As I mentioned in my Summer Holiday Favourites post, there are a few categories of makeup that I hoard more than others, like foundation primers, eyeshadow palettes, nail polishes and texturising sprays. Makeup brushes should definitely be on that list and even so, I recently bought some more! I got these while I was in the UK recently and I am IN LOVE:
NARS Yachiyo Kabuki
I’ve wanted this brush for as long as I can remember but I’ve never been able to justify the £43 price tag, especially considering how many other makeup brushes I own. So when I realised that I had a nice big SpaceNK loyalty voucher to spend and the branch I was in had it in stock, it was a no brainer for me.
Let’s start with the unique handle: made from hand-spun black wisteria and shaped in the traditional Japanese kabuki style, it’s surprisingly comfortable to use. The tapered goat hair bristles in the domed brush head have a certain amount of texture (it’s not the softest brush in the world) but the shape is ideal for all kinds of powder application. I use it to apply cheekbone highlighter, under-eye setting powder and blush and it works beautifully for all those uses. It shed quite badly the first few times I used it, which freaked me out a little as I had such high expectations but after I washed it the shedding seemed to stop, thank goodness!
Available from Look Fantastic (free worldwide delivery) and HQ Hair (£0.99 standard delivery and £14.99 tracked delivery to SA).
Morphe M502 Round Blender
If you watch a lot of overseas beauty videos or read international blogs then Morphe will be a familiar brand name. They are a California-based beauty company that sells good quality, very affordable makeup and tools and they have exploded online in the last year or so. I was extremely curious to try some products from the range so I got a few brushes and three of their famous 35-pan eyeshadow palettes (separate review to follow).
The M502 appealed to me because it reminded me of the MAC 224 which is like the bigger, fluffier sister to the MAC 217/Sigma E25. I’m thrilled to say that it is the perfect size and density for blending or blowing out your transition shade and generally softening your eyeshadow. The brush head is medium-firm but the synthetic bristles are super soft so it just glides over the skin. It would also be great for precision placement and buffing of concealer or powder so it’s a real multitasker.
Morphe M441 Pro Firm Blending Crease
I quite literally can never have enough blending brushes so I couldn’t stop myself from ordering this and I really shouldn’t have because it’s basically identical to the M502. The main difference is that the bristles aren’t synthetic, they’re made of goat hair, which makes it more suitable for powder products. It’s similarly firm but feathery with a tapered tip and is perfect for blending shadow into the crease and building up colour on the lid. It’s not unique in my collection my any means but I know I’ll still use it regularly.
Morphe M556 Detail Contour Fluff
This is another brush shape, like the NARS kabuki, that I felt was lacking in my collection. It’s basically a medium sized powder brush with a slightly domed head made of sable hair that is ideal for precision bronzer placement and soft contouring, which is how I’ve been using it. I can’t be bothered with hardcore contouring but I do like the effect and this makes the job both easier and much more natural looking. The shape and size fits nicely along the facial contours and underneath cheekbones, and it feels perfectly weighted in the hand. It splayed slightly after the first wash so the brush head is slightly bigger now but it still gets the job done.
Morphe products are available from Beauty Bay with free delivery to SA for orders over $22.