Sigma Haul (and general rambly-ness)

(Just a heads up - this is going to be a bit of a rambly post!)

I said I wouldn't buy anymore makeup for a while but I wanted a brush holder so had a look at Sigma's site. I purchased some of their brushes last year when they were still a relatively new company (they still had the MAC duplicate numbering system on their brushes at the time). Shipping time was super quick back then and the brushes were also a tad more affordable than they are now. Their company has expanded on a mammoth scale recently and I think some of that is due to their slightly aggressive affiliate scheme. On the one hand it doesn't bother me if people use affiliate links and whatnot (it's just like being an Avon rep in a way) but on the other hand it's sometimes hard to tell whether Sigma products are actually good quality or if people are just pushing products to get their own commission. Whilst I like the old Sigma brushes I have some of their new lines looked sketchy to me and researching on youtube didn't really help because it's sometimes hard to tell what's honest opinion and what's sales mode.

After buying some hits and quite a few misses from Crown Brush a while back (posts are here and here) my brush collection is pretty vast. Not all the brushes I own are ones that I'd necessarily recommend but I still get good use out of all of them. I've never needed a brush roll before but I did a bridal makeup trial last week and really felt like it would have been useful there. I'm no pro or anything but I really would love to have more pro tools to lug around all those (good and average) brushes I own.

That took me to Sigma. I decided to go with the Premium Travel Kit in Hot In Pink (it's also available in baby pink, silver and black. I got hot pink because I always get brushes in the "safe" colours, thought I'd try something different this time). I figured that it came with brushes that I didn't already own (so I wouldn't have too many doubles, and the tapered brushes looked interesting too) plus I could use the brush roll afterwards. Well that tells you I ordered this around 1am and was half asleep at the time - because the Travel Kit doesn't come with a brush roll but a little clutch!

Space for 7 brushes!

This is why no one should make late night purchases! You end up being half sleep and thus sleep-buying products you don't want!

Anyway, it means I still need to buy a brush roll.

So here's the Travel Kit I purchased:

I've been using the brushes for the last two days and have been considering the pros and cons of them individually and as a set. Will do a more in depth review soon.

The clutch is cute enough and is perfectly fine for travel (as the name of the kit implies!). I still need a separate brush roll though.

The Urban Decay Naked Palette is one my favourite palettes of all time. When I saw that Sigma were producing palettes that look astoundingly similar in design to the Naked palette I had to give them a try. I ordered the Bare palette:

And the Flare palette:

Sigma always add little free gifts with every purchase (i think you have to spend over $30 or so). Last time I got a mini SS17 brush which I LOVE. This time it was a mini palette of three shades - one from Dare, one from Bare and one from the Flare palettes:

Cardboard cover

Actual palette

3 mini shades

Ingredients list - the second ingredient is talc! Also it also includes parabens and carmine. Argh! Not a positive list for me!

It's lovely of Sigma to send this palette free (gotta admit, it's pretty cute looking).

But if I'd known I would get a tester sample I would not have purchased two full size palettes so I really wish I had ordered the brushes alone. Then I would have received this free and realised Sigma eyeshadows aren't for me!

Ah well. You live and you learn.

I will do a swatch fest and review this week but overall this haul was a bit of a bust. Total waste of money. Some of the brushes are good but I have nothing 100% positive to say about any of the items purchased :(

This is why I need to stop hauling!!!