A recent post by Maria of If Makeup Could Talk about those fancy Artis brushes spurned me to write this post about the quality of makeup brushes and the downhill slope they seem to be riding.
I grew up when makeup brushes were hard to find. In fact, it was the late 70’s or early 80’s when I bought my first set of Jerome Alexander makeup brushes. These cost me a whopping $25 for what was a set of eight, ranging from a blush brush to the brow brush. I felt as though I had spent my life savings (allowance) on them. However, not once did I worry about the quality of them because it was given that all brushes consisted of a metal ferrule and a wooden handle. Cheap lip brushes even had a metal ferrule with the plastic handle. Both types held up to rigorous washings with the standard dish soap like Palmolive and Ivory.
Nowadays, with brands not only charging an equivalent of a monthly mortgage payment for just a set of brushes to paint the face, they are creating an image. Sometimes, the image does not equal the quality of the amount paid.
When you are looking at a makeup brush, a great quality or a sturdy makeup brush consists of the following:
- A seamless metal ferrule. The best are nickel plated brass. These are resistant to chemicals. Many don't realize but SFX artist need to dip their brushes in acetone and alcohol products. Imagine if the brush falls apart.
- The ferrule should be tightly crimped to prevent the hair from moving around. Firmly packed hair allows for a smoother application of product. It also prevents the hair from bending too much which in turn could allow the ferrule to come in contact with the skin and scratching it. I have done this and immediately threw the brush away. No need to get injured from one!
- A well coated handle. Make sure it is a wooden handle that has a protective coating which can be rubber or some other which would prevent the paint from peeling or melting off when washing or using anything other than water.
- The glue!!! Yes, did you know the glue is very important. Not only does the glue hold the hair together, it should prevent any liquids from penetrating into the hair and down the ferrule. It should form a waterproof barrier so the liquids won't drip down onto the handle and swell from the inside.
- Well balanced. The handle shouldn't feel too light, nor should it feel heavier than the brush head. A good brush will allow little effort in application of product.
These are my two oldest brushes, my Alan Goolman sable brush which I mention here. I have had this since the late 70's/early 80's and it doesn't fall apart no matter how many times I wash it. Shu Uemura 6M is my next oldest brush which I can't live without. It is the lip brush I use. This one dates back to the early 80's and here is a post where it first appeared.
Now, let's travel a little further down the road to the millennium or close to the start of this blog which was in 2009!!!
These are two of the last brushes I thought would be great quality. One still holds up and the other just fell apart for several reasons.
Ve Neill's brush is one I use today. This is her old version the non Crown brand. This brush holds up so well to many washings and alcohol dips!! It is also very well made with the crimped metal ferrule and the substantial amount of hair. You can read more about it here.
This one is the Becca Smudge brush #37. You can read more about it here. This one is a well made brush and unless you have the other brushes I mentioned above, you probably won't really see a lack in quality. Compared to my other brushes, the weight of the handle isn't evenly distributed. The wood uncovered is a bit cheap looking, reminds of those pull apart chopsticks. If it gets too wet from washing, the water will drip into the handle and swell which cracks the paint.
I am not saying this is a bad brush. In fact, I still use this one because the size of the smudge head and it does its job.
I know it is difficult in today's fast world of fast makeup (weekly new products instead the seasonal) to even consider quality. But, sometimes I do wish for the quality to return because I am appalled at the amount of research or the thinking I have to do before I want to spend my money. This alone really takes out the fun which I remember in makeup. Now, it feels like a major competition to get the latest, which might be just a crapload of crock!!! I do miss my makeup memories and the ease of beauty!!!
Olivia
