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Ecotools Brush Set
by Holland1
I bought these make-up brushes last autumn, when I decided that I'd owned my previous brushes for so long that they were probably unhygienic. Despite washing them regularly, they were past their best and looking a bit misshapen, and as I was having problems with my skin at the time, I thought it would be worth updating my collection of ... brushes.
I didn't want to spend too much on buying individual brushes, so I was pleased when I saw this set from Eco tools. I hadn't heard of the brand before, but the brushes looked to be good quality, and they were affordable costing £15.99 for the set. Although this is still more than I had intended to pay, I honestly didn't realise how expensive make-up brushes were, with some brands charging over £20 just for one individual brush!
The set comes in a little pouch which closes with a velcro "belt" which wraps round it. If you open it up, the brushes are all lined up on one side, in elasticated loops, and on the other side there is a zip opening so you can store a few bits and pieces in it. You can't store anything too bulky or you'll either damage the brushes or not be able to close the pouch, but I find this bit useful for storing my lip brush which I bought separately as it wasn't included in the set.
The Eco tools brand pride themselves on being environmentally friendly, with the following claims about their brushes:
* Soft cruelty-free bristle
* Natural & recycled material
* Bamboo handle has a low impact on the earth's resources as it is a highly sustainable plant
* Synthetic taklon bristles are 100% cruelty free
* Sleek ferrule is made from recycled aluminum
* Cosmetic case is made from natural cotton and hemp
This made me feel quite good about my purchase as it's always nice to know you're doing your bit for the environment unknowingly. The style of this set does look very eco-friendly, with the bamboo handles and eco tools logo etched onto the handles. That aside, I was interested to see how the brushes would perform.
The brushes contained within this set are:
* Blusher brush
* Eye shading brush
* Eyeliner brush
* Lash & Brow Groomer
* Concealer Brush
Admittedly, if I was to design this set to my personal preferences, I would have sacrificed the eyeliner brush for a lip brush. Obviously that's just my preference as I don't wear eyeliner, but it did mean I had to spend more money purchasing a lip brush.
The brushes themselves are superb quality, I can honestly say I haven't noticed a single bristle being shed, and that's after using them daily for about four months. The one I use most frequently is the blusher brush (which I use daily), and I use the eye brushes a few times each week depending on whether I can be bothered doing the whole eye make-up thing each day. I find the bristles to be soft on the skin, and they encourage make-up to be blended rather than leaving streaks or dumping the product in one place on your skin. The brushes pick up the perfect amount of product, without overloading, and the handles are comfortable to hold.
The pouch is very useful, and ensures my brushes don't get lost or damaged, and they are covered all the time so they're not collecting dust when not in use. The only annoyance I have is that the colour isn't very practical, being an off-white colour. As you tend to use make-up brushes when applying make-up, the chances are your hands aren't going to be overly clean, and I have found a few foundation coloured marks on my case which makes it look quite tatty. I haven't got round to cleaning it yet, but I might leave it to soak one night to see if the stains can be removed. The brushes themselves are easy to clean, I just use shampoo and leave them to dry naturally, ensuring I'm not forcing them out of shape too much as I've had this happen with brushes in the past and they're never the same again.
Overall, I would highly recommend this brush set. The quality of the brushes is excellent, and they provide an affordable solution. Even the impractical colour of the pouch isn't enough to warrant losing a star.
(Review may also appear on Ciao under the username Gingerkitty)
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Benefit Bronzing Brush
by HayleyBlondiee
I am a big fan of Kabuki style brushes as I find they are much easier to apply setting powders because the bristles are so large and spread out that they do not pick a lot of product up and disperse it very naturally and more importantly, lightly over my face. As well as powder, I find these types of brushes work very well for bronzers ... too as I don't usually contour with my bronzing powder, mainly because I am not good at it and end up looking like a chimney sweep from Dickens time with patches of dirt looking bronzer all over my face! I much prefer to sweep it across my complexion to highlight where the sun would hit, but using smaller brushes can be a task in themselves as they leave streaks and are harder to blend out to get that tantastic glow! If you're having trouble with getting a natural application for bronzer then I would recommend trying a kabuki bronzer and in particular the Benefit Bronzing Brush!
I love the packaging of this brush as most brushes just come in a plastic sleeve with a sticker and a barcode if you're lucky! But Benefit are known for their love of beautifully designed products and this isn't an exception. It comes in a see through plastic wallet type of container that has a bright, canary yellow cardboard piece to hold the shape and also hold the brush. On the front of the cardboard facing out towards the front of the packaging in big and bold lettering are the words Bronzing Brush with 'for the girl from panama look' wrote just underneath it! I don't know why but this made me think of the TV Programme that used to be on called Pan Am about Air Hostesses so I'm not sure if that is what they were hinting at, but whatever it is it sounds good! Underneath the writing are two small pictures in a circle - one of a face and once of a neck and chest which tells you that this brush can be used to apply bronzer to both these areas. In the corner in a black semi circle is a quite saying 'power to the bronzer' a play on the 'power to the people' one which I like!
Once you open it up and get into your brush you notice that it is quite short and quite broad which all kabuki styles are. They are made in this was as it is easier to hold them, store them and take them on the go with you by having a shorter handle. Speaking of handles, the one on this brush is really lovely and definitely stands out as it is a gorgeous matte white and made of a very hard a sturdy plastic, so its not going to chip or break off if dropped. One thing I love is that it has a rounded bottom which makes it self standing something which is also great for storing and helpful when you are putting your make up on as it doesn't roll off! The bristles are my favourite aspect of this brush by far as they are super soft! Made with natural hair they are arranged in a circular dome shape that is the same width and height from the base until you get to the very top where it tapers into a little bit of a tip. The tones of the hairs go from warm to dark brown from the bottom to the top.
I love the look of the brush as I think it looks classic, chic and chunky which is something that I find to be a great advantage with make up brushes. I use this to apply any bronzer that I am wearing - you can use this to apply low end or high end and it will still make it look amazing on your skin! You can also apply this on pressed or loose powder although I think it applies loose powder much better as it doesn't concentrate the powder into one place or hold too much at once, instead it picks up just enough to lightly dust over your complexion.
I would recommend this handy, great and luxury feeling brush to anyone who wants to apply there bronzer lightly to give a natural and flawless look. It is the perfect size to be able to fit in your handbag, glove box or even your pocket for touch ups on the go. This is an expensive product at £23.50 however it lasts so much more than a cheap brush, which you will need to replace once it gets too clogged up and starts to lose its bristles, so the quality pays for itself.
You can purchase Benefit at Boots or Boots.com, online make up stores as well as the Benefit website and any department stores that have a Benefit counter.
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E.L.F Daily Brush Cleaner
by rachieb123
My usual brush cleanser of choice has been the Mac cleanser, however in an effort to save some pennies I bought this alternative from ELF to see if I could get similar results at a cheaper price. The ELF brush cleanser cost me around £3.50 whereas the Mac cleanser retails for significantly more.
So, how did it perform? ...
The first thing I have to note that I like about this cleanser is that it comes in a spray bottle. This makes the application so easy as you simply spray onto the brushes and then wipe the brushes on a cloth to remove excess makeup and then allow them to air-dry. The cleanser contains alcohol which means that it kills off any bacteria, which can help stop you inadvertently putting any germs onto your face which could cause blemishes. One downside to this cleanser in comparison to the Mac one is that it has a strong alcohol smell, which can be a little off-putting, but does go away once the brushes have dried.
The cleanser does an effective job of removing the makeup from brushes, however once they have dried it can leave the bristles a little dry, it doesn't really have any kind of conditioning element as other cleanser do.
So, overall I give this a 3/5, it gets points for being cheap and for removing makeup, however it doesn't keep my brush bristles conditioned enough which I need as I have a few expensive brushes which I need to look after. I would say however that this is a good disinfectant cleanser, as such I will use it until the bottle runs out but I will alternate it with other cleansers in order to maintain the condition of my brushes.
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