From left to right: Sigma, E.L.F. , Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman and M.A.C.
Hey hey dolls how are you all? I know I have not been around for a while but I am back and with an awesome post. On the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales I decided it is the perfecrt moment to expand my poor make up brushes collection that up till then consisted of M.A.C. and invest in some staple brushes of different brands that I have heard so much about.
The first brand I wanted to try for ages but I found it a bit expensive was Sigma. Therefore they were the first brushes I purchased on my make up brush buying spree. The brushes I had my eye on were: the pencil brush, the waterline brush, the tightline brush, the smudge brush, the crease shader brush and the small shader brush. The first thing I noticed about them is the similar appearance to the M.A.C. brushes. Black and silver, however, they are obviously smaller and shorter. Apart from that they are similar. They are not very dense, on the contrary they are quite soft and smooth. I absolutely loved them all except the crease shader one. The reason I did not particularly like this brush is the fact that it is not dense at all which makes it very difficult for me to apply any eyeshadow on the crease. The tightline and waterline ones are pretty amazing and I am in love with them. They are dense enough to make the creation of a line an easy peasy task. Because of that I even use the waterline one instead of eyeliner and create a winged eye line. With that said I really like the Sigma brushes and i believe it is something worth investing in because the quality is lovely.
The next brushes I was really looking forward to try were the collection of Samantha Chapman for Real Techniques. I have watched videos on youtube where people were raving about them and it really intrigued me to try them on. The ones I picked are: the face expert brush, the blush brush and the stippling brush. One thing i can say about these brushes: AMAZING. I have to admit those are my favorite brushes so far. They are all quite thick and firm in lovely colors. They are very dense but not too dense which makes them perfect for applying products, especially liquid foundation and make up. The face expert brush is perfect for liquid products because its shape and short hair make it easier to fit in all the hollows and sockets of the face and apply the product there in a couple of minutes. It also helps blending the product in the face with minimum effort creating a flawless outcome. For the exact same reasons, the stippling brush is a very good alternative to the expert face brush for applying liquid products. Nevertheless I adore both brushes and I like to use one for make up and one for foundation. The blush brush is lovely as its pointy shape is great not only for applying blush but mostly for contouring the face, as it fits perfectly in the hollows of the cheeks. All three brushes are so soft and you can feel there was a lot of thought put in the making of them. They definately worth having them in your collection.
E.L.F is a brand I always thought it has low quality products for some reason, however, after some research I found out that their make up brushes receive many positive reviews. Combining that with the low price I thought I should give it a try. Therefore I got the powder brush, the angled eyeliner brush, the small smudge brush, the angled foundation brush and eyebrow brush and combo. These brushes were a pleasant surprise as they were better quality than I expected. They are quite dense and soft. The powder brush is extremelly dense which makes it easy to apply pressed powder but a bit difficult for loose powder. The eyebrow combo brush is lovely for grooming my eyebrows and the small smudge brush is the right size to create a smudgy/smokey eye look. The angled eyeliner brush has made the diffcult and frustrationg eyeliner process much more easier and fun. Lastly the angled foundation brush was a big disappointment as the reason for getting it was to use it as a contouring brush bc of its angled shape, but the actual brush is extremelly thin which makes it more appropriate for creating a line than contouring the face. Because of its density it is indeed right for applying foundation which is its actual purpose but not right for my purpose. In all E.L.F studio make up brushes are very well made and do not really luck in quality, which taking into consideration of their price makes them a great alternative to all the higher priced make up brushes mentioned above.
Lastly I would like to mention M.A.C. to conclude the comparison of all the make up brushes I own. My M.A.C. brushes were not purchased on Black Friday, as a matter of fact they are my very first - and till recently my only- brushes. I am not gonna go in great extent about them as they are quite similar to the Sigma ones; they are well designed, good quality, not very dense but dense enough, soft and easy to apply all the relative products. The biggest disadvantage of those brushes though, is the fact that they fall off. Sometimes while I use them and sometimes during the cleaning proccess, M.A.C. make up brushes fall off. Not all of them but mostly the face ones like the blush and duo fibre brushes. This is quite upsetting as these brushes are very expensive and supposed to be professional. Although I love M.A.C. cosmetics, I can not say I am also loving their brushes for their high prices.
In total all those brands have lovely make up brushes and the main basic difference is the price. If you can't afford to spurge on your makeup tools E.L.F is an amazing alternative with quite a large variety for every purpose. However, if you have a few extra bucks and you wish to invest in some good quality, higher price brushes then Real Techniques or Sigma would be my personal suggestion.special Real Techniques-they are simple fantastic. M.A.C. is not that bad either but for that price I would go for the previous two brands mentioned. Bottomline it all goes back to your purpose and budget. I hope this review is a bit helpful to all you lovelies outhere who,like me, are looking for some staple brushes to add or even start their collection with. I would love to hear your experience with those brands or any other brands you have tried and absolutely love or even hate!
Till next time take care dolls ;) xxx
Vicky
|
