Review: Sigma Dry'N Shape System (vs Brush Guard & Air Drying)

Recently, I blogged about a new product from Sigma called the Dry'N Shape System which basically works to speed up drying your make up brushes after a good deep clean and concurrently shape the bristles to it's original form.

Click Here for the Product Introduction Post

Product Photos

The Dry'N Shape comes beautifully packaged in a classy box

A brief introduction on the back of the box

Also some key features highlighted on the back of the box

The leaflet that came with the product

I love the fact that all Sigma products pretty much comes with a leaflet explaining the product features as well as how to use them.  Very convenient for new users as you won't be fumbling around looking at the product trying to figure out how to use it.  Plus, as mentioned in the previous post there's an accompanying video on the Sigma YouTube channel as a product demo.

The Dry'N Shape (folded)

The Dry'N Shape (unfolded)

The Dry'N Shape (close up)

The Dry'N Shape seems to be made of the same material as the Sigma Brush Rolls and I was quite pleased that it didn't come with the glue stench that came with the original brush rolls before.  The system fits 12 brushes of varying sizes but is targeted more towards larger brushes which tend to take a lot longer to dry.  The product is foldable and is held together by 2 magnetic buttons which means it can easily double up as a brush roll as well.  The special elastic bands at the top are sewn on one side creating the elastic loop to hold the brush bristles completely while they dry.

Drying Test

Since I don't have exact duplicates of the brushes, I've used similar types and bristle density brushes that I own to test out the system.

The test subjects:
The Synthetic Face Kit and The F30 (2pcs) & F20 (1pc)

If you've purchased the Synthetic Face Kit, you'll know that due to the high density of the bristles packed into the brush, it takes an absurd amount of time to completely dry for subsequent use.  If you own either the Complete Kit or the Premium Kit (or if you bought the large powder brushes individually), the F30 and F20 can take some time to dry as well.

Here are the sets of brushes put to the test with the 3 different drying methods:

Set 1 (Dry'N Shape) : F82 & F30 : The F82 is the most dense amongst the 3 brushes in the Synthetic Face Kit while the F30 is comparable in density with the F20. Brushes were inserted into the appropriate slots as recommended.

Set 2 (Brush Guard) : F80 & F30 : The F80 is the second most dense brush from the Synthetic Face Kit and the F20 is the same as type of brush used in Set 1. Brushes were fitted with the appropriate sized mesh tubes and inverted in a cup as recommended.

Set 3 (Air dry) : F84 & F20 : The F84 is the least dense of the 3 and the F20 is comparable in density as the F30 used in Set 1 & 2. Brushes were laid flat on a hand towel with bristles fully exposed to air (not in contact with towel).

Set 1: Washed and slotted into the Dry'N Shape

Set 2: Washed and fitted with the Brush Guard

Set 2: Left inverted in a cup

Set 3: Laid flat on a hand towel

Set 3: Laid flat with handles on a hand towel
with bristles fully exposed to air

The Results

	After 2 hrs	After 4 hrs	After 4.5 hrs	After 5 hrs
Set 1	Both brushes are damp to touch.	The F82 has dried. F30 is almost dry.	F82 is completely dry. F30 is dry but cool to touch.	Both brushes are completely dry.
Set 2	Both brushes are still wet to touch.	Both brushes were still wet to touch.	Both brushes are still wet to touch.	Both brushes are still wet to touch.
Set 3	Both brushes are still wet to touch.	The F84 is still wet to touch. F20 the outer bristles has dried and the inner bristles are slightly wet.	F84 is wet to touch. F20 is almost dry (damp inner bristles).	F84 is still wet to touch. F20 is almost dry and cool to touch.

Comparisons after 7 hours:

Set 1: Completely dry F82 brush with perfectly shaped bristles

Set 1: F82 (top view)

Set 1: F30 completely dry with minimal fraying on one side
(NOTE: My F30 came a little odd shaped)

Set 1: F30 (top view)

Set 2: F80 still quite wet but shaped nicely on most sides

Set 2: F80 Slightly frayed due to fibers getting caught
in plastic mesh

Set 2: F30 still quite wet and flyaways apparent

Set 2: F30 kept its shape but with isolated straying bristle fibers

Set 3: F84 bristles are wet going on damp

Set 3: F84 still drying (top view)

Set 3: F84 bristles are in place and still in good shape

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the F20 in Set 3 but as per my normal deep cleaning routine, there were no stray bristles.  The brush head is nicely shaped albeit a little fluffy.


Shaping Test

Since my brushes have pretty much kept shape as I use the original brush sleeves when storing them, I've decided to try out a couple of brushes with bristles that were out of shape to see if it will help reshape them to look like new.

So here are the before photos:

Test Subject 1: An old frayed eye brush

Test Subject 1: And old frayed eye brush (side view)

Test Subject 1 is an old eye brush from my mum's stash (no, I haven't a clue where she got it either) that was badly frayed due to being placed in a container that was too small for it.  It was in worst shape when I originally found it but managed to somewhat salvage it a little bit via previous washing but as you can see from the above photos, it still looks terrible.

Test Subject 2: F65

Test Subject 2 is my F65 Large Concealer Brush which I'm not really sure how it got to look the way it does.

Here are the after photos:

Test Subject 1: Bristles have been regrouped and neatly packed

Test Subject 1: Bristles are clearly compacted and
not as fluffy and all over the place as before

Test Subject 1: Another shot of the reshaped bristles
from a different angle

Test Subject 2: The F65 bristles are flattened

Test Subject 2: Bristles aren't completely flattened
but shows significant improvement from before

My Conclusion

I'm very impressed (an excited) with the results.  The Dry'N Shape system has definitely cut down the drying time for brushes and I'm particularly ecstatic at how quick the F82 was completely dry.  The F8x series of brushes from Sigma are some of the most time consuming brushes to dry and for it to be dried in 4 hours or so is great.  Previously, I had to leave to dry overnight and at least half a day more for it to be dry and ready to use again as mentioned in a previous post.  The fact that it compacts and shapes the bristles as well is definitely nice.

As far as shaping goes, the brushes from the Dry'N Shape did come out a bit more sleek and had minimal fraying. For both of the shape test brushes however, although the bristle shape had improved, it did not completely reshape it to it's original form.  This might be because the 2 smallest loops were still a loose fit for both brushes and thus affecting the performance of the system for those brushes.  However, as evident from the photos, it did still help the bristles regain at least 90% of its "as new" shape.

Unfortunately the Brush Guard failed miserably in the tests conducted above.  Despite claims that the special plastic mesh feature helps to regulate air to dry the bristles, it appears air drying yields faster results.  As for keeping the bristles in tip top shape, the Brush Guards certainly help but at the same time they run the risk of fraying the bristles at the same time as the mesh can easily slide up (or the brushes slide down) causing some bristle fibres to get caught in it.  Another thing to note is that for brushes with tips that are smaller than the ferule, the Brush Guard mesh will completely not  be in contact with the bristles.  Hence, no shaping action.

So the battle here would be between the Dry'N Shape and regular air drying.  Here are some pros and cons to weigh in on:

Pros

• Brushes are dried quicker.  (i.e. Less time consumed to dry even highly dense brushes)  Brushes are ready to use within a few hours.
• Great for those who like to clean brushes between use (e.g. Uses the F80 for foundation in the morning, washes after and needs to use it again for a night event.)
• Brushes are held more securely while drying.
• Portability of brushes while drying. (i.e. You can wash your brushes before a trip and it will be dried by the time you reach your destination assuming it takes more than 4 hours for the trip.)
• Doubles as a brush roll.
• Elastic bands helps to keep bristles in it's original form with minimal fraying.
• Protects bristles from collecting dust and such during the drying process.
• Helps to mould out of shape bristles.

Cons

• Not practical if you do not own super dense brushes or if you don't mind drying brushes overnight.
• Elastic bands are limited to larger brushes only. Smaller brushes are only allocated 2 bands. (The handle slots are capable of holding various brush handle sizes to carry smaller brushes when used as a brush roll.)
• Because the drying system uses elastic bands (albeit specially engineered ones), you might experience some wavy edges with prolong use especially near the areas where the bands are sewn. Not sure how that will affect the performance of the product though but it might not be able to hold the brush bristles as firmly as before.
• It takes a bit of effort to slot in larger short handled brushes like Kabukis/Buffer brushes (e.g. the F45 or the MAC 182)

Personally, I love the Sigma Dry'N Shape for it's drying efficiency and reshaping benefits.  Although most of my other brushes can easily be air dried, this product works perfect for me particularly for those Sigmax brushes.  It's also great if I'm pressed for time to get my brushes cleaned quick (i.e. I overslept and forgot to clean my brushes the night before but I need to use them pronto -- clean).  It's also convenient to store as it folds up just like a brush roll instead of having to keep track of my plastic mesh tubes.

The Dry'N Shape is priced at US$29 each.  Keep on the lookout for discount codes for Sigma products to purchase at a reduced price. I'll have codes that I know displayed clearly on my blog from time to time as I come to know of them.)  If you feel that the Dry'N Shape is for you, you can place your order by clicking on the image below.

Click on the Image To Purchase

NOTE: All brushes were washed in the same method and squeezed out excess water prior to performing the tests.  All brushes and drying methods were exposed to the same environment.

A special thank you to Simone and Sigma for the opportunity to share the product on my blog.

DISCLAIMER The product was sent to me by Sigma for review consideration. Test results and opinions expressed in this post were based on my objective findings and not influenced by Sigma or any other parties. I am not paid by Sigma or any other company to publish this post for them.