Sigma Haul!!! B05 Body Brush & F82 Round Top Kabuki

Hi everyone,

Today I have a small haul from Sigma to share with you! A little while back I got an email from Sigma saying they were having a flash sale for 30% off select items for 24 hours so I decided to pick up two brushes - one on sale and one full-price, so that I could get free shipping and the free gift.

The brushes I purchased are:
     - B05: 18K Gold Body Brush
     - F82: Round Kabuki

The B05 body brush was on sale for $34.30, originally $49, and I purchased the F82 brush full-price for $24. For the free gift with purchase, I received a mini Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove with a coupon code for $5 off purchasing the full-size one (which I will list at the bottom of this post). I will review each brush separately for you.

B05 - Body Brush
First, the B05 Body Brush - I think it's totally unnecessary that this brush only comes with the 18K gold ferrule, but it does make for nice packaging. Like with all Sigma brushes, this brush comes with their signature black handle with their logo and the brush description on on side. Special to this brush, the other side of the handle has the word extravaganza on it in the same gold color. The bristles on this brush are cream colored.

This brush is very large, dense yet soft and rounded on the top. It is intended to be used for buffing body products, like bronzer and shimmer powder, onto the skin. I use it to make apply bronzer to my neck and chest to make sure that I'm perfectly blended out and don't have a line of difference between my neck and face. I know this is probably an unnecessary purchase, but I actually do struggle with making sure that all my makeup is blended out nicely so it definitely makes putting on my makeup much easier. By no means should you rush out and buy this brush, plenty of other brushes could do the same thing, but being a makeup brush junkie I had to have it. If you struggle with "the line of demarcation" as I call it, I highly recommend this brush. It's so large that it really nicely and evenly applies bronzer without looking patchy or fake, which is often the case when bronzing your neck and chest with smaller brushes. All in all, I really enjoy this brush and use it everyday so it's quickly become a staple in my brush collection. I had a need for it, but I know not everybody does so I would recommend it to people who like bronzer and looking more tan than they are.

F82 - Round Kabuki
The F82 round kabuki brush is a small dense face brush with a rounded head intended for buffing powder foundation and mineral products into the skin. The bristles in this brush are synthetic so you could use it with wet or dry products, though it's intended for powder foundations. I was surprised to see how SMALL this brush was when I first got it. It seemed much larger when I watched the video of it on Sigma's website. I thought it would be a great brush for me since I tend to wear powder foundation on most days when I don't want a full face of makeup. However, since the brush head is so small, I think it would take forever to use it on your face - the total opposite from the B05 - ha! I honestly think I might return this brush since I'm not totally happy with it, but then again maybe I just need to keep using it for a little bit. We'll see...

Here's a comparison in size between the two brushes.

Extras!
For my extras, I got an envelope full of different leaflets: a thank you for purchasing card, a card with a makeup idea and what products you need, an information card about their near 3DHD brushes, and a small brochure with all of Sigma's products.

Also, since my purchase was over $35, I received a mini version of Sigma's famous Spa Brush Cleaning Glove with a coupon code for $5 purchasing the full-size glove. I have not used this yet, but I'm very excited to give it a try. The full-size glove is kind of pricey at $35 so I'm very excited to try this sample to see if it's something that would make cleaning brushes easier, because lets be honest, no one actually likes spending a lot of time cleaning their makeup brushes.

Which Sigma brush is your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Sigma Coupon Code for $5 off purchase of their Spa Brush Cleaning Glove: SPAGLOVE (expires 12/31/2014)

IT Cosmetics: Jumbo Powder Brush

Today's review is of the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Jumbo Powder Brush. I have been wanting this brush for so long that when I saw it brand new, still sealed for only $30 on ebay the other day I knew I had to have it. I will say that's the most I've ever paid for a makeup brush and that's only about half of what it actually costs - a whooping $58 full-price. You can purchase this brush full-price from Ulta, QVC, and the It Cosmetics website. Do check on ebay, as you might be able to find this brush brand new for a much lower price. My brush was recently purchased and was still sealed in plastic in it's original tube, exactly the way it would come at Ulta.

This brush is the softest brush I own! I though the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush, which I also just got recently and reviewed, was extremely soft and couldn't be beat, but this one definitely beats it! It has an amazingly high rating on Ulta's website - 4.9 points out of a possible 5 points. Clearly everyone who is willing to shell out big bucks for this brush really ends up enjoying it.

The packaging of this brush is the same material all the IT Cosmetics brushes - the handle is a sort of smooth rubber like material, similar to Nars packaging and the Lorac Pro Palette packaging. I love that this brush has a very long handle and the bristles of this brush are oh so soft, definitely the softest I've ever seen in a makeup brush! Yet even though they're super soft, they are strong enough to distribute powder onto your face nicely for a flawless look.

The bristles are 100% synthetic and vegan, so they are great for people who have sensitive skin and you can use them with wet or dry products, although I have no idea what kind of wet products you would use with this brush. In general, synthetic bristles give a streak free finish and don’t soak up products as much as natural hair bristles.

Comparison with the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush

I find that they brush provides a totally flawless power application. My skin looks so smooth when I use this brush, even when I have blemishes or small bumps on my face that I'm trying to hide. All in all, it's a luxurious brush that's a joy to use on your face and it does a fantastic job at what it's suppose to be doing as well, which is evenly distributing a light layer of powder to set your makeup.

In the end though I guess it all boils down to is this brush worth the money? I honestly think it is - with the caveat that you can find it for less, like I did on ebay or some other website. I don't think I could afford to or justify buying this brush full-price however much I'd like to. I have never experienced a brush this soft before - it feel so smooth on the face and is such a joy to use. I honestly just want to put on powder so I can use this brush - does that give you a clue about how much I love it?!? 

Have you tried any of the IT Cosmetics brushes yet? What's your all-time favorite makeup brush? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

IT Cosmetics: Celebration Foundation & Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush

Hi guys, 

Today's review is one I've been dying to share with you for a while now! I will be reviewing IT Cosmetic's Celebration Foundation and Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush. Both items can be purchased separately from ULTA or the IT Cosmetics website, or can be purchased together in a set from QVC. Individually, the foundation retails for $35 and the brush is $48, but in the QVC set both retail together for $43.50 (plus $5.72 for shipping and handling).

I absolutely love powder foundations for everyday wear - they're easy to apply and take virtually no time at all for a great look! My all time favorite powder foundation has been Clinique's Almost Powder Makeup with SPF 15 (I wear the shade light), I've been using this product constantly since high school, so over 10 year now! (wow, that just made me feel old...) Honestly though, I love that it's a buildable powder foundation that minimizes the appearance of my pores and lasts all day long without reapplication. I also love that it has SPF15 which I think is essential for everyday wear to help protect your skin from sun damage. 

Anyway, back to the product at hand, IT Cosmetic's celebration foundation! I've really wanted to try this for a while now as I've seen soooo many youtube and blog posts raving about it! I finally sucked it up and paid the money for both the foundation and the brush, as I heard this it is the ideal way to apply the product. My first impression of this product was WOW, it's amazing and all the rave reviews were spot on!

Comparison of the IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush & the Jumbo Powder Brush

In terms of packing, this product comes in a very sleek black compact with a push button to open it. The material of the compact is the same as a lot of the Nars packaging and the Lorac Pro Palette, that sort of soft, suede-like rubberized material that shows fingerprints and holds onto product which isn't ideal, but it feels really nice. The handle of the brush is also this same material. The bristles of this brush are soooo soft and not scratchy - it's literally one of the softest brushes I've ever used! The bristles are also the perfect length and density to apply the powder to your face without looking cakey, yet still covering everything that you want covered. I have not tried this brush with other powder foundations, but I would assume it would work well with them too. 

Most times I prefer to use just the makeup sponge that comes with a face powder, but this is SO much better! Like most foundation compacts, this compact has a compartment underneath the actual product that holds a makeup sponge which you can also use to apply the product if that's the method you prefer. I find that this product looks a bit more natural when applied with the brush than with the sponge - you pick up less product, which results in it looking more natural and less cakey (though it's not cakey at all!). I posted a photo towards the bottom where I show the product applied on my face half with the brush and half with the sponge.

The foundation powder is so creamy and easy to apply. With the brush you can very easily and quickly buff the product onto your face for a natural but well covered look. 
I love that this foundation feels weightless on the skin - I forget that I'm wearing any makeup! This is definitely an everyday foundation, but I wouldn't use it for special events where you want a heavier flawless makeup look with absolutely no blemishes showing. I tend to have some small bumps on my skin and some red patches and this product covered the spots and evened out the bumps for an even finish - my skin has honestly never looked smoother, especially without looking like I'm wearing a lot of makeup! 

I will say that this product only comes in 5 shades - Fair, Light Medium, Medium Beige, Tan, and Rich - which may pose a problem for some in terms of finding a correct match with their skin tone. I selected the color Light Medium and it's the perfect shade for me, especially now that summer is over and I'm no longer tan. The color of the Light Medium shade leans to a more yellow than pink undertone in my opinion. 

Also, since this product has anti-aging components I think it will flatter all ages from young beginners just starting out with makeup to ladies who have been using makeup for years and are trying to keep their skin looking fresh and young.

Below are some face swatches of the Celebration Foundation.

All in all, I absolutely adore this foundation and the brush by IT Cosmetics and I will definitely be purchasing the Celebration Foundation Illumination soon so I can compare it with this product.

Have you tried any IT Cosmetics brushes yet? What's your favorite powder foundation? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!