Monday, October 28, 2013

My Favorite Blush Brushes


Blushes and highlighters are a delight to collect but like millions of makeup lovers, I also love brushes! It's a two-fer, like how cake is always good with tea. Blushes are nothing without its brushy counterpart :)

I am pretty open minded to try any brand, as I've collected and given away more than I can count. For blush brushes, it's all about the fit. I prefer the angled ones because they contour to my face better and is easier to apply without me worrying about unevenness. Ones that are smaller are even better because you can control the amount of product better.


Here are my picks!



Bare Escentuals Angled Blush Brush (see it here) 
 I believe it is the one that came with the foundation starter kit :) I've had this one for years and years, and works as nicely as when I first got it. It's also nice because it's travel sized and slightly tapered so the control is better. I can bring it with me when traveling and fits snugly in my gym makeup bag. From their website, they say it's made of goat hairs, and of the finest quality. The quality is there, and it's certainly lasted me over 5 years. 


Borghese x Costco Angled Contour Brush
I bought this in a set from Costco during the holidays. Every year Costco partners up with a makeup brand to sell brushes. I think for the past few years, it's been Borghese. This angled brush is probably my favorite out of the four. It has a long handle and the shape of this brush is really sturdy. 
 I'm not sure what hairs it's made of but I know it's a very natural hair, probably goat. It has a tougher texture but the quality of the brush is amazing. It picks up color so well and transfers it gorgeously. It fares well after a cleaning and has never shed. I've had this for well over 3 years!


MAC 168SE Brush
This MAC blush came from a holiday set. I have nothing but love this brush. Like the Costco one, it seems to be made of the same fibers but is much less dense and more softer. This brush applies very softly and gives a very soft focused glow. Blends amazingly! Perfect for blushes that are opaque and high pigmented. 


Sonia Kashuk Round Brush
My only non-angled one of the bunch. This brush is great for applying color on just the apples of my cheeks. I usually use this for a touch of highlight. It's a fantastic brush, and I got it at Target for a great price. I think Sonia Kashuk brushes are some of the best in the market, especially because they have such a broad range. The bristles are soft, and very springy. This would be great for mineral blushes as well.

Those are my picks, and all four of them have lasted me for years. I think investing quality brushes really make your blushes stand out. I have so many drugstore blushes that look amazing because of good brushes. I guess it can be debatable but honestly, brushes are still a great investment nonetheless! 


Do you think quality of brushes change the effect of blush and/or other cosmetics like eyeshadow and lipsticks?











16 comments:

Frances said...

I definitely think brushes make all the difference in the world! right now I'm happy with my hakuhodo one but it's my ambition to own the SUQQU blush brush one day =P I think Sonia Kashuk makes really good brushes too! I like the shape that brush you showed here. Might look into it hehe

TracyBeautyReflections said...

I love Bare Mineral brushes. I think they have some really neat ones. Not the softest, but they work really well! That Sonia Kashuk one looks interesting! I'll have to look for it! I'm always looking for blush brushes haha!

Cassandrapamela said...

my fave blush brush is also an angled brush from a japanese brand called masami shouko. it is so soft and I do believe the quality of the brush change the effect of the make up. esp foundation and eyeshadow. But i still can't justify spending $200+++ on a blush brush from suqqu for example. I don't know if it is that good.. I think a brush from MAC or sigma might be good enough. :)

Amyboo said...

I really enjoy just running my hands through a blush brush because they're usually so soft! Haha~
I really don't wear blush as often as other things, but I definitely want to get into it.

reveriebelle said...

I definitely think the quality of brushes really impacts the way makeup is applied! I'm eyeing MAC brushes at the moment, but don't have the heart to spend so much money on them yet :( I love Real Technique brushes- they are affordable yet of such a high quality, and they apply makeup really well! I love their Buffing brush, Blush brush and Powder brush :)

Sharlynn said...

I love your angled brush collection!! My favorite blush brushes are also angled and natural fiber! I find that they better pick up product and disperse it so evenly! That SK brush looks awesome, a fave of mine is also a non angled one, it has a more rounded edge and being smaller I can really place blush properly!

Sunny @Mostly Sunny said...

Hey Jen, I definitely agree that brushes make a big difference! In the beginning I also used an angle brush for my blush, but now my favorite is LMdB blush brush! It's really soft, ever sheds, and if a blush refuses to blend well with this brush, I blame it in the blush ;)

Jacqueline Ma said...

It's only recently that I discovered the joy of a good face brush. I love how a soft blush brush feels on my face. My current favorite is my Koyudo brush. Jen you can try Hakuhodo ones, some of their basic series have great blush brushes at reasonable prices. You will love them.

Hollie Damz said...

Nice! I really like the shape of your sonia kashuk round brush. I think that can be one of my faves too, if I had it. hehe ^_^
Random Beauty by Hollie

laura said...

you are not the only one who goes crazy over those Costco brushes! They're uber popular and I wish we had a Costco closeby!

Natalie said...

The angled brush shape is one of my favorites too, have you every tried sigma brushes?

Angela said...

I'm not sure if the brush makes a difference but definitely when my brushes get dirty i find the pigmentation is not as good!

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notanobession.blogspot.com

Emily said...

Argh SUQQU! They're so expensive but I have dreams about their blush brush! One day :)

Emily said...

Loving the shape of that Sonia Kashuk brush! I need one of those in my collection!

Kristen / Glambunctious said...

"Blushes are nothing without its brushy counterpart :)" - I love this! I'm just starting to get into buying more quality brushes and I've found the brush has a HUGE impact on the application! It's like trying to paint a house with a paint brush, Tom & Huck style, versus a power sprayer. You definitely can tell a difference when you use a better tool! :)

sleepandwater said...

I really wish I could try Sonia Kashuk brushes - unfortunately they're not available where I live. I only have one angled brush which I use more to contour with a bronzer. It also works well for blush though! I definitely think a good brush makes such a huge difference to a cheaper product :)