Gift Giving with Sigma Beauty

Gift giving can be an immensely daunting task, especially when you realise Christmas is only 5 weeks away (where the hell did the year go??) and you have to buy for a makeup artist/enthusiast/junkie/hoarder. Don't worry lovely, Sigma is here to help.

I have compiled a few ideas, sorted them into categories and included links to the product to make your shopping experience and decisions easier!

Read to the end of this post for 3 very special deals!!

MAKEUP

*Great for those who want to expand their kit*

Eyeshadow Bases are a must have for any makeup enthusiast. All the bases Sigma offer can be used with a wide variety of eyeshadows as they enhance and transform the look and application. They are smooth, quick-drying and will increase the longevity of your eye makeup. They can also be worn alone, therefore everyone needs them ;)

Available here for $13 each.

Extended Wear Eyeliners are a must for makeup enthusiasts, and those on the go who like to add a little extra drama to their look. These eyeliners were developed with a creamy, long-wearing formula and come in 9 individual shades or can be purchased in sets of 3 including a brush, a great gift idea!

Available here for $9 each, or $33 for the set.

BRUSH KITS

*Great for professionals and those who like a touch of luxury ;)*

The Extravaganza Chrome Kit features 29 of Sigma's best selling brushes with hand polished chrome ferrules and is packaged in a deluxe carrying case, ideal for travel and storage.

The Extravaganza Chrome Kit is available here for $379.

The Extravaganza Copper Kit also features 29 of Sigma's best selling brushes with hand polished copper ferrules and is packaged in a deluxe carrying case, ideal for travel and storage. It's so pretty!

The Extravaganza Copper Kit is available here for $429

These kits contain everything you could possibly need for a luxurious makeup application.

ON A BUDGET

*Perfect for those with limited funds this gift giving season*

Sigma's Eyeshadow collection boasts a wide range of shades and finishes from their top eyeshadow palettes. Each eyeshadow is paraben free, richly pigmented and long-wearing, plus there are over 30 shades to choose from! At just $11 each, you can mix and match to suit the loved one you're gifting them to. 

Available here for $11.

Sigma's amazing quality brushes, what they are predominately known for, are also available individually. Basically, if you can't afford to gift your loved one a full set of brushes, why not get them a few singles they'll really love? They have brushes for everything you can think of and more! I can personally vouch for Sigma when I say they are amazing, they are the only brushes I use, and I've been using the same kit for years. Sigma brushes are well worth the investment and you will certainly get your money worth!

Available here from just $12!

GRAB and GIFT

*These are my personal picks that are great for gifting- makeup or brush sets that are ready to go. Just grab, wrap and gift!*

The Sigma Paris Palette is the PERFECT gift for any beauty, whether they are a beginner, a makeup enthusiast or a professional. There is something for everyone in this palette, and I'm dying to get my hands on it! The only downside to this palette is that it's limited edition, so you'd better be quick! The Paris Palette contains 8 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, a highlight and 2 travel size brushes! All for $49 (originally $59). What more could you ask for?

Available here for only $49.

Sigma Travel Kits are great for those beginning with makeup brushes and those who travel a lot. The kits contain 7 travel size brushes from the best-selling essential kit and come packaged in a container that converts into 2 brush holders, both cute and functional. If the set wasn't already great enough as is, it also comes in fun colours like blue, pink and purple. 

Who wouldn't want one of these sets?

Available here for $75.

Sigma Extended Wear Eyeliner Kits and Sigma Eye Shadow Base Kits are great little gifts as they contain the necessities for makeup lovers. You can never have too many eyeliners, right? ;)

Each kit contains 3 different eyeliners or eyeshadow bases with an included brush for applying or blending, and there are 3 kits to choose from containing different shades. These kits are perfect for secret santa gifts or even as stocking stuffers!

Available here for $33-35.

Not only will Sigma give you a free gift for spending over $30, they even have a 10% discount code for the rest of November!

If you miss out on placing your order before the end of November, don't fret because Sigma are celebrating Black Friday and Cyber Monday with 2 very special deals.

 This only happens once a year!

Take a look at Sigma's website for even more great gift ideas!

All photo's courtesy of Sigma Beauty.

Thanks so much for reading! Shop away! xx

Sigma Advanced Artistry Collection

Brand new and unique to Sigma Beauty is the Advanced Artistry collection featuring 3 special brush sets.

The Advanced Artistry brushes are specially designed for mastering specific functions of makeup artistry. Each brush was made to go beyond the basic uses, custom designed for detailed makeup purposes. The Advanced Artistry Set is comprised of three new kits that are completely unique to the industry; The Perfect Blend, Spot-On Concealer and Extreme Color Payoff.

The Perfect Blend Kit $63

The assortment of brushes provide a variety of uses such as working shadow into the crease, buffing out harsh lines and blending colors for a diffused finish. Whether you want to go from subtle to sensational or sharp to smoked-out, this is the perfect kit.

Brushes included in the kit: E32 – Exact Blend, E38 – Diffused Crease, E37 – All Over Blend, E39 – Buff and Blend, E48 – Pointed Crease, E71 – Highlight Diffuser

Spot-On Concealer Kit $63        

The various brush sizes, textures and angles were designed to apply the perfect amount of product for maximum coverage anywhere on the face. Buff and blend your way to flawless skin.

Brushes included in the kit: F69 – Angled Pixel Concealer, F66 – Angled Buff Concealer, F64 – Soft Blend Concealer, F63 – Airbrush Blender, F71 – Detail Concealer, F68 – Pin-Point Concealer

The Extreme Colour Payoff Kit $63

The different shapes and sizes of the bristles allow you to create a variety of looks while providing an intense and concentrated color payoff. Intended for makeup enthusiasts, the creative possibilities are endless.

Brushes included in the kit: E20 – Short Shader, E30 – Pencil, E44 – Firm Blender, E57 – Firm Shader, E58 – Cream Color, E59 – Wide Shader

These kits look amazing and I seriously hope to get my hands on them one day. The 3 kits can also be purchased together for $175 (save $14) which is great for professionals and full on makeup enthusiasts.

Use the code FALL2013 for 10% off your order for the month of October!

Head on over to Sigma for more info

Femme Fatale Cosmetics Review and Swatches

Today I bring to you a review and swatches of some Femme Fatale Cosmetics eyeshadows I  recently received. For those of you who don't know about Femme Fatale, they are an independently owned indie cosmetics company based in Brisbane, Australia. The best part is they hand blend all their cosmetic products and 3-Free hand produced nail lacquer, as well as stock a HUGE range of top international indie polishes.

The Eyeshadows

The four eyeshadows I received were Starcaller, Nightlash (such an awesome name!), Dispersion and Endless Winter. 

^Click for a better view!^

The left swatch of each colour is applied dry with no base. The right side swatches are applied damp.

Starcaller- is a pale periwinkle blue/grey with a pinkish red duochrome and sparkles.

Nightlash- is a mid-tone purple with golden copper shimmer.

Dispersion- is a deep plum with bright teal shimmer.

Endless Winter- is a a deep greyish blue with blue sparkles.

Starcaller is probably my favourite shade out of the ones I received. It is such a unique colour! I don't think I've seen anything like it. It is slightly less pigmented than the other eyeshadows, but applies smoothly and there was no noticeable fading or creasing. It is so difficult to capture the beauty of this colour on camera. I love this colour on the inner eyelid or as an inner corner highlight!

Nightlash is super pretty! It is nicely pigmented and the gorgeous copper shimmer really shows when applied damp. Nightlash applies evenly, but I did notice a fade in colour after approximately 8 hours of wear. Nightlash would make for a killer smokey eye!

Dispersion, yet another gorgeous eyeshadow! This is my second favourite and also quite a unique colour. It has great pigmentation, no creasing and no fading. However, I did have some troubles with application. I applied it dry over MAC Painterly Paintpot with a patting motion, and on both eyes I had a section across my eyelids where the shimmer didn't adhere. I'm not sure why this occurred, whether it has something to do with my eyes or the actual product. Applying more product made no difference. I had no problem with swatches and feel that applying the eyeshadow damp would have a much better outcome. 

Endless Winter, such a fitting name. This eyeshadow applies so smoothly, and has great pigmentation when applied wet. It is sheerer when applied dry, but not to the extent in the swatch photos. When damp, the eyeshadow has a metallic effect and is really eye catching. I had no problems with creasing or fading. Endless Winter would also be great for a smokey eye to add a pop of metallic shimmer.  

All eyeshadows are labelled with full ingredient, safety and vegan information.

Despite being blurry, you can see some of the gorgeous shimmers in this image. 

Pricing

• Sample Size- 1/8 tsp in a zip lock bag, $1.10
• Mini Size- .70 to .90g in a 3g jar, $3.10 to $3.20
• Full Size- 1.20 to 1.50g in a 5g jar, $5.85

Purchasing samples is a great way to test out some gorgeous colours without having to commit to a full size jar. Also, the fact Femme Fatale offer a mini size is amazing and great for when you want a little more product than a sample but not quite a full jar either. 

As for the actual prices, $1.10 for sample baggies is generous and, if you're anything like me, allows you to splurge a little and get a few extra colours. Femme Fatale also offer free shipping on sample only orders. That being said, $5.85 for a full size jar is great value and a very reasonable price if you love a particular colour.

Shipping

Shipping within Australia is affordable, ranging from $6.50 for local shipping and up to $15 for larger orders. All Aussie orders are posted with included insurance, tracking and a signature on delivery.

In conclusion, I feel Femme Fatale offer a huge range of beautifully coloured eyeshadows with a variety of finishes at great prices. If you're after some unique eyeshadows, I highly recommend checking out Femme Fatale Cosmetics. The customer service they offer is amazing and I wouldn't hesitate buying from them in the future.

Click here to go to the Femme Fatale website.

Here are a couple of looks I created using Femme Fatale Cosmetics

 

Nightlash in action. This photo does not do this eyeshadow justice!

This is a photo of the application of Dispersion.

This is the final look using Dispersion and Sugarpill Lumi.

Looooove this look!

I hope this review was helpful and thanks for reading!

Products in this post were provided for review purposes.

NEW PRODUCT: Sigma Eyeliners

"Explore our brand-new Extended Wear Eye Liner Collection launching today! These eye liners are the newest additions to the Sigma makeup collection and will be available permanently. The eye liners were developed to add a bold, dynamic edge to your current look."

Sigma Beauty have just released their own line of eyeliner pencils designed to perfectly complement the Sigma eyeshadow collection. From neutral to cool tones, I'm sure there's something for everyone.

"With makeup enthusiasts in mind, the liners were developed to add a bold, dynamic edge to your current look. "

'What is the price?' I hear you asking. The eyeliners individually cost $9 each, or the eyeliner kits cost $33 for 3 liners with a brush included, great value if you ask me!

To take a look and order yours, click here .

Smoked Acid Makeup Tutorial

Hey guys! This is my smokey eye tutorial with an acid green pop. You can use this technique with any colours you like, I personally want to try it with a bright purple! 

This look is really fun and puts a different take on a smokey eye.

• MAC Blackground Paintpot
• Sugarpill Bulletproof Eyeshadow
• Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Eyeliner
• MUFE Flash Palette
• Sleek Makeup Acid Palette
• MAC Zestful Eyeshadow

Below is my video for the tutorial! It's my first time recording a voice over, I was so nervous! haha 

To get the brushes I use, click here

Thanks for stopping by!

xx Sarah xx

Dramatic Cut Crease Makeup Tutorial

It is so enjoyable being able to sit down at my makeup desk and just let creativity take over. That's exactly what happened when I created this. I knew I wanted to do something fun, something bold. I think I achieved that.

What's better than neon green combined with a rich purple?

 

Products:

• MAC Painterly Paintpot
• NYX White Eyeshadow Base
• Sleek Acid Palette
• MAC Beautiful Iris
• MAC Stars'N'Rockets
• Sugarpill Poison Plum
• Sugarpill Bulletproof
• MAC Zestful (Extra Dimension Eyeshadow)
• Maybelline Hyper Glossy Liquid Eyeliner
• Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara
• Inglot 77 Gel Liner

I even filmed a tutorial for this look! I know my video's aren't great, especially because my eye always seems to be at the bottom of the frame, but I am working on it! I'll be using a new tripod very soon in my hopes to eliminate that problem!

                                     

Thanks for all your support, and for watching my tutorials. It means so much to me.

Let me know what you think :)

xx Sarah xx

Photoshoot!

A few months ago I was contacted by a photographer from Frostbite Media about doing makeup for a photo shoot she had in mind. I was so excited and beside myself that someone loved my work and wanted me to be a part of their project.

The shoot itself was for portfolio work with the theme of fashion and beauty. I was given full control of the makeup and was basically told to go crazy! How awesome is that! With the focus on dramatic makeup, I immediately started working on some ideas I had in mind. Once I had received head shots of the models, I then modified my ideas and makeup looks to suit each model.

The first look was inspired by peacocks, as the model, Nyree, absolutely LOVES them. It was really fun to play around with peacock inspired colours and see what combos and placements worked better. This is how  the final images turned out! I also made the peacock lashes myself :P

The second model, Em, has gorgeous fair skin, green eyes and red hair, so I knew I wanted to do something smokey on her. With bold, graphic eyeliner being a trend lately, I took that into account and incorporated  that into my idea. Take a look below!

Finally, we have the third model, Jess. This girl wasn't the original model we had planned on using. The original girl ended up having to work that day, which we didn't know until we arrived. Jess is a friend that happened to be there on the day and was able to fill in for us. She doesn't normally wear makeup at all, so I had to tweak my planned look to make it more suitable for her. I think I did a pretty good job! :)

Is anyone interested in what products I used?

I would love to know what you think, leave a comment below!

http://www.youtube.com/user/UnleashTheBeauty1

http://instagram.com/unleashthebeauty

https://www.facebook.com/UnleashTheBeauty

Thanks so much for looking!

xx Sarah xx

Femme Fatale Twilight Meteorite

I recently gave in to temptation and bought some Femme Fatale nail polishes after seeing gorgeous pics plastered on my facebook wall. Let me just say, I do not regret regret this purchase! 

Twilight Meteorite is described as "a rich plum pink base with bold blue>pink duochrome flecks".

This description is pretty on the money!

Just look at the photo's!

Gorgeous huh?

To exaggerate the duochrome finish, I applied a black gradient as a base underneath, so it fades out to nothing at the tip where you can see Twilight Meteorite on its own. 

I am absolutely in love with this polish and keep catching myself looking at how gorgeous it is. It applied with ease, not too thick nor too thin, not streaky and dried quite fast. I applied two coats to make it fully opaque.

I also love that Femme Fatale are Aussie! 

Here are some other polishes I also picked up, they are sooo pretty!

I will post more pics/reviews when I use the others!

Have any of you tried out Femme Fatale polishes or cosmetics? Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

x Sarah x

Violet Vibes

This is a look I filmed originally as a valentines makeup look, but it can really be worn anytime. It is definitely my kind of look! Gorgeous purples and lots of glitter!

Let me know what you think! 

Products:

• Mac Painterly Paintpot
• Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister 24/7 Liner
• Sugarpill Poison Plum and Love+ (mixed together)
• NAKED Cosmetics Ivory Stack - Red duochrome
• Sugarpill Bulletproof
• Maybelline Line Stiletto (discontinued :( ! )
• Mac Haute & Naughty Mascara
• LA Splash Gaudy Glitter

Video below!

http://www.youtube.com/user/UnleashTheBeauty1

http://instagram.com/unleashthebeauty

https://www.facebook.com/UnleashTheBeauty

Thanks for reading!

x Sarah x