e.l.f. Makeup Brushes
Review
From the Brand:
Studio Small Taper Brush- The tapered head of the Small Tapered Brush makes application easy for
reaching small crevices for a flawless finish. This precision brush is
perfect for contouring and creating even coverage. Use with powder to
set under the eye, on the hollows of the cheek to contour with bronzer,
or use with foundation to achieve a light finish.
Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush- This new anti-bacterial, synthetic-haired Taklon brush is
softer and more absorbent and can be used with wet or
dry products. Be a professional makeup artist and create a
flawless look with this e.l.f. Studio brush! This thin pointed brush
creates even and accurate color application in one fluid movement. The
perfect angled tip of the brush provides exact placement for
concentrated color right up to the lash line. Use to apply eyeliner for
perfect color application.
Essential Smudge Brush- This short curved brush is the perfect shape to expertly
smooth in color along the lash line for a smoky look.
The dense brushes apply exact color application for extreme
intensity to blend colors or smudge lines. Perfect
for contouring and enhancing definition around the eye.
Essential Blending Eye Brush- Expertly blends multiple eye shades while softening dramatic edges and
fine lines. Using a Blending Eye brush after shadow and liner
application creates a natural finish to any eye look. This brush can
also multitask: use it to set powder or liquid concealer.
Studio Small Stipple Brush- Use the Small Stipple Brush to create soft layers by adding texture for a
natural airbrushed result. The two layers of bristles create ultimate
control from sheer to heavy coverage for small and hard to reach places.
Ideal with liquid, cream or powder products, foundation, concealer, and
cream blush.
Studio Stipple Brush- This new antibacterial, synthetic haired Taklon brush is softer and more
absorbent and can be used with wet or dry products. Be a professional
makeup artist and create a flawless look with this e.l.f. Studio brush!
The layered bristles create a soft airbrushed look that's perfect for
applying foundation or adding color definition to cheekbones or
highlighting with soft layers. Use this brush with any liquid or powder
face product such as foundation, blush or bronzer to build your
coverage from sheer to heavy.
Studio Angled Blush Brush- The slanted shape of the Angled Blush Brush offers precision application
for a sculpted look. The soft dense bristles contours facial features
easily. Use with cream, liquid or powder blush, bronzers or
highlighters for a professional result.
Retails for:
Small Taper Brush- $3.00
Angled Eyeliner Brush- $3.00
Smudge Brush- $1.00
Professional Blending Brush- $1.00
Small Stipple Brush- $3.00
Stipple Brush- $3.00
Angled Blush Brush-$3.00
Where to Buy: eyeslipsface.com
My Thoughts:
I own many more of the e.l.f. brushes than those pictured, but these are my most used brushes along with the two I wish I hadn't wasted the money on. Therefore, I'm calling this my "mini" review, and in time I hope to do reviews on more of their brushes. Hopefully you enjoy this! Be sure to leave me some feedback in the comments section below and let me know if there's a specific brush you'd like reviewed or if you have had similar/different experiences with any of these brushes!
Small Taper Brush- {not pictured, it's mixed with my work brushes from a recent photoshoot} I love this brush, and it's no surprise I couldn't find it when it was time to take my photos. I'm sure it's mixed in with my kit brushes somewhere waiting to be washed after a recent photoshoot. It's perfect for applying contour and highlight to the face and blending out. You can use it to apply loose powder under the eyes or around the nose, but use a light hand. The hairs are just a little more tightly packed than I prefer for those areas, but it will do. Amazing brush for only $3!
Angled Eyeliner Brush-
I use this brush all the time to mix the foundation colors in my airbrush. I use a professional airbrush system, and the gun has a little cup up top where I can custom blend foundation colors. Since most people aren't one straight color right out of the bottle (which is why I really detest the "pod" style systems that give you no control over the color and therefore negate the biggest feature to the airbrush besides the delivery method), I have to blend multiple shades together for the most lifelike look. This is perfect because it's bent and can get all the way down to the bottom of the cup. For those of you not using an airbrush all the time, it's still a great brush to apply gel eyeliner easily. The little bend is the perfect angle to get a nice even straight line. The hairs are slightly on the thick side, so it's a little tricky at first to get a super thin line, but with a little practice it's easily managed.
Smudge Brush-
The white handled brushes are from the Essential brush line, and these are only $1. The quality on these brushes is significantly lower than those with the black handles in the Studio line, and this brush is no exception. The hairs on it are super soft, but they aren't densely packed enough to really get a good smudge. It's ok for applying a sheer smudgy line along the lashes, but it's not really that great for blending or smudging out a cream product or applying a more dense layer of color. They tend to shed a lot, which is a real bitch when you're working in the lashes as they tend to get in your eye and make them water.
Professional Blending Brush-
Another of the Essential brushes, this one is even more useless than the previous. It's too short to be a big fluffy blending brush, which it would be great at given the loosely packed hairs, and it's too loose to be a useable crease brush for applying a sharper line. It sheds, and you can just see how cheap the hairs are by looking at them up close. The white pearlized paint chips with long term use, too. The ferrule is a cheap metal that snaps easily, and the whole head of this brush came right off at the base where it meets the wood handle.
Small Stipple Brush-
This is my favorite of these brushes, and I plan on getting several more for my makeup kit for clients. I like to apply a cream product before foundation to highlight and contour the face for a very subtle natural look, and this brush is perfect for blending those colors out and into the skin before the foundation is applied over the top. It's also great for applying powder highlight to the tops of the cheekbones lightly, especially when you have a densely glittery or shimmery product. It's small enough to fit into the hollows of the cheek for a very chiseled look if you like to apply a powder contour, too.
Stipple Brush-
I use this more for applying bronzer than anything, which is why you can see the dirty bristles. This one in particular obviously needs a good washing, but you can see that the head on it is much larger in comparison to how it's represented online. I thought it would be more narrow, but it fluffs out quite a bit with use. I think it makes it perfect for a soft diffused wash of color over the perimeter of the face, which is how I like to bronze. (Think of it as a 3 pattern starting at the center of the forehead, sweeping around the outside of the eyes onto the cheekbones towards the nose, then back out around again ending along the jawline. Like drawing a large 3 on the outer edge of your face.) This brush also works really well for loose powder over the surface of the face, but I like something a little more dense for patting a setting powder into the t-zone to absorb shine.
Angled Blush Brush-
This is a really great blush brush, but be careful that it's slightly dense and a tiny bit stiff. The hairs pick up a good amount of product, so depending on how finely milled your product is be sure you're tapping the brush to remove excess before applying the color to your face. The angled shape is perfect for sculpting and hugging the curves of the cheekbone for a flawless application. It's not the softest of brushes, but for only $3 it's very well made and works great.
Final Verdict: Holding each of the types of brush in your hand, you can see a huge difference in quality between the $1 Essential line and the $3 Studio line by e.l.f. I'd skip over the Essential brushes, as despite the implications of the name, they are anything but essential. The Studio line is worth every penny of the paltry $3, with a quality of a brush at many times that cost.
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