My e.l.f brush collection

I'm a little ashamed to admit that before I started blogging, I only owned 2 or 3 make up brushes, and generally just used sponge applicators and the like. Now however, I have quite a collection, most of which are from e.l.f (eyeslipsface). I have brushes from both the regular and studio ranges, with the regular brushes being priced at £1.50, and the studio ones at £3.50. I have quite a few brushes, so this post is quite long, but I wanted to give you my thoughts on them all. Some of the brushes I only bought last week, so haven't tried them all yet, but others I have had for some time.

Regular range

Eye brushes

L-R Defining eye brush, blending eye brush, 2x eye shadow brush, eye liner brush, smudge eye sponge, eye crease brush and concealer brush.

I really like the regular range eye brushes. They are a bargain at £1.50, and work well. I have had the defining eye brush, eye shadow brush and eyeliner brush for a while now, and use them every time I do my make up. In fact, I like the eye shadow brush so much I bought another. The others are from my recent purchase, but so far they all seem really good too. I wasn't sure what the smudge eye spinge would be like, as I thought it was a brush when I ordered, as it says that on the main page, but then says sponge when you click on it. However, it isn't a sponge like the sponge applicators you get, its more rubbery than that, and I think it will be good for smudging eye liner.

One thing to note about the regular line eye brushes, is that they can vary in appearence quite a bit. They can look quite different from the website, and from each other if you get multiples. Case in point, my two eye shadow brushes-

Apparently the same brush, but really quite different. The only other complaint I would have with these brushes is that they do come apart quite easily, as  in 2 of mine the handle has come out. This can easily be fixed though, and for the price I think they are great.

Face brushes

L-R Fan brush, foundation brush, total face brush.

I have to say, I have been quite disappointed with the face brushes from the regular range. I bought the foundation and total face brushes a while ago, and they haven't had much use. The foundation brush is quite stiff, and it just made my foundation look streaky. It could be my technique, so maybe I should try it again. The total face brush is ok, but feels a bit rough, and hasn't got much softer after washing a few times. I bought the fan brush last week, but just to use for putting face masks on. For that, it works a treat! So, I wouldn't really recommend getting face brushes from the regular range, I much prefer the ones in the studio range.

Studio range

L-R Fan brush, Blush brush, Complexion brush, Powder brush, Studio stipple brush.

As you can see, the studio brushes are made of a much softer, synthetic hair. This means they feel much nicer on the face, and I think give better application. The fan brush I haven't really used, even though it was one of the first ones I got. I think I like the idea of fan brushes as they look cool, but I am not so sure of what to really use them for. I think they work well with things like highlight, so I will need to try that out. The blush and complexion brushes I use daily, to apply blush and powder, and I love them. The next brush, the powder brush, I am sure you have read about on other blogs. I haven't ever actually used it to apply powder, as like most people, I use it for liquid foundation. It works amazingly for this, as it is very dense and allows you to buff on your foundation. A must have brush! Finally, the stipple brush. As soon as I saw this was released, I wanted it, but it was sold out for ages. I finally got it last week, but haven't actually used it yet. It feels very soft, but not very dense, so I don't think it would be great for liquid foundation as it suggests,but I am looking forward to trying it with my cream blushes.

Phew, that took a while. I hope this look at my brushes has helped somehow, and if you have any questions about any of the brushes, please ask.

Do you love any e.l.f brushes that I haven't tried yet?