Sigma F80 Kabuki Brush: To Apply Liquid Foundation For That Flawless Airbrushed Effect

If there is one face brush I had to choose, and one brush only, to apply everything from foundation to contouring powder to bronzer to blush to highlight, it would be the Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush.

When I made the switch from compact foundation to liquid foundation (*ahem* powder accentuates fine lines. Signs of aging), I didn’t know how to apply liquid foundation properly. Recommendations included the use of fingers, makeup wedges, makeup the expensive MAC 187 and Beauty Blender.

I never liked applying liquid foundation with my fingers because firstly, how clean can your fingers get? Secondly, some liquid foundations take such effort to wash off! The Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation is one – it just makes the fingers and hand all oily and yucky. Lastly and most importantly, the use of fingers to apply liquid foundation never gave me that effect Sigma F80 has.

As for makeup wedges, I bought a pack of 20 and the remaining pack of 15 are still sitting there pretty, waiting for the day I will use them for… art and craft, maybe? They soak up so much liquid foundation product and leave little to apply on the skin! Disastrous! And they’re not exactly environmentally-friendly, what with all that disposable throwing away business, ya know~

I did a lot of research on the best brush to apply liquid foundation with, and it came down to 2 brushes – the MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush (U$42.00) and the Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush (U$16.00).

The big difference in prices was one thing, but while the 187 had many loving it, it also had many people disliking it. On the other hand, the Sigma F80 had a very high proportion of people singing its praises. Most people who have tried these 2 brushes gave their vote to Sigma – even die-hard fans of MAC.

So I ordered it and waited about a month to receive it.

Haha, do I see (sense) shocked faces??? 3 weeks to a month is absolutely normal for things to get shipped from US to Singapore. I once waited close to 3 months as my order got lost in transition. @_@”

Super Soft Bristles

When it first laid in my hands, I couldn’t stop stroking it! The bristles were/still are soooooooo incredibly soft! I didn’t know then that its softness is attributed to the use of Synthetic Sigmax HD filament, I only knew it was the softest brush I ever felt. No scratchy, coarse bristles like some brushes that I bought from Coastal Scents before.

It feels so luxurious to apply foundation with this brush every time. It gets the job done and makes the experience so comfortable. Your skin will love you for it.

Kabuki with a Twist

The Sigma F80 is a kabuki brush. Characteristics of a kabuki brush are its very dense bristles, typically short handle and tapered brush head.

The F80 brush has very soft and dense synthetic bristles, but it has a long handle and a flat head. I love the long handle because it gives a good grip during application and is very sturdy in construction. You know you are holding a good quality brush.

Instead of a tapered head like most kabuki brushes, like the Too Faced Retractable Kabuki Brush, the Sigma Flat Top Kabuki Brush’s flat head gives even better coverage since it lays flat against the skin.

Apply Anything with This Brush!

Versatility is why this brush is so loved by many. The Sigma F80 Kabuki Brush can be used to apply liquid, mousse, cream, powder, or mineral products effortlessly. The results are all the same – flawless. No streak marks or cakey patches.

Even though we can pretty much use this brush for any face makeup, I don’t use it to apply liquid foundation after using it for powder. Think about it, you set liquid foundation with powder, not the other way round right? If the Sigma F80 brush has touched any form of powder (like if I didn’t bring or ~~was lazy to reach for~~ couldn’t find a blush brush or powder brush), I will deep clean it before letting it touch liquid products. That’s why this brush is reserved strictly for liquid foundation only.

Makeup Tip From Bun Bun: This brush can be used to stipple and buff products into the skin, but I only do the stippling. For some kabukis, buffing is done to ensure that the product is spread out evenly and there are no undesirable uncovered patches. But with this Sigma F80 Kabuki Brush, buffing is not necessary. Saves time too!

Airbrushed Look with Liquid Foundation

I need not only a liquid foundation with good coverage that does not feel heavy on my oily skin, I also need a brush that applies right, to get the smooth and airbrushed finish easily.

Well, it takes more than just a dream brush to turn my blemished skin to a flawless canvas, but using the Sigma F80 brush definitely triumphs other methods of application.

I could never achieve the same smooth and well-blended effect with my fingers or makeup wedges or sponges when applying liquid foundation. There was once I forgot to bring this brush to office after bringing it home to deep clean, so I used my fingers to apply the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Plus. The result was just not as good.

This brush has turned my makeup application into an utter joy because it leaves a natural finish with no streak marks. As of the time of writing, every picture of my face published on this blog was created using the Sigma F80 Kabuki Brush. =D

Makeup Tip from Bun Bun: One thing to note is that, due to its very dense bristles, this brush can absorb a lot of product. To minimize wastage, what I do is place dots of liquid foundation on the area first then blend the dots out, instead of using the brush directly to pick up product and transferring it onto the skin.

Can Be Very Difficult to Wash

Oh gawd, this brush has got to be the hardest brush ever to clean! I went rather mad trying to get all the makeup residue out of it. I tried so many methods – shampoo, olive oil, makeup cleansing oil, MAC Brush Cleanser. Nothing worked!

I had a love-hate relationship with this brush because I love using it yet cleaning it brought the devil out of me. That is, until I found the best makeup brush cleanser ever – Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge!!!

Now, all that is left, is love. =) LOL.

After having washed it many, many times, it still performs exactly the same when newly bought. So far it has shed only 1 or 2 bristles, and I take full responsibility for my abusive behavior towards it in the past. Haha.

Makeup Tip from Bun Bun: To reduce drying time, which may take up quite a bit due to its incredibly dense bristles, use a towel to gently squeeze out excess water first. Get into the bristles, like you would do with your own hair, instead of just drying the outside of the bunch. If I wash it at 1am, it is usually fully dry when I wake up at 7am.

Oh! Remember never to use a hair dryer to dry your makeup brushes! The heat will damage and un-shape the bristles. You can let the brushes dry with the fan on to accelerate drying speed, but don’t place them directly in front of the fan.

Hard to Triumph

It's not just a makeup brush, its everything you would want in a makeup brush. By virtue of which I have awarded it the makeup brush that I simply cannot live without.

This is the most flawless way I have found so far in applying foundation, and it is all down to this brush.

For U$16 this brush is definitely a steal compared to other MAC or Sephora brushes. I have the MAC 188 Small Duo Fibre Brush, it is just a smaller version of the 187 to reach more easily the crevices of the face, and I think I would have still have bought the Sigma brush had I bought the 187.

I love the Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush so much that I incorporated it into my blog banner! Bun Bun holds the key to airbrushed foundation finish!