Vita Liberata gradual self-tanner in colour light

This brand of self-tanners is so popular that I had to try it. I had high expectations and I must say I ended up with quite mixed feeling. I didn't buy the one that is supposed to last 2-3 weeks as it was very expensive but I still kind of hoped that other Vita Liberata products will perform as well as the main star.

Price: it costs 19€ for 200 ml. You can buy in Sephora or some perfumeries.

Smell: during the application no scent, but once the self-tanner starts developing, it has its typical aroma that goes away when the tan is done.

Colour: after 2 applications you'll get almost medium brown with yellow undertone. If you apply more than 2 layers it won't get darker but more yellow-orange looking. Obviously to keep it somewhat natural you can't do more than 2 layers. It says “Light” on the packaging and that is what you get.

Vita Liberata gradual self-tanner in colour light  

Application: oh boy, mixed feelings right here. It has gel-like consistency and I first decided to apply it with a mitt that I bought together with the self-tanner (the same brand, 6€). I applied and blended it well (it doesn’t have a colour indicator) but the result was very disappointing. It was very streaky, very dark on the elbows and feet as if I was applying some bad drugstore self-tanner or as if I was a total beginner in self-tanning. I tried it several times with the mitt and it always ended up looking horrible. At last, as I was half way done with the bottle the mitt got damaged (already!) and I decided to use my hands. It was really a great idea because the self-tanner looked beautiful, without any streaks. I avoided elbows and areas where it tended to go darker and the tan actually looked very nice. So good advice here, don't use the mitt for this specific self-tanner, go with your hands (wash them after the application of course).

Longevity and fading: the tan lasted 1 week (I moisturized my body every day). It wasn't looking patchy when it started to fade away.

Final verdict: it wasn't a bad self-tanner but for that price it could have been much better. I didn't like the colour undertone and the fact that I could not go darker. There are comparable self-tanners in drugstore with better price so I won’t repurchase it. 

Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Hello ladies! As promised I’m going to present to you the perfect dupe for well-known and loved Sigma Flat Kabuki F80 brush. I have to say, it is just unbelievable how the dupe and original are soooo similar. Since I only have Sigma F80 brush and not the whole Sigmax Essentials kit I’m going to compare just the equivalent to this brush (from www.lightinthebox.com website). However I think the comparison can be extended to other brushes as they perform the same way as the main dupe.

Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Price: I bought the set of 8 brushes, as you can see on the picture, but they are also sold in bigger quantity (for example 10 pcs) or individually. The price for 8 brushes is 8,16€, the set of 10 costs 15,46€ The Sigma set of 10 brushes (Sigmax Essential kit) costs 168$ (currently 132,50€). Individually, F80 with copper-like handle costs 28$ (currently 22,19€), the dupe only 6,01€. Obviously you get the idea why am I so excited that I discovered this dupe and you can surely guess how much profit Sigma makes from selling the Sigmax Essentials set…

Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Handle: the size of the handle of both brushes is absolutely the same, so is the material. The dupe has the same engraving (on the metal part) as the original, only the colour of metal part is different (but Sigma sells this brush in the similar copper-like colour too). The weight of both brushes is the same. The only problem I had with the dupe is that the part of the handle glued off and I had to stick it back together with a glue. The factory that produces these brushes uses probably cheaper glue than the factory producing Sigma brushes (or it is even the same factory, who knows where the true is). For me, it wasn’t a tragedy, I just glued it back together and it works great.

Sigma F80 Flat Kabiku brush (left) and Flat Kabuki brush from Lightinthebox.com

Bristles: both brushes are very soft, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if I close my eyes. As you can see on the picture, the Sigma brush is slightly denser than the dupe which at the end plays to its advantage. It doesn’t soak in as much product as Sigma brush does and therefore I can get more uses out of it before washing it. I usually use Sigma for 3-4 times and then I have to wash it, with this dupe I can go even up to 7 uses (depends on foundation texture). If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin or you work on somebody else, clean your brushes after every use. None of the brushes shed when I washed them (many times already). The colour of bristles is slightly different but that doesn’t matter when I use them.

Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki brush (left) and Flat Kabuki brush from Lightinthebox.com

Final verdict: I love all 8 brushes that are in this set, I use them every day for liquid or cream products. I think that I found the perfect dupe for F80 and I’m sure that if I ever have to buy any brushes like those in Sigma Sigmax Essential set I rather go to www.lightinthebox.com and save a lot of money.

Back to basic: eye makeup brushes

Let’s continue today with back to basic brush edition focusing on eye brushes. The good news is you don’t need many types of brushes as one may think but it is still few more than number of brushes for your face.

(from left) Sigma Large shader brush n.E60, Sigma Blending brush n.E25, E.L.F. cosmetics Essentials Blending brush, Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush, Sedona Lace Angled detail brush n.EB23 and Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush

Flat shading brush: everybody needs to have flat brush to apply colour on the lid. It can be large as the one on the picture which makes the application quicker (if you apply only one colour) or it can be smaller in which case it is very useful when you want to apply more colours. It should be made of natural hair as it is more recommended for powder eyeshadows but good synthetic bristles brush is also usable.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sigma Large shader brush n.E60 (on the picture, you can buy at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,16$) 
• Sigma Eye shading brush n.E55 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Real techniques Base shadow brush (at http://www.iherb.com/, part of the Your eyes/Enhanced starter set) 
• MakeUp Atelier Paris brush n.12 (in Makeup Atelier Paris shop, 20€) 
• E.L.F cosmetics Essentials Eyeshadow brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,1€) 
• Sedona Lace Large shader brush n.941 (at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 13,95$).

Sigma Large shader brush n.E60

Sigma Large shader brush n.E60

Small flat shading brush: very useful for précised work like highlighting inner part of the eye or under the eyebrow, or applying colour on the lower lid under the lash line. I always keep two of them, one for highlighting and one for lower lash line (where I use darker colour).

Brushes I recommend:

• Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush (on the picture, you can buy them at http://www.lightinthebox.com/, 3,86€ for set of 5) 
• E.L.F cosmetics Essentials Smudge brush C (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,1€) 
• Sigma Short shader brush n.E20 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Mac cosmetics Short shader brush n.214 (at http://www.maccosmetics.be/ or in MAC store, 27€)

Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush

Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush

Blending brush: this brush is absolutely crucial for achieving nice eye make-up. If you don’t blend properly your eyeshadows it will look messy and trashy, no matter what expensive make-up you use. After each eyeshadow application always blend the edges of the colour. Moreover, blending is a must for the eyeshadows in the crease, at the outer corner of the eye or under the eyebrow.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sigma Blending brush n.E25 (on the picture, you can buy at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Mac cosmetics Blending brush n.211 (at http://www.maccosmetics.be/ or in MAC store, 22€), it is the mother of all the blending brushes, all the companies basically copied it
• Bdellium brush n.776 (at http://www.iherb.com/, 7,65$) 
• Sedona Universal blender brush n.EB09 (at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 13,95$).

Sigma Blending brush n.E25

Sigma Blending brush n.E25

Small crease brush: I use this brush to apply darker colour in the outer corner of the eye and to lightly blend it into the crease. It is great to deposit colour on the précised spot where you want it even better if it fits perfectly on the spot at the outer part of the eye where the lid meets the crease.

Brushes I recommend:

• E.L.F cosmetics Essentials Blending brush (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,1€) 
• Real techniques Domed brush (at http://www.iherb.com/, part of the on location travel essentials set) 
• Sigma Exact blend brush n.E32 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Bdellium Studio line Crease brush n.781 (at http://www.iherb.com/, 8,93$)

E.L.F. cosmetics Essentials Blending brush

E.L.F. cosmetics Essentials Blending brush

Angled brush: this brush has quite a lot of uses; you can use it to apply gel eyeliner on the upper lash line, an eyeshadow on the lower lash line and to apply brow powder or gel. I use it every day to apply eyebrow powder and cannot imagine my brow makeup application without it.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sedona Lace Angled detail brush n.EB23 (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 13,95$)
• Sigma Small angle brush n.E65 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• E.L.F cosmetics Studio Small angle brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,4€) 
• Bdellium Angle brow brush n.763 (at http://www.iherb.com/, 6,80$)

Sedona LAce Angled detail brush n.EB23

Sedona LAce Angled detail brush n.EB23

Brow and lash brush: it is as much used as angled brush as I comb my eyebrows with it every day and in case I put too much mascara, this brush can save the day. Just comb through the lashes and it will take off excess in no time.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush (on the picture, you can get it at Target,1,99$)
• Sigma Brow and lash brush n.E80 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$)
• E.L.F cosmetics Studio Set of 12 spoolies (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,4€)

Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush

Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush

Hope you enjoyed, there will be one more back to basic about brushes next week and we are done (don’t forget to check the review of perfect dupe for Sigma F80 brush on Friday or Saturday).