Buy This Not That!

I've been wanting to write this post for quite some time now! Just now getting around to it but that's alright! Let's get to it!

A little back story on this... I LOVE Jaclyn Hill. She is a makeup artist that has a channel on YouTube. She is more than a makeup artist, she is a makeup GENIUS. I have been a huge fan of hers since she started making tutorials on YouTube. I have learned soooo much from this girl. One of the biggest things I have learned from her is how to highlight.

Let's talk about her highlight here... she is GLOWING underneath her eyes. It looks amazing so I bought the powder she uses to set her under-eye concealer... Mac Shaping Powder in "Emphasize". This powder is off-white with very fine pearl.

She uses the Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter brush to apply this powder. This brush is $24.00 dollars. WHAT!? I am not paying $24.00 for a brush that only does one thing on 1/8th of my face.

Well much to my surprise (not) Jaclyn and Sigma are affiliated and she created her own "expert box" with all of her favorite Sigma brushes... for $90.

I justified purchasing this in that I didn't have any brushes that were similar in shape or use and buying the set saved me a little money instead of buying individuals. And these brushes have great reviews and are very high quality. So I got this set and I love all of the brushes!!

Now with that being said... The F35 is not my favorite brush to set my under-eye concealer. My old ELF Studio Blush Brush is my favorite.

The brush head is a bit larger and the ferrel is pinched so it is flatter on two sides unlike the F35 which has a round ferrel. I feel like the ELF brush sets the powder better because it presses the powder in to the skin thanks to its flatter sides. It also covers a larger area and gets the job done quicker.

Did I mention it's only $3.00 DOLLARS!? I have had the ELF brush for about 3 years and it is still good as new. The quality is great and it has a plastic handle vs the Sigma's wooden handle so it should technically last longer and look new for longer.

One thing the Sigma F35 does well is highlight your cheekbones. But if you are like me and your cheekbones highlight themselves after a few hours, this brush is unnecessary.

All-in-all, get the ELF Blush Brush if you are looking to set under-eye concealer. It's $3.00 and does the job better than the Sigma F35 which is $24.00.

Have you found any products that are less expensive but do the job better? Please share!