Now that I have a few moments to sit down and attempt to write something cohesive, we’ll get part two of the e.l.f. brush review out of the way. Our previous entry focused on the e.l.f. Studio brushes — which run $3 each at Target stores and on eyeslipsface.com. These black-handled beauties are simply stunning for the price you pay, and well worth the shipping cost if you don’t live near a Target.

It is important, however, to not confuse the Studio brushes and the Essentials brushes. Despite being sold by the same company, they are very, very different. Essentials brushes roll in at $1 each, and are easily distinguishable by their white handles and silver rims. There are a good variety to pick up from this line, from your basic eyeshadow applicator brush, to more “advanced” shapes such as a flat-liner brush, and a blending brush. I decided to try the flat eyeliner brush, along with the foundation and concealer brush.

The first thing I noticed about the foundation brush was its weight… or rather, the lack of it.  This brush feels extremely light and cheap in the hand, which is something I just don’t want in a foundation brush. I want a brush with enough weight to help in controlling itself, to keep me from getting too heavy-handed in my application. And as expected, the first time I tried using this, my foundation was extremely streaky, because I had to learn to compensate for the weight issue.  After a few more tries, I finally got the hang of it using it without being a streaky mess… but I want a brush that works with me, not against me.  The bristles themselves are soft and flexible, but… if I am to be perfectly honest, they felt like a cheap paintbrush. As far as this foundation brush goes, I feel I would have been better off walking into Michael’s and picking up a giant value-pack of brushes. I would be getting the same quality for a fraction of the cost.

I was excited for the flat eyeliner brush (bottom), because I like the idea of tapping on wet eyeshadow as a liner, rather than dragging it across with an angle brush. I imagined having so much fun with this… tapping on bright green… or blue… going to a movie… running through an open field and laughing together, what have you.  But it turns out, it’s another cheap f#%king craft store paint brush.  I have tried multiple times to get this brush to work as an eyeliner brush, but no matter how tightly you squeeze the bristles together, the brush will always be too thick to do the job it’s supposed to do.

On top, we have the concealer brush, which functions quite well in picking up and placing concealer in small, concentrated areas, so I can’t complain too much about it. The only problem I’ve had with this brush is that the head popped off as soon as I took it out of the package. Not exactly what you want to see happen, even if it was only $1.

While I would highly recommend any of the e.l.f. Studio brushes, I cannot say I would recommend the Essentials brushes by any means. Not if you’re just starting out, or if you’re on a budget, or even as a cheap travel-brush that you don’t mind losing from point A to point B.  One can say “you get what you pay for”, but I’m a bit crazy in thinking that $1 should at least buy enough glue to keep the freaking head on. Seriously, if you have $1 to spring for a brush, throw down $2 more and get a Studio brush.

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