Sigma E05, E55 and F25 brushes

Every once in a while I will invest in a couple of new brushes. A few months ago I decided it was time to up my make up tool stash and bought some new Sigma brushes. These aren’t my first brushes by this brand. I already own several face and eye brushes and I reviewed some of them in a post this past December. This time I opted for the tapered face (F25), eyeshadow (E55) and eyeliner (E05) brushes. I bought these from online Dutch beauty store TheMakeUpSpot since getting them directly from Sigma has gotten so expensive due to the fact that now you have to pay duty on top of shipping. As an added bonus I received a travel size E05 so I will be reviewing that brush in this set as well.

The brushes came in as part of a larger order I made at this website and were wrapped in simple plastic wrapper with the Sigma logo printed on it. I also received the usual leaflet that comes with any Sigma order. Like I said above, I was pleasantly surprised to find a free gift in the shape of a smaller sized E05 as part of my package. I had not expected and I’m not sure what entitled me to get it either. I’m guessing I had simply spent a certain amount of money on these brushes which made me eligible for the free gift. I also noticed that the prices of the brushes have gone up since I placed my order (yet again!). Sigma is becoming more and more expensive as we speak. I remember their eyeshadow brushes costing no more than 8 dollar. I now paid 11.50 euros for each and the website currently lists them as costing 12.99 euros. The face brushes used to be around 12 – 15 dollars when I placed my first order years ago. I now paid 25.95 euros for the face brush, which has now gone up to cost 29.95 euros. The question however is: are they worth the money?

The answer to that would be yes and I will attempt to explain that below.

Sigma eyeliner E05 travel size (pink) and full size (black) brushes

Unique Feature: Fine tipped and tapered Function: Create smooth and even lines Recommended Use: Use with gel or liquid liners.

First of all, there’s the E05 eyeliner brush. I already own an E10 but I wasn’t liking that any more and I wanted to try something else to use with gel eyeliner. My main issue with the E10 is that it doesn’t have a clear tip and the hairs got splayed after using it for years. The E05 caught my attention because it has a tip which I thought would be good for drawing finer lines but also thicker ones if so desired. What I look for in an eyeliner brush is control. My lids are uneven and fairly rounded. And I feel that with this brush I have that control. The bristles are dense and sturdy but have enough give to follow the contours of your eye shape. Of these two I actually prefer the travel size E05, because the handle is shorter and thus allows for a better grip in my small hands. But I’m glad I have two of these now as this way I’ll always have a clean brush to work with.

Sigma E55 eye shading brush

Unique Feature: Soft and dense bristles

Function: Even application of color

Recommended Use: Place color across the entire lid for an even and strong application of product.

Sigma F25 Tapered Face brush

Unique Feature: Large and tapered with a precise tip

Function: Exact product placement onto cheeks

Recommended Use: Apply powder, blush or contour shades onto the cheeks and temples. Tapered shape gives exact placement of product.

Bristle Type: Natural

Another Youtuber-enabled purchase! I saw this brush used by Alix from ICovetThee (if you’re not watching her vids yet, do it now!). Again, I do have face brushes but between the fact that I’ve had them for a while, they also serve a different purpose. I use my Sigma F80 flat kabuki brush to apply my MAC Prep + Prime transparant finishing powder, but I don’t like using that for powders that add color as it can make you like you’ve just applied a layer of pancake instead of make up. So I was using my ELF kabuki brush for those, but I found that hard to use in the areas around my nose and my under eye area. This brush works perfectly to lightly dust a layer of powder on your face to set your make up. Because of the tip it allows you to put the product there where you need it most: on & around your nose and underneath your eyes. The brush is dense enough to pick up product and fluffy enough to give even and non-cakey results. If you’re looking for a face brush that will evenly distribute your powder AND is handy to reach those difficult places, this is for you.

I’ve been using these brushes since January and I can attest to the fact that, just like my other Sigma brushes, these hold up a deep clean with baby shampoo just fine. They retain their shape and are easy to clean. I think that all three of these brushes are good basics to consider if you’re also looking for a set of make up tools that will last and give you the results you’re looking for. The brushes are soft and still more affordable than a MAC brush (similar MAC brushes to these retail for 22, 27 and 57 euros respectively). So to come back to the question I asked before: are these worth their ever increasing price tag? My answer to that is a definite yes, though I do feel that Sigma should watch out that their brushes don’t get too close to MAC prices as I feel they will lose their purpose. Fact remains that if you’re looking for medium priced, good quality brushes, Sigma is the brand you should look into.

Which Sigma brush is your favorite?