Brushing Up with Ecotools and Japonesque

With great make up, comes great responsibility tools.

We all know that the right brushes can transform your technique and skills to become more effortless and appear more polished. Fortunately we no longer have to spend a small fortune to attain high quality tools for our daily routines.

I was recently approached by the lovely people over at Makeupbrushes.co.uk to review a few of their brushes, comparing them to the plethora of brushes I currently own.

I'm a devil for buying too many brushes, convincing myself that I can put off brush cleaning night a little longer but also making it more of a chore by doing so. Surprisingly my collection still has a few gaps here and there, especially when it comes to complexion brushes. Although my other half would probably tell you otherwise.

It's not often you get an amazing opportunity like this, so I decided to give the EcoTools Skin Perfecting Brush a try, this brush is designed for use with BB and CC creams which is ideal as Urban Decay will be releasing their new foundation at the end of the month which is a hybrid between a foundation and a BB cream.

Ecotools pride themselves on being 100% cruelty free, made from renewable bamboo and recycled aluminium. While the company is still in its infancy it's been incredibly successful and grown leaps and bounds since its launch in 2008. Since trying this brush I've started to explore more tools within this brand I wouldn't have considered before.

I would normally apply my BB/CC cream with my fingers as a base for my foundation when I need the extra coverage, so to try a brush that's sole purpose is to apply this product was rather exciting. I used this brush a couple of times to confirm my thoughts and feelings, and for the price I wasn't dissapointed.

The positive side to this brush is that it is incredibly soft, making it feel more luxury than its price tag. This was a pleasant surprise as my first impression through the packet was that it was going to feel like I was painting my face with a hedgehog. It was also a very easy brush to clean when compared to my Urban Decay Optical Blurring brush which almost absorbs product deep within the bristles and can take a few rinses before I'm happy. As for density, it doesn't let you down with a pinch test, so you know that this brush is going to last for far more washes than most other low cost brushes.

The only downside to this brush was the finish, which I suppose is what it ultimately comes down to. I used the Bourjois CC cream and found that I could visibly see small streaks and lines along my cheeks and forehead. In terms of product distribution it was fantastic, but I still found myself having to pat the product into my skin using the warmth from my fingers as no motion with the brush managed to blur the product away.

Price

Application

Cleaning

Overall

The next brush up for review comes from Japonesque, a brand that I've never had the opportunity to try but have only heard great things. The brush range from Japnoesque varies in price, and there are some amazing sets available on makeupbrushes.co.uk which are fantastic value (they even come with their own protective cases, festival season anyone?). Another cruelty free brand with a wide array of products, not quite as new as Ecotools, Japonesque has been a firm favourite with make up artists for nearly 25 years.

I decided to give the Japonesque Pro Cut Crease Brush a whirl as I'm pretty much addicted to any style of fluffy crease brush. Blending keeps the world turning, so of course I welcome as many as I can get into my brush family. I used this brush with a variety of powdered products and textures to see how it held up, and obviously I was very impressed.

This double cut crease was created more or less completely with this brush, showing off its ability to change colours with ease, applying loose pigment (Sugarpill Lumi) as well as high pigment pressed shadows (Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Palette). Due to the fine tip of the brush, it's amazing for adding and lightly blending any detail or small additions of colour. When it comes to a larger area of blending it is better to use a fluffy brush free from and product, but in terms of precision from a  crease brush I've never known anything like it.

As its a pro product it's a little more on the pricey side at £16, which is on par with the eyeshadow brushes from Urban Decay but more expensive than our favourites from Real Techniques I can highly recommend this brush for those who like to make an investment in their brushes. The density and quality of the bristles is very high, and cleaning is once again very easy with no staining from high pigment colours (even after using pure pigments such as the electric palette).

Price

Application

Cleaning

Overall

As for the website, I highly recommend it for those looking for low cost brushes to more higher end brands, and what's fantastic is that they offer free 1st class shipping on all orders so you don't have to worry about making up your basket to a certain amount or paying a bomb to get your brushes as quickly as possibly. As they put it - the price you see is the price you pay, which is absolutely amazing!

They also offer the option of browsing by preferred brands or simply by the type of brush you need which saves a lot of time when you know what your collection needs. The website is still fairly new but boasts a great selection of brands which will only grow, so I highly recommend that you check it out, I know they'll be my go-to website for brushes and lashes in future and you can expect more reviews of their products.

Facebook || Instagram || Twitter

*Products were sent to me from makeupbrushes.co.uk for review, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.