I’ve had quite a few emails asking me about Sigma Brushes and if they were good or if they were comparable to MAC brushes (I can’t compare as I only own 1) and in the end, I capitulated and after a bit of research, ordered a couple of face brushes from Sigma Makeup – a powder/blush brush (F10), and an angled top kabuki brush (F86).
Sigma Powder/Blush Brush F10 (top) Sigma Angled Top Kabuki Brush F84 (bottom)
Then, as luck would have it, after my order had shipped, Sigma contacted me to offer me to try their 12 Brush Make Me Blush Brush kit.
I’ve been playing around with the brushes for a couple of weeks now (you’d be surprised at just how long it might take to try every single little brush there :P) and I couldn’t dig right in because I’m anal about washing my brushes before I use them for the first time. So what I’ll do in this post is to run you a quick low down on the brushes, what I think and which ones I personally like and recommend.
It might be long so grab a cuppa tea and settle in for a read. Alrighty then? Here we go! 😀
Sigma 12 Brush Make Me Blush Brush Kit – US$99
Do you already have a set of good makeup brushes? Good. Then you don’t need this one. There, honesty is the best policy. However, if you don’t already have a set of makeup brushes, then these are worth considering, because you get a set of relatively good brushes in one handy kit. Full sized too, in a ready made brush container that sits quite prettily on your dressing table 🙂
The brushes come in a very sturdy tube case that locks together with buttons on the side. Unbutton it, and it splits into 2 perfectly useable brush holders as you see in the picture above. Its quite heavy too so it won’t topple over.
The Make Me Blush Brush Kit comes with 12 brushes and in 4 colours – Coral (pictured here), Purple, Black and Aqua (turquoise). The handles and metal ferrule of the brushes are colour coded to that of the brush holder which is sort of cute.
Top to Bottom: F50 Duo Fibre brush (Synthetic), F30 Large Powder brush (Natural), F40 Large Angled Contour Brush (Natural), F60 Foundation Brush (Synthetic)
The brushes are all full sized long handled brushes as you can see here. They are also a mix of synthetic and natural bristles (I’m not sure what hair is used – best to check directly with Sigma if you are curious) Quickly, here are my thoughts on each brush so you can evaluate if you need the whole kit or just the individual ones.
- F50 Duo Fibre Brush (Synthetic) – a nice sized fairly dense duo fibre brush or skunk brush you can use for stippling on liquid foundation or pigmented blushes. I quite like this one and I believe it might be a dupe of a MAC skunk brush but don’t quote me on it. I would get this one individually (and nearly did)
- F30 Large Powder Brush (Natural) – You can see that this brush has a big head and the bristles are quite dense. Its best for applying powder e.g. loose or pressed powder to set makeup. It will not work with Meteorites because the head is too big to fit into the tub but it can work with the pressed powder ones. I find the bristles on this one a little scratchy. I’m used to softer brushes so I’m on the fence about this brush. I will try to soften it by using conditioner when I wash my brushes next.
- F40 Large Angled Contour Brush (Natural) – This is a white hair brush and meant for blush or contour shades. I don’t like it for either. I find it does not deposit colour evenly and its stiff and scratchy. I will also try to condition this one, but I just don’t like it anyway. Despite the Large in the name, its not very large and is in fact a good size for contouring or blush if it didn’t scratch so much.
- F60 Foundation Brush (Synthetic) – I tried this one just once because I don’t usually use a brush for foundation, preferring to use my fingers or a stippling brush like the F50 Duo Fibre. It applies foundation quite well especially around the smaller nose and eye area, and the synthetic brushes are easy to wash and feel soft and kind on the skin. Its quite large too which makes it a quick job to apply liquid foundation. If you are a regular liquid foundation user and prefer using a brush, consider this one.
Top to Bottom: E55 Eye Shading (Natural), E05 Eyeliner (Synthetic), E65 Small Angle (Synthetic), F70 Concealer (Synthetic), E60 Large Shader (Natural)
Here are some of the smaller brushes which are meant for the eye. The eye brushes are mostly natural bristle, but unlike the face brushes, feel softer and kinder to the skin. Here’s a quick run down on them.
- E55 Eye Shading (Natural) – A large dense flat eye shading brush that I like to use to apply eyeshadow colour on the lid. It picks up and deposits colour quite well on the skin and the large brush makes applying sweeps of colour very easy and quick. Worth considering as an individual purchase.
- E05 Eyeliner (Synthetic) – A good little brush for drawing gel eyeliner. Its not too floppy and can be used to draw quite a fine line.
- E65 Small Angle (Synthetic) – My preferred brush for drawing eyeliner as I can use this for both powder and liquid/gel eyeliner. The synthetic bristles are easy to clean and its firm enough yet not so hard as to make it painful for the eye. You can also use this to draw in eye brows but the long handle is a bit finicky for that. Worth considering as an individual purchase.
- F70 Concealer (Synthetic) – I usually use my fingers to apply concealer because the warmth from my fingers just makes it easier to blend the product in. However, I found this brush good for getting concealer in around small areas like the nose to cover redness, or to dab on blemishes. I particularly like using this brush to apply a light brightening colour on my lower lid to hide redness, and make me look perkier. I’ve been using it nearly everyday for this purpose. Worth considering as an individual purchase.
- E60 Large Shader (Natural) – I don’t use this brush very much. I find the long bristles a little floppy and its a bit big for applying colour to small eyelids. Worth considering if you have a large eyelid area to apply shadow to but not if you have small eyelids as I do.
Erm… a close up look of the same brushes shown and reviewed above 😛 For idea of size. Alright alright, I’d already taken this photo so I might as well use it yes? 😛
Left to Right: E30 Pencil Brush (Natural), E40 Tapered Blending (Natural), E70 Medium Angled Shading (Natural)
Finally, the 3 brushes I use the most from this kit.
- E30 Pencil Brush (Natural) – A small pencil brush that is excellent for putting colour in the crease and close to the lash line. Precise application of colour and nice dense bristles. Worth considering as an individual purchase.
- E40 Tapered Blending (Natural) – A blending brush I wasn’t too keen on in the beginning but which I use quite often now. I do find it a little scratchy but with use its turning out alright and it blends colours very well. Only problem is, it might blend it too well if you brush too firmly so colour can disappear. Use a light hand and its pretty awesome. Worth considering as an individual purchase.
- E70 Medium Angled Shading (Natural) – My favourite brush of all. This brush picks up colour very well especially from powdery or shimmery colours and applies very nicely too. It blends and shades and you can also use it to deposit colour in the crease and blend out. I love this one for Japanese, Korean or Asian eyeshadows which tend to be more powdery and shimmery in texture and application. Worth considering as an individual purchase.
And again, here’s a close up because the photos has been taken 😛
So as I’ve said above, if you already have a full set of makeup brushes, this isn’t something you might want or need. But if you want a sort of starter brush kit, its definitely worth taking a look and for the price and the number of brushes you get, I’d say its worth it.
Summary: My favourite brushes from this kit are E30, E40, E70, F70, E65, E55, F50, F60. That’s 8 out of 12 brushes. Not too bad odds.
Pros: Synthetic bristle brushes feel lovely and soft on the skin, Eye brushes are quite impressive for the price, Practical and useful kit of brushes and brush holder, Cute colours
Cons: Initial investment is high but brushes last with proper care, Some natural bristle brushes are scratchy
Sigma Powder/Blush Brush F10 – US$16
Natural bristles initially felt scratchy but after regular use, has softened. Not as soft as a synthetic bristle brush but it doesn’t scratch. Dense round brush head is medium sized and picks up and deposits blush precisely where you want it. My first round blush brush and I think it does the job very well.
Sigma Angled Top Kabuki Brush F84 – US$16
Bought this on a whim that paid off handsomely. The synthetic bristles are lovely and soft against the skin and this is one super dense brush. It is perfect for applying cream blush and as a result of this, I want more cream blushes. It buffs cream blush right into the skin for a blushing from within look that is very pretty.
If you’ve gotten this far… kudos! 😛 Oh and the brushes are “Made In China” if that matters to you. I personally find Sigma synthetic brushes better than their natural ones and I did not experience any untoward shedding after the first wash so I think they are pretty decent, affordable brushes overall.
The only real problem I can see with Sigma brushes (for us here in Malaysia) is the shipping costs. The 2 brushes I purchased came very well packaged in a lovely organza bag and a free travel sized brush and cost about US$10 in shipping. Shipping is by weight and number of brushes so my recommendation is to share your purchase with some friends so you can split the cost as incremental shipping costs are lower than individual shipping costs. The Make Me Blush brush kit is pretty heavy and comes in a big box so 1 kit shipped here to Malaysia will cost US$116.89 (US$17.89 international shipping) The brushes still are affordable but the initial outlay will hurt your wallet some. There are smaller kits available but I haven’t tried those so I have no thoughts on them. There are also some local resellers who might have them locally since they buy them wholesale but I have no recommendations as I have not bought from any.
If you would like me to expand my thoughts and review on any one of the individual brushes in the Make Me Blush Kit do holler and I’ll try to oblige. I will expand on the 2 brushes I bought hence the very short review here 🙂
If you own any Sigma brushes you think everyone should try, do share! I’m always up to finding a new brush and I have my eye on the other 2 Kabuki brushes – round kabuki and flat top kabuki so if you have thoughts on those to share (whether I should get them or no), please do! 😀
p/s I got a couple of email queries: I do not own comparable brushes in MAC and I have no thoughts on how they compare. I personally will not, because MAC is MAC and Sigma is Sigma and both should be rated on their own merits and price point. As with everything, you get what you pay for.
Paris B
Sigma Makeup Brushes are available from www.sigmabeauty.com or any legitimate local resellers you might find. I usually buy direct from the source because I’m particular that way 🙂 Update: Here’s a link to a local Malaysian site that resells Sigma brushes. I’m not affiliated, I’ve never purchased from them and the Engrish kills me somewhat but it might help. That said, I think you’d be better off ordering direct from Sigma as there is no price difference even with killer shipping. [link is killed. Reader Iffa had a terrible experience where her order was never delivered despite her paying the full price and despite numerous promises. I have no confidence recommending them to anyone].
Just nice. I was looking for review for the set. Contemplating to throw in an order but don’t really want to pay so much for shipping.
The shipping costs are scarily high sadly. At current exchange rates, its not turning out too bad ultimately but it still sucks.
I own one travel set. I would say I love them! The one I love the most is Pencil brush. Maybe I have small eyes. =P The down side is, some brushes are too big for me.
The pencil brush is awesome! I’m thinking its the same one as the one I like? 🙂 I have small eyes too and its perfect for getting right in there 😀
The case is so pretty!! And pink! hehehe!! 😀
I see that Sigma has revamped their brush numbering… they used to name their brushes after the similar MAC ones i think! 😀 I’ve heard so much about them and how good they are for their prices – i’ve been tempted to purchase them in the past, but didn’t because the MAC gods might be mad at me!! lol!!! XD
Haha! Pink wouldn’t have been my first choice but they were out of stock 😛 For consolation, its supposed to be coral 😛 I wasn’t familiar with Sigma’s previous numbers but maybe they got a rap on the wrist from MAC? 😉 I only own 1 full size MAC brush #239 I think. Absolutely gorgeous brush!
Thats an amazing brush and my personal favourite! I reach for it everytime! 😉
Thank you for the review! I don’t have a decent brush set yet (yes, my fingers are still my best friends) so your review was most informative. I’m actually more keen on the blush brush than anything else but to ship 1 brush only over is abit silly. Any other local brushes which I can get my paws on to recomend?
My other favourite blush brush I use everyday is from Ecotools (You can get it at Shins) and here are the other brushes I use. I hear good things about Sephora brand brushes which might fit the bill. Or try The Body Shop. Their blush brush isn’t bad too.
I’d rather get the individual brushes because I already have several brushes. >.< I've been wanting to get a pointy blush brush (exact term?) and a flat top kabuki for a long time now, heh heh heh.
The tapered blush brush? I can’t get the hang of all these fangled brushes LOL I like my blush brushes round and fluffy 😀 I’m likely to get the round kabuki. The Angled Top Kabuki is seriously awesome!
been reading about sigma a lot these few weeks! and gosh the brush container is so so cute!!! can i have it? *puppy eyes* btw, don’t remember to count me in for the website that u ordered the NARS brush from 😉
Haha No 😛 And if the time comes that I place an order I’ll be sure not to include you in for the Nars brush 😉
eee darn! typo, i meant to say REMEMBER to count me in 😛
oh! i thought you were trying to be cute >.<
Glad to have your review on Sigma Brushes. I’m looking into it lately. I’m interested in the Travel Premium Set (USD49) and the Flat Top Kabuki(USD16). ParisB, I think you should get the another two kabuki brush, there are raving alots over youtube! the shipping fees are sooooo expensive~
I know! I’ve come across so many raves for the kabuki brushes its crazy. But i can see why because the angled kabuki I got is seriously awesome and so soft and dense. That said, I do already own kabuki brushes hence the hesitation LOL! But I do recommend the F50 Duo Fibre brush – its seriously awesome for liquid foundation. Gives a nice air brushed finish! The travel kit looks good! I believe a reader here has it and yes, shipping is killer. KILLER i tell you!
I got a #187 duo fibre from Mac, it was really nice during my first use for liquid foundation, but after washing it….the results are…dont know how to describe it,just seriously uneven! i need to blend once again all over my face in order to get them even. i never use it for liquid foundation anymore, only for applying loose powder and blush, it just works excellent! i watch a review from Easyaccessbeauty (Megan) in youtube regarding the flat top kabuki. she is using it with MUFE foundation. she looks soooo pretty, so i think it is because of the density of kabuki that can make an even and flawless liquid foundation finished look. i own numbers of ecotools too, it is not so pricey yet pretty nice. however, i saw a seller in msia selling it at RM45 for whole set. then im really feel omg…i spent about RM100 for a set of ecotools~~
in btw, do you own any Inglot eye shadow? seriously considering their matte e/shadow.
Is that MAC one the one everyone loves? I couldn’t justify getting it for some reason but I do think the F50 is a good option to have. Have you tried the Etude House one? Everyone raves about it but I haven’t tried it myself. Actually you can get an affordable flat top kabuki that’s pretty good from Lovingminerals.com. It works nicely for me for buffing in foundation. I haven’t tried it for liquid but works very well for powder.
I haven’t ventured down to the Inglot store yet. Its too far for me. I’ll be sure to share if I do though. I’ve heard a lot about their shadows and how good they are.
yea, i bought it coz everybody raves of it. and overall, it is really really a good brush to invest in. i haven’t try any Sigma duo fibre brush, so i’m really hesitating to get them too. yes, i got the Etude House duo fibre brush (got it during EH 40% sales). It is not good in my opinion. it is too stiff to be a duo fibre brush, make it impossible to make a flawless liquid foundation look. it holds liquid/powder etc not really evenly. better to use as a blush/highlighting brush. the price after 40% wont make me regret on getting it thou. Mac one is far more fluffy, and can hold the liquid/powder very very even. so when using with liquid foundation, it can still achieve a more even foundation appearance (but need our hand to pat on our face to make them more into our skin) compare to EH one. for powder, it also gives a light touch up or fix our liquid foundation at the end. very natural.
everyday mineral kabuki is better than sigma? i heard about them as well but never knew that it is available in msia, thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Etude House brush. Everyone seems to rave about it, mostly I think because its really affordable and decent for what it does. If I use my duo fibre brush for foundation, I usually stipple on the foundation and then buff it in. This Sigma brush works fine for me. As for the Everyday mineral kabuki, I think its pretty good. However, I have not used Sigma’s kabuki or flat top kabuki so I can’t compare. I only have Sigma’s angled top kabuki which I really like 🙂 It would appear that LovingMinerals.com doesn’t carry the Everyday Minerals brushes anymore but their Handy Kabuki isn’t too bad.
I’ve just received my Sigma brushes from the seller you mentioned in the end of your review. she is nice and my packages arrived within two weeks time. I didn’t place the order directly from SigmaBeauty simply because I’m so worried that they will get stuck at the custom office (as I heard from a lot of Sigma brushes being stranded over there). The seller offers several discounts on bulks purchase as well and I just got my Brush Guards from them as well! Nice purchase then~
Sigma eye brushes are really made of good quality and I’ve been using it on clients!!! I would love to own this pink version but nah…too many brushes too date and I hate washing!
Ooh I hate washing brushes too! 😛 And their eye brushes are pretty decent stuff in a pinch 🙂
Ahhh Sigma…
They too sent me a Kit to review last year, but let’s just say they’re rather picky about follow-ups if they’re not rated 100% fantastic… =_=
Just IMO
I went to check it out 😉 On my part, I don’t own MAC brushes bar one and I keep my high end and low end brushes separate and rate them accordingly. As you have pointed out, MAC is MAC and Sigma is Sigma. A Nikon camera lens is better than a compatible lens which maybe more affordable but may not give you the results you want with a proper branded lens. I think Sigma brushes are decent for what they are – affordable brushes that do the job. But to compare them to a high end brush would be doing both brands an injustice 😉
Thanks for checking my Review out ^_^
I agree with you on this – “to compare them to a high end brush would be doing both brands an injustice” – which was their initial strategy, I assume…
I guess I feel iffy with their PR-policy since they ReTweet 100% positive reviews, leaving the rest…”unmentioned” ^_~
And the PRC thing, of course 😀 HA!
Yes I don’t think they should have gone down that “We are like MAC without the price tag” because then you detract from your own plus points which is decent brushes at a good price. I’m happy with the ones I did buy though. They suit my purpose well. I’d rather get individual brushes (from any brand) than a kit.
Thanks for reviewing the lot. I don’t think I’m missing out much then.
Most of the Sigma Brushes that I have are the ones from the ” Premium” Kit. They’re alright but I won’t say that they’re excellent. I really like this short smudger brush they have (can’t remember the code but it’s the Smashbox one that you have). Others are just so so. The dupe for the MAC217 just isn’t as good as the actual one. One might say you get what you pay for but I find the Eco Tools face brushes to be better quality and I’d reach for my Crown brushes rather than the Sigma ones :-/
I think if we already own a large bunch of brushes, we can and do get a lot pickier 😉 For the average girl who just wants an inexpensive value for money set, it fits the bill. I just realised I don’t own many high end brushes. I wonder why -_- Oh and speaking of smudger brushes (Nars?) I bought a smudging brush too from Sigma which I forgot to include. Hate it! Hard, pokey, doesn’t do the job NARS’ does. I’m bloody tempted by the RMK brushes though. Super duper soft and super duper expensive.
Thanks for the review! Now I want to get some Sigma brushes too. (Your Ecotools reviews are enabling me!) It’s my first time to hear about an angled flat top kabuki, so unique!
If you get one, get the angled kabuki – its so awesome for cream blushes! 😀 Its also making me want more cream blushes ack!
I actually just ordered the Sigma Kabuki Brush during the sale. Can’t wait for it to arrive. Only paid like RM34 for it 🙂 I really love the Blush brush kit too, buy for me? Haha 🙂
Nice Review!! I wish u have it before I get mine 😀
After raving for 6 months, I get purple set and synthetic set. Actually purple set did not really meet my expectation. I end up only using the foundation brush (bb cream), large powder (loose blush and powder), large angle (compact blush).
I hate the eyeliner brush 🙁 and the small angle is too thick for eyeliner but great for my eyebrow.
I’m using tried flat top synthetic for my liquidy and powder foundation, or to smudge harsh line on my blush sometimes.
Haven’t tried the round top and angled yet, coz I’m thinking to sell it. 😀
I like the pink brush holder very much! I wonder if they only sell the brush holder.
Haha I don’t think they do 🙂 it’s cute though
I only own SS188 I got a few years ago. It’s not that great but does a decent job. After years of frequent washing, it sheds everytime I use it which is pretty annoying. My everyday brushes are from MAC – a little pricey but they last a long time 🙂
Well we pretty much get what we pay for 😉 I wante to get the MAC blush brush but may succumb to RMK instead 😛
from the reviewed brushes I have angled top kabuki and love it…I don’t know I loved without it before *.*
Ooh that’s a lovely one indeed! Well worth getting methinks!
I previously bought the face kit from them when they had worldwide free shipping sale going on. Unfortunately both the F50 and F30 brushes that was part of the set were scratchy and worse, shed quite often when I washed them or just on my face. I’m kinda iffy about buying more now.
Oh dear! I’m sorry you had a bad experience with them. My F50 works quite well, but that angled brush white haired brush has to go!
I bought the eye brush set when they had an offer on free international shipping some time back. I love them! Would highly recommend them. Haven’t tried the facebrushes since Temptalia’s review of them wasn’t very encouraging (see link below) so its MAC for face and Sigma for eyes for me 🙂
http://www.temptalia.com/sigma-makeup-brushes-vs-mac-brushes-comparison-with-photos
I’ve read Christine’s review a while back but I think mileage varies. I personally wouldn’t compare the brushes to MAC brushes. There is a reason why we pay the price we do 🙂
hummmmmmmmmm I like powdery eye shadows and I did not know that asian eye shadows were that powdery <3
Could you advise me some asian make up brands?
Thanks
xo xo
Hi I don’t find Asian shadows powdery at all actually. Try Shiseido, Kanebo Lunasol, Shiseido Maquillage, RMK – these are popular international brands I think you can find anywhere.
Hello! I’ve been wanting Sigma brushes for a very long time. But I’m not so sure how to purchase things online. Mind helping me out? I visited the Sigma site and finalized everything but I’m not sure which shipping to take. Which one would you recommend and which did you take?
Need your advise ASAP 🙂
Thanks!
If you mean the different shipping options internationally, it depends on how secure you want your package to be. The faster and more secure options cost more. Personally I went with the cheapest option but your mileage may vary
I’m from Kuala Lumpur Klang Valley area 🙂 so you took the cheapest shipping but your items manage to arrive safely? How about the payment options? I don’t really know how the procedure works. 🙁
I’ve generally had luck with my mail so I had no problem. I believe Sigma takes Paypal – setting up an account is free but you will need to link it to a credit card or bank account. Otherwise, I believe they may also take credit cards. Best read this first.