Good morning everyone!
Let’s go back to one of my favourite topics ever: brushes :)!
Today, in particular, I will be talking about brushes that I order from a Chinese website called buyincoins. I am not a snob when it comes to brushes, so I am not ashamed to admit I buy cheap ones from the Chinese on a regular basis, and I LOVE them too! Some, of course, are better than others, but let’s get into it…
Face brushes
These are the three big face brushes I have for the application of liquid or cream products (foundation, bb cream, primer, blush, highlighter). The bristles of all brushes are the same: synthetic and very, very soft. The only difference between these brushes is the shape: round, tapered or flat.
The round brush is my least favourite one, because it feels like, compared to the other two, the bristles of this one are less dense. You want good density for these kind of brushes to achieve the coveted blurred effect. I avoid using it to apply foundation or bb cream, but do use it quite a lot to spread and blend cream blushes.
The tapered brush, the pointy one, is a real gem. I know it has an odd shape but that is what makes it more versatile. You can use it to apply any liquid or cream product of your desire, with the advantage that you can get it into more “difficult” areas, such as around the nose, under the eyes…What I have also found out is that you can use this brush to shape and contour the face using different shades of foundation (Kim Kardashian style, oh yeah! :P).
The flat kabuki brush is really great. The bristles are densely packed and allow very nice application of foundation or bb cream.
All in all, the flat and the tapered version are my recommendations here; you can easily skip the round brush.
Each brush is around 2,50$. They do not shed (after multiple washes) and are easy to clean with baby shampoo and warm water. I have never had a breakout, or used it on someone who afterwards complained of a breakout.
I call these brushes small face brushes because bristle and shape-wise they imitate the big ones I just showed you. I have the whole “collection” of these (I miss the angled one from the big face brushes hahaha).
These brushes are super handy for many purposes: application of e/s base on the eyelids, concealer, covering an occasional pimple, application of highlighter…You can go really wild with what you use these guys for 😉
I think the whole set costs around 5$. Again no shedding, easy cleaning.
Lol, you can see I’ve had this brush for a while. It’s actually a dupe of the NARS yachiyo kabuki brush. It falls apart a bit but the bristles are soft (goat hair) and quite dense, if you like that when you apply bronzer and blush.
I find that this brush works best for me with baked blushes because the bristles are a bit sturdier and pick up product better.
Price is around 2,40$ and there is a black version of it as well. Easy to clean, minimal shedding.
Eye brushes
I luuuv buying eye brushes, especially blending brushes…cannot…get…enough!
Let’s start right to left with the MAC 217 dupe, and compare it to the original =>
The dupe differs from the original MAC 217 in several aspects:
– the handle of the dupe is longer
– the bristles are a tiny bit less soft (but still soft, it will not scratch you…believe me, I’ve had scratchy blending brushes, this one isn’t among them!)
– the bristles of the original MAC 217 are a bit more tapered, the dupe is a bit fluffier
Here is where the differences stop. Once you learn how to use the brush, with a light hand, it does the job really well. For the price of a dollar (or something), it’s perfect!
Next is the MAC 224 dupe:
I don’t have the original to compare, but…I have three of the dupes. Why?! Because I freakin’ love this brush!!! It’s super, super soft (made of goat hair) and it’s perfect for gentle blending of eyeshadows, for sweeping some powder under the eyes to set your concealer, to apply highlighter on the cheekbones…
You can see that all three brushes differ from each other. Yes, the Chinese don’t always get them to look the same, but I see that as an advantage. I have smaller and bigger versions, awesome!!!
This has definitely become one of my favourite brushes…and for a dollar, what more can I ask for!?
The cute yellow brush is a smudging brush:
Yes, I got two just because I’ve wanted to have a brush like this for a while, and it was under a dollar.
I would have loved the bristles to be denser on this one but even as it is, I like it. You can smudge eyeliner, apply e/s on the lower lash line, highlighter under the brow bone. Plus it’s sooo cute with that yellow handle! 🙂
The last brush is a thick-ish liner brush:
I know, you are skeptical because it so thick…you are wrong! It has very nice dense and sturdy bristles (synthetic), and that gives you sooo much control when applying gel eyeliner for example. Take it from me, better a bit thicker brush with these qualities, than a thinner one with bristles that are too sparse and stick out, or are too flexible and bend.
So far, these are the Chinese brushes in my collection…which will perhaps expand in the future 😉
In conclusion, what you get with these brushes is very satisfactory quality for practically a few dollars (and the best part, no shipping costs!). If your budget is tight, I highly recommend those!
I could easily live with just these brushes in my collection…Even now, I use them daily, and don’t miss my MAC brushes all that much.
Again, hope this post was useful and definitely let me know if you have some of these brushes and what you think about them!
XOXO
longlivemakeup 