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Upgrading Makeup Brushes...
I think I am ready to upgrade my brushes. I want better quality brushes with a better finish so I think I want to upgrade to MAC but I'm not sure which brushes I will really need starting out as a new MUA. I am currently using Ecotools from WalMart. I love them because of their softness & dont shed to be cheap. I dont plan to get rid of them (probably keep them for my own personal use) but their not really giving me much variety for creases and blending of the eyes like I want/need and I'm also not a big fan of their lip brush. I was also looking at Sonia Kashuk and Essence of Beauty brushes as well as another cost effective beginning if needed. So I thought I'd ask for insight from the more seasoned MUAs on the brushes you started out with as you went along. If you dont use MAC brushes, you can just give me the brush's name and I can figure out the rest. I just need a point in the right direction. Sep 11 11 10:24 pm Link Try crown brushes - they have a range of brushes and sets to suit all budgets. Buying good quality brushes is expensive but I have come to the conclusion it's worth having fewer brushes if they are better quality. Saying that I am about to buy a set from protocol (collagen based skin and nutrition company) as the quality is about the same as the mid range crown brushes and they are very similar in price. If you don't or can't afford a set straight away buy individual brushes replacing the brushes you hate first then adding additional brushes as you need them. Angela Sep 11 11 11:53 pm Link Brushes I currently use in my kit: MAC (good enough), Shu Uemura (great), Napoleon Perdis (eh?). Note, this is pretty much entirely because these are what I get locally. From what I hear though: For cheaper options, while still good, Royal and Langnickel, Cozzette, aDesign, Sigma and OCC. And of course Crown. For more expensive options, but awesome, Hakuhodo. Definitely don't just replace brushes because you think they're cheap. Most professional quality brushes are about half the price of retail brands. If it works, it works. Sep 12 11 12:35 am Link in my own experience Badger Brushes have been the best...the cheap Crown ones. Thats what I put in the student kits I sell....I have had my current set in my kit for over 10 years and I work often.... They get a lot of wear and tear. They do shed now and then but all brushes do Sep 12 11 12:37 am Link Oooh thanks Mary. Nice to hear from you on this :3 (also wait, do you have a school? Or do you sell this kit at CRC?) Sep 12 11 12:59 am Link Thank you all for the great insight! As of now, I JUST made a purchase of the 16 brush pro set 606 at Crown Brush. I am so excited. Cannot wait to receive them. From there, when I can afford to, I will gradually add MAC brushes and some of the others mentioned above to my collection. Thanks again! You all are ALWAYS so helpful and patient with me. Sep 12 11 03:53 am Link I don't know about all others here but I don't get the MAC brush love. I have the "standout" brushes, the 217, 187, 190 etc. Sure the 217 does a good job but it sheds way too much. And the 187 got kicked from my kit after some serious shedding, truly like a rabid dog. The 190 is okay, nothing to complain about, though I prefer the Cover FX one for standard found. brush. (Never shed 1 hair since January) Also do note that I clean my brushes up to 20 times per day with brush cleanser, so if you're far from it then take this with some salt. But my other brushes, OCC, Glamcor, Royal, Illamasqua etc don't have this at all. So there are far cheaper and a lot better alternatives to MAC brushes out there.  Sep 12 11 04:49 am Link I use Kryolan, Ben Nye, Atelier and a couple of Bobbi Brown Sorry but Napoleon Perdis doesn't cut it for me, just cheap made in China brushes much like his rebranded Le Femme products lol. Crown look good and I've been tempted to try one or two, but my Ateliers are stayers as I've had the big powder ones for over 10 years and they're as good as new. Sep 12 11 05:38 am Link I'm with MattisJ. Every MAC brush I own, I have a dupe for it from other brands (Crown, bdellium, Sigma), and those dupes outperform MAC every single time. Sep 12 11 06:07 am Link Ben Veenkamp wrote: Atelier Paris brushes? I'm tempted for those. Got into Atelier lately and I kinda love them. Wnhich Bobbi Brown brushes are good? Sep 12 11 06:20 am Link WOW! I didnt know that.  Well good to know before I spent unnecessary money for them. I will definitely check out the others and keep them in mind for when I want to add more. Great feedback! Sep 12 11 07:18 am Link I also clean my brushes alot when working a set throughout the day. I thought I was overdoing it but good to know I'm just being sanitary Sep 12 11 07:21 am Link Quality over quantity when it comes to brushes. I have some cheap brushes I bought when I first started and just a short three years later I only keep one or two of the originals. They are only around until I get a chance to buy better replacements. I've upgraded to better brushes. Better doesn't always mean more expensive although in the case of certain brushes it does. If you are doing makeup for a career, buy the best you can afford even if it is one at a time. You will keep those brushes for a very long time and they are extensions of your hands. Most days I end up using the same five brushes over and over again. It is nice to have extras when you have multiple models but not necessary. Sep 12 11 09:18 am Link Rachael Sachse wrote: Yep Atelier Paris, for me they are the best brushes. I have a couple of their eyeshadow and a big powder brush. Sep 12 11 01:43 pm Link The majority of my brushes are the Sigma Premium brush set of 15, and Royal Silk 20pc Brush set. Plus a Smashbox brush and a few Sonia Kashuk. The Sigma brush set is is the first I bought over a year ago and I still love it. Yes, they do shed but not terribly. They've been faithful to me and I will continue to buy their other brushes individually. A lot of people compare them to MAC brushes and I understand why. In addition to being NEARLY the same quality, they both carry the same types of brushes. My SS217 is EXACTLY like MAC's 217  The Royal & Langnickel Silk brush set are actually pro-grade and made with very, very soft animal hairs. They're wonderful! The set is almost $200 but so far it's been worth the cost. They don't shed as much as my Sigma brushes do, but just a little. These are definitely as great as MAC's brushes. There aren't many low-end brands that I like but I LOVE Sonia Kashuk's brushes. They are FANTASTIC for a low-end brand and I put my small shader brush through a lot. This brand sells small sets and individuals and you know they're affordable since they're sold at Target. Heart them! Sep 13 11 05:28 pm Link For blending I'd definitely get the MAC 217. I looooovvveee that brush. I have crown brushes that are good too. the bent eyeliner brush is awesome. I like my sonia kashuk brush too, i plan on getting more. And I have a crapload of ELF eyeshadow brushes. They're only $1. They don't hold up long though if you wash them a lot like I do. I still like em though lol Sep 13 11 05:34 pm Link i have a MAC black and white brush and its never stopped shedding. the only one in my kit thats consistently problematic. and i dont think its anything to do with that type of brush/construction coz i have 2 others that are fine. the MAC one sits in my kit unused you just got to pick n choose depending on what style/application you want, i have a complete mish-mash of brush makes. from cheap to pricey. cost is often not an indicator of how well the brush will perform like most things these days, theres a lot of style over content, snob value in a lot of these brands the things that sells a brush to me first and foremost is whether its the shape i want, brand is not a deciding factor. and not all brushes in a given brand are equal. ive had nice brushes and bad brushes from the same brand one of my fave brushes is a crown studio (i think. its got a matt silver handle). its as soft as can be, keeps its shape, never sheds and its a pretty unusual blusher shape. cost me about £6 or something like that. nothing like it in the MAC range, and even if there was, it would be 3x that. ive got the white MAC fluffy brush, and its 'twin' by a cheaper brand and i cant tell the difference. theres nothing much in the MAC range that is amazing every brand has its good and bad, whether its poor construction, poor materials or poor application oh, one brand i would avoid is models own. i got one of their large powder brushes, great to look at, great to hold, soft as silk, synthetic but it WILL NOT pick up. utter crap ive got a couple of cozzette brushes, ones great, the other not so much best eyeliner brush i have is the one that comes free with the maybelline 24 hour drama gel eyeliner (also brilliant) my fave eye brush is a flat lay-down brush from eylure. probably cost me £2 five years ago. never seen a brush like it in any other brand. shame eylure dont seem to make brushes anymore, obviously more money in false lashes these days Sep 14 11 02:47 am Link I ADORE my MAC brushes to no extent. I had a cheap set for the longest time, then I picked up one MAC brush for my eyeshadow and was blown away by the difference in the way the product went on. I love them so much. :-) Sep 14 11 03:03 am Link I agree with Sarah Jones. I don't buy brushes as a status symbol, I buy them because I'm an artist and my tools are important to me to be able to work efficiently. MAC brushes are over priced and having been in the industry for a very long time have discovered many other comparable brands like the ones already mentioned in this thread that are as good or better for less the price. I really like my Atelier because I've had them my entire career and they have never shed a hair. The Bobbi Brown ones are nice, but I have them because they were given to me otherwise I probably wouldn't have paid for them because for what they are they are too expensive here in Australia. Like the range of products in my kit I have a variety of different brush brands simply because one range doesn't cover all needs or fulfil all purposes adequately. Don't be afraid to try out different things. Sep 14 11 06:01 am Link I purchased the Crown Brushes and I can see such a great difference already with my blending and application compared to the WalMart brand. I think next I will try Sonia Kashuk brushes and maybe get another set of Crown Brushes, working my way up from there. Trying out different brands along the way. Sep 14 11 06:32 am Link I was tolled only 4 different companies make brushes then there label to what ever company buys them? A make up store tolled me this. Not saying its true just saying. Sep 14 11 10:00 am Link Yani S wrote: Well there are some truth to that. Anisa International is from my understanding one of the biggest manufacturers of makeup brushes. They do aDesign, Smashbox, Bare Essentuals, Sephora and I believe Sonia Kashuk with lots more. The other brand is Hakuhodo who's most known for making MAC brushes. And I suppose crown do lots of private labeling aswell... Sep 14 11 10:43 am Link MattisJ wrote: +1 Anisa International Sep 14 11 01:59 pm Link Thomas Van Dyke wrote: I'm really glad you mentioned Sephora's brushes cuz every time I go into the store, I admire and play with them, wondering if I should buy a few. Up till now, I haven't seen or heard any reviews on them but since you seem to like them, I guess I'll try out a few. I really love their I.T. collection. Sep 14 11 08:23 pm Link I use Make Up Designory brushes... they are great I go to the school. I also use Make Up For Ever, MAC, Origins... Sep 15 11 08:58 am Link There are only a few brush companies that make the brushes, but all brushes (even if produced by the same manufacturer) are not created equal. I don't buy sets any more, I also don't buy throw away brushes except for SFX stuff. I look at the shape, how soft it is and the construction. Crown are ok but they shed to much and I like brushes that are a bit more tightly compact. MAC has a couple of good brushes. Sephora brushes are not my favorite. The more I wash them the worse it gets. They are not as soft as the used to be. Price isn't always mutually exclusive to the quality of a brush. I have a lay down brush from Hakahudo that I bought just to give them a try and that is now my favorite eye shadow brush. It isn't just how soft it is, it is about how well it functions. That one brush has replaced three others that were just ok. Sep 15 11 01:57 pm Link I too have a mixture of brushes in my kit, none of which are uber expensive but work for me. I particularly like my Real Technique brushes - I have a core and the eye sets both in my kit and use these constantly. Also really like several of Urban Decay's brushes - particularly their Karma eyeshadow brush - that's probably the one that see the most use time after time. Sep 16 11 09:11 am Link A model walked out a few Crown brushes with her. She finally admitted, but is unwillingly to return to me. I need to buy the replacement but decided to get a new set. These two sets below seem to me is the same. Amazon is cheaper. I would go for Amazon unless someone tell me NO. Thanks. http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Italian-Bad … 60OQPRS1L7 http://www.camerareadycosmetics.com/pro … et&cat=135 Sep 16 11 10:12 am Link Connor Photography wrote: ^^^ Sep 16 11 06:11 pm Link I have a mix of Smashbox, Bobbi Brown, & Bdellium.. Love them all even though most of them don't get used often. Nov 02 11 11:53 am Link I have a mix. I use Eco Tools, Sonia Kushek (sp?), Mac, and a few Japonesque brushes. I really really love my Sonia brushes though. I plan on getting the badger set from Crc soon though. Nov 02 11 03:24 pm Link CK Makeup Artistry wrote: I'm not sure what you mean by "truthful description" I think I'm misreading what you're saying. Nov 02 11 08:52 pm Link Beat Face Beauty wrote: I have yet to experience shedding from my ELF brushes, just detaching ends from the wands, which is easily fixed with some super glue. If nothing else, theyre kinda great as inexpensive back-ups if one of your good ones breaks, or you wind up not having time to wash between faces, etc. Nov 03 11 02:46 am Link Angela Hall Makeup wrote: If someone were to post saying they were selling brushes made by ThisBrushCompany that were Thatkindofhair.... but when you got them, they were in fact from SomeOtherBrushCompany or made from something else, etc... or if I were selling a computer, and told you it was in working condition, but it was broken when you got it, You could dispute the purchase with Amazon claiming the seller lied in their product description, and possibly get your money back. Nov 03 11 02:52 am Link MattisJ wrote: Correction: Anisa International does not make Sephora's brushes. Bei Shang (spelling?) does. Nov 03 11 03:50 pm Link go to a decent art supply store instead. beauty store brushes can be a rip off. Nov 03 11 03:53 pm Link nyk fury wrote: I also have quite a few from the art supply store. They also tend to last longer than 'standard beauty brushes'. Nov 03 11 07:05 pm Link Jenni Muir wrote: The Real Techniques brushes are next on my list to try. Partly because they look super soft and partly because I adore Sam's work and want to support her endeavors. Nov 03 11 07:52 pm Link Moda Blasina wrote: try makeupalley.com for reviews on individual brushes. Nov 03 11 08:05 pm Link Does anyone use Hakuhodo? Are they worth the big price tag? http://www.hakuhodousa.com/shop/index.p … page=index I've heard some amazing things but looking for more info. Nov 03 11 08:10 pm Link |
