Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is the fifth set of oval shaped make up brushes that I have purchased and I will never go back. When I first discovered the oval or toothbrush shaped make up brushes I thought that they were such a funny and odd shap for make up brushes .... but I was curious so I decided to take a chance on them. I was apprehensive about actually pulling them out of the box and using them on my face. Actually, now what I regret is not getting them sooner. These brushes, despite appearing somewhat odd, are seriously freaking amazing. They blend well, pick up more product, and create a flawless finish, ... seriously, I swear they cut down my beauty prep time. Compared to standard brushes, these have probably about 4-10x the amount of fibers depending on which brush you are talking about (obviously different brushes have different functions). The reason behind having more densly packed fibers is to make it like a super-compact brush head that picks up more color and blends more efficiently. The handle and neck are made of plastic and texturized grip pads. They're lightweight, easy to handle, and the neck has a little give to better contour your face. They use synthetic fibers which allows for more uniform structure compared to animal hair brushes – I was pretty skeptical about this at first considering some of my favorite make up brushes are made of animal hair, but these are even better. The fibers are very soft, which surprised me - in a good way. I wasn't expecting these brushes to blow me out of the water, but they certainly did. And while I do like some of the brushes in this collection more than others, I was beyond shocked and impressed with what each one can do. What I appreciate most, though, is that each brush can be used several ways, and they feel and look very high quality. Another great aspect of these brushes is that you can create an entire look with these brushes alone. How to use: The first time I tried these brushes I applied foundation with my fingertips and then blended with soft, circular strokes with the foundation brush. It was pleasant and there was no pulling of my skin ... I couldn't believe how softly and evenly it was blending my foundation. Blending out my foundation took less than a minute ... and it went on flawlessly. I used the number 6 for this (the 3rd largest in the set) Next I dotted on highlighter to my upper cheekbones and blended out with the number 4 using gentle, circular strokes. Again ... applied flawlessly. I followed that with dotting on some concealer under my eyes, and then blended it out with the oval 4. I used a back and forth movement closer to my eye and a circular motion as I got lower. Alternatively, you could also use the oval 3 for this, which is slightly smaller. These bristles are so soft and they do a great job of getting in everywhere. Then, using number 3 again, I applied a shadow to my entire lid. Even though these brushes look bulky, they actually provide a lot of control which really shocked me. My eye shadow was applied perfectly in seconds. For my eyelid crease, I used the circle 1 brush – I rarely wear eyeshadow but this did a great job of applying it. Again, I was able to apply this color within seconds, and it blends immediately. I barely do any of the work .... it blends so perfectly and easily Out of all of the brushes this is one of my favorite and I really thought I wasn't going to care much for it because of how bulky it looked. I am really in love with these brushes .. they're affordable, durable and best of all -- THEY WORK. These brushes definitely rank up in my top top favorites, they are definitely worth the price you pay for them. They are dense - which is key to these kind of make up brushes - they are soft, which is also key because, hey, you are putting these on your face - and they are nice and flexible at the neck which is great because you want these kinds of brushes to be able to bend and follow the curvature of your face when you apply your make up. The color is not crazy like the pink ones that I own so these I can keep out in my bathroom and they don’t look out of place or strange. They are extremely easy to clean and what I love most about these types of brushes is that they do not require you to use gobs and gobs of make up. You can use them with liquid make up or with solid concealer - I absolutely love the concealer brush because you can just tap, tap, tap concealer onto a blemish and not have to look super cakey or unnatural. The large brush I love to use with powder and it really gives a flawless last step. I also use the long oblong skinnier brushes with eyebrow powder and it helps to just give you a little more oomph and fill-in to your brows without looking like you had them spray painted on or used a magic marker. I use the third largest brush for blush and I love how you can just lightly apply a little and it doesn't look like you are a kid who is dressed up like a clown or who got into her mothers make up drawer. I purchased a make up cleaning "pad" to use with my oval brushes and it really helps to get them nice and clean - use a mild facial soap, soak them for a bit and rub in a very, very, very small bit of olive oil into the bristles to keep the brushes soft. Make sure you "wring" them out as best you can and ensure that they are fully dry before using them again. Overall these are a very solid set of brushes and for a cost that is very inexpensive – like the pink metallic handle ones I purchased – I think they would make an excellent addition to a stocking stuffer gift or to give away at a Chrismas grab bag or secret santa. [...] I make most of my purchase decisions based on reviews and like to leave reviews to help those also making purchase decisions – I take reviews very seriously so I leave them very honestly. Thank You!