what i'm loving: sigma update & a recipe

so this isn't technically a "what i'm loving"..exactly........ it is an update on my sigma purchase and another somewhat recently discovered product. you'll see...
~L-c ^.~

current dorama: Love Keeps Going -- totally crazy/bizarre show...but i love it. i hate how they do a preview of like the entire series at the beginning of each episode, so i know what's going to happen..just not when! asdklfjasdl;fjseiotawsgjsa;ljdf!!!!!!11111 >.> lol.

Sigma beauty:

12 Brush kit - Make Me Cool (aqua): these brush sets come in a variety of colors, travel (7 brushes) and.......nontravel? the polar bear on the box is so cute >w< anyway; i was actually looking around to get a makeup brush holder for my counter and this set is pretty cool in that it comes with two that snap together if you are traveling (i guess the one in the travel set is smaller???) and the outer casing seems to be a durable leather. i actually decided to get this set partially because of the holder(s) and because i wanted to see what's so great about sigma brushes....not to mention the fact that i had a 10% off coupon code (0112XJML until 1/31) and got a free brush after spending $30. shipping on their site is actually pretty outrageous, 'spend $1k and get free shipping'.....wooooooh! that's a deal there! >.> anyway, back to the brushes. the instructions said to clean the brushes before the first use, and for a good reason. because half of these are natural hair brushes, they shed..and did they shed while being washed!
impressions after the first use:  they still shed but it's probably because they're still super new...

• Eyeliner E05 -- picks up pigment well, line is about as thick as a slightly dull eye pencil. will definitely use if i had more/better gel or pot eyeliners
• Blending E25 (free brush, not pictured) -- i think this is the travel size since it's a freebie, but it works great
• Pencil E30 -- works great in corners and retains pigments well, but doesn't clean easily for "quick" daily cleaning
• Tapered Blending E40 -- it works well, but i think it's kinda big for me, i think i'll probably us the E25 more.
• Eye Shading E55 -- works like my ecotools, this is a bit wider and covers more area though
• Large Shader E60 -- this brush is pretty large for my uses, but it works well
• Small Angle E65 -- love it! 
• Medium Angled Shading E70 -- liked it a lot, probably will start using this frequently.
• Large Powder F30 -- this is a massive brush, in a few quick sweeps, it covers your entire face
• Large Angled Contour F40 -- it took a bit for it to pick up pigments, i give it an ok. see F50's review for more
• Duo Fibre F50 -- i didn't like using it with my deluxe sample sized pink leopard because the pan is small (see pic below), and it was very attracted to the pink vs. bronzer. with the regular size pink leopard, it was much better, still very attracted to the pink though.
• Foundation F60 -- works and cleans like my other foundation brushes. (see pic below)
• Concealer F70 -- like i said before, i'm not huge on concealer...but it does do it's job!

Dry'n Shape: i saw reviews and how-to's for this and i decided that i had to try it. in the end, i feel mixed about it. my bronzer brush handle is a tad too big for the largest loop, but with a little finagling it'll go through. it does fit my larger brushes, but the smaller loops are too large for several of my eye brushes. the 3rd smallest loop can fit my foundation brushes. the sigma f30 (large powder brush) is probably the largest brush i have--aside from the ecotools bronzer brush--and it can fit in the second largest loop. as for drying time, i actually didn't check it after about 6 hours (which is when they claim the brushes will be dry), i checked it more like 12+ hours later. ^^; but my brushes were all dry and ready to use! ... remembered about 8 hours later the second time and they were dry as well. i think i'll have to talk about this again when i actually get the timing right ^^;

update: so i checked them after almost exactly 6 hours, and a few of them were still damp/wet. i think 8 hours is about right.

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel -- ok, so this is weird. anyway, a year or two ago, sephora had a box set of favorites..or something. the tiny one was in it. i was very reluctant to use it because...well.. [eye]BROW GEL?!?! anyway, so i started using it because i had a few brow hairs out of line and would not stay put! in the end, i love it! it does not make them crusty (when you use the applicator, which looks like a mascara wand) and hard like normal hair gel and it keeps them in place when they go astray ^^; i don't use it every day, only if i really notice hairs out of place or growing in crazy directions. if you want to try some, they're currently in this small set or 2 for $30 (reg. $21 ea).

Food:
Pat's Broccoli and Chicken Stir fry: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/pats-broccoli-and-chicken-stir-fry-recipe/index.html
sorry guys, i made this last night and forgot to take a picture ^^; paul and i are trying ways to make our own sauce instead of buying packaged marinade, so we tried this recipe. we made some modifications though.

1. i used about a pound of chicken and a regular sized package of great value frozen stir fry vegetables. 
2. following the measurements on this recipe, the only ingredients we used were: orange juice (try using 2x), red pepper flakes (try using 1/2), light brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar (aka, rice wine vinegar), sesame oil, cornstarch, and minced garlic. mix these in a separate bowl.
3. cook chicken thoroughly, then add vegetables. when frozen vegetables are done, pour on the sauce, stir to coat, and serve over rice. yum! 

what i'm loving: makeup & a recipe

hi guys! i haven't used all of my new sigma stuff yet, so i'll have to post about them later, but i HAD to post about this newly discovered bread recipe and decided to include what i had so far for the what i'm loving post. sorry again for using my phone for these pictures! paul helped me pick out a new camera, so hopefully i'll get it for my birthday.. *hint hint* ~L-c ^.~

current dorama i'm liking: Love Buffet -- it kind of reminds me of Peach Girl, minus Sae...thank god!

Urban Decay cosmetics:

swatched over ud original primer: midnight cowboy, midnight rodeo, midnight 15, ac/dc

Midnight Emergency Kit: comes with full sized "Midnight Cowboy" lip junkie lip gloss and an eye brush. i love the colors that come in this set! i'll admit that AC/DC and Midnight Rodeo by themselves are a bit dark for me, but can definitely be toned down by blending other shades. i had a deluxe sample size of the gloss and i love it too. it's a sheer and verrrrry sparkly gloss. it's a little tacky but not terribly sticky and the scent is minty. if you don't eat or blot it away, it lasts a couple hours.

 

• Eyeshadow primer potion size comparisons; travel/deluxe sample size ($9 or 100 points occasionally at sephora), regular size - vintage bottle (on clearance due to new squeeze tubes), xl - vintage bottle (on clearance). they also sell professional size tubes (in original only). again, sorry for the blurry picture..sin looks like it's a more bronze color with a nice shimmer. in order of how much i like them, i think i like greed the most, then sin, eden, and original. ...maybe i like greed and sin mostly because they're sparkly and not matte... >w<
• Perversion eye pencil: (travel size from electric pencil set, regular size) this is the darkest black i've ever tried and i absolutely LOVE it. i'm still new to using liquid eyeliners, i really prefer pencil as far as control goes. this is a comparison of all the black pencils i own, along with the perversion liquid eyeliner. the perversion pencil (1 stroke) is a darker, creamier black than zero (3 strokes). click for a review of perversion pencil. in all honesty, i feel like the perversion pencil is more worthwhile than the liquid...and basically every other black pencil liner i've tried. i'm not sure if it's because i rub my eyes a lot, but the perversion and revolver liquids crumble off after several hours... like less than 12...

• Seche Vite: this is the favorite top coat of a lot of bloggers/vloggers. it is also sold at sally's. apply over wet nails; dries fast. DO NOT apply over nails inc. magnetic nail polish, it will blur the effect to almost nothing. if you work with your hands a lot--like i do, this stuff will be about the same as any other top coat. my nails chipped about four hours after painting, while making bread (see below).
• Perfect Formula
  → Pink Gel Coat: this is exactly like the clear-pink polish they use in salons for french manicures, only way better. i usually apply 2 coats alone for a more natural look.
  → Clear Gel Coat: i also like to use this alone, but can be used as a top coat. my mom likes using it over a salon mani/pedi to "seal" it better and she claims her polish lasts longer this way. the clear and the pink last about 1-2 weeks.

Food:

so paul and i tried out the "Everyday Bread" recipe in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter and it didn't turn out so good. i may try it again sometime, but it was hard as a rock to saw through and only tasted good hot out the oven. >.> anyway, in an effort to use up the rest of the wheat flour we bought (and try to make bread vs. buying it), i went looking for other bread recipes. and thus, we tried this one. i ate an end before taking the pic. yum! ^^;
*note: do not use as many oats as i did on the top; they do not all stick, making it difficult to remove from the pan..mess-free.
**note: half the loaf is already gone, less than an hour later. ^________________^
***gone in less than 24 hours..