Sigma E25 Blending Brush Review

Recently, Obsessed Canada asked me if I would like to review a Sigma brush, and if so, which I would like to review, and I immediately gravitated to the E25 Sigma Beauty Blending Brush because it reminded me of my favorite eyeshadow brush of all time - the Mac 217. (Do excuse the state of my 217 in the pic below.. It's a well-loved brush as you can see!)

Left: Sigma E25, Right: Mac 217

As I used the E25 I discovered that it's slightly different from the Mac 217 - not worse, not better, just different. The E25 is a lot flatter in shape than the 217, which is more oval all-around. This has its pros and cons. Pro: you can use it to pick up more shadow and place it all over the lid more efficiently. Con: it loses the ability to be as precise as the 217. Also, the E25 is denser than the 217, so you have to work a little harder to soften those edges.

The main reason I would advise picking up a Sigma E25 is the price point - $18, versus $25 at Mac. Sigma is a really reliable makeup brush brand, and they're my second-favorite right next to Mac. Whenever I feel like I need a certain brush but don't want to dent the wallet too much, I turn to Sigma! The brushes are sturdy and well-made. As a piece of advice, I would recommend the white bristled brushes over the black bristles, as the black bristled ones do tend to shed a little bit, but generally Sigma is a great mid-end brand for makeup brushes. Though more expensive than Elf they're higher in quality, but lower in price and comparable in quality to Mac.

Overall the E25 is a really nice addition to my brush collection. After all, you can never have too many eyeshadow brushes!

Cyber Monday at Sigma

Hey everyone! I'm in the middle of exam-time craziness AND moving craziness, so blogging will be infrequent for the next month. BUT I'm definitely going to post the second half of my Christmas wishlist! This time it'll include non-beauty goodness :)

For now I just wanted to share some information about the Sigma Cyber Monday sale happening on December 2nd. They're offering 20% select items using the code CM2013. Here's a list of what your savings might look like (the sale prices are in brackets)!

Brushes

• E11: $12 ($9.60)
• E16: $12 ($9.60)
• E17: $12 ($9.60)
• E21: $12 ($9.60)
• E36: $12 ($9.60)
• E46: $12 ($9.60)
• E47: $12 ($9.60)
• E56: $12 ($9.60)
• P80: $18 ($14.40)
• P82: $18 ($14.40)
• P84: $18 ($14.40)
• P86: $18 ($14.40)
• P88: $18 ($14.40)
• Basic Eyes Kit: $69 ($55.20)
• Make Me Crazy Essential & Travel (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)/$75 ($60)
• Make Me Cool & Travel (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)/$75 ($60)
• Make Me Blush & Travel (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)/$75 ($60)
• Mrs. Bunny Essential & Travel (with colored ferrule): $155 ($124)/$75 ($60)

Brush Care

• Spa Glove – Aqua/Pink/Purple/Black: $35 ($28.00)
• Dry’N Shape: $32 ($25.60)
• Classic Brush Roll: $17.60 ($14.08)

Makeup

• Dare Eye Shadow Palette: $29 ($23.50)
• Flare Eye Shadow Palette: $29 ($23.50)
• Paris Makeup Palette: $49 ($39.20)
• Individual Eye Shadows (all): $11 ($8.80)
•  Eye Shadow Bases Kits: $36 ($28.80)

Accessories

• Brow Tweezer: $11 ($8.80)
• Mirrors (all): $15 or $16.20 ($12.00 or $12.96)

My personal recommendations are the E11 or E17 - a good liner brush will seriously make you love gel liner, E47 - a really precise shadow brush can help add extra dimension to your eye makeup, P82 - the density of this brush would be perfect for cream shadow or bases, and the Mrs. Bunny Essential Kit - if you're new to makeup and building your brush collection, this is a great addition!

All the links in this post are affiliate links! You don't have to use them if you don't want to, but feel free - there is no extra charge/it does not change your order. Happy shopping!

EOTD ft. Pixi2Woo Tutorial

Hey guys! These photos have been sitting on my computer for a while now because I was hesitant about posting them. I don't think the photos are very good and I did this just for fun so it's not the cleanest makeup job ever. Anyway, I copied Tanya Burr's YouTube tutorial on "How To Look Gorgeous For a Night Out" because I thought this look was going to be relatively easy to achieve.

I like the idea of extending the eyeliner up into the crease, however I had difficulty gauging how close to the center of the eye I should bring the cut crease. Next time I'm going to bring it in a little more, and I'm going to try making it less tapered and more diffused.

I mostly used my Coastal Scents Smokey Palette for the purple tones (click here for my review), but my all-over lid color was Virgin from my Urban Decay Naked Palette. I used my ELF shader brush to pack on the color, but my Sigma tapered blending brush for blending. I cannot stress how amazing this brush is for blending! You can see my full review of it by clicking here.

Here is the tutorial I followed:

New Sigma Brushes and EOTD!

Hey everyone! I finally purchased the last two brushes I thought were missing from my brush collection: a dense kabuki for liquid foundation, and a tapered blending brush for eyeshadow. I was debating between which brush companies to buy from, so I did some research and finally settled on Sigma... Best. Decision. Ever.

I'm sure you all know tons about Sigma, but I want to quickly stress the quality of these brushes. I've shelled out $50+ on individual MAC brushes, and now I see how ridiculous that was. Sigma brushes are extremely comparable to my MAC brushes, and only a fraction of the cost.

F84 Angled Kabuki: This is a very dense angle kabuki brush that I use for liquid foundation. It applies makeup like a dream. Because the brush is so dense, the makeup won't seep in the bottom/brown part of the brush, making it easier to clean as well. I chose the angled kabuki as opposed to the round or flat top one because I thought it would be easier to manipulate around my face. I feel like the round or flat top one would be more suited for powders, but that's just my opinion. One thing to keep in mind about this brush is that it MUST be spot-cleaned in between washes, otherwise the foundation will dry onto the bristles and leave your makeup streaky.

E40 Tapered Blending: I have literally heard every beauty guru rave about this brush, and now I know why. It's the fluffiest brush I have ever owned and it makes blending SO easy. With a light hand, I gently swipe the edges of my eyeshadow a few times, and voila. All blended. I don't have to sit there for 5 minutes trying to smoke out my eyeshadow anymore. A few swipes with this brush and the job is done.

I apologize for not getting better pictures lol but as you can see, it blends all my dark shadows extremely well.

If you would like to purchase the brushes I talked about, I'm going to leave the links below. Again, I can't recommend these brushes enough!

Angled Kabuki Brush: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Sigma_Angled_Top_Synthetic_Kabuki_F84_p/f84.htm?Click=326250

Tapered Blending Brush: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/product_p/e40.htm?Click=326250

Or if you just want to browse their website: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=326250

Also, from now until October 31st, Sigma is giving purchases of $30+ this exclusive gift: their brow powder in the shade Scarlett. If you were eyeing their brow design kit, this is a great way to sample it.

Let me know what you guys think of Sigma brushes in the comments below! Would you be interested in trying them out?