Sparkled Beauty

Guys, I finally get my hands on two of the new EcoTools Spring 2013 brushes from Farleyco, and they are as awesome!

New makeup brushes are always exciting to play with, but these are not only new but also very different, from the design and shape to the usage.

The brushes I tried are the Foam applicator (on the right), and the Face & Body Sculpting brush (on the left).

EcoTools' brushes are known for good quality and their green status - bamboo handles, cruelty-free bristles, recycled aluminum ferrules. Sponges are made of certified recycled plastic. Brush sets are housed in reusable pouches with labels printed with plant-based ink. Plastic packaging is made from recyclable PET & post-consumer recycled paper. EcoTools makeup brushes have won a Proggy Award from PETA. Make you feel good using them.

So what special about the two new brush? :)

This interesting-looking brush is EcoTools Foam applicator, with a firm, 2-in-1 tip (more on this design below).

To simply put, it is a tiny "beauty blender" on a stick, only it is more firm and does not expand when wet. The pointed tip helps with application in hard to reach areas like under the eyes and around the nose.

What sets this brush apart from its predecessors (like Elizabeth Arden Foundation blender brush) is the flat side of it.

One side of the sponge is cut flat while the rest is round and still maintains the pointed tip.

I personally enjoy this flat side a lot to pat in and blend out under eye concealer. The rounded side and the tip work great with spot concealer or liquid foundation for certain areas on the face.

The smaller size of the sponge means it would take more time if you use it for the whole face, and I won't call this a dupe of the beauty blender for that reason. But it is a fun brush to play around with.

The brush comes with a pouch (with a snap closure), is easy to travel with. This retails for $8.99.

On to EcoTools Face & Body Sculpting brush, one of the most bizarre looking brushes I have seen.

The brush head is huge and thick (1.5"/ 4.5cm thick, almost 3.5"/ 9cm wide), meant for contouring your decolletage, shoulders, neck and face. Don't let that scare you though, cause the bristles are really soft and give the most natural look of your foundation and bronzer (liquid or powder).

I don't know about contouring, since I think the size is a little too big for that (unless you squeeze the size of the bristles to make thinner strokes).

I have tried this brush with various liquid foundations and BB creams on my face, and it delivered every time. I use the side to side motions to buff in the product (little force needed), and because of the size, it cuts down my foundation time in half. For the nose and temple areas, and from my jawline down to my neck, I use up and down motions. Overall a flawless finish, I'm loving it.

Size comparison with MAC 190 Foundation brush, to show you how big these two brushes are.

To answer my own question, EcoTools Face & Body Sculpting brush is not a dupe of Rae Morris' Radiance brush (#27), I don't think. The Radiance brush, by the look in the demo video, is smaller and mainly designed for contouring. I would love to confirm this, but the Radiance brush is AUD85/ USD89 (and the EcoTools is $15.99). I think I am happy with the version I have, my foundation brush of choice :)

One down side is that the brush does not come with a case, so I need to keep the plastic packaging to travel with it. Also, keeping the brush in shape after multiple washes might be a little harder, since I don't know if anybody makes a brush guard big enough for its size.

Here is the look I did using these brushes to great success. Check out the full FOTD post for more info.

To summary, I am loving these two EcoTools brushes with their nontraditional application and the result they give. They are unique in my brush stash, for sure.

In my radar next from this Spring release are the Deluxe Fan brush and the 6-pc Day to Night brush set.

Farleyco is the distributor of EcoTools (and some other brands) in Canada and offers online shopping on their site as well. Shipping (Canada only) is $8.50 flat rate or free with orders over $50.

I expect the Spring collection will arrive in stores soon. And when it does, make sure to give these a look.