Guest Reviewer: Beauty Bee and Her Many Brushes

Remember my Brush Dilemma? After I did the post, my lovely Australian friend Beauty Bee told me all about her Sigma Brushes.

Here is what she said:

"I have used my Sigma brushes for over a month now so I have had time to give them a really good workout. I will never buy MAC again after using these. They are packaged up in beautiful bags and would make a lovely gift for someone especially with Christmas on the horizon. The service from Sigma brushes is excellent and they include in each package a card telling you how to clean and care for your brushes. The card also has each brush and different ways you can use them.

- The powder brush (150) is fluffy and soft, and is a delight on the skin. This is my all time favourite powder bush.

- The large angled contour brush (168) made of goat hair is every bit as good as my MAC equivalent only much cheaper.

- The concealer brush (194) is the best concealer brush I have. I can’t compare with MAC as I don’t have a MAC one. I won’t bother buying any other brand as this one is brilliant and all I will ever want.

- Angled medium shader brush (275), I don’t really use this brush so I can’t compare. It is the same good quality as the other Sigma brushes and I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

- The angled brush (266) is different to the MAC one (it is a little smaller) but I do like this brush and works well for the brows. I find being smaller allows me to get a more natural look.

- The large shader (252) I have been using this to apply my mineral powder foundation as a concealer and the results are good. I don’t have a MAC equivalent but I am more than pleased with this brush especially for the price.

- The pencil brush (219) isn’t as pointed as the MAC one and is a little fuller (more bullet shaped) I can still use it under the lower lash line and will do precise crease work.

- Tapered blending brush (224) I have a MAC one and this one is a fraction shorter in the bristles. It doesn’t have a slight point like the MAC one but I LOVE this brush better than the MAC.

- Eye shading brush (239) isn’t made of white goat hair. It is a little wider as than the MAC equivalent, it is very dense and packs the colour on as good as the MAC 239. It is more of a combination of the MAC 239 and 242 and a very very good brush.

- Duo fibre (187) I don’t have a MAC one as they are too expensive (as much as a whole set of Sigma brushes for one brush) I love it and I have seen many tutorials on You Tube and they like it better than the MAC one.

- The foundation brush (190) is a dense brush made of synthetic fibres. I really like this brush for applying cream foundations. I also like it for concealing large areas. It seems to have the right amount of flex in the bristles to give a really good application.

- Duo fibre blush brush (188) this brush is a miniature for the 187 and is every bit as good. I use this brush for blush and also for stippling my skin with a mist after applying my powder foundation to give an airbrushed finish.

- The SS209 is a fine tip synthetic brush, which is ideal for line the eye or lips. I have used it for both and it does an excellent job of both applications.

Sigma has been giving away SS217 travel size brushes as gifts with purchases. This brush is identical to my MAC 217 and every bit as good. I have asked when or if they are going to be doing it in a full length handle and they have told me that it is on the way.

Classic Brush Roll – I love the quality of this brush roll. It is very well made with plenty of pockets for all of your brushes. It holds a full set of brushes and even has extra pockets for other brushes you may like to add. It also has a flap that comes down over the brushes to protect the bristles when it is rolled up. The quality of the material that it is made from is soft and wipes down easily enough for quick and easy cleaning.

Overall: I am really impressed with these brushes and personally wouldn’t buy MAC again. They are very good quality and you aren’t paying for the name just good quality brushes. If you do decide to purchase these I am sure you will be pleased that you have a good set of makeup brushes and money still in your pocket. They are also about to release their own makeup range so it will be worth a look at their website."

Music says: I told you she has many brushes! :) Sigma's makeup range is already available online now. I haven't had the privilege of trying these brushes so I can't verify Beauty Bee's opinions. As far as I'm aware of she hasn't received any remuneration nor is she connected in anyway to Sigma.

Sanctum Organic Australia

My friend Beauty Bee has kindly agreed to be my guest reviewer. Today she's reviewing 6 products from Sanctum Australia.

As you know I always include a product's ingredients list whenever I could. Sanctum webpage has already listed the ingredients on their webpage, so please check it out yourself.

Without further ado, please welcome Beauty Bee with a big round of applause! :)

"My skin is a reasonable normal skin type with a few sun spots and the start of some small wrinkles around the eye area. I am prone to have small blackheads on my nose and what I would consider medium size pores on my nose.

Foaming Facial Cleanser – Comes in a pump bottle with a simplistic design. I use one pump application to clean my face. It has a very light texture and has a delicate smell of lemons that isn’t too over powering. I rub my palms together to get an even distribution over my face when I gentle massage it into the skin. It was rinsed freely from the skin leaving a clean feel without the oily residue or tightness that some cleansers leave on my skin. When I have worn makeup I tend to double cleanse(out of habit more than anything) .

After using this product for two weeks my skin's texture hasn’t changed a lot but the blackheads on my nose are visibly less and the pores on my nose appear smaller.

Toner and Refresh Mist – Is packaged in a spray bottle. After cleansing I gave my skin a light spray to help freshen it up and prepare it for my serum.

Hy C Recovery Serum - Is in a small pump bottle. I use two small pumps of product and put it on the back of my hand. It is a light amber coloured gel that tends to melt with my body temperature reasonably quickly. I gentle patted it onto my skin making sure I took extra care around my eye and lip area.

It seemed to refine the texture of my skin and did give it a more luminescent appearance. This product had a natural fragrance that I could relate to something in my childhood. After reading the ingredient list I discovered it was probably the honeysuckle, which smelt like mum’s golden syrup dumplings. (Music is drooling here... hehehe...)

Moisture Replenish – This lightweight cream is packaged in a tube with a flip lid. I only need to use a small amount of this product. lt doesn’t have that really organic/earthy fragrance that some organic ranges tend to have. Sanctum Moisture replenish has a light breezy aroma that almost smells a bit like weak lemon tea infusing on the kitchen bench. It is great under foundation and I have even used it under mineral foundation powder as it sinks into the skin quickly leaving it smooth and hydrated.

I applied a small amount onto my finger tips and pressed it onto my skin. For a better result I applied as per the instructions Sanctum Hy C Recovery Serum before applying Moisture Replenish.

Firming Eye Balm - This balm comes in a small 15 ml tube, but that is the only thing that is small. After solely using this firming eye balm I have noticed a reduction in the crows feet around my eyes. It isn’t heavy or gluggy as some eye creams and balms can be at times. I have the start of a ‘crepey’ area by my nose and this has really helped improved the appearance of my skin. I have applied it under my makeup and it doesn’t leave a greasy or creased looking finish to my face. You apply a small droplet of balm around your orbital bone and gentle pat it into the skin with your ring finger. It has a light natural fragrance that isn’t overpowering.

Night Conditioning Cream – This night cream is presented in a tub with a screw top lid. I am not a fan of product in tubs especially skincare for the face as they can become contaminated. I have never been fully convinced that night creams are really necessary, however this product is changing my preception of this. It is thicker in consistancey and when gentle massaged over the face and neck (don’t forget the neck), it leaves my skin feeling nourished and revived.

This product, like all the Sanctum products that I have used, has a light fragrance that is very pleasing. I also followed the recommendation on the packaging and applied Sanctum Hy C Recovery Serum before applying the Night Conditioning Cream.

Overview
I really love the overall performance of this product line. It has left my skin looking more youthful. Considering I have only been using it for a couple of weeks I believe there is still more room for improvement. I love the textures of Sanctum's products. If anybody is looking for a reasonably priced, good quality skincare line I would highly recommend this one.

Sanctum also has the added bonus that it is a Certified Organic product line which ensures that you get genuine Organic ingredients produced in superior environment.

My only criticism of Sanctum is that I would like to see them discontinue the use of boxes to package there products in. While they are very pretty they aren’t necessary and would help with reducing recycling."

Comments from Music: I haven't used any Sanctum products so I can't agree or disagree with Beauty Bee's opinions. I tried contacting Sanctum twice to ask whether I could get some samples to try myself. To my disappointment I didn't get any reply on both occasions, not even a "no" answer nor did I get any acknowledgement to my emails. Not a great customer service in my opinion. I wonder whether they "ignored" me because they don't have UK stockist? Who knows, I guess I have to wait until my next travel to OZ before I could try them out! :)