Sigma Beauty Grand Opening, or, the New Kids on the Block

Sigma beauty has long been a top name in affordable, high-quality cosmetics brushes. Recently they've seen two major advances in their company and product line - a launch of a cosmetics line and the opening of their flagship store in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Mall of America.

The Company

Sigma was founded in a basement in New Brighton, Minnesota by Brazilian natives Simone Oliveira Xavier and Rene Xavier Filho. A clinical professor at the University of Minnesota and a civil engineer, respectively, the couple used their extensive knowledge of scientific research and engineering to create the brand we know today. Their brush line includes many different sets for beginners and professionals alike, including a Vegan line! Recently they've also included a color line including eyeshadows and eyeshadow bases.

The Store

Situated in the same corner of the mall as MAC and Sephora, Sigma was obviously the place to be. On the day of the grand opening there was a line in the hall and the store was packed. Once inside, you'll find a huge assortment of brushes and makeup tools, all ready for the testing. Their selection is huge, and I'm pleased to see testers and examples of all the brushes and brush kits that the company has to offer. One of the biggest reasons why I'm so excited about the opening of this store is my warriness to purchase new cosmetics and brushes online. For the last year I've been hearing rave reviews about the company and their products, but since they've been an exclusively online boutique from their start up, I've never had a chance to work with their products and experience their brushes hands-on. 

The staff in-store are friendly, inviting and helpful. After talking to one of the workers, I discovered that some of their employees are not actually makeup artist or cosmetologists; they're everyday girls with a passion for makeup. They're not daunted by advance concepts in color theory, estheology, and application techniques - they just know what works and what looks good on an everyday basis. I don't mean to say the workers don't know their product; in the realm of brushes and their line they're all experts. 

Makeup by Tiffany D

I had a chance to chat with Tiffany D, a well known YouTube beauty blogger, and got a chance to ask her a few informal questions.

Jay'd: How are you liking Minnesota so far?

Tiffany: I'm loving it but it's freezing. It's definitely no Atlanta, but it's fun. I'm glad I got to see the snow.

J: Why did you choose to work with Sigma?

T: I love the quality. I've been with them since the beginning and I really believe in what they do. They're very hands-on; it's not just whole-sale. They're very involved in their products - It's a good company.

J: What advice do you have for up-and-coming beauty bloggers?

T: I know this sounds cliche, but just have fun with what you're doing! Do it for yourself - for the fun, and definitely don't ever think about how many people you're reaching, how many people you want to reach. Just have fun and be genuine and you can't go wrong!

After a brief meet and greet she did a demonstration featuring the new Defining Eyes palette. You can also check out her beauty blog here.

I also had a chance to speak with Tara Vogelgesang, Sigma GM and PR spokes person about their arrival at the largest shopping mall in North America. 

Jay'd: Why did you decide to open your first store at the Mall of America?

Tara: I guess, "why not?" is the real question. We've had success with out online store, but we wanted to give people the opportunity to see us, and to come and feel and touch the products and actually experience Sigma, rather than just on our website. The Mall of America is in our back yard - our office is in New Brighton, so it was the perfect place. The opportunity arose, and we took it. We had the idea about six months back, and since then it just took off, and here we are!

J: What are you most excited about with the opening of the new store?

T: I'm excited about new products coming. I think opening the store has really given us an opportunity to to get more products on our line. We have a lot of new eyeshadow bases and color products that I'm super excited for. 

J: Any word on any new products coming this way?

T: Oh yeah. We have a lot of new cool stuff. A lot of new pallets; a lot of new colors that we've never seen before. We're also trying to expand the line, so maybe into lip glosses, or maybe into highlighters or more blushes. We're going into all makeup; anything you want we'll make it. 

Overall

I'm super excited to have this store in my own back yard. I love the company, I love the products, and I love the price! I'm also pleasantly surprised with a lot of their color cosmetics and eyeshadows, and look forward to purchasing more as the year progresses. I'm excited to see them offer more products, and I only wish that their eyeshadows were more interchangeable, rather than the glued-in cardboard palettes. I got some great goodies that I'm going to be reviewing on my new YouTube channel.

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