My Favorite Sigma Brushes [and their dupes]!

Hey guys! I picked up some new Sigma brushes pretty recently and were able to have my way with them, as well as a few brushes I’ve had for nearly a year now and still use daily. These are my absolute favorite brushes from Sigma, and some of them have made my makeup application a million times easier.

Disclaimer: I purchased all Sigma brushes with my own money, I am not a Sigma Affiliate and I do not receive any portion of earnings from them or anybody else due to this post. This is an honest review of my favorite brushes from Sigma as they are one of my favorite brands for makeup tools.

Sigma is a brand that was founded in 2008 and since then, has caused quite a stir in the beauty community. Makeup artists have raved on and on about their products, claiming several of their brushes have changed their lives, and they won’t go back to any of their previous makeup tools.

Let’s start with face brushes, shall we?

I’m reviewing from left to right, so the first brush pictured at the furthest left is the F80 Flat Kabuki. This retails for $24.00. If you haven’t heard of this brush, you have NOT watched enough Jaclyn Hill, my friend. This brush is simply divine for an even, seamless, cakeface-less application of liquid or cream product for all over the face. Before this brush, I was using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush which is an amazing dupe for only $6.49.

I did enjoy using the Expert Face Brush, but sometimes I found if I wasn’t careful, I would leave foundation streaks or marks on my face and I would have to go over it again with the brush or a beauty blender to smooth it out. The F80 creates a flawless finish every time without having to apply heavy amounts of pressure on the face, and since it has synthetic bristles, the brush will take the product and transfer it directly onto your face without soaking any of it up into the brush. And since it is flat, it covers more area of your face and it makes it foolproof to get into the contour of your face like under the eyes, near your hairline and around your nose. If you choose to pick up only one (face) brush from Sigma, I would highly recommend this one.

The next face brush I love is the F05 Small Contour brush ($21.00). This brush has a rounded, dense top and is  designed to buff and blend out powder contour shades on the cheekbones and jawline. I use this specifically for blending out my contour. You only need a very light hand with this brush, and it does the job. I find that after I am done applying the product, there isn’t anything left on the brush, and if I needed to pick up a different shade, it wouldn’t get mixed in with the color I used before. The shape and size of this brush is perfect for getting right in the hollows of the cheeks for a chiseled look.

My dupe for the F05 is the Real Techniques Contour brush, found in the Real Techniques Core Collection ($13.19) which is a brush set that holds four essential brushes. The Contour Brush is similar to the F05 in the size, and has been raved about several times for people who want an affordable option that works just as well.

My third face brush is the F40 Large Angled Contour brush ($22.00). The F40 is an angled brush used to apply powder to the cheek or cheekbones. I love this brush to apply my blush because I feel that it fits into the apples of my cheeks perfectly, and provides just a sheer wash of color. It is fluffy enough to be able to blend the color out a little as well once applied. You could also use this brush to contour, and since it is angled, it would be easy to add color to the sides of your face and jawline.

A dupe for the F40 would be the Real Techniques Blush Brush ($7.19). It is very fluffy and extremely soft to the touch. The size of the brush is a bit large in size compared to other blush brushes, but just as long as you are careful, it applies color very well.

The last face brush I love from Sigma is the F35 Tapered Highlighter ($24.00). This applies powder highlighter so effortlessly you don’t even need to think about it. I use the Balm’s Mary Lou-Manizer for a iridescent shine on the tops of my cheekbones. I just tap the brush into my product and lightly tap it in a C-shape from my cheekbone up to my temples and it gives a beautiful precise placement of the shimmer, leaving me with a lit from within glow.

Sigma’s F35 dupe is the Elf Blush Brush ($3.00). The brush comes to a tapered end and it is a thicker brush, but applied highlighter exactly the same Sigma’s F35 would, but it just takes more blending to perfect. But, for $3, you can’t really go wrong!

Now, onto the eye brushes!

My first favorite brush is the E35 Tapered Blending brush ($16.00). A cult favorite from Sigma is the E40 Tapered Blending brush, but I find that it can be a bit floppy woppy sometimes when I go in to blend product, so the E35 is basically a fluffier version. I use this brush before any other when applying my eye makeup. I dip it into whatever transition shade I’m using and place it above my crease so that my eyeshadows have a bit of dimension to it, and it seals the look together very nicely.

A nice dupe for the E35 would be this very inexpensive brush from Morphe Brushes, the MB23 Round Blender brush. It’s tapered and fluff just like the E35 and works well to blend out any product. Plus, it’s only $5.95!

This brush is an essential I reach for to seal the deal at the end of each makeup look, and it is the E70 Medium Angled Shading brush. ($14.00). It is soft and angled for a soft application of color. I originally purchased this brush for my crease, thinking it would be good to place shadow before blending, but it was too big for my tiny eyes. I ended up using it one day for a brow highlight and I have never used another brush since. It fits absolutely perfect underneath my brow and all it takes is one swipe, and it adds a nice lift to my eyes and cleans up any extra shadow that may be out of place, and balances out the look between both my eyes.

A decent dupe for the E70 is the M325 Large Pro Angle Blender brush. It may not give as even of an application, but it will do the trick. And for $3.49, it’s definitely worth a try!

This next brush is the infamous E25 Blending ($14.00), a dupe itself to the Mac 217 brush which is known as the perfect eye blending brush. This brush is so soft and the bristles are placed strategically so that it can be used to pack color on when turned horizontally, and when going in on it’s side, it blends out color perfectly. I honestly own about five different versions of this brush because they come in handy so often when doing eye makeup, especially if you are incorporating several different shadows for your eye look. Sometimes if I want a very clean, precise blended look, I will use one to pack on color, another to blend the color out, a separate one to add a darker color, and a clean one to blend the entire thing out. You can’t go wrong with having this brush in your makeup collection and if you were to purchase one (eye) brush, I would really really recommend this one. You will not regret it!

A much more affordable dupe for the E25 is the Crown Brush Pro Blending Fluff. It is sold for $5 on the Crown Brush website, but the page doesn’t seem to want to load for me, so I have the Ebay page. The Crown brush is very similar to the Sigma one, both in side and blendability. Lustrelux, Instagram and Youtube Makeup Guru, raves about Crown Brushes all the time and let me tell you, her makeup is flawless so whatever she’s using, I trust that!

We’re hitting the home stretch! This is the last brush of my favorites but such a staple. It is the E55 Eye Shading brush. ($14.00) Everybody needs a brush to pack on shadow on their lid or in the crease. This brush effortlessly places and blends out the perfect amount of matte, shimmer or satin shades. This is a brush I have had for well over a year and it does not shed, the bristles are still very well intact and I use it everyday to place product on my lids. This is a must-have.

Now although I see the E55 as a must have, that doesn’t mean you need that specific brush. There are many great alternatives and dupes such as the Elf C Brush ($3.00), Real Techniques Shading Brush ($4.79), Sonia Kashuk Core Tools Brush ($6.99).

So that wraps it up for my favorite Sigma brushes and their dupes. I hope you guys enjoyed this post, leave me a comment below if there are any other brush reviews you would like me to do and I will get on it! Have an amazing rest of the week 🙂