Go to Sigma’s website by clicking here

Hi Guys and Dolls! I’m so excited to finally be sharing my Sigma brush review with you guys! Sigma Contacted me a few weeks back asking me to try out their brushes and share my experience with my viewers/readers. I have a huge weakness for good quality makeup brushes, so I was totally on board! I think good quality makeup brushes make all the difference in how your makeup will look and having a new brush/brushes can dramatically improve your skills as a makeup artist. I really want to focus on only a MAC/Sigma Comparison here, and not give you guys my whole brush-life-story, lol.

Two years ago I was REALLY getting into MAC. I had been buying MAC for 2 years at that time, but I was just starting to get obsessed with collections and brushes and such. My first MAC brush was the 208 and I love it to death and beyond. SO when MAC came out with it’s holiday collection that year I bought all the the brush sets! At the time, I was so happy to have 14 new MAC brushes, and I felt in a weird way accomplished that I had 14 of the MAC brushes. Silly I know. So, as the months wore on, and I collected brushes from other brands, and some full-size MAC brushes, I started to really see the flaws in the holiday sets. Very few of the brushes are what I’d call quality, most of them I just flat out hate. OK hate is a strong word, but “I dislike them” doesn’t seem like it doesn’t have enough Oomph!

Fast forward to this summer when I received a set of brushes from Sigma Makeup for a review. I had seen so many reviews raving about these, but I remained a bit skeptical. Could something so cheap actually be that amazing? I get a lot of questions from you guys about brushes. MANY many of you ask me if I know of any good brush kits. After the MAC sets left a bad taste in my mouth, I usually tell people to be wary of kits. But not now. I ADORE THESE! The quality is truly outstanding! The price is even better! This set sells for $69 for just the brushes and $89 with the brush roll (which is $20 on it’s own, so no change there) That works out to about 5.75 a brush! It’s a steal! Many of the MAC face brushes are around 40-50 dollars! skip that and get this set, it will not disappoint.

The reason I’m comparing these to the MAC holiday sets, is that the Sigma set has nearly all the same brushes as the MAC sets do, they’ve simply switched the 129 for the 150, and omitted the 212 and the 217, although I believe they are now adding a travel size SS217 to certain purchases check their website for more info.

Some of you might think it’s not fair to judge the MAC holiday sets vs Sigma, since the MAC holiday sets are not as good of quality as the MAC full size brushes. But when you look at the price of the MAC holiday sets vs the price of Sigma sets, I think you will better understand the comparison. I spent all together $148.50 on the MAC brush sets. That works out to $10.60 a brush! The Sigma set is $69 for 12 brushes which works out to$5.75 a brush (the kit that costs 89 includes a brush roll which on it’s own costs 20). I totally understand that the MAC full-size brushes are better quality than the Holiday sets. I really really do. If you were to buy all these brushes individually from MAC it would cost $333. If the quality for both was outstanding, which would you choose? I’m not saying MAC brushes are bad at all! I’m just trying to explain my comparison.

One of the greatest things about the Sigma line of brushes, is they dupe MAC brushes. The follow the same numbers as MAC (but many of the Sigma brushes are very different from their MAC counter parts as you can see in the pictures below). The Sigma brushes have a similar weight and feel that MAC brushes do. If all that wasn’t enough, I believe these brushes are made in the good ol’ USA! WHOO-HOO!

I’ll be doing another review soon for the SS188, the SS182+ the travel kit, these just was no time in the video! I’m also going to be giving away a set VERY soon, so check my YT often! I’ve also heard a rumor that Sima will be expanding into a makeup line soon. I’m SO EXCITED to see makeup from a company that puts so much care and detail and professionalism into their brushes, packaging and customer service! YAY SIGMA!

The Eye Brushes:

MAC 266SE on the Left Sigma SS266 on the Right

This is an angled brush intended for eyeliner or eyebrows made of synthetic fibers.   The MAC 266se is clearly larger, and has more of an angle. The MAC one I have is from a Holiday  Brush Bag; It’s scratchy, thick, and over all, a terrible brush. I never use the MAC 266se at all. While I feel that the Sigma ss266 is a bit too wide for a very precise application for brows or liquid or gel eyeliner (such as Ben Nye Cake Liner or MAC fluidline)  it is great for smudging eyeliner on the upper and lower lash lines. This one works well for brows as well, if you want a softer look.  So far as eyeliner goes, it won’t be replacing my HG: the MAC 208 Brush.

MAC 209SE on the Left Sigma SS209 on the right

This is a tapered brush intended for applying liquid/cake/gel liner. Both are made with synthetic fibers. The MAC Brush is quite thin and it great for delivering a very precise thin line. The Sigma ss209 is quite a bit thicker, and isn’t as great at delivering a thin line. I very rarely use my MAC 209se brush, and as I stated above, I prefer the MAC 208 for Liner. I do however like the Sigma ss209 for colored eyeliners such as MAC Liquid Lasts or Milani’s Infinite eyeliners (these are metallic looking liquid eyeliners that wear line iron, you have to use a very good eye makeup remover to get them off). The Sigma ss209 is thick enough to give me a bold line when that is the look I’m going for. I haven’t tried it for this yet, but I think that the tapered shape would work really well for a precise lip brush!

MAC 219SE on the left , Sigma SS219 on the Right

This is a “pencil” brush made of white goat hair. This brush is Multi-useful: for an inner corner highlight, Smudging eyeliner on the upper or lower lashes, drawing out your deep crease, even for shading on the lid. The MAC 219se is another MAC brush I rarely use. It’s sort of a whimpy brush, if that makes sense. It’s sort of a push-over. It doesn’t keep it’s shape very well, and  it’s not very tapered, it buckles under pressure. By contrast, the Sigma SS219 is a a great brush. It’s very tapered, it keeps it’s shape, and is great for all the uses listed above. In the video I show how the hairs of these two brushes move differently, and that really says a lot.

MAC 239SE, MAC 239, and Sigma SS239

This is a “shader”brush intended for applying/bending loose or pressed shadows to the lid made of natural hairs. The MAC 239se is not a well made brush at all. It’s another push over; it doesn’t keep it’s shape very well, it’s not firm enough to pack color on the lid, I really only use it if EVERYTHING else is dirty, which rarely happens (I have a lot of shader brushes, lol). The MAC 239 is a very well made brush. it’s firm enough to pack color on the lid, but soft enough to blend color as well. I find that I don’t use it very often though. I’m always worried that I will stain the white hairs. The Sigma SS239 is a fantastic brush! in truth, I prefer it to the MAC brush. It’s shorter & wider and the top is rounder than the MAC 239. They really aren’t even similar. I honestly prefer the SS239: the rounded shape is easier to work with on my eye, it’s a bit softer, and I don’t have to worry about staining!

MAC 252SE on the left, Sigma SS252 on the right

This is another shader brush. The MAC 252se is really nothing at all like the full-size MAC 252, but for the sake of comparison, let’s have a go: The MAC one reminds me of a straw broom. It feels very scratchy on the eye. The ONLY thing I use this one for is to remove/blend down when I’ve applied too much color. that’s really it. The Sigma SS252 however, is a great brush! It’s SUPER soft, and I just love it. My fave use for it seems to be applying color to the outer part of the lower lid over the color I have all over the lid. This is a VERY well made brush.

MAC 275SE , MAC 272, Sigma SS275

This is a angled shader brush. The purpose fot this type of brush can be anything from applying color, blending colors, and defining the crease. These are sometimes called a crease brush. These are all made with natural hairs. The MAC 275se is yet ANOTHER MAC brush I nearly never use. It’s too fluffy, and the teeniest bit scratchy. The MAC 272 brush is LOVELY. I really love this brush, and I couldn’t say anything bad about it. It’s perfect for applying/packing color on, bending on the lid on in the cease.  It was discontinued this summer, so I bought two just in case. The Sigma SS275 is sort of a hybrid of the MAC 272 and the 275. It’s thinner like the 272, but it’s brown and a bit more pliable like the MAC 275se. It is not a fabulously dense with hairs as many of the other Sigma Brushes, but I sort of like it that way. While I don’t love this one for crease work, I I have used it for that with good results. What I really love this using this one  for is applying powder foundations to the eye area. I explained that a bit further in the video, it’s easier to “show” then to “tell”

Sonia Kashuk white handled Blending Brush, MAC 224, Sigma SS224

This is a blending/crease type of brush. This one is one of my FAVES in the sigma set, and not a day has gone by that I didn’t use it! I’m going to give you guys a long back story on this one: I really dislike my MAC 224. It’s scratchy, it looses hairs every time I wash it, it’s too pliable, too big…I just hate it. It lives in my “I don’t ever use this stuff” drawer. So, in an effort to find a good blending brush (other than the MAC 217, which is amazing) I bought the Sonia Kashuk one. As you can see, it’s a much better quality than the MAC one. It’s not as scratchy, and it doesn’t loose as many hairs. The Sonia Kashuk brush works well solely as a blending brush, but I wanted something I could apply color with as well.  And then a long came the Sigma 224. It was like a breath of fresh air. It’s soft, dense, a bit shorter than the Sonia Kashuk or MAC versions, and for me, is really superior to those brushes in every way. When I really like a brush, and it’s affordable, I like to have several around.  I’m going to buy a few more of this one.

The Face Brushes

MAC 194SE on the left, Sigma SS194 on the right

This is a concealer brush made of synthetic fibers. Uses for this type  of brush range from applying/bending out concealer or small areas of foundation, cleaning up the edges of your lips with concealer when you do a bold lip color, to apply eyeshadows wet/using cream products anywhere on the face. This is yet another one of my MAC brushes that never gets use. The only time I use the MAC 194 brush, it for paints or other liquid products that I know will stain. That’s it. And even then, I perfer a lot of other brushes over it. The Sigma 194 however, is a great brush! I’ve used it quite a bit for all the uses listed above. I love the shape and size of it, the softness of the hairs. This is a fantastically made concealer brush!

MAC 190SE on the left, Sigma SS190 on the right

This is a Standard foundation brush, made of synthetic fibers. To be completely honest with you, I’m not a big fan of liquid foundations. It’s very difficult to get natural coverage, and it’s even harder to find a good color match. I do have one that I like ok (revlon colorstay for normal/dry skin in Ivory if you’re wondering) So for the purpose of this review, I did try it out with this brush a few times. I was surprised to like the results! I really like the combination Of this and the SS187 that I explained in the video. The MAC version of this it flatter, and because of that, the hairs don’t grab the foundation well, nor do they blend very well. The Sigma Brush is not as wide as the MAC version, nor as flat. It’s narrower, but it’s denser, and more tappered, which helps it to pick up more color, blend better and get into the “nooks and crannies” of your face. WHile this isn’t a unique brush, it’s certainly the best version of It I’ve tried (the MAC one, a Kirkland version,  Various paint brushes)

MAC 168SE on the left, Sigma SS168 on the right

Sigma SS168 on the left, MAC 168SE on the right

This is a contour and blush brush that is made with white goat hairs. The angled shape makes it prefect for applying contour or brush colors to the face. Really, the pictures of this pretty much speak for themselves. . really the MAC 168SE is laughable next to the Sigma version. I find the Sigma brush to be super soft, and the perfect size, shape and density to apply both contour, and blush colors.

Ulta Professional Highlighting Brush, Sigma SS187

This type of brush is often called a skunk-brush, a stippling brush, a duo-fiber brush, or a 187-dupe. This type of brush has white synthetic fibers that are longer than the black natural hairs. This is a very versatile brush;  it’s great for everything from liquid foundations,  cream blush, powder blush, dusting setting powder, a sheer layer of mineral/powder foundation, even applying your moisturizer! Even if you already have one of these, it’s great to have a few on hand! I have the 187SE from MAC as well, thought I ruined it (long story short, I used a hairdryer on it , and the synthetic fibers melted together… it was completly ruined.) The Ulta version is what I’ve been using for a long time, and I wasn’t very happy with it. it was soft and everything at first, but after a few weeks, the hairs started looking frayed, and i notices it wasn’t very firm. It’s not a horrible brush, but it just didn’t do a very good job at everything this type of brush was supposed to do. The Sigma SS187 is really well made. Typically this type of brush will “bleed” the black ink when you wash it the first time, but impressively, this one did not (I’ve had a no-name one from coastal scents for over a year, and it STILL bleeds blue in/it stains the white hairs!!) The only disappointment I had with this brush it that the white hairs were not as soft as I thought they should be. The weird thing though, is I want sent a SS188 and a travel SS187, and those are both a lot softer that this SS187. Maybe mine was a fluke, since the other two are softer. IN any case, it softness isn’t a HUGE difference, but It was worth mentioning.

MAC 129SE on the left, Sigma SS150 on the right

This is a powder brush. I realy think that the pictures speak for themselves on this one. I know that I’m not comparing the same brush here, but come-on! The long and short of it is that I only ever use the 129SE for sweeping away fallout. But I’ve used the 150 everyday since I’ve got it! It’s lovely, full powder brush, thaat holds it’s shape and doesn’t puff too much! It’s softer that I can explain to you!I ADORE this brush. Before I got this I was mostly using the Ulta Highlighter brush shown above for apply things like mineral veil and my MAC prep and prime powder. The Ulta brush was really making a mess of things; My powder would go everywhere, it would pic up too much etc…But this one works like a dream. As I mentioned in the video, I’ve been searching high and low for a good powder brush that wouldn’t cost me a fortune. I bought 3 different versions of the posh powder brush: the one that comes in their mini- kit , the short handled and the full size one. The one in the kit is tiny, but soft. Ok for use with blush, but it’s too small for all over face powder. The short handled and the full size posh brushes both puffed up to an enormous-unusable size. Both went right back to the store. But this Sigma SS150 is FANTASTIC!

Go to Sigma’s website by clicking here

I hope this review was helpful for you! I really love these brushes, and I’m so excited/floored that something so inexpensive is better than MAC. MAC better watch out for Sigma!