The 'hit' list- My least favorite/used brushes

Following my post about my favorite makeup brushes, today I'm going to share with you the ones I rarely reach for.  I love reading review posts about makeup brushes- especially those that are affordable that I might actually be inclined to buy or not buy.  Testing products in person is something I feel is really important, but with makeup brushes it's a different story.  Unless you're looking at MAC or another higher-end brand, it's hard to find affordable, quality brushes at brick-and-mortar operations (with a few exceptions, like Sonia Kashuk and EcoTools, to name a few!).  Anyway, these either didn't fit my specific need or I just plain don't think they're worth the money.

Left to right: High Definition duo-fiber brush (Walmart), ELF Studio powder brush, Sonia Kashuk crease brush, EcoTools angled eyeliner brush, MAC 252

High-Definition duo-fiber brush- I got this brush from Walmart last summer, for somewhere around $10 I believe.  I have a few problems with it.  One, it smells terrible every time I wash it (and it was RANCID after the first wash).  Two, the handle is pretty bulky and takes up a lot of room in storage.  Three, it takes forever to stipple in cream products and I don't really like using it to apply highlighters (I can't see them on the bristles so I don't know how much I'm using).  It's not that it's a terrible brush- it's the only duo-fiber stippling brush I've ever owned, so I'm glad I have it to see how it works- it just isn't high quality and for me, it probably wasn't worth buying.

ELF Studio powder brush- The biggest problem I have with this brush is that the ferrule is coming loose from the handle.  To me, that just screams bad quality (although I think mine might have just been defective).  This was also in my favorites post because I do like how it performs, especially for $3.  It's great for stippling in cream products.  The other thing I don't really like about it is that every time I move the bristles, they stay to one side, if that makes sense.  They don't go back into place.  Very minor, but still something to note.

Sonia Kashuk crease brush- I purchased this hoping it could work as a pencil brush, because when I started using it it had more of a pointed tip.  After several uses, though, it became really rounded and it's now too large for getting into the small part of my crease.  The bristles aren't very soft, either- I don't know if I'd say they're harsh (and that could be something you'd fix by washing them with some olive oil or baby shampoo), but I don't like using the brush for this reason.  I only use it if I really need to do a lot of crease color, although I'm looking around for a smaller/pointier brush.

EcoTools angled eyeliner brush- This is the only specific eyeliner brush I own, and I use it with gel liners and powder eyeshadows as liner (or eyeshadow on my lower lash line).  I just recently realized it's part of the reason I can't make perfect "wings" with my gel liners.  I think the brush is a little too thick, making it difficult to get very precise.  I'm in the market for something smaller in width and thickness.  This one does work alright for applying eyeshadow on top of eyeliner to set, or for achieving that "smoked-out" eyeliner look with eyeshadows.  I do this quite a bit as I don't usually like very precise lines.

MAC 252- This brush isn't bad in quality at all, it just doesn't suit all my needs.  It's great for an allover wash of color blended up into the crease, but anything more precise is a bit tricky.  This is the reason I end up grabbing my ELF $1 eyeshadow brush over the 252 on most days, because it's smaller.  I think if you have bigger eyes and more lid space, this would work just fine as an eyeshadow brush (it is what the MAC associate recommended to me for an eyeshadow brush when I got my makeup done at 13!).  

Any of these that you don't have problems with?  I'd love to hear!

(PS- happy weekend!  I'm going to spend it with my boyfriend, starting tomorrow through Sunday- who I can only see on the weekend due to distance- and I can't wait!  I find myself constantly counting down the days until Friday, when either I go to his town or he comes here.  Tomorrow morning I'm doing the makeup for my friend's film, and then going to the sewing lab at school to finish up my darts for a project.  So much homework, so little time!  How have you guys been?)

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