i've always wanted to have a brush set like professional makeup artists. but they are not cheap. even though i do have quite a collection of brushes, but they're mostly cheap brushes and they're not the same! unless you're a makeup addict, you don't understand!

i've been eyeing on makeup brushes by sigma makeup since cynthia told me about them. i've also seen a lot of reviews from makeup bloggers and youtubers.

if i'm to collection brush set from, say mac, it's going to be over $500. this was the calculation years ago. it's probably more expensive now. makeup brushes from sigma makeup are more affordable. but still, it's quite some money. it took me months to finally decide to make the order. better get them while australian dollor is still high.

sometimes i wish i'm some popular blogger or youtuber so i can get these for free or at discounted price. but that requires too much work. i'm more comfortable being low key.

i ordered special combo deal which includes 12 brush set with brush roll and fun color eyeshadow kit, and a free travel size blending brush. with shipping it's usd$113. my credit card charged me aud$124. exchange rate on the day was $0.93 but my credit card charged $0.90.

the package

i was surprised the package came so quickly! it was ordered on 21/4 and it arrived on 28/4. most online orders takes at least 2 weeks.

please excuse the bad quality of the pics. they were taken when i got the package. i'll try to take better pics for a more detail review of the brushes.

inside the box.

the brush set was beautifully packaged.

the brushes and brush roll. i love it!

the eyeshadows. the actual colors of the shadow aren't as bright. i adjusted the image's color levels because the original pic is too dull.

initial review of the brushes

these brushes do look professional! i love the handle. they feel so sturdy when compared to my other cheap brushes.

i only tested 3 brushes. the powder brush, the duo fibre brush and the gifted blending brush. don't ask me the numbers. i'm bad with numbers. it's probably easy for mac brush users. i only own a few mac brushes and i can't remember the numbers! i heard that sigma is going to re-number the brushes. i wish they should just name the brush to make it easier to remember.

i really like how these brush feel. they are soft. the powder brush is softer and denser than my mac powder brush. my  mac brushes are 10+ years old so they may not be as soft as new brushes. i don't have a duo fibre brush so i can't compare. the blending brush looks different from my mac blending brush. there are probably different kinds of blending brushes.

i washed these brushes so i could use them next day. since they're new i just rinse them under running water. and while drying them i noticed that these brushes have a very strong odor. in fact the odor is quite offputting. the smell was still there when i used them this morning. i had to hold my breathe when using them.

i wrote to sigma to ask them about the odor. it's quite unusual because i've never smell anything from my existing brushes. still waiting to hear from them.

i went to check rest of the brushes tonight. some have the smell. some don't.

if it's not the odor, i quite like these 3 brushes that i have tested.

i'll review other brushes and the eyeshadows on or after this weekend.

update: received sigma's email this morning. they're happy to replace if the odor persists. i hope the odor will go away after a few washes because going to post office is a pain and i avoid going to post offices whenever possible.

i am affiliated with sigma beauty and this post contains affiliate links.