Tuesday 27 September 2011

Make Up Brush Collection - Requested :)

Hi Girls, 


I once learnt from a make up artist that having the right tools can make all the difference in the application of make up and boy, was she right.  So since I was advised this I invested in a quality brush set and over the past year or so my collection has grown so I would like to show you guys my current collection which is by far small in comparison to some that I have seen and also how I store them and clean them to ensure that they stay in top notch condition.


Storage  




I purchased the square vase on the left from HobbyCraft for approximately £4, the glass beaker is from Morrisons for just 40p and is actually of such good quality I bought several.  


I then filled them with beads from HobbyCraft which were on offer at the time for 99p a pack. I used 2 packs for both of the containers and was left with a Sephora inspired brush holder.  


First collection


I purchased these from the Body Shop where they range from £9 - £16.00.  They are synthetic and cruelty free so this prompted my purchase!


From left to right...


Face and Body Brush £16.00
Blusher Brush £12.00
Foundation Brush £12.00
Eyeshadow Blender Brush £9.00
Line Softener Brush £8.00
Angled Brush £9.00
Brow and Lash Comb £9.00
Smudger Brush £9.00
Lipstick Brush £9.00
Eyeshadow Brush £9.00


These are really good quality brushes and TBH I do not think that I have experienced any hair loss from them which can be an issue with cheaper brushes.  They are very soft material however in terms of the blusher brush I do not think that this goes in its favour as it can be a little too light on the face and not allow you to get as much control for conturing etc. Unfortunately the brow comb end broke which I need to glue which is quite disappointing given the price.  At the time of purchase I had little or few make up brushes and the ones which I did have were of the cheaper variety hence why I spent a little extra on a quality set without going too 'high end' with the likes of MAC, Bobby Brown etc.  


MAC 217 Blending Brush 


I am an avid YouTube subscriber (please let me know if you have a channel) and the make up artists on there were always banging on about this 217 brush and I did not understand the hype.  Now I do!  This is my one and only MAC make up brush and the prices have generally put me off even though I am a fan of their products.  This was £16.00 although in my opinion as far as make up brushes go this was worth it,  even if my boyfriend did think I was mad and my dad did refer me to the local DIY store for a similar model,  This has made blending and application of eyeshadow so much easier and I can definitely understand the hype although I do not think I will be investing in any further MAC brushes in the future purely on the basis that you can get some really good quality cheaper versions.  


Lancome Set


I have never actually bought anything from Lancome however my mum got me a voucher for my birthday for a department store which sells my favourite higher end make up brands and we went so I could spend it.  Whilst there my mum bought some Lancome moisturiser and as it had just been released they were doing a special offer and giving away a gift which included a Lancome bronzer and 3 make up brushes.  Now my mums not a massive bronzer fan and knowing my love for new products kindly 'donated' the gifts to me :)  Here are the brushes...




These are actually of amazing quality and I looked on the website and these go at approximately £20.00 a pop so to get them for free is AMAZING! I love the large blending brush which is excellent for contouring and applying bronzer,  the large, long handle means that you have perfect control over the application and the large soft brush blends perfectly so well done Lancome for this one!


Stipple Brush


This was purchased under my last haul blog.  It is by QVS.  I have been using this for the past few days now and I must say I love the stipple brush and the flawless finish it gives the only comment I will have on this particular brand is that there was quite a lot of hair loss but I am sure this was just first few usages.  I have heard that you should wash the brushes before use to eliminate this problem but I did not have time for that I just wanted to go ahead and use it :)




Finally...how I clean my brushes


Ideally they would be fully cleaned after every use but as you all know this is not practical so what I use is a pump action spray which I got from feel unique.com and I spot clean them after each use.  I keep an old towel or washcloth always on hand and spray the brush and gently rub on the cloth to remove a majority of the product.  The fast drying formula means that they are ready to use again pretty quickly as opposed to a full wash.  


To do a more thorough clean I use good old baby shampoo which I usually pick up from my local poundland.  Basically I put a small amount of shampoo onto a wet sponge and then rub the brush over until all the debris has gone and then rinse under the tap.  Its also important that you avoid submersing the metal of the brush for too long as it can cause it to rust and also the bristles can start to come away.  After they have been washed, I reshape them and leave them to dry flat. Usually if I do this before bed then they are good to go in the morning. 


Well thats it for my brush collection and review - I hope that you enjoyed and I love reading your comments and try to respond to all of them.  


I would love to see your collections so please feel free to do a blog response to this and just tag/link me so that I can see it too :)




All items mentioned were purchased by myself and the views expressed are purely my own, I am in no way shape or form being sponsored for anything mentioned and I will always be honest with my reader should this not be the case.

9 comments:

  1. I wash my brushes the same way but that spray looks like a cool thing to try. TBS brushes look pretty good, I might get a couple of these. Great post! Definitely reflects that sometimes price and quality go hand in hand. :p

    P.S I love how you've stored your brushes with those beads. So simple and pretty. xo

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  2. Thanks a lot for your comment. I believe the brush cleaner was approx £10 but it has lasted me ages and does not appear to be running out anytime soon but I think ELF cosmetics do a brush spray at a fraction of the cost - it just means that you have to clean them thoroughly less. x

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  3. I really want to try mac brushes, but they're so expensive. Nice way to store them!

    http://lucyywrites01.blogspot.com/
    Lucy x

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  4. I agree Lucy, especially when there are so many cheaper brushes available of great quality. x

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  5. I really like how you stored them! Are they just ordinary beads? I tend to go for cheaper brushes myself. You should try the Studio range from ELF (www.eyeslipsface.co.uk), their brushes are mostly about £3.50, but amazing quality! I use the powder brush for my foundation and the stipple brush for my blusher.
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    www.hollylikestoblog.bogspot.com

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  6. @HollyMcKie they are just normal cheap beads from Hobbycraft that I got on special offer for £1 a pack.

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  7. I have such brush envy at the moment lol. Since going cruelty free I have like 4 brushes - 2 for the eyes and 2 for the face, which I'm pretty sure aren't synthetic but I refuse to buy any brushes here as I'm off to NYC in Feb so will stock up on lots of lovely cruelty-free brushes at a much cheaper price!

    xoxo

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  8. @THE BEAUTY DIARIES Oooh keep us updated on the new brushes and well done on going cruelty free x

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