Eyes Lips Face Brushes: My picks and a dud

This is the second part to my ELF purchase that I made in December when they had their 50% off sale. Some of their brushes are fantastic value if you get them on sale and these are my picks:

ELF Essentials Eyeshadow brush RRP €1.80 Sale price: €0.90c.
This small, tightly packed brush has soft, fairly flexible bristles that are perfect for picking up eyeshadow and packing it onto the lid. The very tip of the brush which is tapered to a flat edge makes this perfect for smudging eyeliner right into the lash line. I now own 7 of these (after buying 4 on sale) and they really do a fab job regardless of their teeny price.

ELF Studio Flawless Concealer Brush RRP €4.51 Sale Price: €2.25
Another very soft brush, meant for contouring/blending concealer ( a la Kim K), but I don't use it for that... I use it for blending eyeshadow. The super soft fluffy bristles are perfect for softening lines and blending colours. I have used it to blend my under eye concealer though... and it does work to soften the edges of the concealer and blend it with m foundation nicely. This Flawless Concealer brush is also small enough to apply highlighter with precision. I got 2 of these in my order.

ELF Studio Small Stipple Brush RRP: €4.51 Sale price: €2.25
The big stipple brush is one of my loves for applying foundation... this small one is my new love for applying blush. Any kind of blush. Liquid, cream or powder applies like a DREAM with this wee brush. So much so, I have started wearing more blush on what Deborah Leonard calls my "Killer Cheek bones". I like this brush. With very little pressure and a taping motion, it picks up just the right amount of product and distributes it evenly. And just because it is a stippling brush doesn't mean you can only stipple with it... no my little sheeps, this is a lovely buffing brush... to work blush or bronzer onto the skin for a great finish. I am so please I bought 2 of these, and when ELF have their next sale I WILL get more of these, especially for cream products.

'Scuse the blurry pic...

ELF Essentials Powder Brush RRP €1.80 Sale Price: €0.90
This is the only one of the brushes that I bought that I am not that fond of. It is small enough to make it great for applying blush or bronzer. Or powder to shiny areas. But I find that the bristles are a bit scratchy on this brush. Actually they are quite scratchy. Honestly: it is a bit unpleasant to use on my face, especially when compared to the other three.  Thank goodness they are cheap, I bought 2 of these and I will pass them on to Hannah for her to experiment/paint with.

So apart from the powder brush (which only cost pennies thankfully) the ELF brushes are pretty good quality, they do a grand job and they cost very very little. They even come in their own little plastic envelope to keep them safe and neat during transit. Now as far as cleaning and shedding is concerned a lot of cheap brushes fall apart at the mention of water, these don't. I previously bought 2 eyeshadow brushes (more than 3 years ago (its been three house moves so...) and I have not had a single hair shed from the brushes. And they are still going very, very strong. Not bad for a few Squids.

I am however meticulous when I wash these... I use soap (1st generation Pixy Soap Bar they have since changed the formulation a wee bit) and warm water and I am very very careful not to get water  anywhere near where the ferrule (the silver metal thingy) and the wooden handle. A rinse and a flick to remove excess water and then a squeeze and cuddle in a towel and then I leave them on the towel with the handle on a bit of rolled up towel and the bristles facing down so that any remaining water runs out. Because I am so careful when I clean my brushes I am expecting them to last me ages and ages.

All in all I am super chuffed with the first three brushes. They do the job, they don't cost-a-lot and they seem to last pretty well. Next time ELF have one of their 50% off sales I will pick up a few extras of each of these for my stash and for gifts for my sister-in-laws and friends.