I've had this brush set for what seems like forever and have thoroughly used all the brushes - a lot I now use daily. So I thought it was about time I reviewed them. Plus surprisingly the set is quite cheap as it is a travel set... which I have so far seen no difference to the full sized brushes other than a slightly shorter handle length and them being a tiny bit smaller!
First things first I want to talk about the price and also about paying for delivery from America as I know most people aren't too keen on hefty delivery costs and them dreaded custom charges! Sooo... if you have ever been on the Sigma website you will have noticed that it's all in dollars and can't be changed to any other currency (which is kind of annoying) but hey ho! So on my little calci-puter/converter I worked out the following...
The Sigma Travel Kit Naughty in Black (here) is $49.00 (£29.73) and shipping to the UK is $11.39 (£6.91) and custom charges etc are all covered. So the full total for the Travel Kit is £36.64 which works at only £4.58 per brush. Pretty good hey!
I'm going to try and not make this review too long so here are some small reviews of each brush in the kit...
I'm going to try and not make this review too long so here are some small reviews of each brush in the kit...
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| Reviews from top left clockwise... |
Large Angled Contour F40
This is my favourite brush out of the whole set without a doubt... okay, I do have one other favourite, maybe. I use this with my Bourjois Bronzing Powder to contour my face nearly every single day. It just fits under the cheekbones perfectly to contour with ease and blends... umm with ease! It can also be used to apply blusher but I kind of see that as a bit of a waste with such a lovely brush that is just so ideal for contouring with. I've also washed this numerous times and it has kept it's shape and hasn't shed a single hair which I'm really impressed with!
This is my favourite brush out of the whole set without a doubt... okay, I do have one other favourite, maybe. I use this with my Bourjois Bronzing Powder to contour my face nearly every single day. It just fits under the cheekbones perfectly to contour with ease and blends... umm with ease! It can also be used to apply blusher but I kind of see that as a bit of a waste with such a lovely brush that is just so ideal for contouring with. I've also washed this numerous times and it has kept it's shape and hasn't shed a single hair which I'm really impressed with!
Large Powder F30
This is another brush I use daily and really like.. but I really wish I have two of these as I love brushing off/buffing in my translucent powder and I also love applying powder blush with it, but of course when I do that I can't use it for powdering my face! I think my favourite way to use it is with powder as I apply my Rimmel Stay Matte with the ELF Powder brush by patting it onto the skin and then I use the F30 brush to sweep it off the skin or sometimes I like to use it in circular motions, almost buffing it in to give a more flawless matte finish if I'm going out at night. The brush is just so soft and light, perfect for all powder products as it just sweeps over the skin beautifully. As for shedding I've maybe lost 2 or 3 hairs with this... so really good for such a soft brush.
This is another brush I use daily and really like.. but I really wish I have two of these as I love brushing off/buffing in my translucent powder and I also love applying powder blush with it, but of course when I do that I can't use it for powdering my face! I think my favourite way to use it is with powder as I apply my Rimmel Stay Matte with the ELF Powder brush by patting it onto the skin and then I use the F30 brush to sweep it off the skin or sometimes I like to use it in circular motions, almost buffing it in to give a more flawless matte finish if I'm going out at night. The brush is just so soft and light, perfect for all powder products as it just sweeps over the skin beautifully. As for shedding I've maybe lost 2 or 3 hairs with this... so really good for such a soft brush.
Foundation F60
I do like this and I use it quite a lot but I'm not as wowed by it as the other two face brushes. As foundation brushes go it is a nice one - I like the shape and how soft it is... but like all foundation brushes it does get foundation suck in it which does lead to an icky second/third application after washing, so it does have to be washed in between uses... which really isn't going to happen. Also it does leave slight brush marks/streaks so I do find myself blending the foundation with my fingers slightly to give a nicer finish. It's not the best but it's also not the worst.
Concealer F70
I must admit I don't really use this so I can't really even give a brief review on it! I haven't got anything against it, it's just I use another brush for my concealer which I love! So there is just no need to use this one. Though I have to say if I was to use it I'd use it on larger areas that I wanted to concealer maybe before my foundation - like redness. Just because it seems to spread concealer, if that makes sense... so a little concealer goes a long way with this brush, so not one for using on small blemishes.
I must admit I don't really use this so I can't really even give a brief review on it! I haven't got anything against it, it's just I use another brush for my concealer which I love! So there is just no need to use this one. Though I have to say if I was to use it I'd use it on larger areas that I wanted to concealer maybe before my foundation - like redness. Just because it seems to spread concealer, if that makes sense... so a little concealer goes a long way with this brush, so not one for using on small blemishes.
Tapered Blending E40
This is the brush I mentioned that I love which I use for blending my concealer! Yes, I know it's a E40 so it's for the eye but frankly the brush is too large for my socket/eye so I tried it on blending out my concealer and it just works a dream... another huge favourite of mine that I use every single day without fail. Never actually had a brush that blends concealer this well. The only down side to this otherwise perfect brush is that it sheds and for the first month or so it did shed quite a bit. But it has slowed down now and it sheds only a few hairs every now and again.
This is the brush I mentioned that I love which I use for blending my concealer! Yes, I know it's a E40 so it's for the eye but frankly the brush is too large for my socket/eye so I tried it on blending out my concealer and it just works a dream... another huge favourite of mine that I use every single day without fail. Never actually had a brush that blends concealer this well. The only down side to this otherwise perfect brush is that it sheds and for the first month or so it did shed quite a bit. But it has slowed down now and it sheds only a few hairs every now and again.
Pencil E30
Another nice little brush... again nothing too amazing but it does it's job nicely. I normally use this with eye shadows from my UD Naked Palette to run a bit of eyeshadow on my lower lid or I use it to smudge out pencil liner on the top lid, though it is a tad too soft to smudge out some pencil eyeliners. If I did more with my eyes I could see this being great for adding colour to certain parts of the lid before blending. Definitely a handy brush to have.
Another nice little brush... again nothing too amazing but it does it's job nicely. I normally use this with eye shadows from my UD Naked Palette to run a bit of eyeshadow on my lower lid or I use it to smudge out pencil liner on the top lid, though it is a tad too soft to smudge out some pencil eyeliners. If I did more with my eyes I could see this being great for adding colour to certain parts of the lid before blending. Definitely a handy brush to have.
Eye Shading E55
If I'm honest I'm just not that into this brush. The brush is meant for packing on pressed or loose eyeshadow which it does but I just feel it shouldn't of been as short as it is... which could just be me. Plus I don't tend to pack eye shadows onto my lid or go for that bold of a look so I find I don't really use it. Though I do sometimes use it to place eyeshadow into the crease, which I then blend with the Blend & Contour No7 brush. Really would of preferred to have seen maybe an eyeliner brush instead of this if I'm honest!
If I'm honest I'm just not that into this brush. The brush is meant for packing on pressed or loose eyeshadow which it does but I just feel it shouldn't of been as short as it is... which could just be me. Plus I don't tend to pack eye shadows onto my lid or go for that bold of a look so I find I don't really use it. Though I do sometimes use it to place eyeshadow into the crease, which I then blend with the Blend & Contour No7 brush. Really would of preferred to have seen maybe an eyeliner brush instead of this if I'm honest!
FREE Duo Fibre F50
Oh, how I love this brush! It's like the multitasker of the kit! Now in an ideal world I would use this to apply my foundation everyday as it gives an amazing finish.... however I have combination skin which is dry in areas, such as around my nose, which means when I use this it kind of exfoliates the skin making the dry parts more noticeable and also making my foundation cling to them areas. Though I do use it when I've really exfoliated my skin with my Botanics brush and it looks lovely... so it is hit and miss for me, but if you don't have dry skin then this will work perfectly for you. So seeing as I don't use it to apply foundation with most of time, I use it to apply highlighter to the top of my cheeks or I use it will a mousse bronzer or a cream blush. Just a really good multi-tasking brush that again doesn't shed... though the dye does seem to come out of it when I wash it, which is a bit odd.
Oh, how I love this brush! It's like the multitasker of the kit! Now in an ideal world I would use this to apply my foundation everyday as it gives an amazing finish.... however I have combination skin which is dry in areas, such as around my nose, which means when I use this it kind of exfoliates the skin making the dry parts more noticeable and also making my foundation cling to them areas. Though I do use it when I've really exfoliated my skin with my Botanics brush and it looks lovely... so it is hit and miss for me, but if you don't have dry skin then this will work perfectly for you. So seeing as I don't use it to apply foundation with most of time, I use it to apply highlighter to the top of my cheeks or I use it will a mousse bronzer or a cream blush. Just a really good multi-tasking brush that again doesn't shed... though the dye does seem to come out of it when I wash it, which is a bit odd.
Overall
I should first mention the faux leather purse/wrap that all the brushes come in as it is really good quality for the price and it pretty handy! It holds all the brushes except for the free Duo Fibre brush but it does have a zip compartment for extras, such as an extra brush and some cotton buds or eyelash curlers etc. It also has a flap that protects the brushes which is a nice touch and a magnetic close with is handy for keeping it all together.. just an all round nice brush wrap really.
As for the set as a whole it really is great and amazing for the money as you do get a wide range of pretty versatile brushes. The brushes also feel really well made and pretty indestructible with minimal shedding. This set would be equally suited to someone that is only just getting into makeup or for someone that already has quite a few brushes.
I'm now quite tempted to purchase the Premium Travel Kit (here) which contains four eye brushes and three face brushes but I do have quite a large collection of brushes already so I may just have to wait and ask Father Christmas for the set!
PS. Enter 'GLOW2011' at the checkout up until August 31st to receive 10% off... no affiliate link here, just found it though Google. Plus you will also receive a free gift if you spend over $30... okay I'm actually going to have to buy the Premium Travel Kit now it seems!
