No. 302 LBD Foundation Velvet Luxe Brush

IT Cosmetics No. 302 LBD Foundation Velvet Luxe Brush ($38.00) is a medium-sized, dense, gently dome-shaped brush with synthetic fibers. The brush head is 30mm in width, 29mm in height, and 30mm in thickness. It has an open, rounded ferrule. The total length is 7 inches or 18 centimeters with the majority of the handle having a "soft-touch grip." (If you're familiar with NARS' packaging, it's a bit like that but smoother, and I haven't noticed a tendency to pick-up powder or smudges--my handle is totally pristine after having it for two months). The brush is well-balanced with a handle that's comfortable to hold and fit well into my hand.

This is an excellent brush for foundation, particularly liquid and cream foundations, as the fibers are so fine and the brush itself so dense that all the fibers move as one, which yields a smooth, even, streak-free application. It's domed enough to move across more contoured areas of the face, like underneath the eyes, around the nose, and along the jaw, but the more buffer-brush-like shape makes it easy to stipple, spread, blend, and buff foundation into the skin. It's become my new go-to liquid foundation brush since I started testing it. I'm particularly impressed by how silky it feels against the skin no matter the angle or motion of the brush--there is never a direction or pressure where you can feel any of the individual fibers, which also indicates how well-cut it is. The brush itself is very dense, much like a buffer brush, so it does take extra time to really clean and rinse through any brush cleanser used, and subsequently, drying time is longer, but it dries within 12 to 16 hours in my experience.

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