So, I’ve had the Urban Decay Makeup Brushes for a little while now .. long enough to pick out three favourites (the middle three) and long enough to know that I don’t like the big ones! I just can never get along with a big brush – it feels like it smooshes my face and I don’t wear powder so I never really have any need, other than blush. I tend to mostly use cream blushes and use a different kind of brush anyway for that and foundation. These are the UD Pro Collection – a step up, I suppose, in quality and longevity although I can’t do any kind of comparison because I don’t really remember the regular brushes.
Even though the bigger brushes are not for me, you can see they are very densely packed (as they all are actually) and they’re also beautifully soft. The big deal on the UD Pro Makeup Brushes is that they’re cruelty free – made in fact from recycled bottles. Something I didn’t know is that synthetic brush hairs don’t hold onto bacteria in the same way that real hair brushes do because they’re not porous. Who knew?! Looking at my brush collection, I don’t think I have any now that aren’t synthetic (maybe the odd one or two hiding at the back of the drawer) so I think I have a decision to make on whether to continue reviewing real hair brushes. Tell me what you think!
So, these are the three I’ve been using – and loving. You can see a kink in the handle of one, which I am really hoping isn’t a quality control issue but can say that my package was dropped (it came in a plastic case that was shattered) so I think these poor brushes have been through the mill a bit. The first is the Tapered Blending Brush (£16.50), the middle is Smoky Crease (£18) and the last one is the Large Blending (£18). Everyone is going to have different tastes in brushes – the one I use the very most is the smallest of the three – the Tapered Blending, and I can do all of my eye with it. A special crease brush isn’t at all essential but the Large Blending comes in very handy for softening the shades once they’re on the lid.
I’m always surprised at the price of brushes – I wonder what the mark up is on these… I’d love to know. But, they do feel more premium. We’re slightly past the ‘good for cruelty free’ thing because there are so many cruelty free options and so many good ones… these match up very well to others I’ve tried so it’s down to personal preference in the look and feel. Anyway, if you like the look, they’re HERE.
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All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
4 comments
Hi Jane
Would be great if there was a familiar ‘thing’ in your photo of your faves for scale. Maybe because the brush hairs are densely packed, they are giving the optical illusion of much bigger brushes than I suspect they are in reality. Something like a lipstick? A coin?
Catinthehat
Xx
These look gorgeous but I couldn’t bring myself to spend that much haha. If you haven’t already, you must try zoeva brushes, they range from £4-15, I’ve had mine for about a year and a half, and wash them weekly. I haven’t lost a single hair from them! They do a mix of natural and synthetic, and some vegan brushes too. They’re available either on the zoeva site or beautybay, from the zoeva site they took less than a week to arrive!
I need new brushes but sooo many of them are too pricey! I love Real Techniques because they are affordable!
Mel | http://www.thegossipdarling.com
Yes, please do stop reviewing real hair brushes! There is absolutely no need to be using animal hair to apply makeup. Modern synthetic brushes can be just as good and often better.