Have you tried ELF's make-up brushes? I was using one of my ELF brushes the other day and I realized that I have a few ELF favourites that I seem to always grab for, some I use every day. I have both drugstore and high end brushes, and a little bit of everything in between. I don't expect as much from a $3 brush as I do from a $30 one, so it's a bit of a bonus when you find a good one.
I thought I'd highlight what I think are some of the best brushes from ELF and ones that I would definitely recommend. This is going to be a little picture heavy (blogger term, I never use that phrase in real life). I have no idea why people warn you about something being picture heavy, but I've seen it so on other blogs and it seems like something I should do. So now you've been given fair warning.
I have brushes from the ELF essentials, which is the $1 line with the pearl coloured handles and ELF studio, which are typically $3 and are the black brushes. I don't own any of the ELF mineral brushes, the newest ones with the wooden coloured handles,...yet.
Here is my ELF brush collection to date;
The $1 Essential brushes were bought in the complete set of 12 kit, which is $12 and often sold out on their site. I also bought the 11 piece studio line brush collection which costs $30 and came with the case below. When I bought this they were 50% off..hard to beat that price!
This is just a basic nylon type cosmetic case, nothing fancy but I love it. The reason? It can hold a ton of brushes because the elastic compartments are all generous in size. You can fit a few brushes in each compartment easily, without mangling them together. And if it gets dirty it's easy to wipe off. Here are all of my ELF brushes in this case;
See how much room there is? You close this up and it's no larger than a book, making it
so easy for travel. Love it! Don't mind the kabuki there, I have a separate little case for that brush.
So which brushes would I buy again & recommend you buy?
If I had to pick my all stars and the ones that I would say are MUST haves, these are the brushes. These 6 brushes would set you back a whopping $16. Often there is a sale where you can get them at even more of a discount.
Essentials Eye Shadow brush $1
Great for packing on shadow. There is a $3 studio line version of this brush that is a bit fatter & thicker than this one, that is also popular. But I prefer the thinner one because I can get the shadow closer to my lash line, this great little brush is one I use
absolutely every day!
Essentials Blending Eye brush $1
The brush is a little looser than the ELF Studio line blending eye brush, which makes it more useable for me & easier to blend shadows, great for outer v or placing
colour in your crease
Studio Line Complexion brush $3
Use this every day to apply bronzer, it's fluffy and soft but not so fluffy that it's hard to work with, you can direct how you want to apply the product easily, also works
great to dust on finishing powder
Studio Line Kabuki Face brush $5
Use this to apply mineral foundation, very soft but still sturdy. I could not live without this brush - my absolute favourite, this is such a great little kabuki for such a good price
Studio Line Powder brush $3
This is the flat top brush that is much raved about for applying liquid foundation or blending out powders, etc., I do love it but now my Sigma F80 is #1
and this would be #2
Studio Line Blush brush $3
So far this is my favourite blush brush of all the ones I own and the one I use everyday. It's not too big and has a bit of a point, which I love and find useful in placing the product
Those would definitely be my favourites, but
if I got to choose some runners up, these would be it:
Top to bottom: Studio Fan brush; Studio Small Smudge brush; Essentials Eyelash & Brow wand; Studio Small Precision brush; Studio Small Angled brush, Defining Eye Brush
Fan Brush: Great for brushing away any fallout or applying highlighter to tops of cheeks
Small Smudge brush: Perfect for smudging out eyeliner
Eyelash & Brow wand: Love a spoolie, I know you get one anywhere but not for $1, I use this daily to do my brows
Small Precision Brush: Really good for applying shadows under bottom lash line, or applying shadow over a cream liner
Small Angled Brush: Great for liner, either cream or powder, I've also used it with my
eyebrow powder
Defining Eye Brush: This is the perfect brush to apply shadow to your inner eye because the brush is fairly compact & petite, yet still angled for easy application
These would total another $14. For $30 you could have all of my picks, or you could wait for a brush sale and get them all!
So those are my picks, maybe it would have been easier to do the brushes I don't like! The thing to bear in mind is that these won't necessarily be your forever brushes but if you take care of them you should be able to get your money's worth. I've had mine for about 9 months and they have held up really well, even after daily cleaning and numerous deep washing. I've had minimal shedding and no issues with any colours bleeding or brushes coming apart. For the price it's pretty hard to beat! You can get ELF brushes at some Targets and Dollar Stores, or online at eyeslipsface.com.
How about you, what are your favourite ELF brushes?
Tracy
Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser ($6.59)
