Sigma Eyeshadow Bases

Sigma has released nine brand new eyeshadow bases, and I decided to put them to the test to see how well they work, and if they really stop eyeshadow from fading and creasing. The nine shades released are:

• Persuade: Creamy light beige (no shimmer)
• Dash: Deep dark plum (no shimmer)
• Pose: Brown burgundy (with shimmer)
• Provoke: Light peach (with shimmer)
• Pursue: Medium warm purple (with shimmer)
• Sculpt: Charcoal grey (with shimmer)
• Spy: Duo-chrome green-brown (light shimmer)
• Strike: Rusty red (with shimmer)
• Unveil: Bronzed gold (with shimmer)

Price: $13 USD each, or a set of 3 (pre-determined) with an applicator brush for $36 USD

Top row L to R: Persuade, Provoke, Unveil

Middle row L to R: Pursue, Strike, Dash

Bottom row L to R: Pose, Spy, Sculpt

Top to bottom: Unveil, Provoke, Persuade

Top to bottom: Dash, Strike, Pursue

Top to bottom: Sculpt, Spy, Pose

Here's what I like about them:

• Interesting colour choices with some nice finishes, and several nude shades for lighter skin tones
• Easy to blend and apply, either with a finger or brush
• Hold the eyeshadow in place without much noticeable creasing for about 6 hours
• Relatively affordable price
• Packaging has a plastic stopper lid to further help prevent drying out

What I don't like so much:

• Texture is a bit thin and slippery when applying, I prefer my bases to be a bit richer and stick stronger to my lid
• The nude colours don't enhance the vibrancy of the powder eye shadows you apply on top
• Light creasing and colour fading after about 2 hours, noticeable creasing, smudging and colour fading after about 6 hours of wear
• Staining of the lid with the more vibrant colours, slightly hard to remove the stain
• Made in China - Some people might take offence at that, but I'm always a bit weary of makeup made in China because I have really no idea what kind of conditions the makeup is produced in, how stringent the Chinese government is on health and safety inspections, and the true cost of the product is probably insanely low, meaning the company makes a huge profit on mark-up. I know some people might argue that I should thus avoid buying anything made in China, but it's become virtually impossible nowadays to avoid all products made in "The World's Factory". The question is then what you think is ok for you, and what you'd rather avoid.

Bottom Line:

I think these probably aren't the hands down best eyeshadow bases out there, there is always room for improvement, but I was pleasantly surprised how well they held up for 6 solid hours of wear, before I noticed visible creasing and fading. The trio sets are a good way to try out a few colours at once, and also come with a brush for easy application if you don't have a lot of makeup brushes yourself. The colours are nice and I like the fact that there's a couple great nude shades in there, and the pigmentation of the colourful ones is pretty good.

Where to buy? Directly on the Sigma homepage here!

10% off code for February! The code BASE2013 will be valid for 10% off your entire purchase from February 1-28, 2013

Disclaimer: The above is an affiliate link and all products were sent to me from Sigma. I have no direct affiliation with the brand and do not work for them directly, I am not on their payroll and I am not encouraged to endorse the brand in any way. I will always tell you straight up what I like, and don't like about any product that's sent to me to try. If you want to buy Sigma products, more power to you, and I would really appreciate if you do decide to use my affiliate link since it takes me time to do these reviews, make swatch pictures, buy the necessary camera equipment, etc. If you choose not to, no problem. I would never want anyone to buy anything they didn't really want or need!

xo, Julia