at the tips.

- Protecting against split ends.

- Leaving the hair strong inside out.

The collection consists of:

- Shampoo.

- Conditioner.

- One Wash Treatment (once or twice a week).

- Leave-on Treatment (spray on damp or dry hair).

I've tried the collection few times and i can say that it didnt suit my oily-type hair so it made it more oily, but i can tell that it makes my hair super soft and i'm sure it will work perfectly well on dry, damaged hair. 

I'm not sure if this product is sold in Abu Dhabi "yet" since i tried looking at the Co-op, Carrefour and Spinneys, maybe its only sold at some branches, or it could be just a matter of time until it comes to the city.

Update: the product is now sold everywhere, check the Co-op, Carrefour and Lulu Hypermarket.