Sigma Brushes

I have a slight addiction to makeup brushes. I think brushes give a finish that sponges and fingers just can’t achieve. They are easy to use and so much cleaner and more hygienic than using your fingers.

My other addiction is to the wonderful Jaclyn Hill. She is an amazing makeup artist and I have to admit to spending far too much time on her YouTube channel, but she is just so talented and brilliant at explaining technique. She is the one who introduced me to Sigma brushes. Jaclyn uses a number of Sigma brushes in her tutorials and she makes them look effortless to use with the most flawless results. Imagine my excitement when she teamed up with Sigma to put together a collection of her favourite brushes! I rushed straight to the Sigma website to order mine.

The collection was priced at $90.00 which was approximately €65 and delivery was €10. This may seem expensive but there are seven brushes in the collection (three face, and four eye) and Sigma included a free eyeliner brush. Considering these are extremely high quality professional brushes, €75 is a steal. However, what I did not anticipate was a €20 import tax when I went to collect them at the post office! Needless to say I was sickened. In future I will be avoiding the collections and buying the brushes individually to avoid paying tax on them.

They are beautiful brushes though and I’m really happy with them so I won’t complain too much. I’m going to review each brush individually so you may be interested in having a look online and buying one or two of them as the Jaclyn Hill collection was for a limited time only. Without further ado:

Flat Kabuki – F80: €15

This is one of the most amazing foundation brushes I have ever used. Kabuki is the way forward people. This brush is for blending liquid or cream foundations onto the face and it really does give airbrushed results. I have also started using it with the Bobbi Brown Stick foundation and I feel it works just as well as it does with my liquid foundation. With liquid foundation pour it onto the back of your hand and pick up small amounts of the product with the brush and buff it onto your skin. This is a synthetic bristle brush so it won’t absorb much of the product so make sure you don’t overload the brush with foundation.

Tapered Kabuki – F86: €15

Much like the F80 this brush is fantastic for a flawless finish but gives more precise application. It is best for applying concealer to the under eye area and foundation to the areas that the flat Kabuki missis such as around the nose. I wear a liquid concealer under my eyes and I also wear it on my lids as a primer and this brush is perfect for this kind of application. The tapered head is perfect for making sure the concealer is evenly applied to the inner corner of the eye. It also has synthetic bristles so be gentle around the eye area.

Tapered Highlighter – F35: €15

The is a beautiful small powder brush. It is perfect for applying pressed highlighter to the upper contours of the face. The tapered head ensures a natural finish.

Tapered Blending – E40: €10

This is an amazing blending brush. The bristles are natural and they are long which is fantastic for blending as you can keep moving the brush to create a perfectly blended appearance. Using just the tip of the brush, move in windshield wiper motions across the crease of your eye to deposit the perfect amount of product. I use this brush for light eyeshadows that add colour and definition to the upper part of the crease.

Blending – E25: €8

This brush has shorter bristles than the E40 and they are packed closer together which gives more control. This is for very precise blending. I use it to apply dark shadows to the crease which need to be more defined and precise. I also use it to blend out any harsh lines that may appear. I love this brush but the bristles are not as soft as other brushes so too much blending and I find it started to irritate my skin.

Eye Shading – E55: €8

This s a perfect brush for applying a colour all across the lid. It has very short, compact bristles which give even and controlled application of colour. The bristles are very soft so blend away to your heart’s content! I like to wet this brush before picking up the eyeshadow because this will ensure full impact when it comes to pigmentation.

Pencil – E30: €8

This is a soft bristle and tapered brush used for blending out eye liner (obviously not gel). It gives a really smokey look and gets rid of any harsh lines. I also use it to highlight my cupids bow and under my brows as well as the inner corners of my eyes.

Eyeliner – E05: €8

Not one of my preferred eyeliner brushes. I personally like a slanted brush for this job. This brush is pointed and tapered at the top so it gives a very even line but it also creates a very thick line whereas I like to start with very narrow lines and build them up.

L-R: E25. E40,E55, E30, E05

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What I like most about these brushes in general is that they all have very long handles which make application very easy. Maintenance is very low also, you simply wet the head of the brush with warm water, work some cleanser or baby shampoo into it and rinse, then reshape the brush and leave it on its side to dry. Never leave brushes standing upright to dry as the water will seep into the handle and dislodge the glue that holds the bristles together. If your brush starts shedding you need to be more careful with washing it and make sure it dries on its side.

I took all the prices from the Sigma website (http://www.sigmabeauty.com/default.asp) today and converted the currencies. The default brushes have black handles and stainless steel tips, but some of the brushes have 18karat gold tips (a bit excessive, perhaps) and some of the collections come with different coloured handles. These are so pretty but will add to the price.

I can’t recommend this company enough, the brushes are amazing and so reasonably priced. My main recommendation though is definitely the Flat Kabuki F80, a steal at €15!