Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Synthetic Makeup Brushes!
my answer: They’ve come a long way in the past five years, which is a fabulous thing. They’re often more affordable and show more consistency in quality. I don’t find they’re as good with powders (still), even though they’ve improved.
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I have no issues with them… I personally don’t care what a brush is made of, as long as it gets the job done. The majority of my brushes are synthetic, and are extremely soft. They’re also very different between brands, so while one may work for one purpose, but not another, I have others that will work.
Another reason I prefer synthetic is because they don’t suck up fluid/liquid/cream products, and I’m able to use less product, which makes it easier to build up product, leaving it smoother. As for powders, my skin runs dry, so I don’t use much in the way of setting/finishing powders, but on the rare occasion I do, Real Techniques brushes work incredibly well.
Synthetic brushes also dry faster, and as I wash my brushes literally after each use, I need them to. I have a couple of foundation/face brushes that take a bit longer, but since I use them for non-powder products, I sometimes just use them damp; I also have backups of some that are used for powders.
I love brushes like that for foundation (Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, MAC 130), and concealer. I’ve yet to find synthetic eye brushes that work well, except for flat paddle brushes. I love using those for foiling my shadows or using glitters.
Sometimes they pick up too much color for powdered shadows. Other than that I’m 100% for them.
Yes I love them, with my sensitive skin I’ve been buying them since 2009. The new powder synthetics are my favorite as the mimic the texture of a natrial hair; EcoTools and Royal & Langnickel has nails them and Real Techniques is fairly decent.
I love synthetic brushes because my skin is really sensitive and they are super soft and don’t absorb liquid. Also, most natural bristle brushes these days claim that the hairs are taken from other industries or humanely harvested, but the fur industry doesn’t have much regulation and often flat out lies. I’d rather not take the chance that I’m supporting cruelty with my brushes.
My favorite brushes are the Everyday Minerals ones and the ones at Sephora that are synthetic.
Synthetic brushes do seem to work a little better with creams and liquids but I still love using them. I love how versatile they can be and the fact they’re cruelty free. All of the synthetic brushes I’ve tried are just as soft as my natural hair ones too. So that’s always a plus!
I own and just love a couple of Hourglass eye brushes that use mainly for cream eyeshadows. Easy to wash and just super soft. Same for my concealer brush. Nothing to complain about.
I love that I don’t feel like I have to baby them as I do my natural brushes (which sometimes feel like I work for them more than they work for me, you know?) and they’re generally less expensive. On the other hand, this is probably strange–it’s counterintuitive to me, at least–but when I’m washing them, it seems like they hold onto product more than natural ones, so they take longer to clean, not that I’ve timed it or anything. Am I crazy? ha ha
I prefer to use synthetic brushes for cream and liquid products, I feel like they work better. For powder products, I usually turn to natural bristle brushes.
I haven’t bought a synthetic brush in years but since you’re saying that they have greatly improved lately, I might try for a new blush brush. Do you have a brand to recommend?
Real Techniques, Sonia Kashuk! possibly IT Cosmetics, but I’ve only just started testing.
I can’t really think of anything negative to say about synthetic brushes. I think every single brush I own is synthetic, except I’m not sure about one or two since they’re no-names I bought at a local beauty store. I’m not fully against buying natural haired brushes if I really, really want that style of brush, but I try to always buy synthetic whenever possible.
To tell the truth *blush* I occasionally trawl my local art supply store for quality brushes for my makeup bag! There are often lovely finds in the Sale Bin in there of both natural and synthetic fiber brushes that work perfectly for whatever beauty task I may have in mind. Sometimes the handle needs shortening, but that’s not too difficult to deal with since I have a few basic tools on hand.
Lovely, soft, usable synthetic brushes are there for the having- at very reasonable prices-if you know what you’re looking for, are willing trade off frou-frou for usefulness, and are willing to put in a few minutes of “home improvement” on any long handled brushes. If you’re a DIY kinda gal, this may be a solution for you. You can even go to the crafty store and buy a packet of glittery Swarovski crystals to glue onto the ferrules like I did! *wink*
I definitely know where you’re coming from with trawling through the art supply store aisles! We have a Michael’s and a Hobby Lobby here, all within 10 minutes from my house, so if I know I need a very specific shape of brush, it’s easier to go down there and get it for super cheap than to get something at Ulta that’ll be 5x more expensive just because it has a name brand on it. I remember when I was looking for a really good fan brush, and lo and behold, Michael’s did not let me down with one that’s thin and just dusts on the lightest bit of highlighter onto my skin!
Rave: The work better for some types of products, such as “hybrid” eye shadows and creams. They hold their shape better than real hair.
Rant: I swear they hold onto stains more easily.
I love the fact that they’re cruelty-free, and I love that I can clean and sanitize them quickly with alcohol without damaging the bristles. My Hourglass brushes (all synthetic) work beautifully, as do several face and cheek brushes I have by IT Cosmetics/IT Cosmetics for ULTA and my Too Faced kabuki brush. I’m trying to switch to using synthetics, especially for my eye brushes which I’m a fanatic about sanitizing, so I’m waiting for delivery of two sets from Sephora, one of Make Up Forever brushes and one of Too Faced brushes. I think it is possible to make goat-hair brushes while being kind to the goats, and if Wayne Goss says his goat-hair brushes are cruelty-free I believe him, but with animals like badgers and squirrels, I think they’re usually sacrificing their lives, and I’m not happy about that (having been mostly vegetarian for 44 years). So I’m really happy that the quality of synthetic brushes has improved so much!
I love them and all of my go-to brushes are synthetic for now. I am too broke to afford any serviceable non-scratchy natural brushes anyway so it’s wonderful that synthetic brushes are so good these days, and in my general price range. Also I find them a lot more consistent in quality and easy to clean. Also the softness!! Omg.
I love natural brushes, but the quality of OCC & Cozzette brushes are amazing!
I love how I can “abuse” these synthetic brushes 😀
Despite my love for my Chikuhodo, the high–maintenance of squirrel brushes sometimes makes me reluctant to use them on daily basis (and my oily skin doesn’t make it any better).
I find synthetic brushes better for concealer but I haven’t tried new ones in a few years since a lot of the ones I’ve had previously were quite scratchy and rough. That said, I do like the Real Techniques brushes!
I have quite a collection of makeup brushes, my oldest are from Redken that I bought in 1983 before synthetic brushes were even available. I have taken really good care of them, they are still like new, and I am extremely hard on my brushes. The first synthetic brushes I bought were Loew Cornell art brushes, and I got my first set in the late ’80’s, and they changed my opinion of brushes for cosmetic application forever. They are extremely affordable, they take a beating, and they come in so many types, sizes, and styles, I seem to have at least three brushes for any type of application. I also purchased UD brushes when they went on sale, and found them to be identical to Loew Cornell brushes as well as many MAC brushes. I have to admit, my favorite brush is my NARS bronzer brush, and I even bought a back up. My synthetic brushes have stood up to the abuse I inflict on them, after all the years I have had them, the ferrules are still tight, they don’t shed, the bristles don’t break, and I wash my brushes after every use. I haven’t purchased a natural hair brush in years, and I actually like the Taklon brushes the best after my NARS bronzer brush. They seem to make application much easier, more even, and my products seem to cling to them better.
For me, they are a necessary “evil”, due to allergies. The ones I own from Elf Studio line are really nice, and affordable. I especially love the C eyeshadow brush, contour brush, and the stippling blush brush. Next up for me to try are the brushes by Real Techniques.
They are all I use. RAVE. I prefer my skin not cut by a brush. 🙂 Rubbing animal hair on me is just wrong in too many ways for me. And I don’t believe a word Wayne Goss says.
I think they have their purposes. They’re definitely not my favorite for powder, but I love my Mac 190!