Sunday, April 24, 2011

Review : ELF Brushes

Hello My Lovely Readers!
 Hope you all had a great Easter weekend ^^. Today I have a review of the ELF Brushes for you (just the ones that I own, I don't have the whole range). To start off, ELF brushes are very affordable. I think the Studio line ones are $3 each and the rest are only $1! And I know, some people are going to be like pff! cheap/crappy brushes! why would you want something like that?! But trust me, They may be cheap, but are rich in quality for sure. I would say some of them aren't as good as MAC or other high end brushes, but some are up there. If you're a person on a budget I would totally recommend them, and even if your not, I still think you should give them a try, because you will love them! (except for a couple) :) So, here we go!

ELF Studio Powder Brush
This is a flat kabuki type brush and happens to be my second favorite. So soft, dense and durable. I usually use it for my liquid foundations or BB creams and it gives me a flawless finish. This is made out of synthetic hair, so you won't be wasting your products as much as well. I have no idea why this is called a powder brush tho, perhaps can be used for mineral makeup? I don't know :P. Anyway, love how it never sheds - I washed this brush 5+ times and lost like 1 or 2 pieces of hair. The only downside that I can think of is that it takes 2-3 days to dry up after washing, but I guess that applies to all dense brushes.

ELF Studio Blush Brush
Like the powder brush, this is a really soft and durable one. It's in a good length and size for the cheeks as well. However, I think the shape is a bit odd. It's almost like a traditional foundation brush, but fluffier. I would prefer something shaped like this for a blush brush , but again, that is just my opinion :  
L-R :Etude House Oblique Shading Brush, Sephora Collection I.T. Face Contour Brush

ELF Essentials Defining Eye Brush
This brush is great for applying eyeshadows. You can use it for packing eyeshadow all over the lid, crease work, and brow bone high lighting, etc. I especially think it works best for the outer "v", since it's angled. It's not as soft as other brushes, but I'm not going to complain since it's only $1. Oh and after using it for a year the metal part did come off, so I replaced it to a new one.

ELF Essentials Eye Shadow Brush
This is my favorite brush from ELF. Literally, if I were to get only one brush from them, it would be this one. It's basically a flat shading brush that is really soft. The bristles are densely packed, so it has a good amount of stiffness, too. It picks up a lot of product, so you don't have to go back and forth. This brush dries (after washing) relatively fast. Two thumbs up!

ELF Essentials Blending Eye Shadow Brush
This brush has to be my least favorite. It's very soft (actually the softest of all) and does a good job on blending, but it sheds a little bit - especially when I'm washing it. But seriously, how can you go wrong with $1? 

okay so these are the ones that didn't work for me 
(I threw them away, hence no picture)

ELF Essentials Blushing, Bronzing, and Blending Brush
image from eyeslipsface.com
Omgsh, this brush was so terrible. It was super harsh and had a weird rubber-y smell that didn't go away.

ELF Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush
image from eyeslipsface.com
This one was a nightmare, too. I had high hopes since it had good reviews, but it was so terrible!! I always wash my brushes before I start using them (right after buying) and you know what happened to this brush? The glue came out to the bristles and made them sticky! yuk. I ended up never using it and tossed it away. Let me know if you had the same experience or if it's just me :(.

... And that was it for my ELF brushes!
I would love to try their Kabuki Face Brush and Stipple Brush one day, but they're sold out all the time :(
Hope you enjoyed reading
and let me know what you think if you already tried them-
<3
Amy

2 comments:

  1. agree with you with everything. i tried a few elf brushes and they are either a hit or miss. ELF Essentials Blushing, Bronzing, and Blending Brush is horribly harsh.

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  2. I found the essential blush/bronzing angled brush to be a total miss, too. The hairs have gotten all bend and it's incredibly rough. But, it was only $1...Love the e/s brush as well. I own four, haha. It's the best one I own. Great overview/review of these :)

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