Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Hello ladies! As promised I’m going to present to you the perfect dupe for well-known and loved Sigma Flat Kabuki F80 brush. I have to say, it is just unbelievable how the dupe and original are soooo similar. Since I only have Sigma F80 brush and not the whole Sigmax Essentials kit I’m going to compare just the equivalent to this brush (from www.lightinthebox.com website). However I think the comparison can be extended to other brushes as they perform the same way as the main dupe.

Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Price: I bought the set of 8 brushes, as you can see on the picture, but they are also sold in bigger quantity (for example 10 pcs) or individually. The price for 8 brushes is 8,16€, the set of 10 costs 15,46€ The Sigma set of 10 brushes (Sigmax Essential kit) costs 168$ (currently 132,50€). Individually, F80 with copper-like handle costs 28$ (currently 22,19€), the dupe only 6,01€. Obviously you get the idea why am I so excited that I discovered this dupe and you can surely guess how much profit Sigma makes from selling the Sigmax Essentials set…

Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Pro High Quality 8 PCs Synthetic Hair Golden Makeup Brush Set

Handle: the size of the handle of both brushes is absolutely the same, so is the material. The dupe has the same engraving (on the metal part) as the original, only the colour of metal part is different (but Sigma sells this brush in the similar copper-like colour too). The weight of both brushes is the same. The only problem I had with the dupe is that the part of the handle glued off and I had to stick it back together with a glue. The factory that produces these brushes uses probably cheaper glue than the factory producing Sigma brushes (or it is even the same factory, who knows where the true is). For me, it wasn’t a tragedy, I just glued it back together and it works great.

Sigma F80 Flat Kabiku brush (left) and Flat Kabuki brush from Lightinthebox.com

Bristles: both brushes are very soft, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if I close my eyes. As you can see on the picture, the Sigma brush is slightly denser than the dupe which at the end plays to its advantage. It doesn’t soak in as much product as Sigma brush does and therefore I can get more uses out of it before washing it. I usually use Sigma for 3-4 times and then I have to wash it, with this dupe I can go even up to 7 uses (depends on foundation texture). If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin or you work on somebody else, clean your brushes after every use. None of the brushes shed when I washed them (many times already). The colour of bristles is slightly different but that doesn’t matter when I use them.

Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki brush (left) and Flat Kabuki brush from Lightinthebox.com

Final verdict: I love all 8 brushes that are in this set, I use them every day for liquid or cream products. I think that I found the perfect dupe for F80 and I’m sure that if I ever have to buy any brushes like those in Sigma Sigmax Essential set I rather go to www.lightinthebox.com and save a lot of money.

Back to basic: eye makeup brushes

Let’s continue today with back to basic brush edition focusing on eye brushes. The good news is you don’t need many types of brushes as one may think but it is still few more than number of brushes for your face.

(from left) Sigma Large shader brush n.E60, Sigma Blending brush n.E25, E.L.F. cosmetics Essentials Blending brush, Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush, Sedona Lace Angled detail brush n.EB23 and Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush

Flat shading brush: everybody needs to have flat brush to apply colour on the lid. It can be large as the one on the picture which makes the application quicker (if you apply only one colour) or it can be smaller in which case it is very useful when you want to apply more colours. It should be made of natural hair as it is more recommended for powder eyeshadows but good synthetic bristles brush is also usable.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sigma Large shader brush n.E60 (on the picture, you can buy at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,16$) 
• Sigma Eye shading brush n.E55 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Real techniques Base shadow brush (at http://www.iherb.com/, part of the Your eyes/Enhanced starter set) 
• MakeUp Atelier Paris brush n.12 (in Makeup Atelier Paris shop, 20€) 
• E.L.F cosmetics Essentials Eyeshadow brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,1€) 
• Sedona Lace Large shader brush n.941 (at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 13,95$).

Sigma Large shader brush n.E60

Sigma Large shader brush n.E60

Small flat shading brush: very useful for précised work like highlighting inner part of the eye or under the eyebrow, or applying colour on the lower lid under the lash line. I always keep two of them, one for highlighting and one for lower lash line (where I use darker colour).

Brushes I recommend:

• Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush (on the picture, you can buy them at http://www.lightinthebox.com/, 3,86€ for set of 5) 
• E.L.F cosmetics Essentials Smudge brush C (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,1€) 
• Sigma Short shader brush n.E20 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Mac cosmetics Short shader brush n.214 (at http://www.maccosmetics.be/ or in MAC store, 27€)

Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush

Beauty Makeup cosmetic eye brush

Blending brush: this brush is absolutely crucial for achieving nice eye make-up. If you don’t blend properly your eyeshadows it will look messy and trashy, no matter what expensive make-up you use. After each eyeshadow application always blend the edges of the colour. Moreover, blending is a must for the eyeshadows in the crease, at the outer corner of the eye or under the eyebrow.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sigma Blending brush n.E25 (on the picture, you can buy at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Mac cosmetics Blending brush n.211 (at http://www.maccosmetics.be/ or in MAC store, 22€), it is the mother of all the blending brushes, all the companies basically copied it
• Bdellium brush n.776 (at http://www.iherb.com/, 7,65$) 
• Sedona Universal blender brush n.EB09 (at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 13,95$).

Sigma Blending brush n.E25

Sigma Blending brush n.E25

Small crease brush: I use this brush to apply darker colour in the outer corner of the eye and to lightly blend it into the crease. It is great to deposit colour on the précised spot where you want it even better if it fits perfectly on the spot at the outer part of the eye where the lid meets the crease.

Brushes I recommend:

• E.L.F cosmetics Essentials Blending brush (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,1€) 
• Real techniques Domed brush (at http://www.iherb.com/, part of the on location travel essentials set) 
• Sigma Exact blend brush n.E32 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• Bdellium Studio line Crease brush n.781 (at http://www.iherb.com/, 8,93$)

E.L.F. cosmetics Essentials Blending brush

E.L.F. cosmetics Essentials Blending brush

Angled brush: this brush has quite a lot of uses; you can use it to apply gel eyeliner on the upper lash line, an eyeshadow on the lower lash line and to apply brow powder or gel. I use it every day to apply eyebrow powder and cannot imagine my brow makeup application without it.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sedona Lace Angled detail brush n.EB23 (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 13,95$)
• Sigma Small angle brush n.E65 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$) 
• E.L.F cosmetics Studio Small angle brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,4€) 
• Bdellium Angle brow brush n.763 (at http://www.iherb.com/, 6,80$)

Sedona LAce Angled detail brush n.EB23

Sedona LAce Angled detail brush n.EB23

Brow and lash brush: it is as much used as angled brush as I comb my eyebrows with it every day and in case I put too much mascara, this brush can save the day. Just comb through the lashes and it will take off excess in no time.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush (on the picture, you can get it at Target,1,99$)
• Sigma Brow and lash brush n.E80 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,14$)
• E.L.F cosmetics Studio Set of 12 spoolies (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,4€)

Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush

Sonia Kashuk Spoolie brush

Hope you enjoyed, there will be one more back to basic about brushes next week and we are done (don’t forget to check the review of perfect dupe for Sigma F80 brush on Friday or Saturday).

Back to basic: face brushes

There are few brushes that every woman who use make-up should have. Today I would like to mention some face brushes and in the next post I address some must-have eye brushes.

Calvin Klein powder brush, Sedona Lace n.FB05 and Real Techniques Contour brush

Powder/bronzer brush: there are few brush shapes you can choose from, it always depends on personal preference. Lot of people prefer rounded brushes, I like to use flat ones. In any case, it should be made of natural hair or high quality synthetic hair. Good practice is to sweep the brush over the powder/bronzer, tap the excess off and lightly sweep it over the face, without pressing too much in order not to disrupt the foundation. To set the concealer I l like to use smaller brush that I will mention in this post as well.

Brushes I recommend:

• Calvin Klein powder brush (on the picture, you can get it sometimes on http://www.directcosmetics.com/ under 10€) 
• E.L.F cosmetics Studio powder brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/,4€) 
• Real Techniques Your base/Flawless powder brush (at http://www.iherb.com/, 9,99$) 
• MakeUp Atelier Paris brush n.P23 (in Makeup Atelier Paris shop, 29€) 
• MAC powder brush n.129SE (at http://www.maccosmetics.be/ or in MAC store, 40€)

Calvin Klein powder brush

Small powder/highlighter brush: I like using small brushes with natural bristles for précised work such as setting the concealer under the eyes or on the face, powdering just the T-zone or simply placing highlighter precisely where I want it (top of the cheekbones, on the nose, temples and above the upper lip). It is a lot easier to use small brush then the big powder brush and I really think it is a must.

Brushes I recommend:

• Real Techniques Contour brush (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.iherb.com/ as part of the Core collection set) 
• Real Techniques Your finish/Perfected setting brush (at http://www.iherb.com/, 8$) 
• E.L.F Blush brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/, 4€) 
• Sigma Tapered highlighter brush n.F35 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/,35$)

Real Techniques Contour brush

Blush/contour brush: here again it depends on personal preference if you choose rounded brush or kind of tampered angled brush. I like rounded brush better as it blends the product a lot better into the skin. If I turn it on the side I can do the contouring and them turn it back regular way of use and blend it.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sedona Lace n.FB05 brush (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.sedonalace.com/ , 13,56$)
• MAC brush n.109 (at http://www.maccosmetics.be/ or in MAC store, 34€) 
• Sigma Large contour brush n.F40 (at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/, 22$) 
• Bdellium Studio line Contour brush n.945 (at http://www.iherb.com/, 9,35$) 
• E.L.F Studio High Definition Powder brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/, 4€) 
• Sephora Blush Contour n.74 brush (at http://www.sephora.fr/, 26,95€)

Sedona Lace n.FB05

Optional brushes:

All the cream products can be applied with the fingers there is no need to buy a special brush for them. However I don’t always want to get “dirty” so I use some brushes for cream products as well.

Foundation brush: buy a brush with synthetic bristles for liquid/cream foundation or natural hair brush for powder foundation. They are usually call “kabuki” brushes and they are very dense to smooth and blend the foundation into the skin.

Brushes I recommend:

For liquid/cream foundations:

• Sigma Flat Kabuki F80 brush (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/, 24$, but don’t buy it yet as I discovered such a cheap dupe that you won’t believe, review coming already on Friday) 
• Sedona Lace Synthetic flat top brush n.928 and n.FB07 (at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 15,16$) 
• Bdellium brush n.957 (at http://www.iherb.com/ , 14,03$) 

Sigma Flat Kabuki F80 brush and Sigma concealer n.F70 brush

For powder foundations:

• Real Techniques Buffing brush (at http://www.iherb.com/, part of the Core collection set) 
• E.L.F Studio Powder and blush brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/, 4€) 
• E.L.F Studio Kabuki brush (at http://www.eyeslipsface.be/, 6€)

Concealer brush: either flat brush or small (micro) kabuki brush with synthetic bristles can be used to cover blemishes, to blend under the eye concealer or even to apply cream eyeshadows.

Brushes I recommend:

• Sigma Concealer brush n.F70 (on the picture, you can buy it at http://www.sigmabeauty.com/, 14$)
• Sedona Lace n.EB11 (at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 11,16$) 
• Sedona Lace Synthetic Small Angle n.773 (at http://www.sedonalace.com/, 13,56$)