Make-up brushes

[alexsdad]

A dad here in need of a little help.

Following excellent advice from MN, I took teenaged DD to a Bobbi Brown place to have a makeover done for her birthday, getting on for over a year ago now.

It was a very successful experience, and the folks there were great - she is now looks really good every day, and significantly many shades less orange than most of her friends.

Christmas, however, is now coming and she is dropping hints about wanting some proper make-up brushes. So, I had a look at the bobbi brown website. Wow! How expensive?

When we were at Bobbi Brown I remember the people saying that their brushes were excellent and would 'last for life'. I would appreciate opinions on whether there is any justification at all in spending this sort of money? Are they really that good? And/or would they really last a lifetime, or is she going to want another set in a couple of years time?

Thanks for any comments you may have.

[ZacharyQuack]

BB brushes do last forever - I have some that are over 16 years old, I use them most days and they are still as good as new.

However they are expensive. Have you looked at MAC or Lancome? You can also find them on ebay (watch out for cheap clones though).

Maybe just get her a few good BB brushes for now, I use my blusher and eye shadow brushes everyday. A good blusher brush makes a big difference to makeup application.

[margherita76]

I am a makeup artist and makeup brushes are generally (definitely) worth spending money on. Blusher brush, eye shadow blending brush and foundation brush are all she should need. Do it I say!

[coffeenut]

16 years?! Honestly, I would never keep a makeup brush that long - mainly for hygiene reasons. And I wash mine carefully after each use, which I doubt a teenage girl is going to do.

Having said that, cheap brushes are generally nasty. I have a range of brushes from LM, BB, MAC. The LM powder brush I have had for a few years and is beautiful. The MAC one is moulting and I am close to chucking it. The BB one is nice enough. I also have two very good No7 foundation brushes, a No7 fan brush (which I use for bronzer) and small angled Ruby and Millie eyeshadow brush. I have seen quite a few good reviews for these brushes (both professional and otherwise) which is why i thought to try them (and they are relatively cheap too - about £12 each). As she is only a teenager, I would be inclined to get these first - and maybe the expensive ones later. Or maybe get one expensive BB foundation or powder brush and some other cheaper No7 brushes for experimenting.

"significantly many shades less orange than most of her friends". Love it.

[ZacharyQuack]

Yes, 16 years. I wash them often and they're still in excellent condition. Why would I replace them if they're not causing a problem?

[pointsmakeprizes]

I have brushes from MAC, Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier. i would rate the LM ones as the nicest - BB ones - I just don't get why they are so expensive when they are not that great.

However, I also have a lot of these brushes and I think they are better than MAC and Bobbi Brown. At £3 - 4 per small brush you can't go wrong and I would def order from them in the future.

here

They have several ranges to suit your budget but you really won't go wrong with them and will last several years.

[wildfig]

I would second the recommendation for the Ruby & Millie brushes; I've got MAC, Bobbi Brown & Ruby & Millie, and I actually prefer the R&M ones. They come in smaller sizes which are perfect for make-up bags (BB mini sizes are just too small), and they do good value Xmas bundles.

Such a great idea for a Christmas present, by the way!

[moragbellingham]

ASOS are doing a nice set from Ruby and Millie in a tin for £8. Mini size though.

[moragbellingham]

here

[aquavit]

Body Shop brushes are FABULOUS and much cheaper than MAC or BB. Face/powder ones are beautifully soft; the blusher ones are a good shape; and the range of eyeshadow ones is great. My basic kit is a softish rounded one (for applying shadow in a wash), a stiff rounded one (for more precise application of darker colours), and a stiff angled one (great for lining). They also do a little travel kit which is very nice - the brushes are the same as the full sized ones but with shorter handles.

Mine have lasted for years, have kept their shape and softness. I also prefer them to Ruby & Millie though you can use those Boots £5 vouchers for R&M.

It might also be a good idea to get her some brush cleaner - I'm sure it's not really much better than shampoo or fairy liquid, but it is a REALLY good idea to keep brushes clean, and having a dedicated cleaner reminds you to do it. I use the clinique one - one bottle has lasted me for ever (not just cause I am idle about doing it!), and it's easy to use as it is a spray.

[frakkinup]

They do last forever and you don't need all of them that you get in a set each time you put make up on. Good quality ones are well worth it.

I have a full set of Laura Mercier ones and a travel sized set as well which I agree are too mini for everyday use. My foundation brush and flat angled eye brush are Estee Lauder and I have a couple of Sephora ones too and I think some from MAC. Bit of a junkie...

I would say foundation brush, concealer brush (essential for teens!), powder brush, blusher brush, a shaped eyeshadow brush and a blender. The flat-angled one is fabulous for powder liner but not necessary if she doesn't use it.

[Havingkittens]

is a brilliant starter set and QVC have them at a fantastic deal www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.432297.cm_scid.KeywordSearch

I am also a make up artist and have about 3 different sets of these brushes, a lot of them are better quality than MAC's brushes too as the handles are baked in a particular way that means they don't split like some of my MAC ones have. The company, Royal and Langnickel actually make a lot of brushes for the leading brands that have been mentioned in earlier posts.

[badgermonkey]

I like the Ruby and Millie ones too. I also rate the brushes you get with Bare Minerals kits - they're excellent for the money.

[Millie1]

Can I just say what a great Dad your daughter has

[Celery]

I have MAC brushes, and also a few high end brushes from Chantecaille and Laura Mercier.

I recently bought a kit of brushes from Boots, by Eco Tools. About £15 for a set of five brushes, and I'm really impressed with them. I'm reaching for them before any of the others at the moment.

[WannabeMakeUpArtist]

I'm also a Make Up Artist and use a mixture of Mac, Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier brushes... but have recently discovered Crown Brushes (as linked above) and have the Italian Badger Set... they are amazing!

I spoke to the guy who runs Crown Brushes when I rang to ask some questions about the rang and he told me that they make brushes for a lot of the top brands but are just un-branded.

Very good quality to rival that of the high end variety and well worth the money!

.... I soo wish my dad had been like you when I was younger!

[SatinandTat]

Adding to all the other comments - what a great Dad. Why not find some cheaper ones and package them up with this book It is a great book and full of good advice on being an individual and finding your unique style.

[LelloLorry]

DD1 uses MAC brushes, they've lasted about 3 years but are a bacterial disaster now, whatever brushes you get make sure she knows how to clean them properly.

The R&M set from ASOS looks good, I can't see a foundation brush there though,

here is a R&M foundation brush (£12).
You can find the Boots range of R&M here

[ZacharyQuack]

The BB book is a good idea, she has a new one for teens and 20s here.

What a great dad you are!

[moragbellingham]

Havingkittens - You're link isn't working for me (as I'm always interested in insider recommendations!). Can you elaborate on which ones please?

[moragbellingham]

Boots are doing a R&M Xmas set as usual full size as opposed to the mini one in the green travel case.

[moragbellingham]

Me again!!
Yes, I like bare minerals brushes too but having kittens, please tell me these are the brushes as they look amazing and I'm getting them for Xmas too!!

[Havingkittens]

www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.432297.cm_scid.KeywordSearch

These were the ones I was talking about. I have the set you linked to and it's a nice little set for the price. The only think I will say is that the foundation brush isn't great in my opinion. The one in the set above is top rate, but obviously the set is more expensive. The 12 brush set would be a good investment though as you'd pay about £25 each for the equivalent of the foundation or powder brushes from a leading brand. They also come in a great zip up brush wallet too so great for travelling. I must stress that this should, as well as the brushes, be kept clean to avoid bacteria !

If you are a full on make up addict and really fancy treating yourself, or even a make up artist starting out who need a great set of brushes this set is an absolute steal too.

www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.432830.cm_scid.KeywordSearch

Hope those links work, I always seem to bugger up my links!

[badgermonkey]

Ooh, I really like that last set! How many brushes does one woman need, eh?

[bettymoody]

BUY bobbi brown ones on ebay

[alexsdad]

Can I thank everyone who has posted here, and apologise for not responding earlier. Had a hectic day yesterday and was not able to get time to look at this.

Much food for thought. It's very difficult trying to work out whether a product is genuinely a worthwhile purchase at the 'luxury' end of the market, or whether you are just being taken for a ride when you don't have a clue about it. Really appreciate some of the suggestions here.

Thank you to satinandtat for hte wrapping idea. I tlike that. And I do like the brush cleaner idea ('cos I can appreciate that from a DIY point of view ).

I think based on this that what I might do is to get one or two of the more expensive BB brushes (she will like having the 'named' brand which she has fallen in love with) but then bulk it out with one of the other suggestions from here - I can see I have a bit of surfing to do. That way as well we will be able to guage whether she really does prefer thte BB ones, and then could build up slowly over Birthdays and Christmases.

Ohhh and thanks for the heads up on the new BB book. That's another present in the bag .

And of course, again, many thanks to all who responded. What a great resource.