Tuesday, May 25, 2010

BATTLE OF THE BRUSHES! (PICTURE HEAVY)


I have been so excited to do this review! You guys know that I am in LOVE with my Sigma makeup brushes and I mention them quite often. Jason at Sedona Lace recently sent me the new Sedona Lace 12 Piece Professional Makeup Brush set for review.  I was intrigued right away and couldn't wait to compare the two sets. If you missed my Sigma Brush review, click here to read.

I have been using my Sigma brushes since November of 2009 and I can say that I really adore them and use them every day.   I haven't expected to find any other brushes, aside from MAC, that I would love as much. Let's see if the new kid on the block can keep up with a new cult classic!

After much comparison, usage, and washing...I've concluded that these two sets of brushes are nearly identical! There are only three brushes that are slightly different. The weight and quality feel exactly the same. Both brush sets have sturdy ferrules. The Sedona Lace brush handles are just a tab bit longer. Both brushes have amazingly soft bristles! Each set has it's own share of bleeding and fallout when you first begin using them, but both taper off. **Really only noticable with the large powder brush**

Sigma has caught a lot of flack about naming their brushes after MAC brushes, but I love that aspect of the line. It makes it easy to identify the brushes, especially if you are trying to follow along with your favorite youtube beauty gurus to achieve a brand new look! The Sedona Lace brushes do not have names on the handles, which honestly is the only thing that disappoints me.

 Here's how they break down individually:
**NOTE: ALL BLACK BRUSHES ARE SIGMA, ALL PINK ARE SEDONA LACE**

 
This is the large powder brush (150). I know from the first picture the Sedona one looks larger, but it's not. Both of these brushes are so soft!! This is a natural bristle brush that is perfect for a light dusting of powder on your face, patting on a little MAC Fix+, or knocking off any extra powder on your face.

This is the Duo Fibre Brush (187). This is a blend of natural and synthetic bristles. This is perfect for applying liquid foundation to get an "airbrushed" look. Just put a little foundation on the back of your hard and gently pat this brush into it, then stipple it on your face and finish by swirling it around to blend a bit--and voila! Flawless finish! Another one of my favorite things to do with this brush is apply bronzer. Just pat it into your bronzer and swirl or pat on your face for a touch of color!
As you can see from the second picture, the Sedona Lace brush actually has more of the white bristles. I think the Sedona brush gives you a bit more coverage. I've been using the Sedona brush for liquid foundation and the Sigma brush for bronzer.


This is the Foundation Brush (190). This is made of synthetic bristles. It can be used with cream or liquid foundation. I also like to use it with mousse products (think Maybelline Dream Mousse line). I use this with foundatoin when I need a little more coverage and then go over the rest of my face with the Duo Fibre brush (187).


This is the Large Angled Contour Brush (168).  The Sigma one looks a bit larger in this one, but I think it's due to the fact that it's been used for months and the Sedona one is new. I've only washed the Sedona Lace brushes once so far and used daily brush cleaner after each use. The brushes, both Sigma and Sedona Lace, seem to fan out a bit after use. This is a natrual bristle brush that is great for applying blush and contouring powders.  I prefer to use this brush for blush only. I feel it's a bit too large, for my face, to use to contour.


This is the Tappered Blending Brush (224). As you can see, the Sedona Lace brush is quite a bit larger than the Sigma brush. They both get the job done though. I have been using the Sedona Lace one to really blend out the crease by not putting any powder on it at all. I've used the Sigma one to apply color and blend out. It really is your preference on this and also the size of your lid will affect which one is better for you. I personally love having both and having that much more of an option! This is a natural bristle brush.

This is the Eye Shading Brush (239). It is very flat & dense making it perfect to really pack color onto your eye lids! I don't have them perfectly lined up, so it kind of looks like the Sigma one is bigger, but it isn't. This is my absolute favorite eye brush! I'm so happy to have two now! These two brushes are exactly the same. This is made of natural bristles.


This is the Large Shader Brush (252). This can be used with creams and primers. You can also put color all over the lid or just use the tip to apply shadow on the lash line. As you can see, this brush is the biggest difference in the whole line. The Sedona Lace brush is much larger than the Sigma.  I like the Sedona brush for applying my Benefit Powderflauge! I don't reach for this too often honestly though. I like to put creams and powders on with my fingertips mostly. This brush has natural bristles.


This is the Pencil Brush (219). You can use this for precise application for your crease, lash line, or under your lower lash line. You can also use this brush to smudge out liners! This is made from natural bristles.

This is the Concealer Brush (194). I love this brush to apply my Benefit Erase Paste. I just dab it gently under my eyes to conceal my horrendous dark circles and poof!! They are gone! You can also use this to cover up any redness or blemishes you have. I use this one every day! This brush is made of natural bristles.

This is the Eye Liner Brush (209). I use this brush mainly to set liquid eye liner or to foil an eyeshadow to use a liner. The tip is very fine and goes on very nice and thin. This is made of natural bristles.

This is the Medium Angled Shading brush (275). Again, the Sedona Lace brush is much larger than the Sigma one. Both can be used to apply highlight shade under the brow bone and also use the tip to apply highlight to the inner corners of the eyes. This is made from natural bristles.


This is the Small Angled Brush (266). I love this for applying gel eye liner and filling in my brows. This brush is made of natural bristles.

BONUS:
This is the bonus brush I got with my brush set. The handle is just as long, but has a pointed tip, which I actually don't like. But that's no biggie. I don't have the Sigma Premium Brush set, but this looks a lot like Sigma's Large Fluff Brush--though again, this might be one that is larger than Sigma's version.  I like this a lot for applying an all over color to my lid or simply using it to blend. What a great bonus! A full sized brush!!

Brush Rolls:
The pink one is by Sedona Lace and the black is by Sigma. Both hold all 12 brushes but the Sigma one has an additional storage pocket that will hold three more brushes. The Sedona Lace brush roll closes by wrapping around the pink tassels while the Sigma one closes with a magnetic snap. I think both are nice.  I don't store my brushes in here, but if I were traveling with them, these are great for that!

Ok, so let's talk about prices. Sigma charges $89.00 for the 12 piece set with brush roll, which you can get black or pink. You can also purchase just the Sigma brushes, with no brush roll for $69.00. Sedona Lace charges a mere $49.95 for the 12 piece set with brush roll!! What a difference!! The brushes are really the same. So why pay more? Isn't that why Sigma has blown up? Amazing quality for a fraction of MAC prices? Sedona Lace brushes are every bit as good as my Sigma brushes. I still love my Sigma brushes as much as I did before, but I'm so excited about the Sedona Lace brushes for their quality and price! If I were to lose every brush I have right now (Oh what a sad thought!) and have to replace them--I'd buy from Sedona Lace.

Update: As of today, 2/25/15- the Sedona Lace brush set is up to $79.95. The Sigma brush set is $159.00!!

I will be annoucing very soon another makeup contest! Sedona Lace has been so kind to offer a prize of my selection--You know I picked the brush set--and one prize that I personally bought--the 28 Neutral Palette! Details coming soon, so please come back for details!

Shop my blog sale!
AND
Enter my AVON give-a-way!


FTC Disclosure: While I was sent this product for review, this is my honest opinion. I wasn't paid to write this by Sedona Lace, or anyone else. I am not affiliated with this company, or any others mentioned.



12 comments:

Suzanna said...

I love it!!! Thank you so much :)

S.

Janet said...

Thank you SO much for this review! I was wondering about the brushes since I was turned onto Sedona Lace the other day. I think after reading what you've said, I will be making a purchase VERY soon. Thank you! I'm also following your blog now! :D

Nicole said...

@Suzanna, Glad you love it!

@Janet, thanks for following! I'm following you too! I'm glad you enjoyed the review! If you do purchase these, please let me know how you like them! I'm sure you will love them as much as I love mine!! They are awesome!

Iria Pita said...

wow! O_O those brushes are practically the same! amazing!!

Red said...

I'm in need of some good brushes right now. I've only got a couple and honestly I'm really not crazy about most of them. The Sedona ones look so lovely! Right up on the top of my wish list now! =D

Halifax @ Sparkled Beauty said...

Great review/ comparison. Did you notice any shedding during wash/ application? Sedona is certainly a cheaper option, love it!

Nicole said...

Glad you all like the review & comparison! There's really minimal shedding while washing and I only had *Seriously* two bristles shed from my the large powder brush when I used it on my face. My SS150 had a lot more shedding than the Sedona Lace ones. I still love my Sigma Brushes as much as I did before, but for the price & quality, I've really gotta recommend Sedona Lace. Their shipping is incredible. I think it took me about a week to get my Sigma brushes after I ordered them and I have my Sedona Lace brush 2 or 3 days after I made my order! Insain!!!!!!

ndoodles said...

WOW that is a big price difference!! And since all the brushes you mentioned are useful for some things... why not! Thanks a lot for the review.

SilhouetteScreams said...

Thanks a lot for this review, I was actually wondering if they were from the same manufacturer or not. The price difference is amazing O_O

Janet said...

@Nicole - Thanks for following me! :D I'm going to try and start updating mine more very soon!

oakleyses said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
oakleyses said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.