Review: Sigma Mr Bunny Essential kit

I purchased the Mr Bunny kit and some individual brushes from their regular line and have been using Sigma brushes for over a month, so I can give you a good idea of what this brush set lets you do and it’s quality. I’ll start with saying that I love this kit and am very happy I purchased it. It is good value and is a fantastic kit for a beginner or someone who wants to extend their brush collection.

The kit arrived 13 days after placing the order from America to Australia and that is pretty damn good for shipping time to here.

I like the box the kit came in and it was athletically pleasing and nice that the brush cup was protected during transit. The box has a description of the Mr Bunny kit and clearly states the names of each brush inside, although I didn't pay much attention to that as I wanted to get to my brushes as soon as possible.

I love the cup holder! The leatherette finish looks very flashy, yet dignified in black and I like the imprinted Sigma logo on the side to show it isn't just a generic cup holder they threw in. The cups are a fantastic way to store your brushes and are a lovely display for them. I keep it on my vanity now and adore looking at it.

Thankfully Mr Bunny isn't just all looks; the function and usability of the brushes are great. I would say they're all a pleasure to use and feel on your face. The brush handles are sturdy and have enough weight to them without being heavy. They fit well in the hands, are easy to manipulate and feel like decent quality brushes. I have more detail on each brush below.

Sadly, my Mr Bunny kit came without the E60 Large shader brush and an extra, albeit bent, extra E40 Tapered Blending brush. I contacted Sigma using their template on the website and received an email the next day apologising and stating they would send me the missing brush as soon as possible. I would say their customer support is excellent and removed the disappointment of not having my full kit straight away. Absolutely full points for customer service!

Note: They sent me a new E60 Large Shader in a prompt and polite manner in a nice sturdy box to protect it.

I appreciate that this kit comes with brush guards for all of its face brushes and the eyeliner brush to keep the brush shape as Sigma intended.

I’ll tackle the issue of shedding bristles now because that’s one of the things that I hate about brushes. Upon first full clean with baby shampoo, there was little shedding. The F30 Large powder brush shed two hairs, but that’s it and I was rough enough with the brushes to really test them out. From me they pretty much aced the “don't shed” section of their test. During the first few washes the F50 Duo fibre Stippling brush had some discoloration from the brown dye leaking into the white fibres slightly. I’ve heard many people say they’ve had this problem. It’s not a big deal and the white bristles are still white, it’s just there is a small amount of bleeding from the brown colour.

Overall the feel of these brushes is fantastic. The gentleness of the Sigmax HD filaments on my face is luxurious and the eye brushes are soft, bristle and feel-wise, yet firm enough to hold their shape while using them. I could have done with a smaller eye shadow brush and a lip brush in this collection instead of the Duo Fibre brush, but find this kit good value and good quality.

I have a thorough review of each individual brush in the kit below, so keep reading if you want more information.




Buy the kit here at Sigma Beauty.

 

Enjoy!

Individual Brush Review

F30 Large Powder

F30 Large Powder

This brush was fun to play with before even using it to apply makeup. My boyfriend enjoyed stroking it (not the way it sounds!) and it definitely lives up to the name of Mr Bunny. I was happy to receive it in this kit even though I thought it would be too large to use on my face and get into the smaller areas. I was wrong though, because the brush is tapered and with light pressure I’m able to apply powder onto my temples, for example, without messing up any eye makeup. (I usually do my foundation et cetera last to avoid extra cleaning due to fallout.) The F30 was almost as good to use on the face as it was to play with and I will definitely get more use out of it than I originally thought. The brush allows a light to medium application of powder, and didn't scratch my face at all. (Mmm… soooo soft…) I definitely recommend this brush with the wonderful Sigmax HD fibers; fun and functional!

F70 Concealer

F70 Concealer

This is the smaller of the Sigma concealer brushes (the F65 is the large one and F60 the medium one) and I'm glad they included this one in with the Mr Bunny kit. Unfortunately I don't use it for concealer. I love to use this brush for foiling/wet pigments, cream eye products and packing on loose eyeshadow. This brush is a perfect size and has stiff enough bristles for using two or more colours on the lid. I don’t mind this brush for concealer but prefer the E60 Large shader for this purpose. The bristles taper nicely and make a decent flat pointed end for precision. I would recommend this brush for concealer use, eye primer, or as an eyeshadow brush, the versatility great! A definitely awesome option for creamy products and pigments!

Note: I have since ordered two more of these brushes I like them so much.

F60 Foundation

F60 Foundation

This is not my kind of brush. I have had bad experiences in the past at makeup counters, getting thickly slathered with yellow, cakey goop with these paddle shaped foundation brushes; so straight off the bat I wasn't even thinking about using this brush. I thought I should give it a try and attempt to review it objectively anyway. The brush itself is soft and silky and feels nice to the touch. It's a good size for all planes of your face (unless you have a witch doctor shrunken head!). It is functionally good for foundation application, however I didn't really like the results (that's just my opinion on these type of brushes in general though.) I found that although application wasn't streaky, it applied too much product for my taste. F60 Foundation brush may be the kind of brush that people like, but it's just not for me.

F50 Duo Fibre

F50 Duo Fibre

I like duo fibre brushes for cheek highlighter usually, however this one is way too big for that unless I squash the brush head to the right size/shape. It works ok that way, but isn't convenient. The brush itself is oh so soft and delightful on the face. It gives a lovely subtle application of powder blush and works with circular or sweeping motions. I don't use cream blushes, however I can imagine this wouldn’t be a very good brush for that. The white bristles aren’t firm enough to hold the brush shape as you stipple liquid foundation so the brush collapses and gives a dotty appearance, so I assume other stippling applications wouldn't go well either. I see why it is in this kit as it rounds out the variety of brushes but I wish Sigma would come out with a Duo fibre brush that holds up under pressure. This brush definitely deters me from trying the smaller Sigma duo fibre brush.

F40 Large Angled Contour

F40 Large Angled Contour

Ooh la la, this is a wonderful brush. The bristles are packed into a really great shape and it fits perfectly into the hollows of my cheeks. The angle is perfect to apply bronzer for contour and the bristles are perfectly firm enough to hold the shape as you use it. The ends of the bristles aren't as soft as the F30, however the brush is a pleasure to use none the less and blends very nicely. I like how the bristles are the Mr Bunny synthetic brown with light ends, so the dark product does not stain or make the bristles grimy as it would if the bristles were white goat hair like a lot of other angled contour brushes. The shape would work fantastically for highlighting the cheekbones and the rest of the face, as the point of the brush can be relatively precise. I love this brush and would highly recommend it for contouring and highlighting.

E55 Eye shading

Sigma E55 left, M.A.C 242 right for comparison

E55 Eye shading

This brush was a little larger than I expected it to be but it isn't too big to apply shadow to say, half your lid if you are doing a two colour look. The brush is great for a sweep of colour across the whole lid and can execute a light wash of colour or allow you to pack on your shadow. It picks up colour well and is also a perfect size for doing my brow highlight. The lower part of the bristles is supported well and the ends are soft and slightly fluffy to help with blending out colour and they're soft and non-irritating on the eyelid. This brush didn't blow my mind but it is still good. You always need more eyeshadow brushes, I guess. It's no MAC 239 but this one is an adequate brush.

E60 Large Shader

M.A.C 242 left, Sigma E60 right for comparison

E60 Large Shader

This brush is huge! Wow, I didn’t expect the Large Shader to be as… well, Large! I find it way too large for anything smaller than a wash of colour over the whole lid. It definitely decreases the time to cover your eye and is pretty good for brow highlighting if you like using a less fluffy brush for that use. I personally love this brush for concealing under the eyes. I regularly use this one instead of the F70 Concealer. The slight amount of softness to the rounded edge makes blending easy and the large flat area of the face of the brush is great for picking up and applying creamy products. This brush would also be good for applying a paintpot or other creamy base to the lid or blending a NYX Jumbo pencil if you don’t like using your fingers. The E60 Large shader is my choice for concealer, but would work great for larger eyelids as its intended purpose too.

E70 Medium Angled Shading

E70 Medium Angled Shading

Now this is a brush that impressed me. I was itching to get my hands on one after seeing it used in one of vintageortacky's tutorial videos. It seemed an awesome idea and I was quite taken with the concept of an angle blending brush that can be used to apply dense enough colour as well. I am pleased to say that it performs those functions excellently! It makes darkening your crease effortless and saves you using two brushes to apply colour and then using a regular blending brush to get your desired effect. I like that you can apply shadow to the outer edge of the lid precisely with the pointed end, and in the same motion bring it up into the crease and fade it out nicely. (whoops that kinda rhymed!) The brush itself is soft and nonirritating, as well as stiff enough to keep its shape without splaying out all the bristles when you apply pressure. The flatter shape of the sides lets you sweep colour only in the crease, however when you turn the brush 90 degrees and blend out colour further. I strongly recommend this brush and am overjoyed it was in the kit. I loved the E70 so much that I bought another one from the regular Sigma line, and with the difference in bristles they have different applications. I just love the E70 Medium angled shading brush and would suggest it to all! It does whatever you want and is a great multifunctional brush.

E40 Tapered Blending

M.A.C 224 left, Sigma E40 right for comparison

E40 Tapered Blending

Now this is a much more satisfying brush than other tapered blenders I've tried. The MAC 224 isn't the best for me for applying and blending colour cause it's too big and undefined. I would prefer a more slender and compact blender; which I have found in the Mr Bunny E40. I am very glad this svelte version is in the kit and that the synthetic fibres are firm enough to keep the shape but fluffy at the ends to allow adequate blending. It deposits colour better with denser bristles than the 224 and I must say the bunny tail look pushes it way above the black bristled MAC version. I love using this blending brush and it is great to deposit colour and give a lovely fading gradient.

E30 Pencil

Note: Excuse the slight purple staining on the tip. I love my Sugarpill Poison plum.


E30 Pencil

Ooooh, what a lovely find! I was not aware of the beauty of a pencil brush until I gazed upon it in a tutorial video on YouTube. I love this style of brush and the Sigma version is pretty great. The tip has enough flex in it to smudge or a blend harsh lines and the length of the bristles is nicely stiff to keep the shape intact. The point of the brush is fantastic for precise darkening of the crease, as well as applying colour to the inner corner of the eye for a highlight. I even bought an extra pencil brush from the regular line I loved it so much. The Mr Bunny E30 has firmer bristles and the length of the brush is stiffer than the regular Sigma E30 pencil brush. I love this brush for its definition and many uses. (I have said stiff one too many times, it seems too rude now. I will change back to firm.)

E65 Small angle

Sigma E65 left, M.A.C 266 right for comparison

E65 Small angle

I like this brush. I have used it for my brows and found it works rather well. The edge is silky and soft and the bristles keep a decent amount of firmness when you apply pressure. This small angled brush works well for gel eyeliner and can make a nice, smooth thin line. It has a good sharp tip and allows for good control. I thought I had enough angle brushes, but I wouldn't mind having another one of these. I would definitely recommend this brush for your small angled needs. Great for interesting wing detail!

E05 Eyeliner

Sigma E05 left, Sigma E11 right for comparison

 E05 Eyeliner

I think this brush isn't as thin as it needs to be to be a good eyeliner brush. It doesn't let you draw a thin line like the E65 Small angle and doesn't seem very useful for an eyeliner brush. It can't do a fine line or elaborate detail. The Performance E11 Eyeliner brush is much better for detail and thin lines. The Mr Bunny E05 can smudge eyeliner or be used for the lower lash line but I don't stand behind this brush as an eyeliner brush. I would have preferred the thinner E10 eyeliner brush be included in this kit. This brush probably won't get too much used by me for eyeliner work and I will stick with an angled brush or E11, however it still has its uses. (Cackles maleficently!)

Free sample with my order

Sigma sent me a free eyeshadow sample with my order as part of the deal "spend over $30 not including shipping" and I thought that was a lovely touch. I love getting gifts with my orders, as everyone must. The sample came in a little matchbox like packet with a light magnet to close the front cover and protect the shadow. The cover states "A gift for you!" and even though I know it is a mass produced sample packet, it was sweet none the less.

The colour is called Gasp from the Dare palette and appears an orange coral in the pan. It didn't seem too exciting upon first look, although when it is applied to the lid it shows a different side. It is far more interesting and lovely, it still has a coral undertone but the main colour appears a bit more like a pinky-peach and a nice surprise is the gold shimmer that peaks through. It is good for a warmer neutral look and paired with a gold highlight works nicely.