I have had this kit for almost 6 months now, and it's taken this long for me to fully test out the various ways to use these brushes. Some I like, some I don't. Click the jump to see what I thought of each brush and this kit overall!
*Disclaimer: I bought this kit myself, and am in no way affiliated with Sigma
A view of the back of the box - this kit costs $75USD from Sigma's official website and is advertised for detailed eyework (what Sigma calls "advanced makeup artistry"), though bloggers frequently recommend it for those of us with asian or small eyes as well since the brushes are smaller than standard.
Firstly, the E11, a VERY fine eye liner brush.
I'm realizing I should have put something next to this for size comparison, but the brush is tiny tiny thin! This will get you the thinnest and most exact line possible, and can also be used to tightline and get in between all your lashes. Only downside is if you like a very thick cat liner, it will take a long time to build up the thickness! But alas that is not the purpose of this brush... This is by far my favorite of this kit!
E21 - Smudge brush. This brush works very well to smudge out pencil liners, and is thin enough to be able to smudge out a soft wing as well. Despite it working well, it feels harsh near my lashline. Overall, though I do use this regularly, I'm not in love with it. When I found a smudge brush that works as well as this AND is soft I will definitely post a review.
E17 - Waterline liner. I have quite watery eyes, and generally pencil liners don't stay on my waterline at all. This pencil seemed like a good idea as it can allow me to put gel liners and the like on my waterline. Unfortunately this brush is super stiff and feels very harsh, especially on the waterline which is already a more sensitive area. In the end, not worth the pain...
E16 - Tightline liner. I love tightlining, as it's perfect for natural look that also gives the eyes definition and makes the lashes look thicker. However, I do not love this brush for doing tightlining. This brush is long, and the stiffness is way off for working in the delicate lash area. It felt harsh, but also because the bristles are so long, the brush bends easily and thus is not easy to maneuver and push liner into the root of the lashes.
E46 - Inner Corner Shader. This brush is the perfect size and shape to get into the inner corner alright...but I don't like the flat profile which doesn't allow me to blend with this brush. So I can use it to deposit the pigment/eyeshadow, then need to blend with something else (same issue with E56 below). What this brush actually does VERY well at, is applying lipstick! Yes it's a eyeshadow brush, so what. The way the bristles are so flat with the relatively soft but stiff properties, actually make it a very good lip brush. The flat/sharp profile allows accurate laying down of pigment and can even line the lips. The flat part can also fill the in the lips fast, whereas some sharp but very thin lip brushes can take a long time to fill in the lips.
Oops 2 brushes in one photo =P
Top: E56 - Lid shader. This brush is very flat, and although soft, it doesn't pick up a lot of product. It can build up product, but I have many other shader brushes that can work way faster than this. It also can only pack on color, since its flat profile does not allow for much blending
Bottom: E36 - Blending brush. This one is very soft! Though the brush hairs feel a bit sparse... Again, sorry for not putting up a size comparison, but this brush is quite small... nice for blending a small area, but not good at all if you want to blend a larger area.
E47 - Crease Shader. I have the same issues with this brush as with the E36. Yes it can deposit color into the crease, but it doesn't blend because the brush hairs are so darn sparse and the brush is so darn small... I much prefer Sigma's E35 - tapered blending brush, which allows the "windshield wiper" motion to quickly deposit and blend the crease when in a hurry (I know, the MUA rule is not to blend with the same brush you used to apply... but hey, getting any makeup on in the AM with a toddler around is a challenge, so I like multitasking tools!).
Overall Impression:
I actually regret buying this. As you see from the individual reviews, the only brushes I'm happy with is the E11 (the thin eyeliner), the E46 (used as a lip brush), and the E21 (smudge brush that works well but doesn't feel great). As for the the rest, there are way better brushes out there (including from Sigma) that will do a better job and feel better on your eyes.
I know some people do love this kit though. Let me know what your experience with this set was if you also have it, or if you have been using the brushes in different ways, share with me as I love to learn!
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