Saturday, October 23, 2010

Review: ELF Mineral Brushes

ELF recently came out with a new line of makeup brushes, these being their mineral brushes. There are 12 different brushes, all for $5 a piece. However, you can get them for less than that, just use a coupon code, there are many available at once, best you could get 50% off mineral products and only pay $2.50 a brush. I was really excited about these brushes when they first came out, but only picked up 3 because I have TONS of brushes and primarily bought these to test them out. I picked up the powder, complexion and angled blush brush. I am a huge fan of ELF products, I've bought from them dozens of times, and this is just my honest opinion of these brushes.

Every brush in this line comes with 100% animal-free taklon bristles, recycled ferrule and sustainable bamboo handles. The bristles are quite thin and light yellow (will get dirty easily). I like this design, I think it's very Ecotools-esque, down to the brush sets with pouches. The pictures of these brushes on the website are deceiving however, especially the blush brush picture, it looks nothing like the brush, which disappointed me. The brushes came in nice plastic cases with a plastic cover on each brush, click here when I first got them. They smelled like a paint store when I got them, I washed them several times since then and it went away.


First up is the Mineral Powder brush, this is a giant ogre of a brush, compared to the Ecotools and even the Sigma F30 brush. It is also very thin and floppy, it's hard to show this without doing a video or something but you can take my word for it. This brush would only be good for loose finishing powder application in my opinion (and I have lots of brushes that already serve that function). This brush disappointed me the most of the trio that I got. It is very soft but kinda useless for me.




Next we have the ELF Mineral Angled Blush brush, I know on the website it says 'angled', but judging by the image on the ELF website (image above), I thought this brush would look completely different! It's quite small and very thin as well, compared to the Sigma F40, which is very soft and quite dense. I do not see myself using this brush very much, another disappointment.

Lastly, the ELF Complexion brush, I have better news with this one! This brush is very similar to the original ELF Studio line Complexion brush (left of it) however it is slightly more rounded paddle shape. This brush can be used for powder application, contouring and bronzer. It is still on the big side, next to the Ecotools blush brush (favourite of mine) it is much larger. However, this brush is do-able, if you don't already have the Studio line brush.

Comparing these brushes, what I did notice is how much better my Sigma Makeup brushes are, they are full and soft when I sweep them on my face compared to the ELF brushes.

I hope this helps you guys. I know everyone has different preferences but I just personally did not favour these very much. I knew it right when I first got them, and after attempting to use and adjust to them, they just aren't for me. These brushes are soft, and I appreciate their environmentally-friendly nature, but they do not perform very well because they bristles are so thin and floppy. Sorry ELF.

I am curious to know what you guys thought of these, leave me your opinions below!

15 comments:

Leticia said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks for the review. I will probably just pass on these.

Hershley's Sweet Kiss said... Best Blogger Tips

wow thanks for the review! i have never tried ELF. That crazy how the brush looks like the ecotools brush. LOL hello copyright!

Risa said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks for reviewing them. I was so excited when they first came out..I think I'm just gonna pass on these now..

xx

Irene Blushing Loves said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks for the review hun!Cause when I saw them in some posts I found them interesting!Now I'll be more carefull!!!
xxxx

Aru said... Best Blogger Tips

very helpful, thank you! =)

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks for the review on these! I was curious about them too, but also think I will pass on these. Great blog!

Anonymous said... Best Blogger Tips

ah... i hate it when brushes smell funny when it's new. thank's for the reviews!

Isabel said... Best Blogger Tips

Thx for reviewing these! I think I'll just stick to the Studio brushes then.

Renay said... Best Blogger Tips

You always post reviews that on products im most curious about! Im happy to read this and hear your thoughts :) Great post

RenayShanel
...She Speaks of Beauty

Junerose said... Best Blogger Tips

Another great review! I like that you compared them to similar brushes from other brands. I am not a fan of floppy, thin brushes, so I will pass on these.

Cyn said... Best Blogger Tips

Wow..Nice review!! I wanted to get this at first but I guess I'll gv this a pass nw.

Love,
Cyn
http://slowbro-gal.blogspot.com

Hauls and Reviews said... Best Blogger Tips

I was curious about these brushes but honestly I have yet to hear a good review on them, I do love their studio line brushes and recommend them to anyone on a budget...or anyone that just doesn't want to spend a lot.

Unknown said... Best Blogger Tips

Great detailed review! I love how you compare them with other brushes. I was really curious about these new ELF brushes and you were the first to review it! I like their studio line brushes too :) The fluffy brush is great!

Abby Q. said... Best Blogger Tips

Thanks for the review! I bought the complexion brush and have quite liked it, so I've been considering the others but the elf website is so hard to judge sometimes! I also got the foundation brush which I haven't tried yet but hope to today!

LiisK said... Best Blogger Tips

Thank you for the thorough review, I'll get my lot soon and write a review too, I also took some mineral line eyeshadow brushes as I am still on the hunt for the perfect eyeshadow and blending brush. elf studio c brush is too big and 1$-line one sheds like mad. :S