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New Nudes Hazy Finish Powder Brush

I have to admit that I wasn’t very impressed with this brush at first. Despite the beautiful semitransparent handle, pretty ferrule, and bristles dyed with soft latte colored tips, there was no mistaking those shiny fibers. Fresh out of the box, these looked and felt very obviously synthetic with a slippery feel to them.

However, once I began using the brush and powder started to build up on it over time, I stopped being able to feel anything except the softness from the powder. Of course, this goes away once it’s properly washed again, but the slippery feel of the bristles don’t bother me anymore.

Because of the way the bristles are bundled, it looks super full (and does have a decent amount of fibers) but it’s not as dense as it looks. It’s a little bit floppy, but there’s enough there to keep it from being flimsy. I personally wish it was fuller, but not at the cost of it being wider in order to maintain the airy quality to it. If it was a little more dense, I’d be able to buff with it to my liking. It’s too wide of a brush for me to want to use for any purpose other than all-over-powder, but I don’t mind that. It is written on the website that it can also be used with bronzer. Some people like jumbo bronzer brushes, but considering the splay and the looseness, I definitely wouldn’t like it for that purpose.

According to the brush details, these bristles are custom-cut for good pickup and laydown. I agree that it picks up more than I expected. Because it’s not tightly packed, I was initially gripping the bristles tighter myself in order to pick up product from my Dior Powder No Powder, thinking the strands weren’t strong enough to do the job if I just gripped and swirled the brush in there normally. However, I was wrong. I realized the way the tips were cut allows even firm pressed products to be picked up. I can get a layer of product on my face that’s light to medium coverage.

No matter how it feels to the touch of my fingers, it feels quite nice on the face. It’s fluffy and inexpensive. A synthetic powder brush I can think of that I enjoy the feel of more than these is the Lunar Beauty LBF-1 Large Powder Brush, but that one is $18. So, I don’t have any regrets buying this. However, if you’re a Fude lover, I’m not sure how satisfying this brush would be. I’m still going to reach for my squirrel and silver fox ones for face powdering pretty much every time if I’m using a loose face powder. The main reason I’ve gotten so much use out of this brush so far is because I’ve been using the Dior Powder no Powder a lot more often again, and my airy natural hair brushes can’t pick it up. But, just as often, I’ve been using the Chikuhodo FO-2, and since that has the benefit of major buffing power along with good pickup, the Real Techniques is fighting an inevitably losing battle. At the full retail price of $12 for those that prefer using synthetic brushes, I could recommend this one if the Lunar Beauty brush is harder to access.

Soft Sculpting Brush

This is great for cream and liquid bronzer, as well as applying blush to precise areas. I’m guessing this replaced the original Sculpting Brush. The Soft Sculpting Brush is much smaller, which I prefer. The original brush being wider caused me to sometimes apply product in too large a zone if I wasn’t careful. The new brush has the same amount of splay proportionally in the front, but it remains more compact on the sides than the previous version. That not only helps with precision, but also gives me slightly stronger application power and feels firmer towards the back in comparison, though it’s a soft brush. Even though it’s touted as giving light to medium coverage and a subtle finish, the old sculpting brush did that as well, and was even gentler due to how much if splayed under the same amount of pressure. When using this new one with cream, I get medium coverage. It picks up a bit too much product to be considered light, unless the makeup I’m using is a sheerer formula.

I prefer the new brush, though they both are excellent, so this was a good purchasing decision. Now, I can toss my old one with its sticky handle.

Tapered Cheek Brush

When I tried using this brush in a circular motion, I didn’t like it so much, and this brush really isn’t intended for that based on the way it tapers on the sides and is ovular from the front. Instead, I apply blush on the tapered slightly angled portion of the tips and make patting and/or sweeping motions the same way I used to use the original Real Techniques Blush Brush. This is like a slightly denser version of that one, but much shorter in bristle length. I very much like it!

It’s also like a much fluffier less precise version of Smashbox’s Precise Blush Brush in the overall head shape. It would look the same if it was made with sharper angled sides, but the taper is much more gradual to create softer edges. I don’t get as much product pickup with the brush, which is why I think it’s great for powder bronzer use that I wouldn’t want to apply heavily, use with strongly pigmented powder blushes to get a softer flushed effect, and with liquid and cream blushes that I want to be a little more diffused. It works alright with cream bronzer, but the soft angle doesn’t give me the level of precision that I like with my cream bronzers. So, I just keep that in mind when I reach for it, but it’s easy to forget considering I buy synthetic with the intent to use it exclusively for cream and liquid products. However, since I don’t see my Patrick Ta Contour Brush being supplanted for cream bronzer use anytime soon, the brushes that work nicely with liquid and cream blushes (such as this one) are the ones I’m more likely to keep using long after this review is posted.

Seamless Complexion Brush

I use this brush pretty much the same way and with the same products as the Soft Sculpting Brush. However, instead of utilizing the full edge with cream bronzer, I pick up and apply it on the part with the shortest bristles from the base and then finish blending it out using the tip region that has no extra product on that portion of the bristles. This brush is much wider than the Soft Sculpting one, so it picks up too much product if I don’t do it this way. With powder bronzer and all forms of blushes, I pick up product closer to the middle which lets me pick up the amount I like and still have clean areas around the brush to diffuse it. This is another good brush, but because of the shape of it compared to the contours of my face, I prefer to stick to using this for blush products exclusively. I have an easier time bronzing with other brushes instead. With the Soft Sculpting Brush, I still use it for both blush and bronzer (and prefer it for bronzer over this one), but even then, I still like my Patrick Ta Contour Brush the most with cream bronzer and my natural hair Fude for powder products.

Brightening Concealer Brush

I think I’ve mentioned this brush before, but not in a full review. The Real Techniques Setting brush has been my number one brush for setting the concealer under my eyes with powder for nearly eight years. However, the Brightening Concealer brush has become my second favorite for that purpose. I hadn’t even known this brush existed until a year ago when a lovely blog reader and I were having a private discussion and it came up.
The curved angle and tip lets me get into the corners to set around my eyes with a light dusting of powder, as well as sweep away eyeshadow fallout. Because the bristles on the tip are splayed a little haphazardly, it can be a little pokey at times. This is why it doesn’t surpass my Setting Brush. However, this brush has an additional function as a fantastic highlighting brush because of the way it hugs the top of my cheekbones at that slant.

Even though this brush was created to blend out concealer, I hate it for that purpose. While I can get into the corners with powder because it doesn’t require much pressure, it’s not strong enough to evenly spread my liquid concealer and then I lose coverage as well when the concealer stays within the bristles. So, I keep this strictly for highlighting and under eye powdering purposes.

Lastly, they are totally not the same size, but I wanted to point out the similar shape I noticed between the Brightening Concealer Brush and the Seamless Complexion Brush.

In my previous review, I mentioned that the brand seems to be more focused on quantity over quality and in photos like this one and some of the others throughout this post, you can see the strands that weren’t cut properly (those aren’t loose bristles) by either people or machines, though some of the brushes on Ulta’s website are listed as being “hand cut.” Some brushes of mine have been bundled in a way that don’t look uniform. Some of those ferrules get loose very easily. I can be a little rough sometimes, but this ferrule issue is one I’ve only ever had with inexpensive brushes. Even then, it has only happened with the brushes made after the original black rubber handle ones were discontinued. Quality control just isn’t what it used to be. The permanent lines tend to be better than the limited edition ones, but even these aren’t perfect. I continue to recommend Real Techniques as an affordable brush brand, but sometimes they make changes that aren’t for the better. My Setting Brush, that’s still my top favorite brush from them, has a slightly different brush head than the original. The change was small enough that I continued viewing the new one as my top brush, but the original shape was superior. So, I cannot guarantee that the brushes I recommend of the same name (but different handles as part of different lines) will be the same quality and shape as what I currently own. I just want to make sure I put out that disclaimer.

Miracle 2-in-1 Powder Puff

I could drone on about my initial mistakes expecting this brush to perform in ways it wasn’t intended to, but instead I will keep it to things that I discovered.

For starters, this sponge is not intended to be used wet. When wet, the sponge portion lifts off the silicone core on the inside.

The reason the website demonstration photos show this product used with concealer, cream contour or bronzer, but not foundation is because most people expect to use tapping/bouncing motions when applying with sponges. Those products demonstrated in those smaller areas should be fine if tapped, because without liquid, this sponge doesn’t diffuse product very much. I would like concealer to be tapped in without losing coverage, but using that motion in a larger area like for foundation just places a bunch of dots across the face instead of it actually blending in. However, this sponge can still work for foundation if a spreading motion is used. I saw one review video prior to mine arriving where the YouTuber sprayed the sponge to add a little bit of moisture. I tried that once and it does work. With a fully dry sponge, if the primer used underneath creates an emollient surface (like the Rituel de Fille Thorn Oil), then it is also fairly easy to spread. Swiping foundation on the face works in a pinch, but is less enjoyable than using something softer like the Blendiful or my usual foundation brushes.

I mentioned that the sponge side is supposed to be better suited for concealer, cream contour, and cream bronzer but I don’t like it for any of those purposes, and that’s because it just doesn’t blend things in well enough. The concealer gets around the corners nicely, but it doesn’t properly blend out where I have lines under my eyes. I’m not left with smooth even coverage and have to switch back to my usual Sonia G Jumbo Concealer brush for proper coverage. Cream face products don’t look blended enough either. The only thing that worked were liquid blushes and liquid bronzer because those naturally spread and move easier. Overall, the sponge side is just a dud for me except to swipe liquid foundation.

The puff side is the better side. Normally, I’d have to roll a puff into a different shape to set the concealer under my eyes with powder and make sure there’s enough pressure behind it. That’s why I usually don’t bother. However, the silicone insert has the perfect firmness and the pointed tips on either end let me get between corners and apply a smooth even layer of powder. That layer ends up being more powder than I usually apply with my brushes, but it looks like the typical amount I see the beauty gurus use online (the ones that don’t bake, although this would be great for baking too). I don’t wear powder foundation, but I have tried this for all over face powdering and it works nicely, but I bought my pricey face brushes for a reason and I prefer to apply with those heavenly bristles instead. Plus, with my dry skin, I need a lot less powder all over my face in particular.

I’ve used the puff side with powder blush as well and it works! But, again, I prefer the feel of my brushes. So, I might continue using the puff side, but to just set my under eyes.

That’s all for today! Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤