Share the Beauty: the brush-off.

with

{ LEONORA from Yellow Heart Art | HEATHER of Just Love.ly Things | LAUREN of The Trunk Blog }

Another week, another party!

I celebrate May by giving you the brush-off.  That is, the battle of the makeup brushes!

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago (here) when I mentioned Benefit's Erase Paste that I LOVE to use this product with the e.l.f. Essentials Concealer Brush (and that it weighs in at just $1.00!).  Whilst cruising the e.l.f. website, I also found this excellent option (and it mentions being cruelty-free, which the other one does not, so the additional dollars, which still aren't many, might be worth it for the peace of mind).

I also very much enjoy and appreciate e.l.f.'s brushes guide, for those of us who have the confused "what is THIS one for?" look on our faces.

Let's leap to the other end of the price spectrum, shall we?

I got an in-store makeover from a Smashbox rep a few weeks ago and was in awe of the softness of the brush she was using to apply powder.  At $48.00 it's certainly a splurge for me, but at the same time, I was getting pretty sick and tired of my stiff old powder brush that was making my makeup routine a little less pleasant than it could've been.

Smashbox Powder Brush #1 for loose powder, pressed powder, bronzer , blush... you get the idea.

Confession: I did not actually buy this brush.  I was too traumatized by the price and ended up compromising for a brush that still felt softer than my old, dingy one, but was a little easier on my wallet, as well.  Still, if you have the moolah, I recommend Smashbox.

Show of hands: who else is sick of those stupid sponge-tip applicators that come with eyeshadow compacts?!

shame on you, sponge-tip applicators!

I HATE them.  Maybe it's because I don't drop tons of money on expensive eyeshadow (generally) so I "get what I pay for" in terms of the applicator.  I appreciate the convenience of having the applicator right there in the compact when I'm ready for eyeshadow, but I feel like the sponge-tip applicators are made of an insensitive material and thus irritate the skin of my eyelid; they don't even do a very good job of actually applying the shadow.  I guess they're okay if you're going to be applying a lot of shadow and need to get a lot of product onto your eyelid all at once, but I also suspect that's not a technique that most makeup artists would recommend, either.

Okay, rant is over.  Now, my point: I really like eyeshadow brushes with a lot of soft bristles that hold enough shadow to either apply over the entire lid, or dab into the crease.  I don't like to have 12 different eyeshadow brushes for my typical makeup routine, when I'm sorta in a hurry in the morning, so I've found that a good all-purpose, everyday is great for me.  I have found such a brush with Eco Tools' Bamboo Eye Shading Brush, and it's natural components make me feel better about buying it, too!  They are buy one, get one half off at Ulta right now, so I nabbed a second one as emergency backup in case I lose one of them under the seat of my car (happens with disturbing frequency).

Which brushes do you love?  Can't live without?  Dropped some big bucks on?  Hate with a fiery passion, like my feelings toward sponge-tip applicators?   :)

xo,

Emily