In Da Nood...

Sashaying around Tahr-jay...

Accompanying my sister as she looks for storage containers for her now-growing makeup collection (gee, I wonder who's ever so slightly, partially responsible for that?), I found myself lured over to the shoe section.

Originally, it was the bright, summer colored flip flops that I was heading for but then something nude caught my eye...

GET YOURS HERE

I quickly snatched up the last pair of 6 1/2's and tucked it away in my cart, under the toilet paper. You know, just in case another 6 1/2 bitch saw them and be tempted to shoe-jack me before I even get the chance to purchase them. Anyway, they're $29.99 which, I thought, was pricey for Target buttttttt I weighed the pro's and con's and I think I made the right choice.

As many of you may know, I have terribly weak ankles. I can't wear any heel higher than 3" that doesn't have ankle support. These are approx. 3.25" which falls in my range of do-able shoes. Although that may be pushing my limit a bit, the arch fits me perfectly and the sole is very flexible, which should help with my balance so I won't topple over. Plus, this color nude is kinda hard to find... think about it. Some nudes are too pinky, some are just muddy as hell... the rest too yellow.

Anyway, I know I may have written a little too much on a pair of shoes. I had to find a way to validate my purchase LOL. Like I said, I felt $30 was too much for Target shoes but I figured if I shared my tale on my blog, someone out there, somewhere will understand? =)

I mean, hey...
they're really fucking cute.

TOODLES!

[disclaimer: read the story, i bought them for ME with MY money. no one paid me]

Tools of the Trade

I'm a little late in the game...
I know a lot of folks have gotten their hands on the most coveted Sigma Brushes. But I was a skeptic for a very long time. They're just brushes after all... plus they're still kinda expensive.

I don't know what made me change my mind, but awhile back (and this was BEFORE I won Tia's giveaway) I decided to give them a try. Originally, I didn't even want to review them because there was already a plethora of reviews found on google (which was probably one of the reasons I was convinced I had to try them). But as I used them more, and more I was compelled to share my experience with them, too.

So here it goes...

[NOTE: CLICKING ON THE PICTURES WILL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO THE SIGMA WEBSITE]




This description box was taken directly from the Sigma website, I wanted accurate descriptions. What better way to do so than take a screen shot?



On to the review!


What it is:
A set of 7 professional eye makeup brushes

Where to get it:
Sigma Beauty

How much:
$45

What I like about it:
The bristles were very soft and the brushes seem very sturdy. I washed them and since I'm a little rough when I wash brushes, putting them thru that little test I can already tell these babies will last me a long time.

What could be improved:
I feel like the handles are a little unnecessarily long, but that's not really a flaw, just a matter of preference. But who knows, maybe I just have small hands.

Overall:
I'm very impressed with these brushes. I've used every single one of them and I swear it's helping me improve my makeup application. I know skill comes with time and effort, but with the proper tools, such a these brushes, it's definitely helped me perfect my "go-to" looks and help inspire me to keep creating different, more daring ones.


Here's a close up of the bristles

L-R: E55, E60, E40, E30, E70, E65, E05


The brush names on the handles.



This is the bonus brush, E25



Lately I've been using the E60 (large shader), E40 (tapered blending), E30 (pencil), and E05 (eyeliner) brushes a lot. The E60 grabs just the right amount of product every single time! I swear it's almost fool proof! The E40 is absolutely fantastic. I sweat that thing could blend wax! Ok, maybe not, but it is an incredible little tool that really helps to eliminate any harsh line. The E30 is the perfect size for me for when I apply shadow under my lower lash line. The E05 I had trouble with at first. But after trial and error, it's become one of my best friends! I can wing an eye like no other now!

I'm very happy with my purchase and I can see why so many people are in love with their Sigma brushes! High quality at affordable prices was once a dream, but Sigma has turned that into reality. I know some of you might still think $45 is a lot to spend on some brushes and in some cases it might be. But think of it like this:

Take $45 and divide that into 7 and you're actually paying less than $6.45 per brush. Plus, you get a bonus brush so if you wanna add that to the math, you're paying less than $5.65 a brush! Think about it, these brushes are often compared to MAC brushes (which is easily $20+ a brush). And if you don't wanna compare it to MAC, think about how much a Sonia Kashuk brush is from Target... or an Essence of Beauty brush from CVS... go ahead... think about it. I'll wait...

... ... ... ... ... thought about it yet?

Around the same range, right? Except instead of getting drugstore quality, you're getting pro quality. So anyway, I'm convinced and I hope some of you, my fellow beauty fanatics (if you don't already own any brushes from Sigma), give this brand a try. Especially if you're seriously about your beauty game, you really need to spoil yourself a little =)


[Disclaimer: I bought these brushes with my own money and all opinions are all my own]

Blow Me... Away!!!

I've only owned 3 other hair dryers in the past. Two of them I found laying around the house, the other I bought for myself. The first one, was the family hair dryer. Old and pretty much useless, but it dried my thick ass hair in half an hour, which was better than the 2 hrs it woulda took air drying. But then that broke so I bought the cheapest hair dryer I could find. Honestly, I was never a hair dryer snob, I thought if it blows hot air out then it was good enough. A couple years later, that cheap thing broke but then I found a new one laying around the house. It was still boxed up in its original packaging (probably from a gift exchange, long forgotten), but whatevz... JACKPOT for ME!

Anyway, fast forward to a couple weeks ago. Misikko sent me over the HANAair Professional Dryer for review. I was really excited when the package came because as you all (should) know, Misikko also sent me the Hana Professional 1" Flat Iron, which I LOVE!

This is how it looked when I first opened the box!



And here's how everything looked after I took everything out from the package. And yes, the monkey came with the package =)


On to the review!!!

HANAair Professional Hair Dryer



Here's a close up of the instructions



What it is:
Hair dryer

Where to get it:
Misikko.com

How much:
Originally $314.99
On Sale for $194.99

What I like about it:
Pretty compact and light weight.

What could be improved:
I'd like more attachments.

As you can see, it doesn't come with a diffuser.

Overall:
Now this dryer really impressed the hell out of me. I was able to dry my entire head (and God was pretty generous when he created my skull and hair) in less than 15 minutes (I was listening to my playlist on Zune and I got thru 2 1/2 songs, that's how I determined time). I thought, "wow!!! that's crazy!" I was touching my hair and really all up in it cuz I couldn't believe the entire thing was DRY!!!

Since I was already familiar with the Hana brand, I had really high expectations for this dryer, and it did NOT dissappoint. Some of you might not be familiar with the Hana brand but that's ok. Misikko also sells Professional Blow Dryers from other, perhaps more commercialized brands like T3, Solano, and FHI.

This dryer in particular is really user friendly. It's got an on/off switch, 2 heat settings, and a cool shot button.

I know some people want a lot of options but for a powerful dryer like this, you really don't need much to work with. The product just WORKS really well on its own.

I'd also like to note that my hair didn't feel dead or crunchy or dried-out after use. My hair felt like how it normally feels like after air-drying (soft and naturally voluminous) except I saw results much, much faster.

And just cuz Misikko is such an awesome company, they also threw in some extras in the package:



Moisturizing Shampoo & Treatment... in case I get blow-happy and dry out my hair! LOL



Ceramic round brush... which I have to learn how to use hahah.



Straightening comb from Corioliss... an absolute necessity when you only have time to blow-dry but need to flat iron also.



Hand sanitizer and nail files =)


Disclaimer:
Misikko.com sent me this product for review. All opinions and statements are all my own.

Ohhhh-Laaaa!!!

Ok so I haven't been blogging lately...

But it's not because I'm ignoring ya'll... it because I have some reviews I've been working on and I don't like to write half ass'd reviews so I'm taking my time. Anyway, here's a mini list of what you can look forward to in the coming days:

• HANAair Professional Hair Dryer
• Sigma Travel Kit Naughty in Black
• Sigma Eyes Kit

There you have it... stay posted my loves!!!

BTW, I wanted to show you these wedge sandals I just got. I was walking around the store with them, deciding whether or not to purchase them. They were the last 6.5 (which is my size) so I had to take it as a sign that they were meant to be mine!!!

They're quite simple but very cute to me so I had to get them! Anyway, I got them at a local boutique in my neighborhood, but they are also available here.


That's it for now,
TOODLES!