It was one of those rare occasions this month that I enjoyed a quiet afternoon on my balcony with a nice cup of coffee where my baby was soundly asleep and I was free for one hour (2 hours max) to do anything I wanted. Anything at all.
Of course I chose to pull out my new beauty purchase arrivals and play with them :)
I purchased two brushes from Sigma during their Black Friday sale. It was free international shipping and I did not want to miss the chance! Sigma's shipping fees are ludicrous! Although I was tempted to add one of the kits to my cart, my conscience advised me to save my money for better things to come. The end result was the much raved about F80 flat top kabuki and an E40 tapered blending brush. A travel sized E25 blending brush was included as a GWP.
F80 Flat Top Kabuki
For any make up lover, I think this is one of those things you eventually will add to your collection. Simply because everyone has it, and everyone likes it. I must say, it really is as good as everyone makes it out to be. It buffs in the product beautifully and the bristles are soft which is not harsh on the skin for such a dense and packed brush. This is perfect for when you just want to buff in liquid foundation quickly and flawlessly. It's a win/win.
For a year now, I've been using a dupe to the F80 because I just couldn't get my mind to overcome the $20 shipping fee for a $20 brush. This dupe is from www.blankcanvascosmetics.com and it is their F20 brush. Now this one isn't cheap either, it is still AUD $21. But I was not initially after this brush. I was interested in the contour palette that Sineady Cady (the makeup chair) promotes in almost all her videos. and this brush, along with some other face brushes, were included with the kit.
Left: BCC F20. Right: Sigma F80
Comparing these two flat kabuki brushes, they both create the desired end result which is flawless foundation finish. The bristles on the F20 are just a little bit longer making it a little less rigid that the Sigma F80. However, although the F80 is more rigid, the bristles are softer making it gentle against the skin. The F20 bristles feel more plastic-ky whereas the F80 feels more like fur despite both being synthetic. So the question now is which one do I like better? I definitely have to say F80 but just by a little. I will still go back to the Blank Canvas Cosmetics brush once the F80 is in need of a wash without a negative thought.
E40 Tapered Blending
The E40 tapered blending brush has such soft bristles, but yet still stiff enough to pack on the product. The thing that I love the most about it is it's long handle. It just has the perfect amount of weight to it. I also own a dupe to this brush, and for my small, flat creased asian eyes, i actually prefer my dupe.
The Models Prefer Professional crease brush has shorter bristles and is more tapered at the tip. Having shorter bristles means that it is more precise shading the correct (limited) area in my crease and creating a sharp but blended in shadow. Sigma's E40 is definitely more suitable for people with a deeper crease socket as there is more surface area to play with. Models Prefer brushes are much more cheaper and accessible for us Australian girls and I can never resist buying their brushes when priceline has a sale.
Models Prefer Professional Crease Brush
Left: MPP Crease Brush. Right: Sigma E40
