Yes yes, we have all heard about Sigma brushes. MANY gurus on youtube have been reviewing them!
I bought their brush roll recently since I had been storing mine in a plastic baggie (yeah, I know... horrible...). I was looking for a brush roll made out of fake leather so that i could clean it, since i have a bad habit of putting brushes away uncleaned. Together with the brush roll, I also bought their SS 239 and 224 brush.
If you haven't heard about Sigma brushes, their numbers correspond to the MAC brushes. For example, the SS239 is supposed to be a dupe of the MAC 239, and so on. Sigma has a good collection of face and eye brushes on their website.
The Sigma brush roll can also be bought with their brush collection, but I really didn't need to buy so many brushes. The nice part is that it currently comes with their travel sized SS217 brush, which is not available in full size.
Here is the brush roll. The fake leather is thick and not flimsy at all.
Here it is, opened. There is a good number of slots for your brushes.
It closes with a magnetic clasp.
Price: $20
Verdict: I am quite happy with my purchase!
Now, on to the brushes. I'm only going to review the SS239 and the SS217, since these are the two that I can compare to MAC brushes. If you would like a review of the SS224, please let me know!
Here is the SS239 and the SS224.
Here is the SS239 and the SS224.
MAC 239 vs SS239
The SS239 looks a lot different from the MAC 239, even at a first glance since the color of the hairs are different. I found that using a white brush reminds me to clean up more, but I'm glad that I don't have to worry about the SS239 staining!
Here is a side by side comparison.
The SS239 is significantly bigger than the MAC 239. I have seen other bloggers mention that the SS239 is too big for their lids and therefore they can only use them for highlighting. Personally, I like the size since I can cover a larger area at once.
A little hard to see, but the SS239 is also thicker than the MAC 239.
Price: $9
Verdict: This is not an exact dupe of the MAC239, but it serves the same purpose as long as you are OK with the bigger size. I use the two brushes for different things, and I'm glad that I bought a different brush instead of buying two MAC 239s.
MAC 217 vs SS217
Since the SS217 is a travel size, it is significantly shorter, but the handle thick enough to hold comfortably.
Left: SS217, Right: MAC 217
You can see clearly that the MAC 217 is more tapered.
Price: Not available for individual sale
Verdict: The Sigma brush is thinner than the MAC brush. I find it hard to blend with this brush.
Now, for the rant...
You can see that for the most part, I was pretty happy with my purchase... except for one thing...
Let's take a closer look at the SS239 that I have...
Do you see it?
Um, yeah, there's a fingerprint smudge in silver ink on the handle.
Trust me, this is NOT mine, since there is NO silver ink anywhere in my house. It is the same color as the writing on the handles.
I wonder what I should do about it?? It's a bit creepy, and bummed me out on what was otherwise a good shopping experience!
*Note: Since writing this post, I have contacted Sigma and been asked to send back the brush for a replacement. I'll update on how that went! I'm considering buying the travel set in Black, so I hope this transaction goes well!
xoxo, K
