Sephora

Milou07 · ‎01-05-2018

I've seen a lot of talk about the VIB rouge renewal gift for 2018, so I thought it might help to post a short review of the 2018 vs 2017 renewal gifts for anyone curious.

No, I haven't spent $1000 in the last 5 days - I requalified for Rouge late in December 2017, and my store was out of the 2017 gifts, so I received the 2018 gift yesterday instead. (Similar situation for the 2017 gift - I'm always a year ahead, it seems!)

The bags are different - 2017 was a silky red material, which felt nice, but also a little flimsy. 2018's is more of a canvas material with printed dots on it - much stiffer and sturdier feeling, but also not as soft and sleek - more difficult to close the drawstring on. I like that the year is written on the 2018 bag.

They both come with cardboard welcome cards, and little soft plastic cases for the brushes (same material as the Sephora Collection beauty on the fly bag), which feel really nice. They have a flap on the back that tucks in to keep the case closed.

The brushes come with little flimsy plastic sleeves on to keep the bristles safe. The brushes are the same size between years, and they are both that slightly sparkly red color, with the Sephora logo on one side of the ferrule, and the size on the other side. They have different text on the handles - the 2018 brush (55.5) has fewer words and also seems to have stronger/thicker printing than the 2017 brush (55.6). I really like that the 2018 brush has 2018 printed on the handle.

Both of the brushes are very soft - the 2017 brush has shorter (and thus more dense feeling) hair (56.5), while the 2018 brush has longer and less dense feeling hair (55.5) - I feel like I will have more use for the 2018 brush in general, especially with powder products.

Finally, here is a comparison with the full sized 56 brush, so you can see the brush and hair comparison - the handle and ferrule are longer in the full sized brush, but I think the proportions are well done in the miniature brushes.

Overall, I think the 2018 Rouge brush is well done. It feels high quality, and the hair is very soft. I appreciate that it has the year printed on it, and that it has longer hair and thus is a more useful brush (at least for me) as compared to the 2017 brush. However, I am disappointed that this year's gift is another brush. The brush was a cute idea for one year, but I enjoyed getting a different item each year (favorite so far has been the NARS blush in an exclusive shade for 2016!), and it feels a little mundane and disappointing to receive a very very similar gift for two years in a row.

grizzlymaze · ‎01-06-2018

Thank you for the review. I'm happy to get another brush as Im kind of cheap and hate spending money on beauty tools. (If anyone from Sephora is reading this NEXT year I for one would LOVE a bright red full-size Beauty Blender!). So yea, happy to get a good quality brush instead of something like a scarlet lipstick that I wouldnt use. I used the 2017 brush for applying foundation but after a few weeks went back to the Beauty Blender. Like the suggestions here to use it for contouring so I'll give that a try.

IndyQT317 · ‎04-21-2018

@grizzlymaze Agreed. A red beautyblender would be cool.

AliAshby · ‎01-28-2018

YESSS to the Beauty Blender suggestion!

darkiceis · ‎01-06-2018

@Milou07 Thank you very much for the in depth review. I personally am ok with it being another brush this year. The short handle brushes work perfect for me as I have to get very close to my mirror and long handled brushes are an issue.

bakeamuffin · ‎01-06-2018

Excellent review of these brushes @Milou07. I agree with you, it would have been nice to see something different. With the array of products Sephora carries, it was surprising to see we would be getting a very similar brush 2 years in a row.

notcreative · ‎01-05-2018

Great review. I do not mind the Sephora brushes at all and even like quite a few of them. Do not even get me started on how much I love anything red. Just wish Sephora would spring for the full-size handle next year if they continue with these brushes. We're worth it.

trishavt · ‎01-05-2018

@Milou07 Hi! It’s so nice to see you on BT and read your very thorough review. Thanks for taking the time to compare the 2017 and 2018 brushes and take these lovely photos.

I use the 2017 brush to apply powder on my cheekbones and find that it does a good job of distributing product. I am happy with that gift and know it will last a long time. That said, I agree with you and think a different gift for 2018 would have been a nice change for those that requalified as Rouge.

Tamara76 · ‎01-05-2018

@Milou07 Thank you so very much for the detailed comparison and review of both brushes! I really appreciate you taking the time to write this up! Your photos are lovely, too! ❤️

StyleLynn · ‎01-05-2018

Thank you so much for the in depth review and comparison! I know there has been a lot of talk regarding the 2018 gift for this year so hopefully this will clear up any of the concerns or questions anyone had. I still would have preferred a beauty product but I'm slightly more excited for this than I was 🙂

MissPuff · ‎01-05-2018

@Milou07 Thank you for this awesome in-depth review! It was as if every question I had, you knew in advance, and thoroughly answered. I was not a fan of last year's brush (I had actually returned the full-sized version), but from the looks of your pictures, I think the 2018 is more promising! I prefer fluffier brushes in general so this shape is more my speed. I feel like we should nominate you for more in-depth comparison reviews...

Milou07 · ‎01-05-2018

Aw, @MissPuff - anytime! I think ridiculously detailed comparison reviews are my favorite things to do! 😉

k617 · ‎01-05-2018

Thanks for this in-depth comparison of the two brushes @Milou07!

I actually used my 2017 brush for maybe the fourth time today since I've gotten it. Before, I had no idea what it would be good for - today I found that it's great for blending out freshly applied makeup that was smudged by trying to remove a massive patch of hairspray! I guess it does have a place in my brush arsenal 🙂

That 2018 brush does look more useful... I prefer fluffier brushes because I find that they are more general-purpose. I think it'll be a great travel cheek brush!

Great photos as well!

Madeline7 · ‎01-05-2018

I actually really like the 2017 brush for contour powder. For some reason its just the right shape and softness for a controlled, very subtle contour

starsandbucks · ‎01-06-2018

@Madeline7 That’s what I use it for as well. It’s a great contour brush. I only wish the handle was full-size because it tends to fall out-of-sight in my brush cup and I’ll sometimes forget it have it. 🙂

skcfan · ‎01-05-2018

@Madeline7 That’s such a good idea! I’ll have to try that out.

mganeshaly · ‎01-05-2018

Thank you for putting this together! @Milou07 So nice of you! Like others have mentioned, I'm a bit disappointed it's another brush and so similar to the 2017, which I never even used 😒. But oh well, I may give it a chance though nothing will replace my Wayne Goss brushes lol

ElleElleG · ‎01-05-2018

Long time no see @Milou07 !

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the 2017 and 2018 Rouge gift! I actually like that the gift was something I could actually put to use, since I am not a blush person, but I hate that they are not full-sized. As you noted, I also appreciate the extra detail to the 2018 gift, and I adore the polka dot bag!