Review: Sigma F86 Synthetic Tapered Kabuki

Sigma recently came out with several new brushes for their Sigmax line, this is a collection of synthetic bristled brushes. I love the F80, F82 and F86 for foundation application, they apply the fullest coverage possible quickly and blend nicely. The great thing about these is they don't shed or smell because they are synthetic, they also don't absorb product like a natural hair brush would, although I do have a hard time washing product out because they are so densely packed (and drying them sucks too). Today's review is the F86 Synthetic Tapered Kabuki. Even though I am in the Sigma Affiliate Program, I did purchase this brush myself, I was curious about it and have been using it for about a month now.

The shape of this brush intrigues me, it's like an egg. The Sigma website describes that this brush is "ideal for using powders and higlighter under the eye and cheek area. The dense precise tip of this brush enhances cheek highlighting and contouring for a flawless application." I had hoped to use this brush for liquid foundation but, I find it's really difficult, I am used to a flat top brush like the F80, a stippling brush or a traditional foundation brush. This brush is far too pointy to use for foundation in my opinion, unless you are just applying foundation to small areas of your face like around the nose and eyes, it's nice for that. I have been using it for contouring and it's great for that since it gets right in the hallow of your cheeks. Several youtubers mention it works well for cream bronzer like the Chanel Soleil De Tan. I also bought the smaller version of this brush, the P86 (review on that later).

Review: Sigma Dry and Shape System

Today's review is the Sigma Dry and Shape System. This is one of their newest products, it's meant as an aid in helping to dry your makeup brushes quicker and shape it while it does. When it comes to me, I am not too fussy when I wash my brushes, I use anti-bacterial hand soap, the same stuff that I use when I wash my hands in the bathroom (one from Bath and Body Works). I don't mind how long it takes because I normally leave them dry overnight. I have so many brushes that if some are dirty, it's not a big deal, I just grab another one.

What I normally do is wash them in soap, rinse them out with tap water, then tap and soak all the excess water out with a bath towel or paper towel. Then I leave them on the side of the sink to dry. Sometimes very dense brushes like the Flat Top F80 are still a bit damp the next day, but it doesn't bother me to use it since I only use those with liquid foundation. I was curious if the Dry and Shape would make much of a difference in my routine, and I was skeptical if it would. I have read people ask how you clean the brush roll itself, since it can become unsanitary with the dirty water spilling out. The brush roll is made of synthetic material, so it's easy to wipe clean. If your brushes are really dirty you can wipe them down first on something, ensuring all the water or cleanser is out of it, then place it in the Dry and Shape. None of my brushes leak because I make sure I wipe them dry first.

Review: ELF Studio Glitter 11 Brush Collection

A girl can never have enough makeup brush, well this one can't. ELF recently came out with a limited edition version of their Studio 11 piece brush collection, with glitter handles! The brushes are the exact same, but they have glitter on them, and who doesn't love glitter? This sells for $30 on the ELF website, but with a 50% off coupon code (they have promotions all the time), you can get them for $15, which is what I did. You get all the Studio line brushes in a sleek, black zippered case. Each brush would normally cost you $3.

Here is what the handles look like, I think it's cute, whereas the original ones come with plain black handles. I wanted to get another Studio Powder brush, so I just opted to get this entire set instead. The zippered pouch that comes with these fits the brushes nicely and is flat and portable.

The glitter collection comes with 5 face brushes (as shown above) and 6 eye brushes. The face brushes include (from top-down) the fan brush, angled foundation brush, blush brush, complexion brush and powder brush. I've only ever owned the last 3, but I tend to think the blush and complexion is a bit fuller and softer in this set (keep in mind I purchased my original ones years ago). The powder brush, I can't say enough about, if you don't have it yet, you need it.

And here are the 5 eye brushes that include (from top-down) small smudge brush, small precision brush, small angled brush, concealer brush, contour brush, and eyeshadow "c" brush. I guess the concealer brush should of been in the face part in my review, but I actually prefer this brush for applying paint pots on my eyes so it's here instead. All these brushes are made of synthetic fibers, which personally I think is the downfall to the eye brushes, I feel that natural hairs pick up eyeshadow better.

This is a nice set if you are on a budget, I am more of a fan of the face brushes than the eye brushes from ELF, for eyes I would suggest the $1 eyeshadow brush and $1 eye blending brush, which both are favourites of mine. If you like glitter handles, I would definitely pick this up.

Do you have the ELF glitter brush set? What is your experience with ELF brushes?

Review: MAC 109 vs. Sigma F05

I own a lot of Sigma brushes I will admit that, I was slow on the Sigma-wagon but once they started offering individual brushes for sale on their website I went full speed ahead. I have posted numerous reviews of their brushes here and have tried to use MAC comparison pictures whenever possible (what Sigma became famous for). I do not own a lot of MAC brushes so I apologize I cannot compare them all like you see on some websites. But I do my best to give as accurate comparisons as possible. Today I will compare the MAC 109 to it's Sigma counterpart the F05. These two are "small contour" brushes, they are meant to be used as contouring, but many in the youtube beauty community use them for liquid foundation application, myself included. I think the MAC 109 is a neat brush, the shape is really unique and I hadn't seen any company do a shape like this until the Sigma one. The MAC 109 sells for $38.50CAD and the Sigma F05 is $14USD. But how similar are they really?

From reading reviews, this Sigma brush is supposed to be one of the closest to the MAC, so I was really curious to do this review myself. Alright, laid here side by side, can you tell me which is which? You probably can if you own the MAC 109 yourself. The Sigma F05 is on the left, MAC 109 on the right (same in the picture above too). The MAC 109 is considerably more dense, round and domed, while the Sigma has a more rectangular, flatter top. I suspect this is because MAC user laser cutters in their brush manufacturing and can get a more precise shape.

A closer look here at the brushes, you can really see the shape difference. Now keep in mind my MAC 109 may not be the same as yours and the Sigma brushes do tend to vary a bit too. I find my MAC is much more rounded than other people's I've seen, I like that about it though. I've had my MAC one for several years, it has remained that same shape, I have not had much shedding issues with it earlier (this brush tends to shed a lot). The Sigma one did not shed much either, in washing a bit here and there.

And from the top view here, the right one (MAC 109) is slightly fuller and larger, bristles do not splay out as much. The MAC one is also slightly softer on the face. But not much difference right?

Looking at the handles and size here, they are pretty much the same length, the Sigma handle is slightly thicker. I asked my bf to examine the two and he mentioned that the MAC one looks better made, fuller bristles, the ferrule looks more expensive and pinched nicer, MAC is slightly heavier too. But you are paying almost twice three times the price for the MAC one, so I would honestly hope there would be a difference.

These brushes definitely function the same way. I want to say that since the Sigma one is less dense and more tapered it would be better for actual contouring, which is what it's intended for, and using cream products such as cream blush. And the MAC one since it is more domed and rounded is better at liquid foundation, it can swirl well and tap the product. I think Sigma did a good job here overall of trying to duplicate this brush though.

Have do you own either brush and how do you think they compare?

Review: Sigma F45 Buffer Brush

Everyone need a kabuki buffer brush and Sigma has a nice one. Today I will review this brush for you all. It retails for $19 on the Sigma website. I lusted over the MAC 182 for years and years, but couldn't get myself to spend the $56.50CAD on one brush. I am sure it's totally great but honestly, I don't use these brushes enough to justify that price tag. After seeing Temptalia's comparison post of this brush, saying it was very comparable to the MAC one, I bought it and hoped for the best, I was not disappointed.

Firstly, let's take a look at my other kabuki brushes, I have the Coastal Scents Pink Kabuki (which is going in the trash after I write this review), the Sigma and the Posh kabuki. The Coastal Scents is very scratchy and small and has a funky smell after many washes. The Sigma and Posh I say are quite comparable, except for their shape.

The Sigma and Posh brush are very similar, yet very much different. The Sigma is round, but has an almost flat top, if that makes sense. Whereas the Posh is rounded and tapered all the way through. I prefer the Sigma because you can get a lot more surface area with this if you just want to pounce it on your face. I prefer flat top brushes and this Sigma kabuki is like the kabuki's version of a flat top. As you tell from the two images above, the Sigma has changed shape a lot after wash and using it, it used to be a lot smaller and compact, the bristles has spread out considerably.

Sigma's buffer is slightly larger in circumference than the Posh brush. I have also taken a picture here of the Sigma brush in my hand. I know when I see a picture of a brush, it's nice, but, doesn't help me to know how large it actually is, so I hope I have given you a better look here.

In terms of scratchiness, it's not the softest brush that I have, but it's not scratchy per say. It did smell funky when I first got it, but after washing it a few times (dye does run and it does shed) it was fine. It sheds the odd hair here and there (apparently the MAC one sheds more). It feels quite dense, same density as the Posh. I use this brush to apply mineral powder makeup and for dusting on powder sometimes.

Have you tried the Sigma F45 buffer brush? What is your opinion of it?

Review: Sigma Makeup Flat Top Retractable Kabuki and Heart Shaped Mirror

Let's review some of Sigma Makeup's newer products, today I have the Hollywood Glamour Flat Top Retractable Kabuki and the Heart Shaped Mirror in Wild Pink. Both of these products are great for on the go, you can throw them into your makeup bag or purse and use them as needed.

Unlike the rest of Sigma's retractable kabukis, this one is a flat top. It sells for $25 on the Sigma Makeup website. It resembles the F80, a favourite of mine only in a compact, retractable version. This one comes with purple packaging and since it's in the Hollywood Glamour collection, this one has "Miss Taylor" embossed on it, for Elizabeth Taylor. I love the purple colour too. As you can tell in the picture above, you take the top off, pull the metal protector down and it reveals the brush, this keeps it clean and put together.

Compared to the F80, you can tell the brushes are pretty much the same, the bristles are soft and synthetic. I think the retractable version has a wider base and has slightly more bristles, as you can tell in the image above.  It also feels a tiny bit floppier, has more "give" than the F80, but that is probably because it doesn't have as firm of a base as the full sized brush. Of course, I am just being very critical here and these are probably things that most people would never notice. Both of these brushes are equally as dense and fabulous and are awesome at applying liquid foundation. So if you like your F80, why not get a retractable version too?

Sigma Makeup sells these super cute heart-shaped mirrors, they come in a variety of colours, Wild Pink is $27, but the one colour ones go for $25. I picked out this one because I like the pink and black, kinda leopard style going on. These come in a cute, velvety black string bag with the "Sigma" sown on. The back has Sigma written right on it, and the inside is totally mirrored and has a small compartment.

Look at how blingy and gorgeous this mirror is! Sigma says these are handmade and each rhinestone is individually placed on the mirror, wow that would take some time. You know you are getting a quality product here. However, what surprised me about this mirror is just how small it is, notice in the picture above,  I have small hands and this fits in my palm.

What do you think of these two products?

Review: Sigma Premium Travel Kit

Sigma Makeup released their Premium Travel Kits today, they come in 4 colours: Hot in Pink, Stylish in Black, Sweet in Pink and Classy in Silver and sells for $59 on the Sigma website. This comes with 7 of their premium brushes in travel size. Sigma sent me this kit a few weeks and I was so excited to share it with you, but I had to wait until it was released on the website first. This kit is really nice, I love the brushes that are in here and already have several of them in full size. The only thing this kit is lacking is a foundation brush, you can use the large concealer brush or the duo fibre brush to apply foundation, but I would of loved them to include the F80 flat top in this kit.

The brushes that come in this Premium Travel Kit include:
- F25 Tapered Face Brush
- F15 Duo Fibre Powder/Blush Brush
- F65 Large Concealer Brush
- E50 Large Fluff Brush
- E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush
- E20 Short Shader Brush
- E10 Small Eye Liner Brush

Also, you get a free E25 blending brush when you order, since it's over $30. I chose the Stylish in Black kit. The brush roll is quite nice, with a metal magnetized closure on the front and a zip compartment to put extra brushes into. It's not real leather, but a faux leather material. When I first got this, it did smell funky, but that dissipated over time.

F25 Tapered Brush - I love this brush in the full size and having another one with a short handle is great. I use this brush for applying contour, powder and blush. The head on this is slightly smaller than the full size,which is great. I suggest keeping the brush guard on this to maintain the egg shape.

F15 Duo Fibre Powder Brush is an oval shaped duo fibre brush that I use for blush application mainly. I know some people use this for powder and even foundation. Again, the size of this one is almost the same as the full size.Mine is a bit pink because I used it today.

F65 Large Concealer is a large flat black synthetic bristled concealer brush. I am not crazy about this brush personally, I would of rather they had included a foundation brush instead. This brush can be used for covering large area of the face with concealer.

E50 Large Fluff is a large eyeshadow brush. I love this brush because it can cover your entire lid with shadow very quickly. I found the full size version of this shed on me terribly, but this one did not shed much at all, which was great. The size of this one is considerably smaller than the full size.

E45 Small Tapered Blending is a point eyeshadow brush that can be used in the crease to blend out eyeshadow. I like this brush a lot, it's soft and effective.

E20 Short Shader is an eyeshadow brush that can be used to smudge eyeshadow onto the lower lash line or to smudge eyeliner.

E10 Small Eye Liner is just that a small eyeliner brush, this is quite precise and good at achieving a thin line. I don't really wear eyeliner, so I don't have a use for these types of brushes.

Now you probably wonder how these compare to the full sized versions, I will show you below.

As you can tell there isn't much different in the brush head size, which is great of Sigma to do. If you like your large sized ones, you can also have very similar travel sized ones too.

Does this Premium Travel Kit interest you? What are your thoughts about it?