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You know that feeling when you’re in love, and you just want to shout from the rooftops? That’s me with E.l.f. face brushes.
I have something very exciting for you today, and that is my long-awaited E.l.f brush collection. I have been meaning to do this post forever, but it’s been difficult because I use these brushes every single day and so I really had to make a point to gather them all up, clean them, and photograph them. First world problems, I know.
Spoiler alert: I absolutely love these brushes. If all you need to know is whether I would recommend these brushes, then there you go. (No, this post is not sponsored.) However, if you want to hear me gush about all the great things about E.l.f. brushes, plus point out a couple of negatives you should know about, then let’s get this party started!
p.s. Did you know this post has a sister? I couldn’t talk about all my E.l.f. brushes in one post, or you’d be reading until next summer. I’ve got a separate post all about my E.l.f. eye brushes. Check out that post here!
E.l.f. face brushes availability & pricing
Let’s start with price. You absolutely cannot beat the price point of E.l.f. brushes. Prices range from $1 to $10 apiece, which are honestly some of the most inexpensive prices I have ever seen for brushes. Minus of course brushes that you find in random crannies of a drugstore that are good for nothing because they’re just so awful. The majority of the brushes in the line are $3 or less, with only a few being $6 and only one (so far that I have seen,) being $10.
UPDATE 11/22/16 – E.l.f. has since expanded their brush line, and it now includes more higher-priced brushes. The most expensive brush is now $12. I have yet to try any of these newer brushes, but I will be in the near future.
Personally, I think E.l.f. brushes are the best you can get considering the price. The bristles on all of the brushes are extremely soft, but since they are synthetic, I don’t feel that I have to “baby” them the way that I have to with my natural brushes.
I’m a bit lazy with my brush care. I don’t want to spend time moisturizing my brushes with olive oil when I can’t even be bothered to do that with my own hair. I like brushes that are “wash-n-go.” These are perfect for that.
Foundation brushes
Pictured here are the Ultimate Blending Brush ($6) and the Powder Brush ($3). One of them is my absolute favorite, and the other one is quite meh. Can you guess which is which?
Ultimate Blending Brush
The Ultimate Blending brush is a very dense brush that is great for buffing in all types of foundations. I used it with liquid, cream, and powder foundations and it always gives me a flawless result.
It’s great for so many things, and I definitely plan on purchasing more.
>> Purchase here <<
Powder Brush
The Powder Brush ($3) is similar to a flat-top kabuki. It’s moderately large and moderately dense, but nothing extraordinary.
Contrary to the name, I do not use this brush for powder. I find it difficult to control how much powder ends up on my face, and plus, the bristles aren’t the best for blending. Instead, I use the Powder Brush as another option for foundation application when I want a quick and easy, light coverage application. It works well blending in thin and light BB creams like the Urban Decay One & Done.
Something to be noted is that this brush is the only one that has come apart. All of my other E.l.f. face brushes go through consistent washings, but they’ve never separated. This is the only brush where the glue holding the ferrule and handle together failed. I fixed the problem easily with some super glue and it’s been good ever since, but I was not too thrilled that it came apart in the first place. Fortunately, this was a one-time occurrence.
>> Purchase here <<
Flawless Concealer Brush(es)
Can you tell I love my Flawless Concealer Brushes ($3)? Out of all the different E.l.f. face brushes I own, this one is my favorite. I can practically do my whole face with it.
As per it’s name, I find that it does a fantastic job of blending undereye concealer. It is small enough to get up close to the tear duct and lash line, but large and fluffy enough that you can feather the product down onto your cheekbone and around your nose without it looking streaky.
The diameter of the brush is about the size of an American dime, and the bristles are about 0.75 inches tall, which also makes the Flawless Concealer Brush the perfect size for precise highlighting or contouring, and I have even used it to throw on a quick dusting of eye shadow on natural makeup days. I also use it to set my undereye area and other small areas such as around my nose. I can’t say enough good things about this one.
>> Purchase here <<
Small Tapered brush
The Small Tapered Brush ($3) is a more recent discovery that does many of the same tasks for me as the Flawless Concealer Brush.
It is obviously much bigger, and it is cut into a peculiar, almost diamond-like shape where the widest point is in the center and then it tapers off to a rounded point at the top. As expected, this brush is also great for blending undereye concealer because it can get right up in there, although sometimes it does feel a bit chunky for my small face. (I am a small person.) I mostly use it for setting my under eye concealer with powder, and I have no plans on switching it up.
>> Purchase here <<
Powder Brushes
E.l.f. carries two lines of brushes, the Studio line (the black handles,) and the Essential/Professional line (the white handles.) The Essential/Professional line is the less expensive of the two.
These two brushes are what I would consider the equivalent of one another within their respective lines, and therefore I am comparing them against each other in terms of quality, performance, and price.
Pictured above are my three Complexion Brushes ($3) and one Professional (Essential) Total Face Brush ($2).
Professional Total Face Brush
The Professional Total Face Brush is best for doing a light dusting of finishing powders all over the face. The bristles are pretty soft and wispy, so it’s best used where you don’t want a heavy application. I feel like I’m giving my face a sprinkling of fairy dust when I use it with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders.
>> Purchase here <<
Complexion Brush
For $1 more, I recommend purchasing the Studio Complexion Brush. The Professional Total Face Brush is just as soft as the Complexion Brush, but the bristles are less densely packed. They’re also longer and floppier, which offers less control over the application.
If you look closely a the bristles in the picture, you can see that the Complexion Brush bristles are tapered in a nicer manner around the edges and have a smooth transition from the dome to the side. The Professional Total Face Brush bristles have a harsher line separating the dome from the sides. I think this speaks to the overall quality and craftsmanship of the brush.
I like to use the Complexion Brush for bronzing because it distributes the color evenly and blends it beautifully so it never looks too harsh. This is also the brush that saves the day when I have a blush mishap and I need to buff some away. Overall, it’s another one of my favorite E.l.f. face brushes.
>> Purchase here <<
Contouring Brush
Both the Angled Blush Brush ($3) and Contouring Brush ($6) are great for sculpting those cheekbones and adding definition to the face in different ways.
The Contouring Brush is probably the most unique brush of the bunch, and it is obviously modeled off of other popular brushes. Though, I have not tried any other brand’s similar contouring brush, so I can’t really compare.
The bristles on the Contouring Brush are short (approximately 0.5 inches tall,) and very dense. They’re not scratchy at all, surprisingly.
Like you’d expect, the brush creates a sharp cheekbone contour by dragging the color through the hollow of the cheek and then lightly blending the color upward.
This is really all I use it for because I find it difficult to control when trying to contour areas such as my forehead, jawline, and nose. Perhaps I just prefer a softer look than what this brush is intended for.
If you like chiseled contours, then this brush will definitely give them to you.
>> Purchase here <<
Angled Blush Brush
The Angled Blush Brush is also pretty dense, and the top is shaped to a nice rounded angle. Again, it is very soft. I use this as my main contouring brush because it fits well in my cheekbone area as well as on my forehead to give me the nice wash of color in larger areas that I like. I like to do the bronze/contour all in one step, and this brush is the perfect medium to give just enough definition without being too sharp. Personally, I don’t use it for blush because I find it too dense, and so it applies too much color for my liking.
>> Purchase here <<
Highlighting brushes
I have to be honest, I slightly regret purchasing both the Professional Powder Brush ($2) and the Studio Fan Brush ($3). They both ended up being highlighting brushes because I didn’t know what else to do with either of them. They work okay, but they are not my favorites.
Professional Powder Brush
The Professional Powder Brush is really just a miniature version of the larger Professional Total Face Brush, which was also not one of my favorites. I feel like the way the bristles are cut on these brushes really screams “cheap.” They remind me of the kind of brushes included those holiday makeup kits from Sears. It works fine for applying a wash of highlighter on the cheekbones, but it’s really nothing special or exciting.
>> Purchase here <<
E.l.f. Fan Brush
As for the Fan Brush ($4), I don’t have anything to compare to since this is the only fan brush I have ever owned. The bristles are feathery and soft and there aren’t too few of them. I actually think this is a nice brush if fan brushes are your thing, but sadly, I’m just not into this type of brush.
I do like the look that it gives when I use it to apply my less intense highlighters, such as my Wet n’ Wild In the Cabana, but I feel like I lack the control I need when applying intense shimmers like the Becca
Shimmering Skin Perfectors. It just feels so flimsy.
>> Purchase here <<
Mineral Powder Brush
Here are my four E.l.f. Mineral Powder Brushes ($3). This is another one of my favorites because I can do so much with it. Sometimes I’ll even do my entire face (minus the eyes,) with this one brush.
It’s rather small in size, with the head is roughly the size of the average cotton ball. The fluffy bristles make it perfect for blending in all types of foundations, applying setting powder, contouring, and applying blush precisely where you want it.
On days when I don’t feel like thinking too much, I count on this brush to get the job done.
>> Purchase here <<
Small Stipple Brush
Next up are the Small Stipple Brushes ($3). I mainly use it for stippling on foundation or cream blush, it also works well for blending undereye concealer and applying powder in a pinch. The brush is pretty small, I would say the flat surface on the top is about the size of an American nickel.
The bristles start out dense right where they emerge from the ferrule, but then taper off. It’s kind of like the brush has a razored haircut, and so that the bristles that actually touch your face are quite sparse. Because the brush lacks power due to it’s bristles being few and far between, I find that it is best suited for thin, easily blendable foundations.
I tend to be somewhat afraid of cream products because I feel like they can go from zero to way to much with one overzealous swipe, and many times I just don’t want to take the risk. However, when I am feeling bold, I’ll use the Small Stipple Brush to pick up my cream products because it is harder to apply too much when your army of bristles is small.
>> Purchase here <<
Blush Brush
Finally, we have come to the Blush Brushes. You may notice that I have four handles that proudly display the name “Blush Brush,” and yet they look more like cousins than identical twins. It’s not in your imagination. More on that below, and in this post detailing my E.l.f. eye brushes.
Looking closely at the photo, you can see that the ferrule is pinched, which gives the brush kind of a paddle shape. It really depends on how you like to apply your blush to determine if you would like this blush brush or not.
For me, I have huge cheeks, and so I really need to be careful of where I apply blush so I don’t end up looking like a sunburned chipmunk.
The paddle shape is good for “patting” blush on rather than “swirling” it on. If you do want to swirl your blush, I think this brush could do it well enough, but I would probably go with the Studio Angled Blush Brush instead.
>> Purchase here <<
I have a bone to pick with E.l.f. here
If you haven’t already seen it, definitely go and check out my post on E.l.f. eye brushes. There’s even more of what I’m about to say over there.
My issue with the E.l.f. face brushes is the inconsistency from brush to brush. This is especially apparent when comparing my four blush brushes pictured above.
Yes, those are all supposed to be the same brush. Except some are bigger, some are smaller, some are taller, and some are shorter. When ordering online, what you end up getting may be a bit of a surprise.
I don’t really mind because I’ll find a use for the inconsistent brushes regardless. However, I know others expect to receive the same brush when they order the same brush. (Confusing, but you know what I mean.)
Just something to keep in mind. But other than that, I can’t find much to complain about when it comes to the E.l.f. face brushes. Great brushes for a great price.
That’s all for today!
Like this post all about my E.l.f. face brushes? See my E.l.f. eye brushes too >> E.l.f. Eye Brushes Collection
If you find this post interesting, informative, or just plain entertaining, tell me about it in the comments below! And don’t forget, sharing is caring. Share this post!
Till next time! ♥︎
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FTC- This post is not sponsored by and brands mentioned. I purchase all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.
I’m starting to get into makeup more now and i really like these brushes. Great review. Thank you for posting this.
Elf brushes are the best!!! And super cheap!!! I have every single one!!!
I’m glad you share my enthusiasm, Kira! I obviously love them too. Thanks for reading! 🙂 xo