Okay, so I'll put up a small disclaimer right now. It's only been in the last few months that I've really gotten interested in makeup, brushes, and techniques of makeup application. I've watched TONS of makeup tutorials, reviews, and how-to videos on Youtube in order to finally get the look I want. And with Combination Oily/Dry skin, pale skin tone, dark natural bags with a noticeable vein under one eye, I needed all the help I could get.
With that in mind, I began thinking brushes. Being a college student, I couldn't just hop onto Amazon and drop $15+ for just one brush, no matter how glowing the reviews were. (Oh Sigma F82, how I want you so bad...) But I did pick up some knowledge about which brush is used for what product.
Bringing me full circle to this particular brush. I've heard that a stippling brush/duo fiber brush/"skunk" brush is one of the best to apply a thin layer of foundation to the face, stippling it over and over to spread the product, and then buffing it in for an even finish. And with this Rite Aid brush, I thought I had found a cheap, easy-to-obtain version of just that. Now on the actual review...
Pros:
After placing some foundation on the back of my hand, the brush is of good size to pick up that small amount and apply to the face. The brush isn't too big or too small for the overall face area, a bit too big for under the eye detailing, but for larger areas like the cheeks, forehead, the nose and chin, it works fine.
The handle is of good weight and size. With a solid grip, the brush won't be flying out of your hand anytime soon. Stable control keeps the buffing and application even when you figure out the best technique for you.
Buffing itself is okay for what you pay for. I spend about a minute tops just buffing, working around the edges of my face and down under the jawline to blend out all the harsh lines. And I do think that I get a good effect, no noticeable spots of too much or too little foundation, no "mask" where the face meets hair or neck. I guess with just my own skin tone and type, I just need to work out all the extra kinks to get a more air-brushed look, but I will say that with the brush, the final product does look much better than before with hand application.
That being said, there are some definite cons.
Cons:
First of all, it sheds. Badly. First use. Second use. Third use... You get the idea. Every time I use this brush, I find black fibers of the shorter part of the brush all over my face. At least three per day. I pick them off with tweezers and keep going, desperately trying to redeem the brush and its quality with more buffing. However, the shedding gets worse when I clean it every morning. More small, black fibers on the sink, in the sink, on me.... Yeah. The shedding is bad. Not enough to diminish the not-so-dense denseness that it had when I bought it, but still. Black fibers everywhere!
Mentioning cleaning, I will also say that while I have cleaned it as best I can with what I have (and that's not much, believe me), I try to get it as clean as possible after every use. I haven't been able to clean it my normal way (with olive oil and Dawn), but I wash it with shampoo twice in the mornings, and the fibers are still not truly clean. Holding the brush next to a white washcloth, the white fibers are still dingy and colored with foundation. I'll edit this review when I'm able to clean it better to see if the white-ness comes back or if once it's used, the fibers are stained permanently.
Like I titled this review, its 50/50 for what you pay for. This brush is one of the cheapest I could find of this type of brush, a generic, off-brand type that Rite Aid pushes to get money by presenting you with a less-expensive option. That being said, some cheap makeup products work wonders if you know where to look (like Ecotools brushes), but for this brush, buyer beware. Buying this brush, you are consciously accepting the fact that this brush is not Mac or Sigma or anything like true makeup gurus are using. It is of cheaper quality for a more reasonable drugstore price. It sheds all the time, but if you get the look you want, maybe ignoring picking a few black fibers off your face and vanity everyday is an okay compromise. Clean it well and perhaps the shedding will stop over time.
I will continue to use this brush until I find another inexpensive alternative.
No comments:
Post a Comment