Sparkled Beauty

It was a surprise when I received these makeup brushes from Yves Rocher. I shopped on their site before but don't recall seeing brushes. Good to know now, isn't it?

I think we all say there's no such thing as having too many brushes. I like using them but don't like washing them, so I need backups to get me through a few applications before I have to wash them all.

There are a few essential brushes in this bunch, and I was happy to test them out. They all offer a reasonable weight, the handles aren't too long (somewhere between a travel sized handle and a long one like MAC's).

We'll be seeing them by size, large one first. This is the Powder brush, with natural hair, meant for pressed powder and bronzing powder, $14.

The bristles are soft and not incredibly dense, with a slight dome shape at the top. It is a little too wide for bronzers (unless I press the sides together to create a thin shape), so it is more ideal for applying a light wash of powder on the skin, like a highlighter, a MAC MSF or touch-ups.

With finishing powders, I normally use a denser brush to press it onto the skin instead of sweeping it around on the face, so this brush won't be used for that purpose.

Next is the Foundation brush, with synthetic hair, suggested to be used for fluid or cream texture, $14.

I like the stiffness of the bristles, enough to spread the foundation around without being harsh or scratchy on the skin. Blending takes a bit of time, not as easy as with a flat top kabuki, so I often use this brush for cream foundation on specific areas of my face that need a bit more coverage, and it works great for that.

On to the Eyeshadow brush, natural hair, $10, for pale to dark eyeshadows. I'm not sure why we need to distinguish eyeshadow shades here, as I use it for all shades.

This brush is a little more flat than my regular blending brush and not dense enough for packing colours on the lids, so for me, it is a crease brush. It deposits the crease colour and blends it out well without disturbing the base colour on the crease and outer V. Cool bean!

And here we are, my favorite brush among the bunch: the Concealer brush. It is made with synthetic hair (duh), meant for fluid or cream texture, $10.

By the first glance, this brush doesn't look any different from other concealer brushes I own. Upon using it, I found out I love it more than the others. It feels stiff when I touch it with my fingers but somehow is really gentle on the face, on my dark spots and blemishes that I need to conceal. With a little dabbing of the brush, the concealer blends in effortlessly, I really like the finish. To be fair, I use the same concealer as I always do, so the credit fully goes to the brush, not the concealer.

Now the Angled eye brush is suggested for dark eyeshadows, I assume they mean gel liners, as that was what I use the brush with.

With synthetic hair, the brush does have some give on the lash line, and I use it to press the gel liner on instead of drawing it on and it works just fine. I'm sloppy with drawing anyway :)

The brush retails for $10, I better make sure I make good use out of it. Practice is key!

Lastly, we have the (Retractable) lip brush, for lipstick and gloss of course, $10.

I don't own a proper lip brush, surprisingly enough, and I have been meaning to get one. The tip of this brush is a little smaller than I wanted (see the last pic below), precise application is important but I also need coverage. I did test out the brush with daily use but would recommend saving it for travelling, or for touch-ups. Still need a full sized lip brush :)

Five out of six paper sleeves that came with the brushes have instructions at the back, which is helpful for someone who is new to makeup.


And here they are again, the army of my Yves Rocher makeup brushes. Depending on what you are looking for in a brush, recommendation would vary. For me, the concealer brush is a winner.


Yves Rocher often offers deals and free shipping at certain limit, not mentioning free gift(s) with purchase, so watch those and get yourself a bargain.