Love for Brushes

[AMK721]

I'm developing a love for brushes of all kinds.  I bought a few higher end brushes and they are amazing.  They are incredibly soft and my makeup glides on like a dream.  There are so many interesting shapes. I am really interested in creating a beautiful brush collection.  Show your brushes and share any cleaning and storage tips and let us know which ones are your favorites.

[Sunnysmom]

What a beautiful purchase @makeitup305 , enjoy them!  I was gifted some and so far I love em! )

[makeitup305]

@Sunnysmom I like them so far! I haven’t tried all of them yet but most are very similar to Wayne Goss and Sonia G brushes I already own so I look forward to using them and comparing them

[TraceyEB]

Smith Cosmetics Annual Black Friday Sale - code BestEVER2021 for 25% off all Smith products.

- tagging @makeitup305

[makeitup305]

Thanks for the tag @TraceyEB ! I don’t think the code is going to be active til Black Friday. I just tried to check out and no luck just yet.

[TraceyEB]

@makeitup305, Smith's Black Friday sale is a one day only sale.

[teufel]

Rephr Black Friday Sale has started: 50% off everything. I personally have never tried their brushes but am considering trying them because they are pretty inexpensive. Their brushes are made in Kumano, Japan. Any thoughts, recommendations, or experiences to share?

 

[WinglessOne]

@teufel  By now, you've probably looked through this thread for Rephr feedback. But here's an updated version of what I originally wrote in July about most of my Rephrs. All my brushes are comfortably soft unless otherwise noted (not grey squirrel soft, of course, but on par with Sonia G. goat hair softness). 

Spoiler

04 angled face - November update: I hate this one. It's too dense and stiff for its own good. I saw other people's feedback (at Rephr's site) about this brush being too floppy, so I wonder if the one I got has abnormally bundled bristles—because mine's not floppy at all. It's also a bit scratchy in a couple places. I tested this brush before and after washing, with powder, cream, and liquid cheek/face makeup. It's hard for me to control and blend with because it has little to no give. That wouldn't be an issue for me if it wasn't an angled brush shape. Even after a 5th true washing (with brush soap, not a spray), my 04 hasn't loosened up. Weirdly, it does look like it's slightly fluffed out a bit, but that hasn't made it any less stiff. 

05 cheek - my second favorite Rephr brush, and the only one in my entire brush collection to truly rival my beloved Chikuhodo Z-4. It’s that good. The first couple times I used it, it shed more than I expected but not to an alarming degree. This is the cheek brush I’ll travel with from now on. I might even buy a second one. 

November update: yep, still love the 05. It fluffed out considerably after its first washing, making it even easier to blend with. Note that it's not quite the same shape as the Chikuhodo Z-4, and it's fluffier than the Z-4. Also, the Z-4 is squirrel so naturally it feels softer and silkier than the 05. But I get the same control and blending ease with the 05 as I do with the Z-4, just with a bit more of a color punch because the 05 picks up more powder than the Z-4. 

15 crease blender - I hate it as an eye brush. It’s too tapered for me—even after washing and fluffing out, the tip's still too pointy for someone like me who prefers domed blenders—and something about the density isn’t right. My last test involved blending Viseart mattes, and I struggled to do that with this brush. When a brush can’t handle Viseart mattes, of all shadow, I know it’s not for me. Other folks might have better luck with it; I'm just not big into tapered crease brushes and rarely use the other ones I own. Eh, I’ll end up using the 15 for some non-eye purpose. I'm good at repurposing brushes. 

November update: I thought a couple of washings might help this brush, but nope, it retained its tapered shape too well for me. It's also too large for my particular eye size and shape. Folks who love tapered crease brushes might like this one. 

19 candle face - totally didn’t expect to love this one since I rarely use candle shaped brushes, but wow is this thing great at applying and blending out things like bareMinerals Blonzer to the hyperpigmented sides of my face. It’s the perfect size and shape for that task. I even like to apply highlighter with it. 

21 shader - this one’s a natural + synthetic blend meant for creams and shimmers. It has a long flat paddle shape. It handles creams quite well. It also packs on powders, but I bought it specifically for cream shadows. 

23 detail pencil - my favorite Rephr brush. I love a gilded and/or detailed inner corner, and this little pencil brush is small enough to make that task a breeze. It’s also great for getting a narrow smudge (vs. the wide smudge/smoked out panda eye look which I don’t like on myself because dude, all my lines are under my eyes) on the lower lash line. I also like it for upper lash liner and wing detail. I love this brush so much, I bought 3 of them. Best pencil brush ever. 

November update: forgot to mention this brush retains its pencil shape after washing. Still my favorite Rephr brush, and among the faves of my entire brush collection. 

Core eye trio: 

• 01 blender - similar to Sonia G.’s Worker brushes in terms of shape and performance. The Workers perform better for me, but the 01's no slouch: it can pack and blend color with ease. 
• 02 shader - Rephr calls it a high-density shader and they’re not exaggerating. Packs on shadow like nobody's business. 
• 03 pencil - more of a standard sized pencil that performs well. November update: keeps its shape after washing. (Some pencils don't, unfortunately.) 

New eye bundle: 

• 26 large pencil - I like this one for outer corner work. It’s much too big for my inner corner or lower lash line. 
• 27 blender - November update: this big fluffy blender gets the job done. It has the softness and density of the Sonia G. Blender Pro, but its larger size makes it not ideal (for me) for detailed blending. I do like to smoke out my outer corner with it, and it's good when I need a less controlled blend of a large area. 
  
• 28 shader - November update: very similar in size and shape to the synthetic Rephr 21 shader, with a thicker fluffier side profile. Works very well for my hooded eye shape and size, especially since it's narrower than the typical shader brush. 
  29 liner - November update: this tiny thing has a straight edge instead of an angled edge, so I use it more for stamping liner (eyeshadow or liquid/cream eyeliner) instead of dragging/drawing liner like I would with an angled brush. I haven't tried smoking out the lower lash line with it because I generally prefer a small pencil brush for that. 

Some of my comparison photos: 

Spoiler

Eyeshadow blenders, starting with my all-time favorite (the Blender Pro).Eyeshadow shaders. I figure most folks are familiar with the MAC 239, so it's a good reference point.The 21's the flattest of the bunch.

Since July, I've also gotten the 20 fan brush and the 22 bronzer brush. I haven't used either of them enough to make final judgments yet. 

At 50% off, Rephr brushes are definitely worth trying. I plan to travel with mine (whenever it's safe for me to travel again), and some of them get a good workout here at home. If you do try any of them, let us know what you think of them! 

[Sunnysmom]

Thanks for terrific info as always @WinglessOne ! I’m brush challenged so the more the better! 

[makeitup305]

Thanks so much for the dialed reviews @WinglessOne. I bought an eye set and can’t wait to try it. I was going to pick up the 05 and /or the 24 but held back since I just picked up the Sonia G Sky face set. I might go back for the 05 at some point since you gave it such a glowing recommendation!

[WinglessOne]

@makeitup305  I meant to post this last night but got caught up in something else. For the heck of it, here's the 05 compared to the Z-4. I wish I'd also taken a comparison photo back when I first got the 05, before I ever washed it, so folks could see how much it's unfurled since. Back then, it was nearly the same shape as the Z-4. Eh, I could dry it in a brush guard after its next washing to tame the fluff. 

Front facing photo. Aw, my poor Z-4 has a chipped ferrule.My Z-4's in bedhead mode til I wash it again.

I hope you enjoy the eye brushes coming your way! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on them. 

[teufel]

Visage USA is offering 25% off purchases of $250 or more with code BLACK25 through 11/28. The current Chikuhodo Kirameki brush sets are excluded from this promotion.

 

[makeitup305]

Has anyone tried these? I feel like I had a brush from Smith Cosmetics a while back and it was kind of scratchy but I can’t remember. I like the shapes in this set but idk if it’s worth the price.

[TraceyEB]

@makeitup305, I have a good number of Smith brushes. The standouts for me are:

• 210 - angled spoolie, the design is handy
• 202 - a teeny precise eyeliner brush
• 253 & 256 - small & large eyeshadow arrowheads, I like using the angles & the flat surfaces
• 220 - a finishing eyeshadow brush, great for applying/smudging liner and blending eyeshadow; I especially like that it can soften heavy handed shadow placement (it acts like an eraser - I own 2)
• 122 - I use for painting on & buffing in cream blush/highlighters
• 157 - a wedge brush that I use especially for small blush pans (I turn the brush around to use the high edge for highlighter)
• 154 - a large arrowhead face brush that I was drawn to for the edges.

I have quills 230 and 235 and I use them regularly though they're not unique. I have noticed that the gold ferrule is fading on some of my most used brushes. The only brush I would say is a hint scratchy is the 154 large face brush with its duo fibres but I kind of like having a brush with that texture. I also own their half-size Smithfolio, which I use to carry my brushes when traveling and is my top Smith recommendation!

Smith eye and face brushes with a more unique designCrease quills + other Smith brushes

[makeitup305]

@TraceyEB @Thanks for the info! I have one of their arrowhead brushes and another face brush. They’re not my favorite but they do have some really interesting shapes. I might pick up the quill set during the sale or maybe individually if Beautylish has any of their stuff on their BF sale.

[TraceyEB]

@makeitup305, you can't go wrong with their quills, individually or in a set!

[itsfi]

rephr has a new collection of brushes for the holidays, along with bundles, with option for free organizers. Submission of honest feedback within 60 days required for discount. All photos from rephr direct.

[acecakes]

I picked up the Sonia G Sky Face set during the gift card event, so will have to pass on Rephr this year, but the Complete set looks like an excellent deal! 

[itsfi]

@acecakes, yay for picking up the Sonia G Sky Face Set - her brushes are wonderful! 💓 Good call on picking the set up during the gift card sale too - it's like two gifts for yourself, one to enjoy now and one for later! 😃

[Sunnysmom]

I’m debating any brushes during the event @itsfi , any musts you love love? 

[itsfi]

@Sunnysmom, here are some of the ones I have enjoyed using:

4 - it's held out as an angled cheek brush for contouring, but I use it more for bronzer

17 - cream brush

20 - I'm not usually a fan of fan brushes (lol) but I use this with some of my highlighters. It's not too dense, not too wispy

24 - cheek brush or bronzer - for products that have that baked gelee texture like Chantecaille blushes and bronzers

Let us know what you think of the brushes if you decide to pick some up.

[makeitup305]

@itsfi how do you think their quality compares to WG and SG? have they held up well?

I have quite a few from each but have been interested in rephr (probably from the chokehold they have in influencers) and the holiday set seems like a great deal to try so many shapes.