Sigma's Dry 'n Shape

I have been using Sigma's Dry 'n Shape now for some time and I think I can give you some opinion about it.

Sigma's Dry 'n Shape

1st, I think it is false advertising that it dries any dense brushes in 4-6 hours.
My brushes are in the Dry 'n Shape, for more than 6 hours now to dry. It is not even close to dry at all. Am I going to get a refund or something because it is "guaranteed" to dry all brushes in 4-6 hours.

2nd, the elastic which holds brushes and is supposed to do the magical job of drying super fast (even though I said that it does not, but this is what they claim to do) came a bit loose after first time of use. It was not completely loose, but some parts of the big elastic became stretched out and it never came in back to shape. I think it does not interfere the function of the elastic of drying (again, even though it does not dry faster) or shaping brushes, but it is still annoying.

All this does is just to keep the brushes in good shape. Which is still good, but I did not pay $26 to  just keep my brushes in good shape! I want it to do what it promises to do!! PLEASE!

I emailed Sigma today to see if was faulty one or all come like this. I have not got the reply yet, but I would be very disappointed if they sell this kind of low quality brush dryer for $26 and say "this will dry brushes super quickly!"

I love their brushes so far though. But for now, I am very upset with this product.

I hope yours work better than mine, if you have one. I will post the Sigma's response here when I get it.

Have a lovely day.

Yui

"A Date with Heartbreak" lip balm review

The first post in a while is the review of this lip balm.

What a catchy name? A date with heartbreak! Love the package too.

I bought this at Priceline ages ago and it was on sale.
The tin can was so retro-looking and very attractive. Also it was SPF 15 so I thought I would definitely love it.
Unfortunately there was no tester for this product so someone must have opened this and it looked like it was touched. I usually do not buy stuff that other people might have touched but this tin can was cool and I thought it would be ok if I scrape off the top layer and spray alcohol.

But this had a very strong fake fruity smell to it and it is quite unpleasant. I mean it is not even fruity scent. It is just a plastic smell which makes me sick. When I sniff it put of the tin, it is not that bad, but when you put it on your lips it is exaggerated and lingers all day long.
What I hated the most is that the smell even interferes my sense of taste. Anything I eat smells/tastes like this lip balm. I would not want that even with most delicious lip balm or lipgloss.

I hate to say it but I do not like this product at all. What I am going to do is to scoop out all the lip balm out of this tin can and wash it and make it my bobby pin storage or little pill case. I still love the package, this slide-open tin can is practical and too cute to chick in the bin. But the lip balm has to go. Sorry.

Negative reviews can be as helpful as positive ones, I hope.

Yui

First Impression on Sigma Brushes and Shape n' Dry

*NOTE* This was supposed to be public and I updated to make it public ages ago, but I realized that it never got published only today. So this is a little bit out of date, but it is still the first impression review, so I hope you can forgive and enjoy this.



I ordered from foundation brushes and famous(?) shape n' dry from Sigma a while ago.

And there is a bit of a history to it so. It was a long story so I put it last.

So when I opened up my package, I was happy to see blue & black sigma boxes. They were individually packaged nicely and they came with instructions. It also had a "free gift" from Sigma because the order was over $30.

I bought F84 and F82.

The one on the top is F82.

Size comparison:
Top: elf complexion brush
Bottom: Shiseido foundation brush

F84 is Angled Top Kabuki and F82 is Round Top Kabuki.

Why I picked these up??

One: Because it was a bundle and cheaper to get these two than getting individually.

Two: I already had synthetic flat kabuki brush (elf black powder brush) and Shiseido foundation brush so I wanted something different.

When I touched the bristles of the brush, I was amazed. It was super dense, yet super soft and had nice thick texture. It was not sparse or too flimsy. I instantly understood why all YouTube beauty gurus swears by these Sigma brushes.

Brush close up.

Now it is about Dry 'n Shape.

When I opened up this box and had this brushroll kinda product in my hand, I thought it was a real leather. It really felt like that. Sigma website does not say what it is made from, but it felt and smelled like real leather.

Anyway the claim is that this dries even most dense brushes in 4-6 hours.

That would be cool if this is really true. So I tried it out. 

Dry 'n Shape would hold 2 extra large brushes, 3 large brushes (like face brush), 3 medium brushes (like contour or blush brush), 2 small and 2 extra small brushes (like eyeshadow brush). 

Magnetic snap button closure.

Rolled out.

Seems like it is making the drying time so much shorter. But I am not quite sure about 4-6 hour drying time that they are "guaranteeing" because some of my biggest brush did not dry completely. But it did dry Sigma foundation brushes that I mentioned earlier in this post was completely dry even though they were both quite dense. So I was half impressed, half disappointed. I will give it a go couple more times and figure out why it did not dry or how to make it better. This product is still good for keeping the brushes in good shape. I notice more of fluffing up and getting kinda scratchy on natural hair brushes if they are not shaped and dried properly. So I still like this Dry 'n Shape but I have to wait and see to find out more about the drying power of this product. It will be reviewed properly hopefully soon.

I wish Sigma makes smaller ones for eye brushes. I know they dry fast anyway but it is nice that you keep the brushes in good shape.I tend to use more natural bristle brushes for eyes than faces and to make your brushes last longer, you need to shape and dry them properly. So it would be nice if they made smaller version of this, hopefully a bit cheaper as well, because they don't really need super-fast drying power for smaller brushes. I just want my brushes to dry properly and keep their original shape. (plus 4-6 hour drying time is not true anyway.)




So here is the history of getting these stuff from Sigma to here in Australia.
This may not be beneficial to some of you, but it might help you have better idea of getting stuff shipped from Sigma (or the U.S.) to your home if you live in Australia.
OK, it took more than a month to get to my house. 
I was very nervous and worried 2 weeks after my order because most of my stuff that I order from U.S. comes within 2 weeks. I emailed Sigma and they said that it can take up to 31 days for normal shipping (aka non-express or no fancy shipping options).
I emailed them again after 31 days in total from the date I placed my order and all they said was just "Please be patient as it is getting to you."
I was very frustrated with this response.

Then I contacted Australian Post just in case. I asked if there was any delay on delivery or clearing customs then. They said no but offered to help me find where my stuff is.
I emailed them again with more details and it happened to be at my local post office, waiting for me to pick up. Apparently they tried to deliver it to my house but no one was home.
Normally, we would get delivery notice but there were a few times that I did not get notice at all, but the package was waiting. This was another case.

I am so sorry, Sigma. You had done nothing wrong.
I emailed them, saying that I got the package. They were nice enough to email me back and said
"Glad to hear that you got your package!"
Seriously, you are good people...



Have a good day, everyone!
Yui

100 YouTube Subscribers Giveaway!

It is a giveaway tiiiime!

I hadn't done this before and I am still new to the whole YouTube Beauty Guru things, but let's celebrate my little mile stone with me!

So, the rules are quite simple.
You need to be my subscriber of ChewyMakeup on YouTube.
Then, please comment on the video page about what beauty tutorials you want to see in the future.

Nothing more.

Please read the description of the video here before the entry, thanks.

The list of the things you are going to win is...(not in any particular order..)

1. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Primer
2. Covergirl lashblast 24 hr in very black
3. Australis brush on eyeshadow in avant-garde
4. Australis brush on lip & cheek tint in renaissance red
5. BYS Metalic Eyeshadow Palette
6. Sportsgirl Lip Jam in peach
7. Biore gentle make-up removing wipes
8. LUSH Toothy Tabs in ULTRABLAST
(If the winner is an international subscriber)
9. Australian LUSH TIMES (EMOTIONAL BRILLIANCE issue)

It is closing at 0:00 (midnight) on September 8th, 2012. (EST)

Good luck to everyone!!

Winner will be announced here and on YouTube!

Comments posted on the blog post does NOT count towards the giveaway entry, but all the comments are welcome any time. <3

Have a good day!

Yui

Flu and recovery!

I had a horrible cold/flu last week and I was sick in bed for 5 days and I had to stay home to avoid people for 2 more days. So all week I was sick, which was not fun at all.

Now with all the medications and good rest and TLC from my partner, I am well enough to go back to work and get a real life again.

Now I am making a new YouTube video but all the production is not catching up at all!! I have so many video ideas!

But the first video after getting well should be the one about giveaway, because I really want to give back to my loyal subscribers to say THANK YOU!!! Unfortunately this giveaway is not so big, but I hope I will see more to come and will be able to have bigger giveaways some time. :)

Today was the day I got back to work. There was a mistake about my shift, and I was supposed to work tomorrow instead of today, but I found about that only after I came in. My boss was nice enough to let me work anyway. So I worked my normal shift today and I will work again tomorrow as well.
I work only 2 days a week now, so more shifts is better. :) It basically means that I get more spending money, which means I can spend more money on makeup. Who doesn't love that??

There will be a blog post about Sigma brush review because I bought my first sigma brushes and I have something to say about it. Good or bad? You will see. :)

Have a good day/night, everyone!

Yui

Upcoming 100 Subscriber GIVEAWAY

WOOHOO! I hit 100 subscribers today and I am so grateful to all of you who are supporting me. Thank you very very much.

So, as a way of saying thank you in a nonverbal way, I am planning a giveaway.
At first I did not like the idea of the "subscribe and comment to win", but I know that there are people there who needs a little push to press "subscribe" button and I hope that they are determined to do that now.
However the most important thing is that I am so thankful to the people who already subscribed. Without you guys, I would not have made this far. I mean, it is nothing compare to Michelle Phan but this means a lot to me and I just want you to know how individual subscribers mean to me. I thank you for your support and nice messages you had sent to me.

Now, I will mention how to enter and what you are going to win in the upcoming video, so please keep an eye on my channel. :)

THANK YOU! LOTS OF LOVE, YUI.

Instagram!

Please follow me on instagram for quick and haul, makeup of the day, outfit of the day and random stuff!

Instagram is Yuiph. :)


I have been getting requests on more frequent hauls, reviews and OOTDs and stuff like that on instagram so here I go!

I'll post random beauty stuff, fashion stuff and everyday discoveries that I want to share.

See you there too! :)

Yui

EMOTIONAL BRILLIANCE! Revealed!!

I got up 8:45 this morning even though I was supposed to get up much earlier to get ready and see the new LUSH range, and VERY quickly slapped on tinted moisturizer and mascara and got out of the house to go to my local (now I finally have my LOCAL, booyah) LUSH.

This is released on the same day all over the world but Australia is the first country to open to public(as I said in the last post) so I am sooo excited!!

When I came down to LUSH store, I saw Sarah putting on a beautiful beautiful blue eyeshadow. And right in front of her, there was this funny looking thingie.

What is this?!

Look at me listening with some serious attitude
as she explains!

So this is a whole new Makeup range from LUSH and you spin the color wheel to figure out TRUE YOURSELF at that time by picking up colors on the wheel.

How I did was:

1. Close your eyes, imagine yourself in a light room with nothing in it, but yourself and the person who is taking you through this< of course.

2. Take your time to be able to completely imagine that.

3. Open your eyes and look at the color wheel. Pick first 3 colors that your eyes. NO THINKING! It has to be spontaneous. 

4. And that is the colors that represents you now.

All the orders and colors have meaning based on the real color therapy.

First color you pick is your strength.

Second one is your subconscious need.

Third color is your talent, something that you need to achieve your first two things.

Me trying the color wheel.
 I was excited but scared a bit too.

I picked some beautiful beautiful colors (but they were all really pretty colors!) here.

My colors were:

First - Vibrant. I think it is true. I think the best feature in me is that I am upbeat and friendly. 

Second - Control. OMG this is soooo true. I need to take control, I do... My boyfriend was taking photos of me trying the wheel and when we found about this, he just laughed.

Third - Passion. Looks like with my passion, I will be able to achieve to be more vibrant and have more control in my life.

Holding up my subconscious need: CONTROL.

The colors of the day.

So I tried the colors I picked!!

Looking a bit nervous to try.

Trying part it always fun!
You have to try on your face, not only on your hands.

The swatches of the colors I picked.
From left to right, Control, Passion and Vibrant.

Tip of Eyeliner, Control. 

Sadly tip of Passion was missing.

Doe-foot applicator
for liquid face colors.

Passion Liquid Lip Stick on the actual lips!   

The application was a bit awkward at the store because we had to use Q-tips instead of the applicator provided, but I managed.

The texture of lip color and eyeshadow was creamy, I was surprised to find out how creamy and smooth the lip color was.

Eyeliner was a bit funny: I could see the liquid and gooey part was separate in the bottle, especially this eyeliner color I picked, although the color was soooo pretty! This was definitely my color.

Applying eyeliner without the brush but with Q-tip and my finger was the hardest thing I have ever done!!

In a different light, Vibrant on my eye.

I think it is kinda hard to see because it was very sheer and Q-tip application was, again, not ideal to really see the color. But it felt soft and buildable.

Please excuse my awkward eyeliner.
I had only 5 minutes
 for makeup this morning.

Passion, closer look.

The most fun part of this Emotional Brilliance is that it is very spontaneous and you don't get to pick on your own. Your inner self would pick it for you depending on how you are feeling.
Also you get to try the colors that you thought you would never try.
For me, it would be the lip color. I would not go for fuchsia color, ever, because I never thought I would look good with it.
But now I have tried and I am like "Heyy, this is not bad!! *grins*"

I am pretty sure that this can be really fun to you, if you like colors, like me. :)
Also even if you do not buy stuff at LUSH, getting an easy, quick color therapy is so fun.

Recently I have been writing about LUSH so much because they bring out so much fun stuff and people there are so adorable, but trust me, I am not paid, sponsored or getting products for free or anything for this!!! This is just my honest thoughts on LUSH.

So, today, I got the eyeliner, which was $24.95. Pretty pricy for eyeliner, huh? I blew all my spending money of the week on this, but the color was lovely and unlike normal LUSH products, it should last 18 months so I thought, WHY NOT??? It is about the same kind of price range with other normal drugstore cosmetic brands' eyeliner, like Loreal and Revlon, so it is not toooo bad, but I  personally would love it if it was 5-6 dollars cheaper. I mean I know it is LUSH, everything is more expensive there. I think some of the products are totally worth it, but I cannot have ALL the things from LUSH (although I would really like to have all the stuff) because I would have to rob the bank to do that.

So I will see how my CONTROL eyeliner works and update it here with photos and more of the detailed review. So keep coming back for that!

Take care! Have a good Saturday afternoon!

Yui

Can't wait for the secret reveal!!

Tomorrow is the big day for LUSH because they are launching EMOTIONAL BRILLIANCE!!
I heard about this from Amber and Sarah when I visited them in store the other day. (there is a post about that from a few days ago if you want to read about it.)

What is EMOTIONAL BRILLIANCE?? What is so secret about it??

Apparently it is a whole new range of products from LUSH that is so different from the products they had.

I just got this invitation card for Saturday and I had to ask what it was about but they wouldn't tell! Of course, it is a secret.

It seems like it has a concept of tailor-made just for you. And there would be 30 new products!

WHAT IS ITTT!!!????

So when I came home I did a bit of research online and found out some amazing photos and reviews about it.
But I am not telling here! Because it will be revealed I public tomorrow anyway!!!

It will be released on 21st July all over the world. That means Australia and New Zealand Gets the product first!! How cool is that?! Now finally everyone is jealous of us, down under.

So I am going to go to my local LISH tomorrow I see the release of the new line on a special display and to experience all the fun!

Stay informed here to find out more about it!!

Good night! Have a lovely weekend!

Yui

June favorite time!!

FINALLY the video is uploaded and available on YouTube. Phew!

It went after 5 attemps of uploading and, boy, it was a loooong day. (Actually it took 2 days.)

I apologize for the late June video. I really feel bad about this so I am so glad that it is finally there.
When I make the favorite videos, they tend to be long because I kidna review them at the same time, but not too much in details.
If the products deserve a full attention, like it is an amazing or very poor products, I would make a video dedicated more to the products.

Now, it is July and I am excited about so many things!
A lot of new products are coming out in July. And there are some stuff I have been trying out and I think there will be a BIG July fav. video!

Oh, oh, I got a package from Sigma today.
Sigma sent out my order and it got to my home (apparently) a while ago but it was sent back to my local post office and someone left the note (again apparently). But I seriously got nothing and have been emailing Sigma asking what is taking so long.
Well, turned out to be that they had it since 20th June. So more than 6 weeks, it had been sitting for 5 weeks waiting for me to pick up while I had no idea where it was .

So! Sorry, Sigma! It was not your fault all along!
And I got my package and photos and reviews are going to be posted separately on this blog as I try them out.

Hope you enjoy the video. Good night!

Love,

Yui