Monday, June 4, 2012

For the Highlight

I bought the Ecotools Bamboo 6 Piece Eye Brush Set on sale a few months ago from Priceline for about $16. At the time, I was unaware of iHerb, where you can purchase it for $7.22 (you can probably get it for even cheaper on eBay). The set consists of 5 brushes, with the 6th item being a hemp and cotton case with a mirror that I chucked in my bottom drawer and never looked at again. There's a Large Eye Brush, Angled Crease Brush, Petite Eye Shading Brush, Highlighting Brush and Smudge Brush. Like most Ecotools brushes, they're pleasingly soft, though some are firmer than others. I've ended up not using these brushes to apply my eyeshadow (I'm sticking with cheap, dual-ended Sportsgirl ones to do that), but I do use two of them all the time, one for blending and the other for slightly smudging out my lower lashline.

l-r: Highlighting Brush, Large Eye Brush, Angled Crease Brush, Petite Eye Shading Brush, Smudge Brush 






Large Eye Brush ("Blend")
This brush is wide (just under 2cm across), flat and soft. It reminds me of a mini foundation brush if anything. Given its size and shape, I don't really know who would be using this for blending, or to apply a wash of eyeshadow over the lid. It seems like you'd need a lot of eye space to get use from this brush. I guess it would be better used to apply and blend concealer under the eyes, or possibly as a brow highlight.

Angled Crease Brush ("Crease")
I have a similar brush from this Ecotools Alicia Silverstone set I purchased a while ago, but slightly smaller and firmer. An issue I've found with this kind of brush is that it doesn't pack on colour well. It's large, fluffy and better for blending than applying eyeshadows. The angled shape of this brush is ideal for blending out the outer corner of the eye, especially if you've applied a darker shadow for a gradient effect.

Petite Eye Shading Brush ("Shade")
It goes from one extreme to another in this set. This brush is ridiculously tiny (7mm across). It's also really thin and flat. How it's supposed to do anything (let alone "shade") is beyond me. The only purpose I can think of is lining the lower lashline (but even then, this wouldn't be the best brush as even though it's small, it's too thin and flat), or highlighting the inner corner of the eye.

Highlighting Brush ("Highlight")
The clear standout of this set and probably the only reason I bought it as I was specifically looking for a brush like this one. Ignore the "highlight" label. This is your standard fluffy blending brush. I alternate this brush with a similar shaped but slightly softer and larger one from the Ecotools 5 Piece Brush Set. It's perfect for blending eyeshadows and softening any harsh edges.

Smudge Brush ("Smudge")
My second favourite of the set, I use this to smudge eyeliner and/or eyeshadow applied to the lower lashline so it's a little more blended out and not so harsh. The pointed shape gives precision but is also still soft. Even if the brush only has one function, it serves it perfectly.

63 comments:

  1. Sucks that not all of the brushes are entirely useful! I bought the standalone Ecotools eye brush almost 2 years ago (it was only $5 from memory) and don't really like it - it doesn't pick up eyeshadow as well as my $1 ELF eye brush does!

    I think Ecotools do great face brushes but I'm not sure if the same could be said for their eye brushes.

    I have a dire need for an eyeshadow blending brush - the highlighting brush sounds like a great option! I think I'll try and wait to see if Sigma do free shipping though because I'd rather buy one good brush than spend more and get 4 extra brushes I don't really use. :) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just read your comment on my blog and have to say I'm definitely NOT that dedicated! LOL. My previous disappearing act was because of all the major assignments I had due (seemed like it never ended...) especially seeing as I had a unit without an exam this semester. Seems like the whole term is relaxed until the last bit. :( Must be nice to have graduated and not have to deal with all of that! xx

      Delete
    2. I wish Sigma did free shipping, I was *this* close to buying the Paris palette (like, I literally whipped out my credit card and everything), then I saw the shipping was $16+ so that kind of put me way off :p

      I think Ecotools do make better face brushes, but I prefer Real Techniques for my face brushes. I do like the Ecotools blush brush, the stippling (from some random Alicia Silverstone set), the mineral powder brush from their 5 piece set and their mini kabuki (so soft, love it for cream blush) :)

      Delete
    3. Assignments and exams are definitely one thing I'm glad to not have to worry about anymore. I used to have nightmares during the semester that it was the day of an exam and I'd forgotten to take half the classes or I couldn't find the exam room! Geez, the stress. But work sucks in its own way :p At least you'll have a well-deserved break when it's all over :)

      Delete
  2. I just bought some ecotools brushes as well! Only the travel set though, might have to buy more of their brushes though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is that the 5 piece one, with the mini kabuki? I have that as well, may do a review later on. I quite like that one, I actually prefer it to this set :)

      Delete
  3. I've never tried Ecotools before. However, I just bought the 5 piece brush set, along with a traditional foundation brush, for my Mum for Mothers Day. So hopefully she can find a few useful brushes in that one, just as you have.

    The shade brush IS rather baffling. As you said, I think I'd use it for highlighting my inner corner. Or perhaps applying shadow to my brow or browbone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I quite like the 5 piece set, I prefer it to this eye set. At least Ecotools are pretty good quality for the price and they're generally soft brushes - I'm sure your mum will like them :) Yeah, the shade brush is way too huge for its supposed purpose. Mine has barely been touched since I bought it :p

      Delete
  4. I don't mind their brushes, they're a bit better than some other brands, however I usually steer away from buying the sets as I usually get stuck with most of the brushes never being used and only liking one of them haha, would have cost me less to buy the one I really wanted by itself!
    :)
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good idea, I wish they sold the fluffy "highlight" brush by itself so I could stock up :) I guess that's the thing about sets, there's one or two really nice brushes you want, and then the rest you'll never touch again :p

      Delete
  5. I see Ecotool brushes everywhere but never wanted to try them, to me they look cheap and flimsy (no offence). I use to buy these fake MAC ones on ebay cause they were so cheap now I'm just using my good old Sigma brushes which I love to death!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, I didn't really have much of an opinion on them though some brushes looked a bit more appealing than others. My first Ecotools purchase was this Alicia Silverstone set which had much larger, mostly face brushes. I was pleasantly surprised by how soft the brushes were and how they seemed pretty good quality, so I decided to give the eye set and the 5 piece set a go :) I've not tried Sigma eye brushes but I do want to.

      Delete
  6. I really need to invest in these because i keep on seeing these and i haven't purchased them yet. I've heard great stuff about them too and it would be great for travelling or just general use. Thanks for reviewing so i know how they work and the quality of them~ I am lusting over the large buffer brush that they have, since i feel that it would be amazing to apply foundation with :)

    www.beautypicknmix.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen that one, I think it's one of their newer brushes. Personally I still think you should opt for the Real Techniques Buffing Brush over it ;)

      Delete
  7. I've never tried ecotools before, but they look like great brushes. Might have to pick them up now!! xoo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm quite pleased with the Ecotools brushes I have, though I basically only use 2 of the 5 brushes in this set. They're pretty good quality and quite soft for being relatively affordable :)

      Delete
  8. Good to know!! I have some of their face brushes and love them but I was kind of iffy on these.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do prefer their face brushes, though this set does have its merits. You probably can buy better brushes for eyes, especially as these don't apply eyeshadow all that well. It's more for blending :) And thanks for the comment about my camera :)

      Delete
  9. I don't even bother putting on eyeshadow because I have monolids! You seem to have monolids as well. I know you've done some eye makeup tutorials in the past but I'd love to know how you use these brushes. They seem to be catered for women with big (HUUUUGE) eyes with deep sockets which is totally different from Asian women's eyes such as yours and mine. (:

    http://jbperez4.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do have monolids, I still wear eyeshadow though because I think it makes a big difference :p I don't use these brushes to apply my eyeshadow, they're more for blending (I use the "highlight" brush to blend the eyeshadows I've applied with other brushes or my fingers). This eye set definitely seems catered to those fortunate to have huge eyes, probably why I can only seem to find use for 2 of the 5 of the brushes :p

      Delete
  10. I also have this set and I agree that this isnt the best brushes EcoTools could offer.
    my fave are the same like yours! I bought it from iHerb ,also on sale. So I think it's still worth the money, but if it was in full price,I wouldn't recommend it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would be pretty happy if I bought my Ecotools from iHerb - instead I bought them close to the Australian retail price, which is only bad to the extent I could have bought better brushes with the same money online. I don't mind this set, especially for the Highlight and Smudge brushes, but the other 3 are fairly useless/totally neglected :p

      Delete
  11. Great thorough review! I'm always hesitant on purchasing brush sets since I only wind up using half of the brushes (if I'm lucky).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean, there's always one or two brushes in a set that are the reason you buy it, and the others which never get used :p

      Delete
  12. I have the travel set of these brushes, and I can't say any bad stuff about them they work so well. They clean up so well never had a problem wit them. Also products are all different around the world ( I'm in Canada). Your camera is amazing this is a great post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have the travel set as well, I prefer it to this eye brush set :) Thank you :)

      Delete
  13. They seem like a good idea for travelling, love the look of them xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are good travel brushes, especially since the handles aren't too long and they come in a handy case :)

      Delete
  14. oh i love good brushes! this review is awesome :)

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lovely post! Ive only purchased a set of Eco tools brush once at my local target. And when I did mines "may" have had one brush swapped from another set.

    Maybe you could try using the shader brush for blemishes? I hate when one brush out of a set kinda sucks :/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, which set did buy?

      It could be good for concealer, hopefully I can get some use out of it eventually. I don't hate the brush, I just can't see it serving its supposed purpose :p

      Delete
  16. i have the 5 piece brush set ^^! i now wish that i had the smudge brush instead of getting the mini kabuki one on the 5 set hehe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have that set as well, I like it better than this one. I think the fluffy eye brush in the 5 piece set is better than the one here. I actually love the mini kabuki! It's so soft, I find it works really well with cream blush :)

      Delete
  17. I love EcoTools brushes, but I don't often use them for what they're "meant for". That shader brush is useless for applying shadows, for instance -- but I love it as a concealer brush for under my eyes :).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it could be used for that purpose, good to hear that it works well for you as a concealer brush :)

      Delete
  18. I've always given EcoTools a try and I've never been too impressed with their brushes. I'm not too sure why! The ones I've had had shed like crazy! But, that "blend" brush looks like it really would be great with concealer!

    xx,
    Jordana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's strange, I've not experienced much shedding with my Ecotools brushes. At least there's always Real Techniques ;)

      Delete
  19. I have been looking for a brush like the smudge one for doing eye shadow. I will have to see if I can find EcoTools. :-)

    ~ Yun

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good luck tracking it down, it's one nifty brush for a very particular purpose :)

      Delete
  20. I love ecoTools brushes, they're so soft! Especially the blush brush I have from them. Would definitely like to check out this set and get more eye brushes from them. The smudge brush sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the blush brush as well (though I have one from an Alicia Silverstone set, I'm guessing it's not exactly the same as the blush brush on its own). The smudge brush is really useful, I use it almost everyday :)

      Delete
  21. The quality of ecotools brushes are always good, but it's funny how they sized their brushes for this particular set. I've never seen such a big blending and crease brush lol...I guess their face brushes are more worth the investment. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, I've not had issues with the quality of my Ecotools brushes. The sizing is whack in this set, so inconsistent :p I do prefer their face brushes, I really like how soft they are :)

      Delete
  22. Great reviews! I agree that ecotool brushes are very nice and so soft. Too bad some of the eye brushes are so big too, definitely too big for me. The highlighting brush would probably be my favorite too if I were to buy the set. You take wonderful pictures, by the way!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The highlighting brush is the definite standout :) Thank you :)

      Delete
  23. ooooooooo thanks for the review on these brushes. i always see myself looking at them at walmart and i'm really thinking about purchasing them now that you've explained its your 2nd pair! and btw i know understand you completely with you on the "no more lipstick buying" sigh.. too bad the drugstores are covered with them... tempting us ;)

    http://harperandmonroe.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure if these are the best eye brushes you can buy for around the same price range, especially as I find they're more useful for blending than applying eyeshadows. But Ecotools do make some nice, good quality brushes for fairly affordable prices :) I need to resist temptation - I'm going to see how long I can last on a lipstick ban :p

      Delete
  24. I have this set too and I also only use 2/5 of the brushes provided. I wish EcoTools would sell them in longer, skinnier handles individually because I'd hate to repurchase a whole new set if my favorite brush broke.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean, it sucks when a favoured brush can only be purchased in a set consisting of other brushes you barely ever use!

      Delete
  25. I was about to buy this! But I ended up going with the 5-piece set and the standalone blush brush, which I believe is larger than the blush brush that comes with the set. I'll see how I go with those, but I'm going to order the RT blush and Expert Face brushes (and the Queen Helene Mint Julep masque, just, that's irrelevant) and wait til Sigma throws a party, to buy one of their Make Me Blush/Cool/etc sets for the eye brushes and face brushes. I've been wanting of those since I started watching Jen's videos on frmeheadtotoe. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh! I got the Shiseido eyelash curler! It's so great. :D

      Delete
    2. What's this about Sigma throwing a party? Are they going to have some upcoming event where they offer free shipping? I have wanted to try Sigma eye brushes. I bought two of their kabuki brushes and to be honest, I'm not that enamoured of them. They're okay, but for applying liquid foundation (pretty much the only use I can envisage for them, as they're EXTREMELY, ridiculously dense) I infinitely prefer Real Techniques. Glad that you like the Shiseido eyelash curler, I use mine almost everyday :D

      Delete
  26. Haha love how you chucked the mirror and other brush in the bottom drawer, I do stuff like that haha!
    Shame not all of them are loves though, they look rather large for eyes!
    I only have one Eco tools brush but I wasn't blown away! The RT's eye brush set is really good :)

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have all the RT cases and the other Ecotools hemp cases and whatnot in that drawer too :p They do look targeted to girls with huge eyes, sadly I am not one of them :p I don't have the RT brush set (shocking, I know LOL), but I am tempted! I really like the domed shadow brush in the travel set :)

      Delete
  27. Hi, darling! I just want to let you know that you're one of my picks for the Laine Blogger Award! Check it out on my blog! (:

    http://jbperez4.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  28. This looks like a really good set. I like how they label the brushes at the ends with their purpose too for easy reference. I've seen these brushes at the drugstores near me but I've never paid much attention to them. I'll have to check them out next time :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is neat they've labelled them, though also a little confusing because not all of the labels match up to how I can imagine the brushes being used :p Ecotools make some nice brushes for affordable prices, especially their face brushes :)

      Delete
  29. i'm just about to use mine! well in the next few days, i've been so preoccupied with loving my real techniques haha. thanks for the heads up on the labels, they confused me a little too :)

    cocoandgarcon.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. I loovee my eco tools bronzer brush.. it is so soft! I haven't tried their eye brushes but will probably try the ones you recommended now. Thanks for the fantastic post like always :)

    xo

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...