Why I wanted it:
- rave reviews
- vegan
- cutest colour mix ever
- contained all the brushes to do a full face
Given that Sigma's international shipping pricing is exorbitant, I bought this off Redefining Beauty for $109. They're based in Australia and had a Mother's Day free-shipping promotion and their prices are exactly the same as Sigma's.
It came within a week, was bubbled wrapped extremely well and included some Sigma brochures.
The brushes were all individually wrapped and the larger brushes also had a plastic brush guard. There are 12 brushes in total: 5 face brushes and 8 eye brushes. These were almost too cute to be used, but I was dying to test them out.
Face brushes from left to right (oops, I had I forgotten to include concealor brush in pic above):
- Foundation -F60
- Large Angled Contour - F40
- Duo Fibre - F50
- Large Powder - F30
Foundation - F60
"Smooth foundation application. Apply liquid or cream products such as foundation and primer."
I currently prefer to apply foundation with my Hakuhodo round angled brush as other brushes leave streaks and were too prickly. While this one had stiff bristles, the ends were amazingly soft and dense. No streaks!
Large Angled Contour - F40
"Subtle cheek application. Use the angle to softly contour the cheek-bone. Can also be used to apply blush"
I would use this to apply blush alone and use a smaller angle brush for contouring for more accuracy. Loved using this one my cheekbones as it gave a really even stroke of blush and the angle contoured the colour nicely.
Duo Fibre - F50
"Creates an airbrush effect onto the skin. Can be used with powder, liquid or cream products."
I generally avoid duo fibre brushes like the plague after using a bunch of really horrible ones. However, this brush made me change my mind completely. Not only is it a good size to cover the face, but the bristles were dense, yet not too long. As for an airbrush effect? Believe it. My sis commented how smooth my skin looked after I used this brush to apply foundation. Oooh, it's going to be a competition of whether I'll pick up my Hakudo or this one to apply base from now on! I noticed the bristles had a distinct division looking head on, but it didn't seem to affect application.
Large Powder - F30
"Even powder application. Uniform blending of powder products onto the face and body."
If these brushes weren't synthetic and vegan, I would be inclined to believe Sigma just stuck a real bunny's tail onto the ferrule. Seriously, that's what I feel like I'm using to powder my face. The brush is huge and incredibly soft. I have other synthetic brushes, yet they don't even come close to how luxurious these feel. This might even replace my Hakudo powder brush purely from the visual aesthetic and blissful happiness of stroking it over my face.
Eye brushes from left to right (including concealor brush):
- Eye Liner - E05
- Small Angle - E65
- Pencil - E30
- Concealor - F70
- Medium Angled Shading - E70
- Tapered Blending - E40
- Eye Shading - E55
- Large Shader - E60
Eye Liner - E05
"Create smooth and even lines. Use with gel or liquid liners."
I don't usually use pointed liners as I'm a gel liner girl. However, I tried this one with my cake liner and it gave a clean, smooth line. The denseness of the bristles also meant the sealer did not dry too fast and I was able to do both eyes without re-wetting the brush.
Small Angle - E65
"Create precise lining. Moves fluidly and easily across the upper and lower lash lines. Use with gel, cream or powder liners."
Now this is what I usually use for gel eye-lining and it didn't disappoint. The bristles are packed together and created a smooth, fluid line. Again, dense bristles meant I didn't have to constantly re-dip, and I was also able to do my eyebrows with the leftover gel on the brush. It's also a perfect size for my brows so I love the multi-function ability of this brush!
Pencil - E30
"Soften and smoke out lines. Soften pencil liners along the top and bottom lash lines, add shadow to line the eyes or use to highlight inner corner of eyes."
Given that I have Asian hooded eyes with no visable socket, I don't think I'll be using this much except to highlight inner corners. I didn't find much need for this to soften my liner as the first two brushes did such a fantastic job.
Concealor - F70
"Conceal small areas. Conceal the hardest to reach areas such as around the nose and eyes."
Perfect size for my under eyes! I also loved how stiff yet soft the bristles were and they applied my concealor like a dream. Blending was flawless and I didn't even need to use a finger to pat and remove brush strokes like I usually do.
Medium Angled Shading - E70
"Soft application of color. Use for brow highlighting or to blend the crease."
Erm, maybe not quite for brow highlighting, but definitely great to use on the crease (if I had one!). This brush was really soft (are you sick of me using that word yet?) and flared out more than the other brushes. Definitely best for blending powder and contouring along the nose.
Tapered Blending - E40
"Soft blended crease. Using just the tip to apply color, sweep back and forth through the crease for a diffused and blended finish."
Ok, so I couldn't try this out on my crease, but I could definitely see it blended my eyeshadow perfectly. I am lacking good blending brushes so this one is a welcomed addition.
Eye Shading - E55
"Even application of color. Place color across the whole lid for an even and strong application of product."
Sounds about right. I could use this one brush for my whole eye if I wanted to, from eye shadow application to brown highlight and contouring. Because of how short the bristles were, there wasn't as much flex as with other shadow brushes, so I suggest to 'pat' on the powder instead of swiping it back and forth.
Large Shader - E60
"Uniformly cover he whole lid with product. Apply cream shadow base or cream shadow for quick and even coverage."
The name is a bit misleading as this has the brush texture for cream or 'wet' application and I wouldn't recommend using for powder eyeshadows. I'd actually use this as a small foundation brush for liquid contouring. Probably not a brush I will use on a daily basis, but it might be good for cream highlighting around the face if the concealor brush already has other products on it.
On using the brushes, I'm the kind of girl that doesn't let any air pass between my face and the mirror, so the handles are just that bit longer than I would have liked. I kept knocking the ends against the glass and was worried it might chip the paint. :( There is also a travel set available, but I already love my Bobbi Brown Party Collection brushes and don't feel the need for an additional set.
For the casual makeup girl, I can't recommend a better brush set than this one. I guarantee you will end up using every brush in this kit! Is there anything missing? Not really. Some would want a mascara or brow comb but for personal use, there's really no need if you're applying mascara straight from the tube. Otherwise, maybe a smaller angle brush for contouring? I really can't fault this set at all.
On washing, there were absolutely no shedding, even though I was purposely rough on them to see if any stray hairs would fall out. Nada. Bristles did not flare afterwards and I dried them with a brush guard. The stippling brush did take longer than usual to dry, though.
I'm slightly worried whether the storage tube would damage the bristles as it seems like such a tight fit, but if I'm going to use these on myself every day, they might just be stored upright with the lid off.
So to sum up, I love these so much I was considering buying another set to use specifically on brides. They are just adorable, soft and such a luxury to use, not to mention it only works out to be about $9 per brush. ❤ ❤ ❤
*** Unless otherwise stated, all products are bought with my own funds and I am not affiliated with any mentioned brands or sellers. Reviews are 100% of my own opinion and experiences. ***
xxEva
