Makeup Brushes

(Rather long ramblings ahead)

*pardon the photos of unclean brushes, it's not the next round of brush washing yet lol

As my interest in makeup grows, I'll need some tools to aid in application. (I'm not gonna be a makeup guru any time soon, all I'm doing is just trying to enhance my features and make myself pretty)

Brushes are not a must-have, but they're good to have. The reason why I say so is cz you can always use your clean fingers to apply foundation, eyeshadows and blush. But of course, brushes can change up the coverage, create an even surface, blends well and is more precise.

Everyday Minerals

A few months ago, I started looking around for makeup brushes after purchasing my BareMinerals mineral foundation. MAC brushes are mostly at least RM100, while the closest cheaper substitute- Sigma, starts from about RM50. We don't have Sigma in Malaysia, unfortunately (more on this later).

As I'm just starting out, I don't see the need to invest in expensive MAC brushes so I looked for alternatives. So happened at that time, Groupon and MyDeal had some makeup brush sets! While some are brandless, I stumbled on Everyday Minerals. Did some review-searching and decided it's not bad.

*Michelle got a Bobbi Brown set, but the deal ended when I was looking.

I snagged the Everyday Minerals 11-piece Makeup Brush Set for RM85! It's worth about RM406 XD Fyi, the brush sets on Groupon and such sites are seldom that price...they're mostly around RM38-RM58. I saw a 3CE travel brush set for like RM69.

The 11-piece set includes these brushes + a linen pouch(forgot to take its photo):

The flat surface and soft bristles of this brush made me rather uncomfortable using it for my mineral foundation. It was quite difficult to buff my foundation in cz the soft bristles keep bending. I'll give it another chance at proving itself or find another way to utilize it cz there's a mini version too, how convenient!

Haven't used this, in fact I only just took it out of its plastic wrapper haha If I come to like the flat top brush, I'll take this one when I travel cz of its size.

Currently using this for my mineral foundation! I prefer this one to the flat top because while the softness of the bristles are only a tiny tiny bit stiffer(still very soft though), its dome shape makes it easier to go around my face instead of the edgy flat top.

I've only tried this once and I didn't like the effect of it. This is a liquid foundation brush and meant for heavier coverage. I rather much use a stippling or buffing brush or even my fingers cz I did not like the outcome of using this brush cz the foundation got all streaky on my face...I think I just had to keep evening it out.

This is my only blush brush. I graduated to this one after reusing my Silky Girl brush that came free with the product long after the blusher has emptied haha This brush has a slightly tighter, stiffer feel to it. I think it'll fit better for a more chiseled look of blusher/bronzer/contour as it applies the product on a slightly heavier side. Still works for me as long as I slowly build up the intensity...if I'm rushing, I'll tend to accidentally slap on too much with a heavy hand :/ I'll lookout for a softer bristled brush to alternate according to the looks I'm going for, but this definitely does the job well.

I was completely clueless of the function of this brush cz I didn't know the name of it. One day, as I was applying my foundation and saw this among the other brushes. Decided to use it for spot concealing ie. pimples, sides of my mouth and nose, under eye. And I never ever..not use this brush since then. It's so awesome! One of my favourites, I must say. Feels soooo soft(perfect for the delicate eye area) yet buffs in foundation perfectly.

This is another brush which I have not used cz I don't own a concealer. Keeping it for near future usage :)

This brush is soft yet stiff, I really like this brush for eyelining. When I wanna use eyeshadow as eyeliner, I'll just use this brush and it'll produce a nice, pigmented straight line without having the need to pick up more product to built up the intensity. As for brows, I prefer a softer brush so my brows won't be too harsh/defined.

Again, not knowing the actual purpose of this brush(found out its name recently), I love using this to peck on dark eyeshadow on the outer-V of the eye for more definition. The size of this brush fits perfectly for my small surface area Asian eyes, allowing me to create a nice and sharp edge if I wanted one. The colour comes off concentrated as the brush is dense, which I love! Cz I'm really lazy to dip my brush into the palette so many times lol

I use this as both an eyeshadow brush and blending brush. Does the job, blend my eyeshadows well so it has a nice gradient effect and no harsh lines/edges. It's really soft too, so I can blend blend blend without hurting my eye.

I don't quite get this brush... like I honestly can't wrap my head around it. It is said to be a blending brush, but it has a flat surface(not dome like its name) and the bristles are very soft, long and not dense enough to blend properly. Because of its length and softness, it's very flimsy and does almost nothing for me but frustration lol Been trying to blend with this these days and hopefully I can magically use it with a technique.

Worth the buy? Yes! RM85 for 11 brushes from a rather trustworthy brand...quite a good deal! So far, I haven't experienced any shedding with these brushes, so that's good.

Where to buy? Groupon

Sigma

Here comes the 'later' part I procrastinated earlier. So. Like I said earlier, we don't have Sigma brushes in Malaysia. Not to fret, though! There's a few legitimate sites I know of that sells and delivers to Malaysia!

That's where I got my very new Sigma brushes! I only got 2 cz of budget constrain lol Plus, I only needed eye brushes.

RM52

I needed a blending brush cz the Everyday Minerals ones weren't working well enough for me anddddd...there's always always room for blending brushes, right? hehe This brush is dense yet soft, which makes blending a breeze! Too bad mine had a slight defect- I felt a slight sharpness when blending. I think it wasn't cut properly, so there's like one or two sharp bristles :/ I tried it on my hand and face...no feeling. I feel it only when I use it on my eye..that shows how delicate the skin around our eye area is. I sent the brush back for an exchange, hence a photo taken from another website.

Update: Got my exchange mailed all the way from MN, USA in just 5 DAYS! Love the efficiency!

RM52

Densely packed brush, major love for this one! It's my first ever eyeshadow brush and this has set the bar for my future brushes haha One dab of eyeshadow is all I need for my entire lid! It picks up enough product and packs on really nicely :D

Worth the buy? Yes! Cz it's Sigma :P No really, the quality can be felt when using...unless you're unlucky and has a defect like mine. Booooo. Awesome thing is, Sigma provides a one year warranty when you purchase from the official site.

Where to buy? I bought mine from Lovely Adornment(LA) cz the brushes I wanted weren't in stock at Serendipity(SR)...and I haven't discovered Luxola then. LA has free shipping, but they charge a few Ringgit more for their products (eg. other sites RM48, LA RM52). Since I bought 2 brushes only, still okay la cz I considered it as my postage fee. But if buy many, better buy from SR or Luxola.

- Luxola.com
*Free shipping when spend minimum RM40
(also sells Real Techniques + ZOEVA)

- Serendipity
*Pos Laju fee approximately RM5

- Lovely Adornment
*Free shipping, but prices are higher
(also sells Coastal Scents)

Etude House

*Don't remember the prices, but it's not cheap cheap...unless it's on sale.

Yen Shan bought this for me when she went to Korea! It's so much cheaper in Korea, so I tumpang her...which knowing her, she ended up refusing my money. I've been using this as my liquid foundation brush although it's a cheek brush :X I expected the bristles to be sharp as it looks so...but it isn't! Except when I stipple my eye area la..torture lolol

This is my first brush ever of 4 years old, maybe? I know it's a line brush, but all these while I've been using it as my shadow brush...cz I never bought a shadow brush :/ It worked cz my Asian eyes are small, but it can get frustrating when it doesn't give the intended effect. The brush is still working although the bristles recently started separating...but since it's a really old brush, I'd say it served me well.

This brush came with the gel liner I bought on sale. This is the exact same one as the Oblique Line Brush...except the body is detachable. I think it's a factory error or something cz when I used it, the tip of it felt hard/sharp..not comfortable.

I bought this together with the Lip Brush cz it was Buy 1, Free 1 heheh I seldom use this brush...used to use it when filling my brows with eyeshadow. Then I bought a brow powder palette and has been using the brush that came with it ever since. I find this brush a bit too soft to be used as a gel liner brush too..too flimsy, not firm enough. Works fine for the brows :)

When I'm feeling slightly more hardworking, I'll use this brush when applying lipstick for a more precise application. I mostly use this to apply the gloss from Sephora's Mini Shopping Bag Palette cz I don't like sticking my finger into the gloss- icky fingers and unhygienic.

Worth the buy? Hmmm 50/50. I wouldn't buy it if I have a choice cz it's not cheap okay? For its price, I'd rather buy ZOEVA or Sigma brushes cz the quality is much better... even if it's on sale.

Where to buy? Etude House

That's all from my collection! Gonna DIY some brush holders soon :D Keeping it in the linen pouch damn annoying to fish for the brushes out.

Have you tried these brushes? What's your go-to brand?