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Are you willing to shell out for makeup brushes/tools? Why/why not?
Like most things, to an extent. I’m willing to, if it is a brush I’m going to use (and this is past experience speaking!) all the time. It’s important to me that a brush be enduring and made well so it doesn’t fall apart within a year, leak dye every time you wash it, or smell funky after a wash.
Thanks to Kate for today’s question!
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I am and I have! I splurged on the Kevyn Aucoin brush collection when it first came out like 10 years ago. I still have every brush and they are as good as new. If you care for your brushes, they will last forever.
It depends on what it is. If it’s something that I’m using for the very first time, I might grab a less expensive version of it just to see if I’ll use it frequently (I do this often with different eyeshadow brush shapes) and if I do, I’ll then spring for a good one to have for keeps.
But really, I look at make-up brushes like one should look at a knife: is it comfortable to use and does it fit your hand/application style? You aren’t going to use a brush that isn’t comfortable to use!
I won’t go overboard with it (my most expensive brush remains one of my MAC shadow brushes) but a brush that lasts for several years and is comfortable is a worth-while investment. I’m just doing it in bits and pieces so I don’t bust my budget 🙂
Nope! Ecotools, Samantha Chapman’s Real Techniques and Essence of Beauty perform perfectly great for me, so I don’t see any reason to go splash out on MAC brushes 🙂
Same here where Eco Tools are concerned. I only buy synthetic and am on a budget, so those are perfect. I’m gonna check out Samantha’s Real Techniques brushes on my next trip to Ulta!
I have 3 mac brushes that i could not find a dupe of. I have 4 Ecotools, soem from Lumiere Cosmetics and some produced from Forever female. I most want sythentic since the do and preform the same job as natural.
I looking forward to updating to some of the Samantha Chapman’s Real Techniques brushes once it becomes possible to test them out first.
Which MAC brushes do you have?
Personally, I think of it like an investment. Most, if not all, of my MAC brushes still look new and I anticipate them to last quite a while, and they’re well-made and perfectly functional.
Yes, I’m willing to shell out for brushes when I can afford it! I feel like a high quality makeup brush should last a lifetime if properly cared for!
I’m hoping to try Louise Young and Hakuhodo brushes in the near future. I love Chanel’s brushes, specifically the ones made in France. I can’t stand that some of my MAC brushes leak dye. (The 138 drives me crazy for this!)
Yes, they are an investment.
I am willing to shell out the money when there isn’t a better lower cost alternative. I have yet to find a good substitute for the MAC 217. I just purchased after much resistance the Sephora airbrush brush and am glad I did, no other brush I’ve played with has come close (great with BB cream). The Samantha Chapman brushes are good in general, but some are better then others.
Willing and ready! Hells yea! 🙂 Brushes and tools are the purchases that I get the MOST excited about.
I think with all the choices that are out in the makeup world you are bound to find a balance between price and quality. You also have to factor in unique brushes that don’t have alternatives available at a good price point. I’m loving the Real Techniques brush line, but I will admit that I’m planning to add a few 217s to my batch soon.
No, because I cannot afford it. I would much rather spend the money on a nice lipstick or eyeshadow anyway, and make it work for me with the brushes I have, which are not bad at all.
I think a person who is talented enough with applying makeup will be able to make any moderately priced brush (and even a lot of cheap brushes) work for them.
If you aren’t able to make your brushes work well for you, then you need to improve your makeup skills.
I think this may be a bit harsh. Yes, you can do all your makeup with a finger and a cotton bud, but it takes longer and the process may not be that enjoyable.
Absolutely. There’s a limit to how much I’m willing to spend, and I have some inexpensive brushes that are decent quality, but most of my brushes are high end and most of them have been worth every penny.
EcoTools brushes are very inexpensive and work really well for me, so I don’t feel the need to splurge on makeup brushes. I always buy synthetic ones anyway because they’re animal-friendly.
It depends, i have a collection of mac brushes that i use and i also have 2 nutrimetics brushes (had 3 but gave 1 away stupidly!!!) the nutri brushes are great for doing my eye makeup and blending and they are as good as my mac brushes. I care for them all the same and wash them. I think if the brush works then price isnt an issue.
yep and I have…shu uemura makeup brushes….and some MAC eye brushes…you get what you pay for…and I have my all time collection of YSL brushes from the 80’s made in France….you get what you pay for.
Only on two MAC facial brushes the 187 and the 130. For me face brushes have to be of a higher priority because I don’t want my blush or powder to look streaky or uneven and it’s been my experience that a good face brush will do all of the hard work for you. Also it helps that they’re soft as a dream. The rest of my brushes are a mix of UD(from naked palette, KVD, Bare Essentials, and Coastal Scents.
I spent almost 90 USD on a MAC 150 yesterday (that’s the retail price where I live), so yeah, I guess I am. NEVER gonna spend that much on a brush again though. O_o
i don’t really have many brushes…i should buy some lol
I have and I do but I’m also pleased when I find less expensive brushes that work well (some of my Sonia Kashuk brushes come to mind, as well as some Posh brushes I got a few years ago – I am so sorry I didn’t get more of those when they were still available at the drugstore near my school).
It depends. I love Loew Cornell brushes, but I do own some MAC as well, so I will go high-end if I need to. I’ve never found a substitute for MAC’s 217 or 219 that I felt was as good.
I go on pro-mua sites pretty frequently and do you know whose brushes get brought up the most? Sonia Kashuk from Target. Her tools come up in each discussion. They also praise Hakuhodo (sp?) Brushes, but those are freaky expensive. Would I buy one of their eye brushes just to try it out? No. I like my Loew Cornell brushes. I only use Real Techniques brushes for my Paint Pots and won’t use any other for those.
The big deal, as someone has already mentioned, is to find a type that does it for you and buy those.
Yes definetly willing to spend the mullah when it comes to my tools =) I cant stand it when brushes shed!
No 🙂
No, definitely not. Most of my brushes come from Target and cost about $2 each and they last longer then my brushes from MAC. My MAC brush looses bristles all the time and makes me itch. My Target brushes were a fraction of the cost and don’t loose bristles, don’t make me itch, and have lasted just as long. I definitely won’t pay more then $5 for a brush.
That’s odd….my MAC brushes have never shed. I honestly don’t know what the big deal is over Eco Tools, I bought a set and I don’t like them at all…too big and bulky. I do have a couple of Sonia Kashuk ones I enjoy and use quite often…but my MAC ones are still my favorite.
I will if I know that I will get a lot of use from them. I have purchased recent Mac brushes for eyeshadow and foundation application because they apply makeup perfectly and I have and will be using them for a long time.
Yes and no. I have some MAC brushes, but they came from a CCO (so cheaper) I find some of my cheapest brushes, which are art store paint brushes, are lasting me just fine, though. The only brushes I’ve had issues with are actually some of the ones I got when I went to makeup school/classes. Most have split into two halves and need to be glued back together (or trashed, I haven’t decided yet)
I really dont like paying alot of money for brushes, i have over a hundred makeup brushes, and i probably only have 10 mac brushes. I dont really see any difference with my other regular drugstore brands, i use every brush, even my first set from ebay from china.
I would say yes, because I will buy whatever brush I want, really, even if its not the most economical choice. I have MAC, NARS, Chanel, but that’s the most expensive (and available to me). I think the Nars Kabuki brushes are the most expensive I own. But as far as “making a brush work for you”, I disagree. I have gotten some brushes from Target, the SK line, that scratched the mess out of my eye soooo bad I would never use them, so her line is hit and miss imo.
Yes! To me a good brush makes all the difference in how your makeup ends up looking and feeling. I purchased the basic 6 or 7 Mac brushes like 4 years ago, and they look and feel like new, and I purchased three great Bobbi Brown recently, and plan to buy more of both. I used Revlon and others in the past, and they really don’t compare to my Mac’s and my BB’s. That said, I only own one of each, and really think long and hard on how much Im going to use the brush, or if any other of my brushes can get the job done before shelling out for a new one!
Yes. I also try out cheaper brands, but I always return to my MAC brushes. The only brush I regularly choose over MAC is the f80 from Sigma. I did replace that one temporarily with a buffing brush from Real Techniques, but that one literally fell apart on me this morning. (It started shedding real bad in one corner and today a chunk came out so I had to toss it). I will probably buy a replacement from R.T. because I loved it so much. I’m guess I might be backwards from other folks on here 🙂 I bought my MAC brushes first and then I started buying cheaper brushes as backups or spares.
I am, if it’s something that I’ll be using a lot. I also don’t want it to smell, or bleed dye, or just fall apart on me. For brushes that I don’t use quite as much, I don’t need to have the best, but for my basics I will invest the money. I have built a nice little collection by now, and take very good care of them, and they all still look and work like brand new!
I would pay twice as much for the same quality synthetic as natural brush because I don’t want to contribute to the natural brush industry anymore.
Yes! Good brushes do make a difference in makeup application. I’ve started with very cheap tools and they performed poorly, in addition of being very scratchy. I think about them as an investment – makeup products have a date of expiration, not my good brushes. They will last for years and years! 🙂
Nope…most definitely not. I can’t justify paying more than $20 for a brush, especially when my e.l.f. Studio, ecotools, Sonia Kashuk & Sigma brushes work just as fine as MAC and last very long.
Absolutely! I just received a large order from hakuhodo and they are worth every penny. I will splurge on face brushes. As for eye brushes I use McEvoy & MAC. I have lots of MAC brushes which I think if you are starting out are great but truly nothing can compare to the softness of a Hakuhodo. A true investment, but as others here have already voiced, if well taken care of, quality brushes can last a long time.
I mostly like to get brushes from Sephora, the quality is great and they are about half the price of mac brushes. I would buy sigma, but I don’t like buying things online 🙂
I buy well made brushes and I expect them to last for at least 10 years. I’ve purchased MAC brushes that have had the wood chip off after a few months. MAC was terrific, they replaced them after I sent the defective brushes back. A good brush should last at least 10 years if it is well cared for.
I’m willing to spend some money for good quality. My breaking point are the retail prices of MAC face brushes in Germany. €40/about $57 is a lot of cash for a single brush – that was the MAC 187 and retail price was €42 about a year ago. That’s the point were I try to find a better alternative.
One thing I will never understand is how people can spend hundreds on makeup but still refuse to buy quality brushes. I have tried many less expensive brushes, and while I found a couple that were good, that’s about it. I really do treasure my brush collection, haha! (There are those who can’t afford to splurge on brushes, but that’s a different story and not who I’m referring to.) I just think that brushes make an incredible difference in the way your makeup looks and how easy it is to apply/work with. Not to mention, they last so long that it’s not like you’re getting cheated. Just my opinion, but I don’t get it
I know right! I completely agree…it’s like some people turn their noses up at expensive brushes. And the comment about not getting good results with cheaper brushes means that you need to improve your makeup skills is just not accurate and completely ridiculous.
I love my MAC brushes, but I also love Sonia Kashuk’s eyeshadow brushes just as much. I honestly use her eye shader brush way more than my MAC 239. ELF Studio face brushes are wonderful, and so are Crown brushes! I think it’s mainly about how well they are made, not how much they cost. I don’t worry about having every single MAC brush if I can find one that is cheaper and still works just as well. However, I’m so glad I purchased my Tarte eyelash curler, as no cheaper one I’ve owned in the past can compare.
I’m willing to shell out good money on make-up brushes…I find myself using the brushes than tools.
My most expensive brush is a MAC 187 and I use it almost everyday, so I don’t regret the amount of money I spent on it. Although the 187 does contain natural fibres, I much prefer synthetic wherever and whenever possible. As such, I’m a huge, huge fan of Ecotools and E.L.F bamboo brushes from their Minerals range (which were a real bargain because I purchased them with a 50% off voucher so each brush only cost £2.75!). I wouldn’t pay more than £15 for an individual brush unless I thought it was truly worth it. Can’t wait to get hold of Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman.
It really depends on the quality of the brushes. I have a mix of inexpensive and expensive brushes and they more or less perform fine. My most hated brush is actually the EcoTools brushes. I do not understand why it is raved so much but ironically I love my Sonia Kashuk brushes sold singly.
If its a brush I KNOW im going to use frequently then I will get it from MAC. I only own two MAC brushes, but they are the type I tested out with ELF or cheaper brands first to see if I would even use that type of brush. MAC is the most expensive I would go though. Mac brushes seem to grab the product better than cheap brushes making the job much easier and enjoyable.