BIG iherb haul part 2

The second part of my order came today and I have to say I am so disappointed, one of the products I bought leaked over everything which I'm really bummed about but, and the cookies I bought (in part 3) were completely smashed, I will be emailing iherb to let them know,  anyway...on with the haul :)

1)  EcoTools, Deluxe Fan Brush   $5.82 (USD)    I've actually never been too fussed about getting a fan brush but when I saw ecotools was coming out with one I decided to try it, first thing I noticed was all these new ecotools brushes are so, so, so soft :)

2) EcoTools, Tapered Blush Brush   $5.99 (USD)   When I saw this on iherb it looked more like a angled contour kind of brush that's why I got it, but it's not. Still really nice I think it would be nice for blush and contouring still because of that tapered tip.

3) EcoTools, Domed Bronzer Brush   $8.50 (USD)  I've had my eye on this brush ever since I saw Laurenbeautyy use it in one of her older videos, it's so dense and soft, so glad I got it!

4)  EcoTools, Custom Coverage Buffing Brush  $5.75 (USD) First off this picture for some reason makes this brush look angled, I think I must have taken the picture from a weird position because it's not angled, it's a flat top brush. Anyway bought this because it looks like the Sigma F80 brush and thought it would be interesting to see how it compares to it. I am looking forward to try it, hopefully it works well because it would be a much cheaper alternative!

5) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Finish/Perfected, Setting Brush  $7.99 (USD)  This was a bit of an impulse buy, but I thought it would be useful for setting my under eye concealer. It's fluffy and slightly stiff  (not in a bad or uncomfortable way), interested in how it will perform.

6) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Base/Flawless, Foundation Brush  $7.99  (USD)
Again another bit of an impulse buy, I don't like these kinds of brushes for foundation (I will try it though) but I do like them for concealer and selected area foundation work (around the nose).

7) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Base/Flawless, Expert Face Brush  $8.99 (USD)
 I've seen this all over youtube especially, so I am really looking forward to trying this, it's very dense and it is a bit smaller than I thought but it should be fine :)

8) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Contour Brush  $17.99 (USD)  For this brush I'm thinking it would be good for contouring and highlighting, very soft like all of these brushes.

9)  Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Pointed Foundation Brush  $17.99 (USD) I think this is way too small for foundation, I would not have the patients to use this as a foundation brush it would take too long, BUT I think it's perfect for under the eyes, especially for someone like myself you has blueness/ darkness under the eyes that need to cover a bit of a larger area under the eyes.

10)  Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Detailer Brush   $17.99 (USD)   This again is very small, I think spot concealing or a lip brush.

11) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Buffing Brush   $17.99 (USD)  This brush I am looking forward to using the most out of this set, I think it might be similar to the Sigma F80, can't wait :)

12) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Base/Flawless, Powder Brush   $9.99 (USD)  It's big and so soft, I think this will be great for any face powders and blending out mistakes with blush or bronzer.

13) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Finish/Perfected, Blush Brush    $8.99 (USD)   This is so ridiculously soft I want to just want to bring it everywhere and stroke it on my face lol  or..... it will be great for blush and bronzer too ;)


14) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Finish/Perfected, Stippling Brush   $9.99   (USD)   I am very pleasantly surprised with this brush, it is very small but dense and very soft so I think this would work well for foundation, blush and highlighter.

15) J.R. Liggett's, Old-Fashioned Bar Shampoo, Damaged Hair Formula (99 g)  $4.55 (USD)    I bought 2 of these along with my other 3 that I have already, I am currently using this shampoo bar and I have to say I love it and I prefer it over normal shampoo.

16) EcoTools, EcoPouf Exfoliating Sponge   $1.70 (USD)   This was super cheap and I love the ecotools normal loofah (it's my favourite) so I wanted something even more exfoliating and again so cheap :)

17) Out of Africa, Organic Shea Butter, Raw, Wild Crafted  $12.24  (USD)  I love shea butter and I use it all the time so I wanted to buy another Nourish organic raw shea butter but they were out so I got this one cause it was raw too and a bit cheaper, hopefully it works as good.

18) Out of Africa, Organic Shea Butter Bar Soap, Apricot, 6 Pack (48 g) Each  $11.42 (USD)   I go through bar soap so fast, I thought I would try this scent because it came in a 6 pack, I didn't realise it was only 48g though......my bad.

19) Tierra Mia Organics, Baby Soap Bar, Raw Goat Milk Soap, 4.2 oz    $6.24 (USD)  I love the ingredients on this soap, specifically the raw goats milk so I want to give half to my brother to see if it helps his eczema, and my skin is very dry. A bit pricey though. 

20) Badger Company, Beauty Balm, Damascus Rose (28 g)   $12.60 (USD)   This is one of my favourite things I got, because it says it can help wrinkles so I bought this to use under my eyes because I have fine lines that really annoy me. Only bummer is it's gonna smell like rose and I do prefer no smell for products near my eyes but I'm hoping for the best.

21) Out of Africa, Pure Shea Butter Bar Soap, Unscented 105 g  $2.88 (USD)   I am liking this brand lately  and i am trying to find the best bar soap.

22) Madre Labs, Hand Cream with Argan Nut Oil, Unscented 71 g  $6.71 (USD)  I have very, very, very badly dry hands with dermatitis and nothing is controlling it anymore, it has gotten much worse on my finger they are all cut and sore. It's very frustrating so I am just looking for some kind of cream to help, I'm hoping this will help.

23) Elemental Herbs, All Good Goop, Handcrafted Healing Balm, 2 oz  $10.39 (USD)  This is a multitasking balm, kind of used for the same things people use paw paw ointment for; lips, burns, cuts, bites etc so I'm glad I found this and I hope it works well cause if it does it will come in handy :)

24) Dr. Mercola, Natural Sunscreen, with Green Tea, SPF 30 236 ml   $15.97 (USD)  It is more on the pricey side but I needed a natural sunscreen for me and my family and I trust Mercola products plus I know he would NOT have nano-particles in his sunscreens.

25) Dr. Mercola, Natural Aloe Vera 236 ml  $9.97 (USD)  I love aloe vera and it's great to have in this hot weather especially if you are going out in the sun! I'm excited to see how this aloe vera performs.

26) Larenim, Eye Color "Deja Vu" 1 g   $6.83 (USD)  This is a very cool toned, browny-grey from what I can tell. I will make sure to review and swatch the larenim eye colors once I've had a good use of them :)

27) Larenim, Eye Color "Devil's Food" 1 g  $6.83 (USD)  This is a very dark brown from what I can tell, I haven't swatches it yet but I will keep you posted on these.

28) DeVine, Lip Refresher, Vanilla Spritzer, 2 Pack (2 g Each)  $5.25 (USD)  I saw these by accident and I found them interesting  in that they have Resveratrol in them, that being said it's the second last ingredient in them and these 2 lip balms are equivalent  to 1 standard lip balm, so a bit pricey.

29) Mill Creek, Organic Lip Balm "Vanilla Honey" 4.2g   USDA organic   $1.79 (USD)  I know, I have a lip balm addicted, but it was cheap for usda organic. 

30) Thayers, Rose Petal Witch Hazel, with Aloe Vera Formula, Alcohol-Free Toner 355 ml  $7.96 (USD)   I have been trying to get this for ages but it goes out of stock so fast on iherb, I have a different toner without the rose from this brand and I like it but I think the rose will be better for my very dry skin.

31) Heritage Products, Rosewater & Glycerin, Atomizer Mist Sprayer 120 ml $4.84 (USD) I've heard some really great reviews for this if you have dry skin so I got it. This is culprit that leaked everywhere in the package which is disappointing cause it wasted a noticeable amount of the product and wet other things in there. It was in a plastic cover slip but it has opened so therefore wetting other products. The bottle is either cheap and weak or a dud cause I noticed the product was still leaking after making sure the cap is tight.




This is the first time with iherb that I've had a problem with the way they packaged my order (I think this is my 10th order from iherb), some things were loose without any kind of wrapper (some had wrappers and some didn't) which I thought was stupid and I will be emailing the company notifying them of what happened.

For anyone's first purchase at www.iherb.com you can use my referral code QUM327 to receive $5 off   an order under $40 and $10 off an order over $40.

If you use my code I do receive a small commission percentage of your orders.

Please comment on any specific products you would like me to make a review for in the near future :)

EcoTools 6 Piece Eye Brush Set Review

EcoTools makeup brushes are one of the softest brushes I have come across (much softer than sigma). Made from synthetic haired bristles which makes it cruelty fee, ferrules are made from recycled aluminum and bamboo handles.

Because the brushes bristles are made from synthetic hairs they can be used for cream, liquid, gel and powder products.

Brush Run Down: 

Blend Brush: This brush is like an oversized basic laying down eye brush with a pointed tip, but it is fluffy, not so much that it loses it shape but fluffy enough you can blend out harsh lines with it. I actually really love this brush, I use it all the time, my main use is I use it to set my under eye concealer, because it's on the bigger side it works great to cover a large area to set the concealer and because I like to pat my powder to set my concealer rather than swipe, this brush is perfect. It is fluffy and a little dense so you can use it to blend out colours a bit and it's great for highlighting your brow bone. Plus this brush is so soft like all the others in the set.


My Recommended Uses:
Setting concealer, highlighting the brow bone, blending out harsh eyeshadow lines, soft blending and placing colours in the crease with the tip, applying concealer, placing colours on the lid (not for small eyes)

Pros:
1. Very soft
2. Very versatile
3. Does many jobs well e.g setting concealer, blending etc
4. Slightly dense, so not flimsy
5.  Great quality


Cons:
1. Can't be used by everyone as a lid brush


Rating: 
10 out of 10

Crease Brush: This brush is pretty dense but very soft too. Great for applying colour to the crease and blending it out, wonderful shape for highlighting because of the angle, great for applying concealer, this brush blends really well. This brush again has so many uses and again great quality.

My Recommended Uses: blending out concealer, placing colour or blending out colour in the crease, applying colour to the lid, highlighting the brow bone, contouring your nose, highlighting your cupid's bow or top of your cheek bones


Pros: 
1. Soft and dense
2. Blends good
3. Versatile
4. Good size (not too small or big)
5. Great quality

Cons:
None!

Rating: 
10 out of 10

Highlight Brush: To me this brush is like a small crease brush, it is so soft, dense with a little bit of fluffiness. Wonderful brush this is, again so, so many uses, placing and blending out colour in the crease, love this for blending concealer under the eyes and blending out colour on the lower lash line. My new, and another one of may favourite uses for this brush is highlighting specifically the inner corner of the eye, it picks up a great amount of colour and blends it out great and is the perfect size and shape. There are too many uses for this brush that I love, dare I say you could do a whole eye look with just this brush, that's right I said it. At first I was a little bummed it wasn't a bit bigger and more fluffy BUT technically it is supposed to be a highlight brush, and I do really love it.


My Recommended Uses:
blending and placing colour in the crease, highlighting - inner corner of the eyes, cupid's bow, brow bone, contouring your nose, blending concealer especially under the eyes, putting colour on your lid, blending colour out on the lash line

Pros:
1. Soft and dense and a little fluffy
2. Good size for people with smaller eyes
3. Versatile
4. Great quality

Cons:
1. It doesn't completely replace a fluffy crease brush


Rating:
10 out of 10

Shade Brush: This is a petite brush that I personally like best for placing and blending colour on the lower lash line (you can also use it for the upper lash line). You can spot conceal with this brush  and highlight small areas like your cupids bow or the inner corner of your eye. It is soft and dense like the other brushes and is not scratchy so it's good for your lash line. I don't use this for a lot, not because it isn't good but I just prefer it for the lash line mostly.

My Recommended Uses: placing and blending on the lash line, small area/ selected area eyeshadow placement, can be used as a lip brush , small area highlighting, spot concealing and small area concealing

Pros:
1. Soft and dense enough
2. Can be used by any eye shape for the lash line 
3. Good quality
4. Blend small areas

Cons:
1. Can be a little small or some eye make-up needs

Rating:
8 out of 10

Smudge Brush: This is a very petite pencil brush, it's really soft, dense but still gives. I basically use this mostly for lash line work because of it's softness it works nice to place colour and blend on the lash line, I do wish it was just a touch bigger but still works great. This brush doesn't have as many uses as the other brushes but still good.

My Recommended Uses: Lash line colour placement and blending, spot concealing, filling in the eyebrows for a more natural look and you could also use this for your lips


Pros: 
1. Soft and not scratchy
2. Blends nicely

Cons:
1. Wish it was a tad bigger

Rating:
8 out of 10

PRICE

RRP: $19.95 AUD

Online: @ www.iherb.com  $7.22 USD

Of course it is considerably more expensive in Australia than America (surprise surprise), I did get mine at priceline because I was unaware at that time about www.iherb.com  if I had known I would have definitely brought it from www.iherb.com instead. For anyone interested in this I would recommend getting it from www.iherb.com  but not everyone wants to order online so then I would say wait for a special at priceline because they sometimes have 15% off ecotools, not that it's not worth $20 but why pay $20 when you could pay less?
 For anyone's first purchase at www.iherb.com you can use my referral code QUM327 to receive $5 off   an order under $40 or $10 off an order over $40.
If you use my code I do receive a small commission percentage of your orders.





I Recommended for: Beginners; A wonderful little eye kit to start off with, to practice with and once make-up skills are improved, it is still very useful. People in need of synthetic bristle brushes. Fans of other ecotools brushes. Anyone who wants to expand their eye brush set.




My only critic is that I do feel like this eye set isn't complete because I would have loved if ecotools included a fluffy blending brush for the crease, yes they did include a "crease brush" (angled brush) and although I really do love it and it is a wonderful brush I just don't think any eye brush set is complete without a fluffy blending brush. Another brush I think could be used in this kit is a basic laying down colour brush, yes their is a brush like that which is the "blend brush" but it is quite big so some people will not be able to use this brush to pack on eyeshadow onto the lid.
That said I really do love this set, at first when I got the set it really bothered me that those 2 brushes weren't included (keep in mind this was my first eye brush set) so I felt like I was lacking a brush I needed but in all honesty you can totally get away with the "crease brush" for blending or even the "blend brush"  or "highlight brush", I have come to appreciated the set more after letting go of me wanting a fluffy blending brush for this set.

My thoughts summed up

These brushes are such great quality and the more I have used them, the more I love them. I love how these brushes are so versatile  you  have so many different uses for each brush (especially the 3 biggest brushes). They don't take long to dry and the bristles dry great, they don't flare out or loose their shape, they basically look the same as when I first bought them.
BE CAREFUL when washing these brushes though because they are travel size the ferrule is so small, it is easy to accidental get water in it and on the brush so just take care when washing them. That said none of these brushes have ever shed (at least nothing I can remember) and they are easy to clean. Great to travel with or even put in your bag for touch ups. I absolutely recommend this,  I actually have grown to love it more and more. Overall a great little kit that can be put to good use because of the brushes versatility and great quality brushes. If I had to compare it to sigma I would say ecotools are much better quality.

My Sigma Brush Collection Review

I purchased these sigma brushes a bit over a year ago so I have tried them out a good amount now to know my feelings about each brush. First thing I have to say is I stupidly for some reason assumed that most of the brushes in the Essential Kit: Make Me Blush were made from synthetic hair bristles, I don't know why I thought this but I did and I was wrong. So out of the 12 brushes in the kit there are only 4 brushes that have synthetic bristles the E05, E65, F70 and F60, the F50 has both. If you had asked me about a month ago I would have said I much prefer synthetic bristles but I guess fur is fine, only recently I found out that because of the natural hair's surface being "irregular" things such as bacteria, dead skin cells and make-up get trapped in the hair follicle and cleaning most likely does not remove all these particles. That grossed me out a lot, not to mention the way that some animals are treated to produce make-up brushes, moving on from that I just thought I would share my take on animal hair brushes, unfortunately the Mrs. Bunny collection brush kit came out roughly 2 weeks after I bought mine otherwise I would have gone for that. Anyway onto the review.

F30 Large Powder Brush made from natural hair bristles; this is probably the worst brush in the whole 12 piece set, I kind of have a kinda like- hate relationship with it. As a powder brush it is pretty basic, it has a lot of bristles, fluffy (could be softer) nothing special but good enough, except that  it sheds like you would not believe!!! Like I said I have had this for over a year and have washed it many times and still it sheds so much, I think the other day about 10 bristles came out plus it bleeds ink sometimes when I wash it. I am not impressed with the quality of this brush in that regard because I think for the price it should be of a better quality and should not still be shedding. It's performance as a powder brush is fine, pretty standard nothing to rave about, it is a good size though and not heavy.

Recommended Uses: To set your foundation, bronze your face, blend out your blush or a harsh contour line etc.

Pros:

1. Good size

2. Picks up enough product

3. Ok for blending out blush, bronzer

4. Good size

Cons:

1) Sheds like crazy (seriously I am worried I wont have much of a brush left- yes I am exaggerating but with the way it sheds it's a possibility)

2) Bleeds colour...still

3) Takes ages to dry

Only use for powder products.

Rating: 2.5 out of 10

F50 Duo Fibre Brush made from synthetic bristles (white part) and natural hair bristles (black part); the bristles on this brush are pretty flimsy so my favourite use for this brush is blush, because the brush isn't so dense it doesn't pick up a lot of colour so I avoid looking like a clown with my blush. I only tried this once for foundation and HATED it!! This brush still sheds too, so for foundation it was horrible I had to pick off the brush hairs from my face and I wasn't even getting a nice coverage or look so I gave up and used my F80.

Recommended Uses: Blush and  highlighter

Pros: 

1. Great at applying blush

2. Soft enough

Cons:

1. Sheds

2. Useless for foundation

Can use liquid, cream and powder.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

F40 Large Angled Contour brush made from natural hair bristles; this is actually a really soft brush. I only really use it for blush, it would be great to contour with. Doesn't really shed. It's a pretty simple brush to be honest it doesn't do much in terms that it doesn't have multiply uses. Because I am not really into contouring my own face I think that's why I have a lack of an appreciation for the brush, but I do think the quality is good and it seems to work well.

Recommended Uses: Blush, contour, highlight

Pros:

1. Doesn't shed

2. Works well

3. Very soft

4. Picks up a good amount of product

Cons:

1. I don't have a lot of uses for it

Use only for  powders

Rating: 7 out of 10

F60 Foundation brush made from synthetic bristles; this is just your basic paddle foundation brush, it's nice and soft but personally I don't really like these brushes for applying foundation to the whole face because one I don't like the coverage it gives and two I find it applies my foundation streaky BUT I do like this for blending out concealer under the eyes or around the face and I do find it handy for blending out foundation around the nose which my F80 has trouble doing.

Recommended Uses: concealer under eyes (not in the inner tear duct area but underneath) and face, selected area foundation blending, highlighter (more intense)

Pros:

1. Soft

2. Good at blending concealer in small areas

3. No shedding

Cons:

1. Not good for full face foundation

Can be used for powder, cream and liquids

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

F70 Concealer Brush made from synthetic bristles; this is a very small concealer brush, the bristles are very soft but very stiff, good for concealer under the eyes and the inner tear duct area. This is handy for spot concealing. There isn't a lot to say about this brush it works well for concealing and that's basically all you can do with it. It is a bit small but you could use it for cream shadows if you needed to.

Recommended Uses: Under eye concealing, spot concealing, you could apply lip products with this because it is made from synthetic haired bristles, cream eyeshadows, concealing the lid, highlighting the cupid's bow

Pros:

1. Soft but firm

2. Works well enough

3. No shedding

Cons:

1. Might be a bit small for some people

Can be used for liquid, cream and powder

Rating: 6 out of 10

E40 Tapered Blending Brush made from natural haired bristles; this is a good brush, I do like it quite a bit, I mainly use this to blend out eyeshadow not to place it in the crease because it is a bit too flared and not too direct with the colour placement, so really dark colour placement is not recommended. It does take a bit to blend out eyeshadow though, I think if this brush were a little more softer and slightly denser, it would blend even better but it still works well.I like this to set concealer, it works great for that.

Recommended Uses: Blending eyeshadows, setting concealer, contouring your nose (and other small areas), highlighting the brow bone or top of the cheeks, placing a crease colour (as long as it's a light colour)

Pros: 

1. Pretty fluffy

2. Blends good

Cons:

1. Still is shedding when washed

2. Not as soft as I would like

3. A little flimsy in the bristles, I think if it were a little denser and softer it would work like a dream

Can be only used for powders

Rating: 6 out of 10

E70 medium Angled Shading Brush made from natural hair bristles; honestly I don't reach for this brush often because I have a similar one but it's from ecotools and works much better so I tend to use this if my other brushes are dirty but it works well to add colour in the crease and too blend it out. It is pretty soft, kind of thin though and doesn't have a lot of hairs so it lacks that soft fluffiness, but it works fine. I haven't had shedding problems (at least none that I remember). It works well enough that it does the job, nothing about this brush stands out to be honest it's pretty mediocre.

Recommended Uses: Apply colour to lid or crease, blending out eyeshadow, highlighting the brow bone, placing colour in the inner tear duct area.

Pros:

1. Works well enough

2. Good for highlighting the brow bone

Cons:

1. The brush isn't anything special it just works ok but doesn't stand out

Use only for powders

Rating: 5 out of 10

E55 Eye shading brush made from natural bristles;  a good basic laying down/ packing on colour to any place on the lid. This brush is slightly fluffy so you can blend a bit with it too, so it works well to apply and soften colours. Works ok to highlight the brow bone, soft enough and picks up colour pretty well. Everyone needs at least one of these brushes and this one does a good job.

Recommended Uses: Packing on colour, softening and slightly blending, can smudge colour on the lower lash (being careful though), highlighting

Pros:

1. Slightly fluffy makes it useful in blending and softening lines so it can be put to good use.

2. Applies colour well

Cons:  

1. Sheds a little and has hairs sticking half out

2. Shouldn't be used for cream shadows because of the natural haired bristles

Use for only powders

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

E60 Large Shader brush made from natural haired bristles; to be honest I don't get the point of this brush, it is targeted according to sigma's website to be used for cream eyeshadows but because it is not made from synthetic hairs but natural hairs it wouldn't make sense to use it for cream products because it will absorbed too much. I think this brush should have been made from synthetic hairs because that would have made more sense towards it's intended use.

It picks up eyeshadow ok, not great. It is a stiff brush so you can't blend with it, you can apply a highlight with this brush. I just think this brush isn't needed and wasn't made smartly. Maybe one day I will find a use for it but now it is kind of a waste.

My Recommended Uses: Highlighting the brow bone, applying colour to the lid

Pros:

1. Works ok to pick up colour

Cons:

1. Being made from natural bristles doesn't make sense to what the intended purpose of this brush is

2. Doesn't have much use, and the things it can do isn't a stand out as other brushes in the set can do it better

3. Kind of a waste, would have been better to add a different brush to the collection.

Use for powders

Rating: 2 out of 10

E30 Pencil brush made from natural bristles; very handy brush. I am a big fan of eyeshadow on the lower lash line and this is great for that, I love smoking out eyeshadow upper lash line too. I mainly use it for that and it does it well, if it were a little softer I think it wouldn't take as long so smoke out the eyeshadows. It can be a slightly  scratchy but noting too bad. I do wish this was made from synthetic bristles so it would be better for smudging out eyeliner and creams, it can be used for them but it does absorb your product. I do use this a lot and it comes in handy.

My Recommended Uses: Smudging out eyeshadow from lower or upper lash line, good at making an outer V or a cut crease.

Pros:

1. Works well to smudge eyeshadow

Cons:

1. A bit scratchy

2. Made from natural hair bristles

Better used for powders

Rating: 7 out of 10

E65 Small angle brush made from synthetic bristles; this brush is really small and great for doing thin lines on you upper lash line. Good for applying creams, gels and  powders. Good for precise eyebrows but might take a little too long because the brush is so small. Stiff enough and bristles are nicely in place to make putting on eyeliner easy.

My Recommended Uses: Great for eyeliner, eyebrows, putting on lip colour because of the good angle

Pros:

1. Good at precise lines for any product

2. Can be used for putting on dark lipstick with precision

Cons:

1. Might take a while to do eyebrows

2. Might be too small for some people

Can be used for powders, gels, liquids, creams

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

E05 Eye Liner brush made from synthetic bristles; this brush is nice and stiff with a thin precise tip great for gel liners. I don't use this often but I like to use it with eyeshadow to apply it to be top lash line and it works well. I sometimes use it to apply my pencil eyeliner to my upper lash line.

My Recommended Uses: Any kind of eyeliner or eyeshadow

Pros:

1. Nice thin tip for precision

2. No shedding

Cons:

None

Can be used for gel, liquid, cream or powder

Rating: 8 out of 10

It then comes with the 2 cup holders which are great and so handy. You can click them together for travelling so the brushes wont get damaged. It is good quality, you can put other brushes in there, it's just a really great idea.

The Essential kit in my honest opinion it is overrated, it is a decent set but for $120 (I am pretty sure I paid a little less before the prices increased) I would expect something better. I don't think it is worth the money, if you were interested in buying a set I would say get the Sigma Mrs or Mr Bunny collection, I have never tried it but watching and reading reviews online, it seems that it is a better quality, softer and more dense and all brushes are vegan (made from synthetic bristles) so liquids, creams and powders can be used. Sigma has recently increased the prices of their brushes and I think that is ridiculous, I think they are taking advantage of their popularity as I do not think the Essential Kit: Make me Blush is worth $120 USD, yes there are some good brushes but nothing spectacular, the fact that it is over a year and I still am experiencing shedding (a lot with the F30) makes me question the quality and craftsmanship. I have always made sure to elevate the brushes when they are drying so no water gets in the ferrule so I know that the shedding is not because of me not taking care of the brushes.

(Full size) E25 Blending Brush made from natural bristles; great brush, really good at blending or placing colour in the crease. Great for softening edges and adding a brow bone highlight. Very, very soft and well made. I love the shape of the brush. Very handy, works good. Sometimes it can take a little while to blend out colours but the job does get done eventually.

My Recommended Uses: Blending, placing colour in the crease, softening colour, highlighting

Pros:

1. Blends well

2. Applies colour to the crease nicely

Cons:

None except that I wish it was made from synthetic hairs but that's just a personal choice.

Can be used only for powders, really absorbs liquids

Rating: 8 out of 10

Sample E25 Blending brush made from natural bristles; this is just the free gift you get with a purchase over $30, every one raves and loves this brush but mine is so so so scratchy, it is a bit uncomfortable to use. It blends ok, not as good as the normal full size version though. Comparing the two they are absolutely not the same in quality. I know how much everyone loves this brush so I don't know if it's just mine or what but it was disappointing.

My Recommended Uses: Ok for blending our colour, applying colour to the crease, highlighting

Pros:

1. Blends ok

Cons:

1. very scratchy

2. Not the same quality of the full size

Use for powders only

Rating: 3 out of 10

F80 Flate Kabuki Brush made from synthetic bristles; this brush is quite popular on youtube after seeing shaaanxo using it I decided to get it hoping it would work just as good and hoping it  wasn't an over hyped product and it isn't, I LOVE this brush. It is by far my favourite sigma brush, I love it to apply liquid foundation it gives me the best coverage, streak free and gives me the best overall look with foundation when I use this brush. It is so soft but also very dense. I just love it, great quality I think it shed once which was the first time I washed it. I highly recommend this!!

My Recommended Use: liquid or powder foundations and/ or powders, blending out a contour line or harsh blush

Pros:

1. Super soft

2. Blends amazingly

3. Synthetic

Cons:

1. It can take a while to dry because the bristles are so dense

2. Harder to do foundation on the crevices of the face such as the nose area, so you will need a different brush (like a paddle foundation brush)

Use for powders, creams, liquids, gels

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

What are your thoughts on sigma brushes? Do you think they are over-hyped as well?