Hi, everyone! Have any of you tried out oval brushes yet? I was lucky enough to have been sent an oval brush set from Simple Glam Girls, which was so perfect because I’ve never tried oval brushes before! I’ve always been curious about them because some artists absolutely swear by them, especially for applying foundation, but they always looked a little awkward to use. With today’s look, I used the brushes for the very first time, so this will be a brush review and makeup look in one post! Without further ado, let’s get started!
Simple Glam Girls sent me their set of Lush Rose Gold Oval Makeup Brushes, which is a set of 10 brushes. They are a more affordable alternative to the famous Artis brushes, which retails for over $300 (for a 10-brush set). The brushes are cruelty free and made from synthetic nylon hair. The neck and handles are made of plastic, which makes it very lightweight. The ends of the handles are covered with rubber for a no-slip grip. While using the brushes, I did feel a bit awkward holding it at the end (my hand even started cramping up a bit LOL), but holding it higher up on the neck and even putting a finger behind the brush head makes it a lot more comfortable and gives you more control.
As for the brush head, it is so soft! The bristles feel absolutely amazing against the skin. They are so densely packed that any imprecisely cut hairs are noticeable and there were a few. They were easily cut and didn’t hinder the brushes at all, so it’s all good. The density of the brushes also ensures that the brush won’t soak up a lot of the product, so more goes on your face and less is wasted in the brush!
There is a bit of a learning curve to these brushes. Rather than swiping it across the cheeks or swirling it around, which will leave streak marks, I found the best technique is to use a downward patting short stroke to give the best airbrushed-like finish. The brushes worked great for blending out liquid and cream products like foundation, concealer, and cream contour, but I couldn’t quite get them to work with powder products. I didn’t like it for applying blush, which I like to use light sweeping strokes, and it definitely didn’t work for applying loose setting powder.
The smaller detail brushes worked really well for detail contouring on the nose, but I couldn’t really grasp how to use them for eyeshadow. I like using fluffy brushes that are not quite as dense to blend out my shadows, and the two small brushes in the set didn’t really work for that purpose. So, for today’s look, I attempted using them, but I didn’t really use this brush set on my eyes. (I probably should have chosen a less detailed eye look for these brushes, though.)
Overall, I would recommend these oval brushes to apply foundation and other liquid/cream products. Especially if you’ve always been curious about oval brushes, this is a great opportunity to try it! Simple Glam Girls was so kind to give me a discount code for all of my followers—use the code LIANA for 20% off your purchase! This particular brush set retails for $129, but the discount code brings that down to $103.20. That’s just over $10 per brush, which puts it in the affordable range. They also sell brushes individually and you know those unicorn brushes that you’ve seen all over Instagram? Yeah, they have those!
And now, the look I created with these brushes:
Face:
Bobbi Brown – Vitamin Enriched Face Base | Sephora | Bobbi Brown
L’oreal Paris – Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation in Golden Beige (104) | L’oreal | Ulta | Target | Walmart | Walgreens
NARS – Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla (to highlight) and Custard | Sephora | NARS | Ulta
NARS – All Day Luminous Powder Foundation in Deauville | Sephora | NARS
Laura Mercier – Translucent Loose Setting Powder | Sephora | Laura Mercier
Physician’s Formula – Butter Bronzer in Light Bronzer | Physician’s Formula | Ulta | CVS | Walmart | Walgreens | Target
Wet n Wild – ColorIcon Blush in Pearlescent Pink | Wet n Wild | Target | Walmart | Walgreens
Kylie Cosmetics – The Wet Set | sold out 🙁
Brows:
Anastasia Beverly Hills – Perfect Brow Pencil in Dark Brown | Sephora | Anastasia Beverly Hills | Ulta
Tarte Tartlette in Bloom Clay Eyeshadow Palette in Smarty Pants and Jetsetter | Sephora | Tarte | Ulta
Eyes:
Urban Decay – Naked Heat Palette | Sephora | Ulta | Urban Decay
Stila – Magnificent Metals Glitter and Gold Liquid Eyeshadow in Kitten Karma | Sephora | Stila | Ulta
Anastasia Beverly Hills – Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit
I used the NARS concealer in Custard to prime my eyelids and Vanilla to clean up the brows (mentioned above).
All over lid (base color): Chaser
In crease (transition shade): Sauced
In crease (a bit lower than transition shade): Cayenne – focused most of the product on outer part of crease and blended inward
Outer corner: En Fuego – blended inward
Lid (under crease): Ember, and Stila Liquid Eyeshadow in Kitten Karma on top
Lower lash line: MAC eye pencil (mentioned below) – applied really tight to water line and blended out with En Fuego, Cayenne – applied over En Fuego and lower to blend edges
Inner corner and brow highlight: ABH Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit: Forever Lit for inner corner and Forever Young for brow highlight
MAC – Fluidline Eye Pencil (water line) | MAC
L’Oreal – Lash Paradise Mascara | L’Oreal | Walmart | Target | Ulta |Walgreens | CVS
Ardell – Double Up 207 | CVS | Walmart | Sally Beauty
Lips:
Kylie Cosmetics – Candy K Lip Kit | Kylie Cosmetics
Setting Spray:
Urban Decay – All Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray | Sephora | Ulta | Urban Decay
And, that’s all for this post, guys! Hope you enjoyed my little review on the oval brushes and the look I created with it. If you do decide to try out the brushes for yourself, don’t forget to use my code LIANA to save 20% off your order!
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this post! Until next time! <3
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