I’ve always been quite happy with my basic make up brush set. Although there are a number of really good brushes in there, it is quite a Frankenstein set. The entire thing was painstakingly pieced together over time and even the brush roll was lovingly DIY-ed by my awesome mom!

But it’s precisely this reason that I’ve always wondered if I was missing a brush or two because I just quite never knew if my set was ever complete. Whenever I walked into a makeup store, I never failed to want another new brush to grow my basic makeup brush kit.

So when Sigma Makeup offered me their top-selling “Make Me Crazy” 12 Brush Professional Brush Set, it was an instant “OMG! YespleaseIwantIwant! Gimme gimme gimme! Oh yeah, that’d be cool. Thank you very much. You’re too kind.” Although the set comes in 4 colours – black, purple, coral and aqua, Sigma very cleverly sent me the purple one because the brushes match my brush roll perfectly!

I’ve seen so many reviews about Sigma makeup brushes that I couldnt wait to try them out myself. Sigma make up brushes have been raved about for providing quality brushes that could rival MACs without a hefty price tag. 12 brushes and a case for USD 109 can be quite pricey to some, but compared to individually buying brushes for about USD 40 a pop, this Sigma brush set saves you a whole lot of money and time. That’s less than USD 10 for a good brush!

But price aside, the fact that it’s a 12 piece professional kit that covers everything from face to eyes meant that it had everything I needed! Yippeee! No more searching for individual brushes from all over the place.

Plus the 12 Sigma brushes came in durable and multifunctional container that transforms into 2 brush holders! I love the multi-functionality of it but the container is a wee bit bulky for me especially since I was used to the softer and more portable brush roll my mom made. The container is so hardy I swear it was meant for beating someone to pulp if they ever tried to take any of your 12 beautiful Sigma brushes.

Like the name suggests, it’s a professional brush kit. It’s got your basic must-have brushes and a wee bit more. If you’re new to brushes, Sigma’s got a booklet explaining each labeled brush. Here’s what’s in the Sigma brush set, in order from left to right, with my comments added in:

Duo Fibre – F50 – Specially designed to generate an airbrushed finish when used to apply liquid foundation. It can also be used to apply blush, highlight shades and loose pigments. Blend of synthetic and natural bristles.

Large Powder – F30 – Very dense with a rounded top. Ideal to apply powder products on face and body. Natural bristles.

I love this because it’s very full and works beautifully when you apply powder to set your foundation or do contouring. Very natural finish.

Large Angled Contour – F40 – The angled shape makes this brush ideal to apply blush or contour shades. Natural bristles.

Mine is obviously quite used. Lol.

Foundation – F60 – Can be used to apply liquid or cream foundation. It is also recommended to apply moisturizers and conceal large areas. Synthetic bristles.

Smoothens out liquid foundation like a dream. I used it with my glominerals gloProtective Liquid Foundation in Brazil and hello flawlessness. Just remember to spot clean it every day.

Eye Shading – E55 – Soft and dense with a rounded finish. Can be used to apply pressed or loose eye shadows and pigments. Ideal to build intense color on the eyelid. Natural bristles.

One of the my all time favourite eye brushes from this brush kit. I didnt have something like this in my old brush set and the soft yet dense rounded brush works like a dream to shade the outer eye socket, lending a deep set look to your eyes.

Large Shader – E60 – Flat shape is ideal for application of cream formulas and eye shadow primers. It also works great with loose eye shadows or pigments. Can be used to apply color all over the lid or precisely on the lash line. Natural bristles.

Tapered Blending – E40 – Rounded and tapered top. Specially designed to apply and blend color on the crease. Natural bristles.

When they say that this is meant to blend colour on the crease, I think they mean creases on Western eyes because this is quite a big brush in comparison to my eye. My crease is minuscule. Very much Asian. So I use this brush to blend in highlight colours on the brow bone or on the ball of the eye.

Medium Angled Shading – E70 – Angled, tapered, flat top. Ideal to apply highlight shades underneath the eyebrow and on the inner corners. It can also be used for a precise application of darker shades on the crease area. Natural bristles.

I have the MAC 275 brush that I find rather similar to the Medium Angled Shading brush. Because of the angled yet flatter brush head, I use it for application of highlights under the brow bone and on the inner corner of the eyes. However, for application and blending on the outer corner of the eye, I prefer the MAC 275 brush with its fluffier and fuller angled brush head.

Concealer – F70 – The rounded, tapered, flat shape makes this brush ideal to conceal the under eye area. It is also recommended for a precise application in small areas. Synthetic bristles.

Pencil – E30 – Precise application of color on the crease, outer corner, and upper and lower lash line. Also ideal to smudge out pencil liner. Natural bristles.

I LOVE pencil brushes because of it’s precision and usability for all sorts of eyeshadow application. Whether its on the crease, drawing of the outer-V, drawing the upper and lower lash line, everyone should get a pencil brush.

Small Angle – E65 – Essential for the application of gel or cream eyeliner on the upper and lower lash line. This brush is also excellent for filling out the eyebrows. Synthetic bristles.

Eyeliner – E05 – An extra-fine tipped synthetic fiber brush that delivers a precise, firm, even stroke to line the eyes.

Comparing this to MAC’s 209 brush, Sigma’s brush gives a more defined line while its MAC counterpart produces a slightly softer line.

Although I did notice the lack of a lip brush and a smaller blending brush ala MAC 217 when I had to rely on these Sigma makeup brushes for a whole month in Brazil for the Miss Universe competition, all in all, I am definitely pleased with my brand new brush set. More brushes to love, what’s there not to like?

But seriously, less than USD 150 for a professional quality brush set is a steal, especially when you have fantastic face brushes, the pencil brush, eye shading brush and the medium angled brush bundled together. If you’ve always been unsure of what brushes to get to perfect your make up look, look no further. Christmas is coming and I’m sure Santa’s mailbox is still taking wishlists. Dont forget to ask for some Brush Guards too!