Sigma synthetic kabuki kit

A most fantastic St. Valentine day EVER and some very quick pics:-) My dream brushes came through the post yesterday and I picked they up today and we are in love ever since :-) The kit contains 4 long-handle kabuki brushes, for high definition makeup application - flat kabuki F80, round kabuki F82, angled kabuki F84 and tapered kabuki F86. I knew they were fantastic based on raving review all over YouTube, but I was a bit hesitant to order them via the Sigma site, as the shipment is expensive and it takes a long time.

Luckily, http://www.beautybyelke.be/ sells these super soft and unbelievably dense brushes and I made the decision one day to finally get them. They cost 65 EUR + shipment cca 5 EUR. I also got a free blending brush (not pictured). Excellent service by Elke, who replied quickly to my e-mails, I absolutely recommed ordering via this site (my eyes are on Sleek makeup, Z-palette, false lashes and WetnWild....)

 

Starter Kit Brush Set

Another irresistible purchase, 10 EUR, 3 brushes, a powder brush, a foundation brush and a concealer brush. TK Max, Bonn.

 

 

 

 

i on Beauty Complexion brush set

Just a quick post today. Not that I needed any more brushes, but this was a now or never buy - 10 EUR for 5 brushes, all of them really good quality. Purchased at TK MAX in Bonn.

 

 

All synthetic bristles, the kit contains an angled powder brush, a foundation brush, a blending brush, a concealer brush and a small angled eyeliner brush. If you see this kit, snap it up :) I binned the last brush in the kit, the brow comb - I just never know how to use it!

My second E.L.F. order

 

 

Long story short - I did not like the brushes when I first saw them, but I am completely in love with both of them now. Kabuki brush 5,80 EUR, blush brush 4 EUR. Absolutely recommend buying them both. Kabuki one is super soft and ideal for applying loose powder and the blush brush is cut and shaped to apply your blush in a perfect way. Absolutely recommend buying them both!

Gosh eyeshadow brush

This is my very first Gosh eyeshadow brush and I absolutely adore it! It cost me only 3,50 EUR at Kruidvat, they were on sale for some strange reason...Anyway, the natural short, incredibly soft bristles make it super easy for any eyeshadow to blend and because I have small eyes, it is very well shaped for me. Love!

 

New Sigmax brushes and kits

I may own plenty of brushes, but there is always room for more :-) Sigma brushes are great, Im definitely interested! Synthetic precision kit costs 49 USD.

Essence blush brush

It was the hot pink colour of the fibers that made me buy this brush, plus I did not own a slanted flat blush brush - but then, any excuse is good enough for me to get something new :-), it costs 1,99 EUR. The fibers are obviously synthetic and rather stiff (but flexible enough) and I find that they do not pick up the powder blush too much (I used Catrice multi colour blush), not a lot at all, actually. Which might be a good thing, especially if you tend to place too much blush on your cheeks.

The slanted flat head makes the application fast - a one-sweep-motion and you are done. That means that blending your blush will not be so easy as the fibers glide on the skin without really working the product into the makeup. So I still prefer my Essence of beauty blush brush (of the travel kit) and Sigma blush brush and I do not see that changing any time soon. 'Nuff said! (still very cute colour, though)

 

 

 

 

 

Réserve Naturelle brushes

I am very impressed with my Réserve Naturelle concealer brush, so I decided to buy some more. They are of very good quality and the price is super too - a lip brush costs 3,90 EUR and an eyeshadows brush is 2,95 EUR, I absolutely recommend them both (synthetic bristles, easy to wash, excellent for creamy textures).

 

Sigma Beauty - Dry'n Shape System

I received this to my mail box today via a newsletter. Now, I am very familiar with the Brush Guard, I have been using it for almost a year and I have no complaints :-). Sigma Beauty has come with a new system how to dry and shape your brushes more efficiently, or so they claim. The price is 29 USD and it seems that is does a perfect job for any relatively LARGE face brush (including kabuki). At the moment I am a little bit hesitant to believe that it does dry the brushes within the promised 4 - 6 hour period, but who knows, maybe there is some air circulation that I am not aware about :-) Either way, I thought it was very well worth sharing!

Essence smokey eyes brush

It is not like I needed another brush, but I just wanted to see how good it is :)...and it was not expensive, 2,49 EUR (Kruidvat). I was hoping I could use it as a pencil brush and for the crease, as I had only two so far.

On the plus side, it does not have an overt cheapo feel. However, the synthetic bristles are not too dense and definitely not stiff, making it a soft - almost a blending - brush...if you have a lot of lid space, you could equally use it for your crease. I like to use it a smudging brush for the upper and lower eyeliner. As it is definited as a smokey eyes brush, the application is not precise, but it is alright for blending and smudging. As for the crease, I definitely prefer my Sigma pencil brush and T.LeClerc no 9.  Overall, I see this brush as a back-up, not essential, but nice to have, you know, just in case. :)

Wishlist - Sigma synthetic face kit

I have heard only absolutely raving reports about this kit, and trust me, I have seen hundreads of YouTube videos, all saying the same thing: a wonderful brush set. Though I already have a nice collection of brushes (guilty!), one day I will order them all :-) Boozyshop is actually kind enough to have these on offer for 45,95 EUR, together with Beautybyelke for 45 EUR...(the original US price is 42 USD, however, with the packaging charges, it works out cheaper to buy them via European sites.)

The kit contains three super dense face brushes - flat top kabuki, round top kabuki and angled top kabuki.
Sigma:
Introducing the new Sigmax brush line for high definition, flawless makeup application. The brushes in this collection feature exclusive Sigmax filament, specially designed to apply powder and liquid products without absorption into the fibers. The shape, density and height of the filaments were carefully engineered to perfectly buff products onto the skin, resulting in a high definition effect.

My blush brushes

Now that we know how important blush is for our makeup :-), let's look at some blush brushes:

Top is is of course my beloved Sigma duo fibre brush, that has a wide range of usage, for powders or liquids. I prefer to use it for bronzers and blushes, it is super soft and it applies the product in thin, buildable layers.

Second from the top is the original blush brush by Sigma, again nice soft fibres. It's shape enables precise application.

Third brush is by HEMA, I already posted an article saying that some of HEMA brushes a bit harsh to your skin (as it is the case in this instance)...but hey, if you do not want to invest a lot, here is your pick!

The last and the smallest brush is my week-day morning favourite (Essence of beauty), fantastic for precise application and it was a complete bargain! (in a kit, via e-bay)

Eyeliner brushes

Once you see the difference the eyeliner makes, you will never go back to a simple eye makeup, or at least that is what happened to me :-). So here are my eyeliner brushes:

1. Essence brush, it came together with gel eyeliner, a super little brush that I use a lot
2. L'Oreal HIP, again it was packed together with the gel eyeliner, but definitely NOT my favourite brush.
3. Yet another freebie, Maybelline brush that I highly recommend
4. HEMA angled brush, perfect for eyeshadow eyeliner, I also use it to set my gel eyeliner
5. Hm, a no name brush actually meant for nails, but it works also for eyeliners, not too well though
6. Sigma eyeliner brush, it is pretty thick and if you have big eyes, it will be perfect for you
7. Sigma angled eyeliner brush, a fantastic brush that I also frequently use
8. AND THE WINNER IIIIIIIIIS: Sonia Kashuk bent eyeliner brush, it makes applying the gel    eyeliner an absolute piece of cake :-) Good news, I saw bent eyeliner brushes at Inno Galeria!

Wishlist - Sigma Make me blush brush set

Pink overkill :-) Surely, a girl can never have too many brushes...These cuties (12 face and eyebrushes) are available via Boozyshop for 99,99 EUR.

HEMA makeup brushes - mixed feelings

When I ventured out to build up my collection buying any brush left and right, I also purchased these HEMA brushes. They are inexpensive so I guess you get what you pay for but once I tried SIGMA brushes, I will never go back to these.

The bristles feel a bit harsh on the skin, they never reshaped  fully into its original form after washing and became frizzy. Their shape makes the powder/blush/bronzer application imprecise. The short handle brush broke within a couple of hours after I bought it, I glued it back on and now only use it as a back up brush in my office makeup kit.

Favourite brushes list

You do not have to search long and hard if you want to start building up your brush collection - that is once you know where to get what. I bought my starter brushes at a pharmacy (yes, a pharmacy at Merode, on the same side as EXKI, T.LeClerc brand) HEMA and Réserve Naturelle. (RV)
Here are my favs:

T.LeClerc is a luxurious brand: both price and quality of these are high (cca 20 EUR/brush)
1)eyeliner brush
2) eyeliner and eyebrow brush
3) crease brush
4) concealer brush
I love all of these, but with time I found cheaper alternatives. Quality is superior in these, though.

Furthermore, any of these brushes will be invaluable in your collection:
ESSENCE (Kruidvat)
5) gel eyeliner brush, came in the package with the eyeliner itself. Actually a very good brush. (4 EUR)

MAYBELLINE (Di, Kruidvat)
6) gel eyeliner brush, again come together with the eyeliner, price at Di 12,99 EUR. Also a very good brush.

HEMA (price ratio between 2 - 10 EUR)
7) small angle brush - I only use it to define my brows with an eyeshadow
8) eye shading brush, good quality
9) fluffy blending brush, works best if you have a lot of eyelid space
10) flat shading brush, your best buy for eyemakeup in HEMA
11) foundation brush - super soft bristles make the job of applying foundation really easy

Choose your tools carefully

Makeup brushes are my relatively recent obsession. I used to apply my whole eye makeup with the trusty sponge applicator, until I discovered the beauty universe of YouTube channels and the battle of the THE BRUSHES (MAC vs Sigma).

After meticulous research and a couple of sleepless nights, I decided to order my complete brush kit with a brush roll on http://www.sigmabeauty.com/, in pink, (currently only available in black, 99 $). Yes, they arrived and we are in love ever since! I am currently eyeing their new collection, Make me…did you see the amazing containers they are in?

Once you invest in your brushes, you want to make sure they stay in shape for as long as possible. Through the video posted by Michelle Phan, I found THE BRUSH GUARD - a very cheap (5,50 $ for a package) and innovative way to dry your brushes vertically (head down). I ordered directly on (http://www.thebrushguard.com/), but you can also do it via Boozyshop.

Before I splashed out on Sigma, I tried to build up my collection with anything I could put my hands on: H&M (reasonable quality foundation brush), Nature's Reserve (very handy eye brushes) and I recently saw they offer a variety of makeup brushes and tools at Ici Paris.