Sigma F25 Brush Review

Compared to Real Techniques Blush and Contour Brushes.

Hi lovelies! I was recently contacted by Sigma asking if I would like to try out one of their brushes, and being a huuge brush fan, I jumped at the chance. Sigma brushes have a lot of hype around them in the blogging world, with them being the cheaper dupes to Mac brushes. I have been eyeing a few of their brushes for a while, in particular the F25 Tapered Face Brush, which I ended up picking and was very excited that I would finally be able to try it out. 

Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush- "Apply powder, blush or contour shades onto the cheeks and temples. Tapered shape gives exact placement of product."

I was so excited when this arrived on my door step, with a lovely note from Sigma and instructions on how to care for my brush, as well as a free travel size E05 Eyeliner Brush in pink which is so cute! As instructed, I gave the brush a first wash before I used it, and when leaving it to dry I was a little worried that it would lose its tapered shape, but  once dried I was very happy to see it stayed in perfect condition and retained its original shape as well as drying pretty quickly. 

I have been testing the brush out for the past week or so and I absolutely love it. I have been using it to contour using my Nars Laguna Bronzer and it has been working perfectly. The tapered bristles mean you can get right into the hollows of your cheeks and the brush is large and fluffy enough for it to blend nicely and for it not to look too harsh. I am not someone who is blessed with strong cheekbones and previously I had been using the Real Techniques Blush Brush to apply bronzer and contour, but found it wasn't quite tapered enough for this, which is where the F25 is amazing for me (I now have some sort of structure to my face!).

The brush itself is great quality, and just by holding it you can feel that it is a very well made brush. The bristles are super soft and luxurious feeling allowing the product to glide onto the skin beautifully. I love the design of the brush, simple black handles are what I favour anyway and this one looks very sleek and professional. It has a chunky handle which I actually really like. The name is printed clearly on the handle in a holographic like print, which adds something special to the design. I havn't had any shedding from this brush (one of my pet peeves with some other brands) which is another bonus!

Overall I am so happy with this brush and impressed with the brand overall. I have read that some people find this brush too large for bronzer/contour purposes, but I actually think it is the perfect size to achieve something that doesn't look too sharp that it becomes unnatural. This brush has definitely converted me to Sigma over a lot of other more expensive brands, as they are so much more affordable yet so comparable in quality to higher end brushes. I am definitely keen to invest in some of the other brushes in the range, I have my eye on the flat top kabuki and the F35 (a mini version of the F25) looks like it would be amazing for applying highlighter or contouring the nose!

The F25 can be purchased on the Sigma website here and they do ship to the UK for a very reasonable shipping rate!

Have you tried Sigma Brushes? Which is your favourite?

(Disclaimer- This brush was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.) 

Nars Laguna Bronzer

(The flash on my camera has made the colour look a little pinky, and although it is warm colour, note that it is a little darker in real life!)

Hey lovelies, hope you are well! Nars Laguna has to be one of the most raved about bronzers of all time. I rarely hear negative things about this bronzer, and although there are millions of reviews out there, I thought I would give my thoughts on it! I have recently been in a 'repurchasing products I love' phase, as I have been running out of some of my faves (haul post to come!). I ordered a new Nars Laguna from Asos, which cost £24, but with the 10% student discount I got it for £21.60. I decided to order from Asos as they offer free delivery, which usually arrives pretty quickly so is great value for money. There is something about Nars packaging which just looks and feels so luxurious (Although attracts dirt like nothing else!). Being a bronzer the packaging is a lot larger than that of a Nars blush/eyeshadow duo and with 8g of product, it does last ages which helps justify the price. The bronzer itself is such a perfect natural colour, the finish is matte enough to allow you to contour with it, but has teeny tiny flecks of shimmer, which are so finely milled that it gives you a lovely bronzed glow. I love the names of Nars products, although some can be a little cringey, 'Laguna' reminds me of Laguna Beach, where everyone is super gorgeous and tanned!
I have heard that this bronzer is prone to smashing with it being such a thin, wide pan, but I (fingers crossed) havn't had this problem, although I am pretty careful how I handle it. 
I used to apply Laguna with my Real Techniques Blush Brush, but recently have started using the Sigma F25 (Review post to follow), a combo which I have been loving!

Have you tried Laguna? What are your thoughts? Do you have a different favourite bronzer?