FRIDAY FANCY: TO BAKE + GLOW

This week has been a whirlwind of emotions, but the one feeling that has really stood out to me is one that I got at the beginning of this week. Just let me say I'm glad this one popped up then, because excitement is definitely something you want to feel on a Monday! The reason why I was so excited? The Baking & Strobing Brush Set by Sigma Beauty was dropped into my lap (and now my beauty routine) on the day that it launched! This is HUGE, so unexpected and I haven't had this much giddiness over new beauty products in quite awhile. Obviously I then I HAD to try it out and after watching the Facebook Live video that Sigma did + the Snapchat stories various beauty bloggers did with this set, I finally felt confident to give it a try myself.

If you haven't heard about the Baking & Strobing Brush Set, make sure to watch that awesome Facebook video and you'll have this technique down solid. I, for one, had never even heard of these two techniques before but I can't believe how easy they are to add into what I do on a daily basis already. I then set out on finding out what these terms meant, and actually found a decent amount of information on them. According to StyleCaster + makeup artist, Jamie Greenberg, baking is commonly used with:

"...concealer and a translucent loose powder to highlight an area of your face. Greenberg says that you’re applying concealer and then a lot of powder over top, letting it sit for about 10 to 20 minutes. She says you can apply the powder by taking a regular sponge, ripping it in half, and pressing it onto the concealer. “You want it to be very visible. The more powder the better,” says Greenberg."

While Laura Keller of StyleCaster says strobing's most important step is:

"...highlighting all the right places. It’s all about brightening up your face, so think of where the light naturally would hit you. Dab a highlighter onto the apples of your cheeks, the bridge of your nose and your cupid’s bow to highlight the main areas of your face."

Here is how I used this set for the first time!

1. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer: Apply primer all over face to set the skin.

2. NYX Cosmetics Stay Matte Not Flat Foundation: Apply like you normally would with your beauty blender, covering your entire face/neck.

3. tarte cosmetics Maracuja Creaseless Concealer: This is where it gets fun, and the new brush kit comes into play. First though, apply concealer with your finger to the upper part of your cheeks and under the eyes.

4. F79 Concealer Blend Kabuki: Blend concealer with this brush under the eyes, and upper cheek. Gives a full-coverage finish to the skin.

5. Stay Matte Not Flat Powder Foundation: This powder is so nice because it matches the foundation I already used, so it's basically a set and you don't have to worry about different colors happening. 

6. F89 Bake Kabuki: Exclusively from Sigma, this angled kabuki brush has a flat edge designed to apply powder foundation right up to the lower lash line. Press powder as firmly as you can into the skin.

7. P89 Bake Precision: This is a smaller version of the F89, but has the same angled head and flat side to apply concealer and powder right under the eye.

BAKE FOR 5-10 MINUTES

8. F06 Powder Sweep: Take this small powder bush and sweep the excess powder from under the eyes for a clean finish.

9. F42 Strobing Fan: I absolutely love this brush, and I'm so excited to finally have it in my collection. It's a fan-shaped highlighting brush, designed to flawlessly apply and diffuse powder and cream products. I decided to have a little fun with the color of my highlight and used the Loose Shimmer Powder from Sigma in 'Felicity.' 

What do you think of the final look?! This entire process, including my eye makeup and other touch-ups, took about 25-35 minutes! It's super easy to incorporate into your routine, it's also a LOT of fun to play with all of the brushes since they're so unique and can actually be used in multiple ways! That being said, you can purchase the brushes by themselves, in pairs or get the best deal and buy the entire set together. I'd highly recommend the last one. 

Thank you so much to Sigma Beauty for this absolutely beautiful Brush Set, and for creating such unique and multi-functional tools for people who are still getting used to applying makeup and using it everyday. 

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Always,

Mostly Lisa