Brushes!Which brand do you recommend?
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free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 2:53 am

I'm thinking about purchanging a set of brushes, maybe Bobbi. But it's quite expensive.

I went to Harrods yesterday and spotted that Laura Mercier's Micro Mini Brush Set is now £18, half price from the original £36. I'm so tempted, but not sure about the quality of Laura Mercier.

What do you think? Or is there any other better brands? Thank you!

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:38 am

The only brushes I have used are MAC and Jane Iredale.
Both are excellent quality and have lasted me a good year now, they still look newand I would recomend either brand.

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 6:07 am

I have used so many different brands and find that Armani and Trish McEvoy are the best. Their powder and blusher brushes are so soft and they have lasted me years.

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:07 am

I just got these in the mail yesterday and they are really nice for the price. The website says they are just like the Bobbi Brown, don't know if they ship out of the US though.

I pulled on them several time to see if they would shed and no hairs came out at all.

http://www.lumierecosmetics.com/index.php?p=product&id=251&parent=25

I like the MMU there too.

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:15 pm

The best brushes I have ever tried are Alima's hands down. After I bought some Alima brushes I got rid of almost all of my high-end brushes--- they were just too scratchy compared with the Alima brushes! Unfortunately, my 2 favorite Alima brushes, the powder and blush brushes, are out of stock right now, but you might want to keep an eye out for when they come back in stock because they are very affordable.

In the meantime, Urban Decay's brushes are also surprisingly nice. I have had my powder brush from them for about a year and a half now, and not only has it never shed a single hair, but it's still as soft and beautiful as the day I bought it.

I've also heard very good things about Lumiere's synthetic kabuki brush, so I went ahead and ordered one recently--- I'll be reporting back!

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:56 pm

Mine are Bobbi Brown ,& I love them.

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:18 pm

Mine are Bobbi Brown, but I'm ordering Alima's powder brush as soon as they come back in stock! I've also used cheaper ones from the Body Shop many years ago when I was a student on a tight budget, but they have lasted and performed well throughout the years, have not shed and are still in good shape even now. Only thing of course is that you can't call them super soft.

HTH! Smile

Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:14 pm

I have brushes from MAC and NARS and love them both.

Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:19 pm

I have the JI Handibrush which I love

and was just given a new set of A'Squirrel brushes with the A'Squirrel Kabuki. Wowee! are they ever lovely...

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 8:27 pm

I have Bobbi Brown that last forever. Several years at least!
Next I would try suggestions from InStyle mag.

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:53 pm

lorimcp wrote:

I just got these in the mail yesterday and they are really nice for the price. The website says they are just like the Bobbi Brown, don't know if they ship out of the US though.

I pulled on them several time to see if they would shed and no hairs came out at all.

http://www.lumierecosmetics.com/index.php?p=product&id=251&parent=25

I like the MMU there too.

Ohhh do tell me more! Would you mind giving me a review of th brushes. Have you tried the kabuki?

I am also eyeing the foundation as well. Which one are you using? I am hoping to contact them to ask for recommendations on foundation match as it would be too costly to get it wrong. Do they have good customer service?

Sorry for bombarding you with questions Laughing

.

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:55 pm

manslayerliz wrote:

The best brushes I have ever tried are Alima's hands down. After I bought some Alima brushes I got rid of almost all of my high-end brushes--- they were just too scratchy compared with the Alima brushes! Unfortunately, my 2 favorite Alima brushes, the powder and blush brushes, are out of stock right now, but you might want to keep an eye out for when they come back in stock because they are very affordable.

In the meantime, Urban Decay's brushes are also surprisingly nice. I have had my powder brush from them for about a year and a half now, and not only has it never shed a single hair, but it's still as soft and beautiful as the day I bought it.

I've also heard very good things about Lumiere's synthetic kabuki brush, so I went ahead and ordered one recently--- I'll be reporting back!

Hi manslayerliz! I look forward to seeing your review. Also, did you order anything else from them?

free skin care · Fri Dec 29, 2006 11:12 pm

I bought one of the MAC special packs that they bring out once or so a year. As I travel a bit I needed something small. I probably wouldn't buy them again though as I don't think the brushes are as good as the normal ones.

Can anyone suggest a good travel brush - specifically for applying bronzing powders?
thanks

free skin care · Sun Dec 31, 2006 7:54 pm

The JI handi is quite amazing. Sephora's all over eye brush is a staple for me. After manslayerliz's constant ranting, I might end up trying Alima too!

free skin care · Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:38 pm

I have on of MAC's holiday brush sets which I love. It seems like the newer sets aren't as well made as the older ones.

I also have Quo brushes which are comparable to MAC.

For a kabuki brush, I use Glo Minerals brand. Coverage is good and its soooo luscious!

free skin care · Sun Dec 31, 2006 10:00 pm

cuppre wrote:

lorimcp wrote:

I just got these in the mail yesterday and they are really nice for the price. The website says they are just like the Bobbi Brown, don't know if they ship out of the US though.

I pulled on them several time to see if they would shed and no hairs came out at all.

http://www.lumierecosmetics.com/index.php?p=product&id=251&parent=25

I like the MMU there too.

Ohhh do tell me more! Would you mind giving me a review of th brushes. Have you tried the kabuki?

I am also eyeing the foundation as well. Which one are you using? I am hoping to contact them to ask for recommendations on foundation match as it would be too costly to get it wrong. Do they have good customer service?

Sorry for bombarding you with questions Laughing

.

sorry to be so slow, been busy for a couple days. After a few days with them I really like these brushes, I have not ordered the Kabuki yet though (wish I had), I still have a BE in good shape. I really love the eyeshadow brush and the largest brush I use for foundation. That is really all I have had time to try.

I use the Veena Velvet foundation and asked for the BE 'medium beige' match. Theirs is also called 'Medium Beige', but I found it to be a bit darker than BE's I think I will order the next lighter 'Beige' and mix, but with mineral makeup, the color matching is not as crucial. If you email Kim, she will probably sell you small samples for a good price, if you want a little zippy of the 'Medium Beige', pm me and I can mail you some, I have plenty as I ordered the 2 large / $25 deal Smile

Really since using all my PSF and IE products and my new 'Quasar SP' I haven't used the foundation as much. Today I went out of the house with only the Lumiere 'True' all over color. I really like this powder. Also if you like green eyeshadow, check out the 'Cats Eye' Very Happy

free skin care · Sun Dec 31, 2006 10:04 pm

I have been using Chantecaille for face brush and blush for 2 years, I love these. Bought them when I went to Hong Kong for business trip years ago to find out the price of Chantecaille products were a lot cheaper than the prices of the states and the other cities in Asia.

Previously I had used Trish McCovoy(sp?) brushes of Powder and Blush, Shuemura Face brush which were all good, but when I tried these, I just realized this is it. I think Chantecaille is softer with proper length to me.

Hi manslayerliz, thanks for your review. You made me feel I should try Alima..have you tried brushes from Trish or Chanetecaille? I just like to know if you could compare Alima with what I had used..

free skin care · Mon Jan 01, 2007 12:16 am

I have a few A'squirrel brushes, they are 100% pure natural hairs, which are incredibly soft - though are still medium-high priced for my budget especially after shipping is tacked on.

As for the Alima brushes, for a synthetic fibre brush, it is amazingly soft! But the only problem I have is that, it is slightly too dense for me to apply MMU, I prefer the A'squirrel kabuki.

Smashbox have a new range called "Roxy", which are also goat hair fibres, and they receive pretty good reviews on MUA.

Since reading MUA reviews on the Trish McEvoy brushes, I've coveted one - but have heard bad stories about buying off the net, since most of them are reject stock Embarassed

free skin care · Mon Jan 01, 2007 3:39 am

I only have a few brushes, but they are MAC and seem to last for ages. I'm pretty sure the Laura Mercier ones are supposed to be good quality too though.

free skin care · Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:19 am

cuppre wrote:

manslayerliz wrote:

The best brushes I have ever tried are Alima's hands down. After I bought some Alima brushes I got rid of almost all of my high-end brushes--- they were just too scratchy compared with the Alima brushes! Unfortunately, my 2 favorite Alima brushes, the powder and blush brushes, are out of stock right now, but you might want to keep an eye out for when they come back in stock because they are very affordable.

In the meantime, Urban Decay's brushes are also surprisingly nice. I have had my powder brush from them for about a year and a half now, and not only has it never shed a single hair, but it's still as soft and beautiful as the day I bought it.

I've also heard very good things about Lumiere's synthetic kabuki brush, so I went ahead and ordered one recently--- I'll be reporting back!

Hi manslayerliz! I look forward to seeing your review. Also, did you order anything else from them?

Hi cuppre! No, I didn't order anything else--- I'm pretty satisfied with all my Alima mineral makeup, so now I'm just on a quest for a travel-friendly luxurious baby buki. I'll definitely report back!

free skin care · Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:23 am

jeannie wrote:

Hi manslayerliz, thanks for your review. You made me feel I should try Alima..have you tried brushes from Trish or Chanetecaille? I just like to know if you could compare Alima with what I had used..

Hi Jeannie! Unfortunately I haven't tried either of those brands so I can't compare--- Alima brush users, has anyone else tried either of these brands?? However, I can say that I've had my hands on what feels like a million brushes, and none of them have compared in quality to Alima, so if you're looking to expand your brush collection, they are totally worth checking out!^-^

free skin care · Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:50 am

I have some MAC brushes and also a Quo brush (found at Shoppers Drug Mart). Love them both!

free skin care · Mon Jan 01, 2007 4:34 pm

I spent a small fortune on Trish McEvoy brushes in the last month (which is ridiculous considering I don't wear much make up!). I thought maybe if I bought some more brushes I may wear the nice make up I have and don't use! I have had a couple of brushes from TM before over the last few years and they are fab. Really nice and soft and very effective. So after many years of coveting, I finally splashed out on more.

I also saw the Laura Mercier offer in Harrods, (I'd actually noticed the very nice looking set in Harve Nichols an hour before but I dont think they were in the sale there). I think that set would be a good handbag or travel kit, but not a substitute to full size brushes. I think it's worth getting the best quality brushes... maybe you can start with a couple of basic brushes, e.g. foundation and powder, maybe using the latter to temporaraily double up with blusher (if you use it) and then building from there gradually.

It's worth looking out for sets and special deals. Trish McEvoy had a fantastic set in December - it had 7 brushes for £55 (in a blue suede roll, but I didn't think much of the roll) - normally a couple of those brushes in that set would cost that. It sold out of Harvey Nichols within a couple of weeks though. If you're interested, might be worth asking in case they have an odd one in the stock room. One thing about them was that they are the shorter handled ones, but on the whole they have the same bristles and brush size as the longer-handled ones (I prefer using longer handles but that's a personal preference).

free skin care · Tue Jan 02, 2007 7:02 am

I recently bought A'Squirrel thanks to recs from EDS. The 2 squirrel hair brushes are lovely (blush and powder). I had Trish McEvoy b4 but they shed terribly. I had them for 6 yrs. The A'Squirrel were a good value, esp when compared to dept store brands. The set cost less than $100.

free skin care · Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:49 am

tsjmom wrote:

I had Trish McEvoy b4 but they shed terribly. I had them for 6 yrs

Yeah I had that problem with one of my old TM ones, but it was one made of badger hair. The TM blue squirrel ones don't seem to shed (and are so much softer). They assure me at the counter that the blue squirrel ones are cruelty free. Good as I was feeling bad about it!

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