Sigma SS219 Pencil Brush

Before my Sigma Brush Set, I never had a pencil brush. Now, I know I will never be without one, especially with my obsession with smoky eyes. The SS219 is larger than most pencil brushes, which is a blessing and a curse, but I do like this brush for multiple uses. Like the other smaller Sigma brushes, it does have issues with stray hairs, but not nearly as bad as the SS209. It has white bristles, so mine is slightly stained from all the black eyeliner I have smudged, but I have not deep cleaned it in a while, so it should come out fine like it did last time. Read on to see why I think a pencil brush much like the SS219 is a staple in everyone's collection.

HANDLE

The SS219 boasts the classic Sigma handle, matte black finish with the silver logo and silver ferule. There is nothing different about this handle, but like I say about all the other Sigma handles, this one has a good width and good length to give varying degrees of control. It goes in my purse with me to re-apply and smudge eyeliner, and I have had no problems with is breaking or cracking. However, it does have some "battle scars" or scratches from all the junk in my purse. It is thicker than the SS209 handle, but not as thick as the SS239 handle. Still, this brush has a good feeling in the hand.

BRISTLES

Like I stated above, the hairs on this brush are white, making it slightly more difficult to clean, but I am not complaining. What I find unusual about this pencil brush is that the end is not tapered like is traditionally- the bristles are compact, but it is wider than most pencil brushes and bigger than most other pencil brushes. The hairs are very short, about the height of the SS239, providing lots of control when smudging eyeliner on the lower lash line. This brush is incredibly soft, never scratching the delicate area around the eye.

BUILD QUALITY

Besides the occasional stray hair, the SS219 is an incredibly well-built brush. The ferule is well secured and does not come loose even with all of the smudging action this brush endures. As said earlier, it is a little harder to clean than a brush with brown bristles, however, maybe it is better because you can see the color- maybe brown/black haired brushes never get as clean as white haired brushes. This brush is also very dense, giving extremely good color payoff. This brush has also never shed while I have owned it, so major points to the SS219 in that respect.

APPLICATION

While the bigger shape kind of gets in the way sometimes, it has its pros, too. This brush is great for intensifying the color in the crease and further defining it. In the smudging aspect, the SS219 does its job, but for those with small eyes, it may be difficult to use. In a jam, this is not the best brush to use- in order to smudge anything perfectly with this brush, you need some time to really work with the product. But, it really packs on color into the crease, which makes this a great multi-purpose brush.

PRICE

The SS219 is available on sigmamakeup.com for only $9! Compared to the original MAC version at $23, this is a steal! However, these are very different brushes since the MAC one is more tapered, so don't think it is an exact dupe for the MAC 219.

FINAL OPINIONS

For those of you who already have an awesome smudger brush or pencil brush, this can be a skip. I also do not necessarily recommend the SS219 for those new to pencil brushes, it took me a long time to really understand how to use this one. If you are looking for a good brush to really define the crease, this is a good option. However, if you just want this as a smudger, I can see where some people may not like it. I, personally, like this brush, but do not love it. I do think a pencil brush is necessary, but not necessarily this one.