IT Cosmetics Velvet Luxe Brushes (304, 307, 314, 320, 322) Reviews & Photos
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush ($38.00) is designed as a “flat but wide” brush for cream and liquid foundation application. It’s a medium-sized, dense, dome-shaped foundation brush made out of synthetic fibers. The brush head measured 33.5mm in width, 32.0mm in length, and 17.4mm in thickness with a handle length of 7.2 inches / 18.3 centimeters. IT’s Velvet Luxe range uses incredibly soft synthetic hairs that are as soft as high-end goat hair used by brands like Chikuhodo, Hakuhodo, etc. I liked this best with liquid, medium coverage or greater foundations with satin to luminous finishes, and it will fit in best with someone who tends to apply their foundation in patting and smooth downward (or upward) strokes rather than in circular, buffing motions.
The curved edge fits in well when maneuvering around the nose, underneath the eye, and around the mouth. Personally, I still preferred the No. 302 for liquid foundation.
The brush felt soft in all directions, and it felt like it was moving across the skin as a single entity, so I did not feel the individual bristles when I was using it. It is fairly dense, though the last fourth of the brush, toward the edge, is more tapered and is less dense compared to the base of the brush head, which allows for better diffusing and spreading of liquid/cream products across the skin. It left a streak-free finish behind, so long as it was cleaned every other application; otherwise, the bristles would stick together and start to leave visible streaks behind (true with most brushes, though, when used with heavier liquids and creams!). I had no issues cleaning the brush, and it dried in a reasonable length of time (within half a day). The brush can also work for applying liquid and cream blush/bronzer if you have a larger surface area, but I’d recommend using a bit less than you think you’ll need, as the greater density means it can apply heavier coverage more quickly.
No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder Brush ($48.00) is supposed to be used for all-over powder application. It’s a synthetic, large powder brush that flares out moderately from the base and has a rounded edge that flattens out to a more buffing brush-like edge. It’s like a powder and buffer brush married together, as it is very dense–denser than most of the powder brushes I have. The brush head measured 47.6mm in width, 40.0mm in length, and 47.6mm in thickness with a handle length of 7.7 inches / 19.5 centimeters. For applying something like setting powder all-over, it had a tendency to over-apply, as it was so dense. It also worked well for applying pressed powder foundations if medium or greater coverage was desired.
This is one of my favorite IT brushes I’ve tried, but I tend to use it primarily for buffing powder into the skin, so I might use it when I’m doing a heavier layer of setting powder (often when I’ve used a dewier base), to apply finishing powder all-over, or to lightly buff everything together at the end (with no product on it). As much as I love the feel of buffer brushes, I love when I find long-handled brushes that work similarly as I prefer the longer handle. It is almost impossibly soft; it is as soft as blue squirrel hair brushes (which are the softest that I’ve felt). When the brush skims across the face, it feels like fluid movement; none of the individual bristles are felt against the skin, and I could use it in any direction or motion. The brush isn’t as balanced as others in the line, as there is a bit more weight sitting in the ferrule and brush head, but the curvature of the handle (designed to be ergonomic, and there’s a natural tendency to hold the line like a writing instrument) seems to combat some of the downward pull from the extra weight on one end.
Due to the density and general size, it can be harder to clean and take longer than average to dry. If I just use it with powders and wash it at least once a week, it’s the same effort and energy to clean as other powder brushes, but if I let it sit too long or it gets liquid/cream product on it, I find it takes longer to rinse all of the product and soap out. It’s usually dry the next day for me, but it definitely takes a few hours longer than most.
No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush ($28.00) is for liquid and cream concealer application that is “soft” and “subtle” using “sweeping motions.” It’s a synthetic, medium-to-large-sized flat concealer brush with a slightly domed edge. The brush head measured 10.5mm in width, 15.8mm in length, and 4.8mm in thickness with a handle length of 6.9 inches / 17.2 centimeters. It’s thin without being razor sharp, but it the edge doesn’t taper enough to give really diffused, blended results. I usually had some visible brush strokes, and the size made it best for under eye concealer and larger surface areas (not so great for redness around the nose, spot correcting, etc.). It’s disappointing for blending out concealer; it was best at just patting and spreading a liquid or cream concealer around an area, but I needed to go back in with a fingertip or another tool to diffuse and blend out the edges and hide brush strokes.
While the bristles felt soft, the edges of the brush felt “stabby” against the skin at times, though not consistently. It was the first time I’ve ever felt individual bristles from one of the Velvet Luxe brushes! It is a denser brush, and it is thicker than the average flat, concealer brush, which made it harder to cleanse liquid/cream concealer out of, as they tended to be fuller coverage products. I highly recommend cleaning after each use, as it just gunked up unforgivably if left sitting for a day. It did not seem to take much longer to dry than most synthetic eye brushes (half a day or less). Alternatively, I tried using it with cream eyeshadow, and it did work for that, though there are other brushes I preferedr for cream eyeshadow.
No. 320 Velvet Luxe Effortless Crease Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 320 Velvet Luxe Effortless Crease Brush ($26.00) is designed for blending eyeshadow in the crease “using windshield wiper motions.” It’s like an elongated stubby crease brush that came to a rather flat edge–there’s a very, very slight curve but was hard to see in person. It is made out of synthetic fibers. The brush head measured 7.8mm in width, 12.1mm in length, and 7.8mm in thickness with a handle length of 6.8 inches / 17.2 centimeters. I found it most useful for applying rich color into the deepest part of the crease without over-blending or instantly diffusing the color, and secondarily, it was able to blend out color, but it wasn’t as good at blending as it was for depositing and laying down color into the crease (and blending is what it is supposed to be for!). The brush was silky and smooth regardless of direction or application method.
The shape reminded me of a blunter smudging or pencil brush, and it a longer length as well, which gave it some ability to blend out color, as it moved back and forth. As the shape is similar to a pencil brush, it also worked well for applying color underneath the lash line or to blow out the lower lash line with a powder eyeshadow. The synthetic fibers made this workable with cream products into the crease, and that’s a tough job for a lot of brushes; the density and shape of the brush really shined for depositing richer coverage with a cream eyeshadow into the crease. It had just enough give to diffuse the edge of a cream eyeshadow past the crease. When it came to powder products, it carved out the crease well with obvious laydown of color, but I often wanted to go in with a more feathery, fluffier brush for diffusing and blending the crease color upward. I’ve had no issues cleaning the brush, and it dried within a normal length of time.
No. 322 Velvet Luxe Plush All-Over Shadow Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 322 Velvet Luxe Plush All-Over Shadow Brush ($26.00) is touted as an eye brush for sweeping eyeshadow all over the lid. It’s a large, synthetic eyeshadow brush that’s fairly flat and has a fluffier, tapered, dome-shaped edge. The brush head measured 11.0mm in width, 15.8mm in length, and 6.6mm in thickness with a handle length of 7.0 inches / 17.7 centimeters. It worked well for applying eyeshadow all over the lid–exactly as described–and is best for someone who wants an all-over wash of color on the lid. I also liked it for diffusing the edges of cream eyeshadow as well as for blending out under eye concealer (better than the No. 314!).
The brush was soft to the touch, and I never encountered a direction or technique where I could feel individual bristles or any roughness. It’s moderately dense, so it can pack on a decent amount of product by patting it onto the lid. The domed, tapered edge worked well for diffusing eyeshadow into the crease, and it could also be used to blend out the crease area or apply product to the brow bone. If you’re looking for something to pack on two or more colors onto the lid, I would look for something smaller, but for a wash of color or packing on medium to full coverage eyeshadow onto the lid, this worked well. It cleaned easily and dried in a normal length of time.
See more photos & swatches!
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 304 Velvet Luxe Plush Foundation Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 307 Velvet Luxe LBD Powder Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 314 Velvet Luxe Smooth Concealer Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 320 Velvet Luxe Effortless Crease Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 320 Velvet Luxe Effortless Crease Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 320 Velvet Luxe Effortless Crease Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 320 Velvet Luxe Effortless Crease Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 322 Velvet Luxe Plush All-Over Shadow Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 322 Velvet Luxe Plush All-Over Shadow Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 322 Velvet Luxe Plush All-Over Shadow Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 322 Velvet Luxe Plush All-Over Shadow Brush
IT Cosmetics No. 322 Velvet Luxe Plush All-Over Shadow Brush
The Plush in the name really gets me… 🙂 The foundation brush seems very nice!
The foundation brush is nice!
This brushes though…… If I ever get back tom the US I’m raiding and Ulta to try these out. 😉
Well worth a look-see! They are some of the nicest synthetics I’ve come across (in general). I’ve also had mine for a long time now (over a year, maybe closing in on two) and no issues with wear and tear!
That plush foundation brush sounds amazing! The pictures alone make me want to feel it for myself.
It’s SO soft!
The comparison to the softness of Blue Squirrel hair made me wilt! Sounds sooo soft and like something I would absolutely love to have to apply powder. #307 is on my list!
Hope you can try ’em at Ulta sometime, Nancy!
I have to check my stash tonight when I get home, but I think I have some of these IT brushes, some came in a set and others I bought as singles, but my fave by far is the #302 Velvet Luxe LBD Foundation brush for buffing in liquid foundation. I got one in a set, then purchased a single, so that I can wash one and use the other while it’s drying. Strangely, the one that came in a set had stiffer bristles, it’s workable, but I prefer the single one more.
That’s disappointing to hear that the set version isn’t as good as the single!
Ooh, I’ve been working on replacing some of my older, grubbier brushes. I prefer synthetic brushes, so I’ll certainly have to try some of these out! On a related note, do you have any of the newer Urban Decay UD Pro brushes? Do you think you might review them in the future?
Hi Sophie,
Yes, I have them. I am trying them now, but I do not like to make promises when it comes to reviews, as I don’t know if or when I will review!
I’m so glad I never bought the concealer brush. I’ve used the effortless crease brush for concealer though. I prefer the 302 brush as well for foundations, I like to buff and not swipe. I love mine 306 goddess kabuki brush, so lush!
I bet the kabuki brush is great!
I’ve been looking for a foundation brush and will havecto check the 302 and 304. Thank you!