e.l.f. Studio 11 Piece Brush Collection

3 Reviews

1. 

   solidSmelt5

   Reply

   Updates: 12/15/15, 6/29/17
   My set is now a just over 3 years old, which is truly impressing me. I have added some comments into my original review, because this is becoming epic-like in length.

   Original Review: 3/14/14

   I had been eyeing these forever, and I ended up getting these through Groupon with a palette & free S&H for $20 so that I could get the free shipping without buying a billion products on ELF’s site. (I did not get the carrying case that comes with them if you buy them through ELF’s site.) I do want to point out that at the full $30 USD price, excluding the case, each brush is $2.70. Since they are regularly $3, if you don’t care about the case and at least one brush, buying the entire set at full price is not economical.

   I use these daily, and have figured out how to incorporate pretty much everything into a full-face routine except 2-3 brushes.

   In general, I think the quality of all of these is just great. Whether you get them via Groupon or from ELF’s site with a sweet deal, its about $15-30 for eleven soft and sturdy brushes. (6/2017 edit: 3 years later, I still have more than half of the original set. The only ones I don’t have I got rid of because I didn’t use them, not because they shed.)

   I want to review all of the brushes, but this is going to be crazy long, so I’m going to categorize and highlight (teehee) by my favorites, least favorites, and undecided. I also have a few brushes that I added to this kit, which I think are pretty great additions, so I will discuss those last. Let’s go! (Grab some coffee too…)

   Least favorite:
   Flat Foundation brush: I tried to use it for liquid foundation. I found that while it is a dense brush, it is not big enough to blend my foundation out smoothly. It looked like I just painted on my foundation, and left the house. (See below for my replacement recommendation)

   C-Eyeshadow Brush: I know this is almost a cult favorite, so this is going to be an unpopular opinion. I do like that this brush is wonderfully soft and dense; it seems ideally perfect for packing on shadow and blending it out… BUT it is big. I have hooded eyes, so its just too dang big for me. (Edit 12/2015: I have accepted that my opinion is unpopular but is real and personal. I gave up trying to go with the flow, and I use this to set my undereye concealer with powder.)

   Undecided/???
   Fan Brush: I am no master at detailed face products, and people have been saying that this brush is great for highlighter. I don’t own highlighter; I’m not sure how else to use this brush, so to be honest, I haven’t. I don’t have much to say about this brush other than its soft and comes with a nice plastic protector to keep its shape. (Edit 12/2015: I ended up getting rid of the fan brush, simply because it never got used. I did use it for highlighter, and it gave me a nice light application.)

   Complexion Brush: This is a pretty big brush. I feel like it might be too big for applying product for me, but might eventually serve as a good blending brush. As of right now, I’m just not sure what to do with it. (Edit 12/2015: I have gotten a hang of the powder brush! It’s great for warming up my face with bronzer or giving a light dusting of powder to set my foundation.)

   Precision Brush: Ironically the other small brushes are very precise about what purpose they are meant for, except this one. I wasn’t sure what to do with this one either. I have using it to blend lipliner and lipstick which works fine.

   Standout Favorites: I use most of these everyday. (I have done/will do individual reviews on these!)
   Powder Brush (Edit 12/2015: After 2 years/730 days of use, the handle on my original one from the set started to come loose. I replaced it, and am ready for another 730 days of use.)
   Blush Brush
   Angled Eyeliner Brush: Super handy for cream eyeliner, but also for those gel or liquid eyeliners with a good formulation but a bad applicator
   Contour Brush
   Smudge Brush

   Next Step Additions-I think these make this set even more complete: I have these brushes from Elf’s studio line.
   (Edit 6/2017: Studio Crease Brush- All time favorite brush from ELF’s entire line. Fits perfectly into my small crease. Soft, sturdy, and perfectly shaped. If I could only own one ELF product for some bizarre reason, this would be it.)
   Eyelash/brow comb- handy to have around; I use it with ELF’s clear brow gel.
   ‘Selfie’ foundation brush or Target Up & Up Complexion Brush- I never did learn to love the flat foundation brush, and the elf round foundation brush ended up shedding on me a lot. These are super soft & dense, and hold up to being washed.

   Deeper cuts:
   Stipple brush: great for cream blush or highlight
   Angled blush brush: nice for contouring, or getting a more precise blush application
   Small tapered brush: good for powder highlight

2. 

   obsessedHare1

   Reply

   Got them as a gift. I love them, and use some for multi-purposing.

3. 

   culturedBasmati5

   Reply

   These brushes are literally a steal for the price, not to mention that the brushes from the Studio line are AMAZING. They’re soft, apply makeup well, are easy to clean and never shed for me. You will never need any other brushes.