Benefit Hoola Bronzer Review

The Hoola Bronzer by Benefit is probably one of the most talked about, and well known bronzers on the market. I purchased mine quite a while ago but was afraid of using it because I found it too pigmented. I recently started testing it out again and have come to love it! I found a super easy way to combat the strong pigments of this bronzer.

I think we can all agree that the packaging is cute (of course.. it's Benefit), however I find the box a little too bulky and the included brush is unnecessary.  

(Tip For Pale Skin Alert!) 

Hoola is matte with no shimmer. The bronzer is strongly pigmented so after dipping my brush in the little box, I'll pat a bit onto a tissue. This allows me to build the colour rather than dump a huge blot onto my cheek. I'd suggest doing this for pale to light skin, but darker skin tones may not have to worry about this and can just tap off the excess.

I typically use it with my Mac 109 Small Contour Brush to define the cheekbones, and then I blend it out with my Real Techniques Multitasking Brush. I also use this brush to add a bit more colour and create a softer look. It was quite easy to blend. 

It is easy to wear softly or for a stronger look. The colour is buildable and can definitely look natural or very defined. It gives a warm glow and you don't need much product at all to achieve this. It might be a bit too warm for light skin tones which is why I'd suggest to blot onto a tissue before applying. 

I used to be a Too Faced Chocolate Soleil girl, but after using this recently I think I've converted to the Benefit side! Benefit's Hoola is probably more suitable for all undertones (maybe better for neutral/warm undertones), whereas I found Too Faced Chocolate Soleil to be better for pink undertones.

I was surprised to see the bronzer last all day without much fading, if any, (I didn't notice any the way I do with other bronzers). 

Hoola Bronzer by Benefit worn over Estee Lauder Double Wear FD in 1W2 Sand. No blush, no highlighter.

At $35 CAD (at Sephora) this bronzer is very expensive in my eyes and I don't even know how I could pay that much for it! I'm hoping it lasts a while until I can find a cheaper dupe because I don't want to be paying that much again. However, I doubt there is anything much cheaper that is so easy to blend and wears for so long, so I will likely be sucked in again (damnit Benefit!). 

Sigma Beauty: E25, E35, E70 Eye Brushes Review

Let's start the first review of the new year with a positive review of a few brushes I haven't been able to put down! These 3 Sigma Beauty brushes are actually the only Sigma brushes I own, but so far, they are some of my favourite eye brushes. I purchased my first Sigma brush through FTB Beauty (the E25), and the other 2 were sent to me from Obsessed Canada (an extension of NailPolishCanada). A review of these brushes seems to have slipped through but now I'm finally able to share my thoughts on them. 

E25, E35, E70

Two of the brushes pictured here are quite similar, can you guess which ones? (the bristles are both almost invisible in the picture above). I'm talking about the E25 and E35 if you haven't gotten the hint! I found these brushes to both work, and look quite similarly.

Both the E25 and E35 are blending brushes, to be specific, the E25 is just a Blending Brush while the E35 is called a Tapered Blending Brush. The difference? The E35 has longer bristles. They feel softer and easier to glide along the skin to blend out any harsh lines. Whereas the E25 allows for 'controlled blending' and targets a smaller spot because of the smaller brush size and slightly denser bristles.

If you are a daily eyeshadow user, you probably will feel inclined to get both the E25 and 35 no matter what I say.. so I say go for it! It is totally worth it because you will definitely end up using both. However, if you don't blend a lot, I'd say one or the other is fine. E25 may be best for smaller eyes and lids, whereas E35 is a bit of a larger brush and I find it to be less precise and better for all-around blending, and diffusing any harsh colours.

Sorry E70! I left you out. The E70 is the Medium Angled Shading Brush. It is an angled brush that is used to softly blend shadow onto the lid. I find it works best for applying shadow to the lid, not so much blending it in. It is great for when you are trying to get quick, yet not too intense, colour on the lid. I usually use it to add some darker brown/blacks in the outer corners of my eyelids.

Closeups of the bristles

The E70 is probably the most dense, with the E25 then E35 coming in last of the 3. I didn't mention this before because I figure everyone knows this (sorry those who don't <3) but Sigma is known for their soft brushes, and these brushes are soft! This and the gorgeous white shade of the blending brushes are why I cannot restrain myself from using them and I do recommend them (although, I wish we had US pricing..) These brushes are roughly $14-16 USD on Sigma's website however they are priced slightly higher in Canada (what isn't?) and the prices might vary.

All 3 of these brushes actually come in a gold and copper version for a slightly higher price (can be seen on the Sigma website), although I doubt they're available in Canada (we never have anything..boo). Canadians can order from Sigma's website directly although there are shipping charges + potential duties so I'd play it safe and order from a Canadian website.

You can find a pretty decent, if not full, collection of the Sigma brushes on ObsessedCanada.com that are offered in sets or individually. This is probably your best bet with the best selection of Sigma in Canada, with free shipping over $25 (I'm sure you won't have a problem spending more than that).

2/3 of these products were received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates. 

New Year & Favourite Posts of 2014

Hii! I apologize for my lack of posts since Christmas but I think I had a bit of Christmas post overload and had to take a bit of a break. I'm back for the new year to show you my 4 favourite posts of 2014, not based on views or anything but just the posts that stood out to me the most while going through my archives :) I also talk a bit about what to expect for 2015, and what I've been feeling lately so please read on! :)

4 Favourite Posts of 2014:
•  Dyeing my Hair with L'Oreal HiColor in Magenta
•  Festival Beauty: Turn It Up with Covergirl, Olay & Herbal Essences
•  Beach Day Essentials
•  Jet Set Into Fall With Revlon to: Stockholm

My all-time favourite decision was to finally decide to post about dying my hair with L'Oreal's Magenta. I actually get a ton of hits through this post, and I'm glad my trial and error has helped others use the hair dye effectively. Some of my favourite posts were through campaigns through PR of companies such as P&G and Revlon. These posts were so fun to put together and some of my best looks were photographed in these posts!

Getting Caught Up

I do still have many reviews to catch up on. I am planning to get those done as soon as possible. I have just been enjoying the long winter break from school. I also get stressed very easily, and the new laptop thing has been bothersome for me lately, as well as a few other issues such as having to get my wisdom teeth out, creating my school schedule (University is like Hunger Games compared to College...), and other personal issues.

I also haven't been wearing a ton of makeup throughout the break, so it has been hard for me to photograph any face shots for my reviews.

Tech Update

The laptop I mentioned in my last post, I actually ended up returning -twice. It was such a gorgeous colour, it actually looked like rose gold in certain lighting, it had all the right specs but unfortunately I noticed weird noises coming from the CPU area.. and I have reason to believe there might be a defect with the models that were most recently produced for Canada.

I ended up buying a new Sold State Drive - a replacement for my Macbook's hard drive, which made it a ton faster and made it usable for now (yay). I am hoping to do a few tech posts in the near future, because I have literally done so much research on laptops in the past few weeks it isn't funny.

Future Reviews

I always try to base my reviews on what I would want to read, and make them as informative as I can. I even do research prior to writing the review to get a bit more information on the product. I do love writing and providing everyone with honest reviews, but I find that they are often really time consuming. Also, seeing a lot more activity on Youtube gets discouraging, because you know that most people prefer to watch videos over reading.

Basically, I know I always say this, but I want to try and get my reviews shorter and straight to the point so they are more readable. (Ugh, I know this isn't going to happen.. I have a tendency to try and include as much ramble as I can..)

What Else to Expect

•  I want to begin to write about other things I like... not just beauty. I would like to start an occasional series (not sure what to call it yet!) on hauls, clothes and their fit, experience with the store/online shop, etc. Not so much fashion/styling posts (seriously, I'm a lazy person and I'd prefer to not dress like a supermodel everyday) but just basic clothing fit reviews. This is going to be hard for me because I don't have nice backgrounds to take larger photos in front of but I will have to think of something.

•  As mentioned, I also want to have a few tech posts. I'd like to think that I am decently knowledgable when it comes to the basics of computers/electronics, so I'd like to share tips and my experiences with others :)

•  In general, I just want to expand on what I write about and incorporate other reviews and topics that I was afraid to include on my blog before because I thought my readers might not like it. But I've decided to do it, and if it isn't interesting to someone I hope that they just won't click it rather than unfollowing :)

Confliction

Seriously, I think I'm just conflicted between my girly side and my tomboy side.. growing up with a father who loves and works on cars, I've developed some of those traits.. but another side of me is like "noo! you love clothes and beauty products!". I do love posting reviews, but lately haven't been as creative as I'd like to be to think of creative beauty posts. Actually, a lot of my creative posts were thanks to campaigns through P&G and Beauty United and I'm really happy to be apart of that.

I do still have my 2014 favourites, an empties post, and a ton of other beauty posts planned, be excite!

If you see me go missing for a bit, I will be back! It's normal for me. I just don't like routine ;)