Here's one I mysteriously alluded to earlier.

What I really hoped to get across in the last post was the idea that MAC brushes are not the be-all and end-all, even if their model numbers are commonly used as an example of the type of brush used, what makes a brush is the shape of it. My hope was to illustrate and explain some of the common brush shapes, and explain how the shape of it determines the job it can do and how it does that.

There's a lot of brushes out there, and if you can get an idea of what the brush does and how it works from looking at its shape, then it's much easier to find cheap alternatives that suit the way you like to apply your make-up.

Also, in the last post, I mentioned that brush I've been hinting at. Remember, the one I did all of this with?

The only brush I used for this look was the Barbara Daly Eyeshadow brush. It's a flat shader brush, made from natural hair (looks like pony) and it's extremely cheap.

Without further ado, here's the review! (Ha, that rhymed.)

Foiled Sealed for Freshness

The packaging is pretty simplistic; it comes sealed in a foil packet with a clear front. On the one hand, this is irritating since you can't tell if the brush is soft or not, but on the other hand you know no one's rubbed it on their face. Swings and roundabouts.

Stickability

The brush itself, although very cheap, is really nice to look at and hold. The bristles and ferrule are nothing special, brown and silver respectively, but the handle is tapered and covered in that soft-touch matte stuff (the kind you often get on easy-grip pens) which makes it really comfortable to hold. I've never found usual brush handles uncomfortable, but I do like the feel of my Barbara Daly brush more. The logo is stamped onto the base of the brush in matte silver, and no amount of rubbing or scraping can make it fade or chip.

My brush has held together extremely well; I've had no problems with a wobbly/loose handle/ferrule and haven't lost a single bristle. It also holds its shape well after washing and doesn't stain.

Performance

Whereas the common example of a flat shader brush, the MAC 239, is made of white goat hair, cheaper flat shaders like this one often use pony hair. It's softer, less stiff and is a lot easier to clean and stain resistant. I couldn't call this a dupe, it's larger and the bristles are a little longer, and they're more flexible. I don't have any difficulty getting the same pigmented results using this than my MAC 239, however, and I prefer this because it doesn't bother my eyelid, it's softer, and it's much easier to clean, and more pleasant to use.

As you can see, the width of it is similar to the MAC 239, and smaller than my GOSH brush which I previously used most often. The bristles are longer, and since it's machine-made and quite cheap, they aren't as uniform in shape as the MAC brushes, but it's still a good, solid shape and it holds it well. It looks a lot more like a larger 213 (above) than the 239.

The key difference, and the reason I was able to use this all over my eye, for blending and highlighting in place of my usual stiff-dome and fluffy brushes, is clear when you look at it from the side.

Side-on, you can see that the Barbara Daly bristles fan out and are much rounder, fuller and less flat than the MAC 239 or traditional flat shader brush like my GOSH one. It's still flat enough that the shape doesn't impede its ability to really pack colour onto the lid (I used it in my Gambit EOTD for the red) and because of the roundness, in a pinch it can also be used to blend in place of a stiff dome brush or fluffy brush.

It doesn't do the job as well and I certainly wouldn't recommend it in place of those brushes generally, because I think they're really good ones to own if you like blending, but if you're travelling, or in a rush etc, then it will do in a pinch and you can get good results for a simple look just using this one brush alone. The softness and flexibility of the bristles means that as long as the colour changes aren't radical, you can wipe-clean it easily enough to apply a highlight or crease shade and so on.

Conclusive Conclusion Bit

That's why I like it, really. Sure, it's cheap, machine-made and the quality isn't quite up there with MAC, but have I mentioned it costs £3.99? Yes, three-fucking-ninety-nine. It does the job, it stays together, it feels soft and pleasant to use and it's easy to clean. It doesn't stain, smell, or shed. I don't have a bad thing to say about it. It's cheap, it does what it's supposed to very well, does a bit more besides and is pleasant to use.

The downside (oh, wait, I found a bad thing to say about it) is the availability, which is extremely poor. Barbara Daly is only available offline in actual shops (I know, I know, apparently people still sell things not-on-the-internet and watch VHS and have floppy disks and things) and even then, it's only in very large Tesco stores. That's a UK supermarket which, as far as I know, is only in the UK. It certainly isn't in the US. Sorry.

Price: £3.99
Where?: In-store only in large Tesco stores across the UK.

Look & Feel: 3.5/5 - It looks simple but it feels lovely. A black ferule or fancy coloured bristles would be more fun, and of course the shape isn't completely uniform. I do really like the handle though.

Quality: 3.5/5 - Machine-made but well-constructed and sturdy. Mine shows no signs of flaws or falling apart. The splayed bristles are likely a result of a cheaper brush not holding them in place as firmly, but I like the effect it gives.

Value: 5/5 - It's incredibly cheap. So cheap that you could buy four of these for less than the cost of one MAC 239.

Overall: 4/5 - Of course the quality could be improved, but it's ample and doesn't really effect its performance. It's robust, comfortable and pleasant to use, easy to clean, and it gives a great effect. It's cheap and versatile. Just generally a really useful thing to have around.

The Last Word

All of that said, however, for the benefit of those outside the UK; this kind of brush is very easy to find. It's also pretty idiot proof - companies that make terrible face brushes (*coughGOSHcough*) often still manage to make good flat shaders. I explained my review criteria and what you should look for in a brush and what to expect based on the shape of its bristles in my last post, so my hope is that when you're in Target or Walmart or whereverthehellitisyoushop you'll see your own cheap flat shader brushes and give them a try, and hopefully find ones which do the trick and are cheapitycheaps! Don't be put off by a no-name brand or cheap price-tag - just compare the shapes and test the quality and give it a shot. Since it's beneficial to have multiple flat shader brushes (for multicoloured looks so you don't have to clean so much) finding a cheap reliable alternative is very handy.

Also, I have no idea why it took me so long to write this. I felt kind of burnt out after the last brush post and couldn't think of morethingstosayaboutbrushes and all the formatting kept looking wrong so it looks weird and is short and pleh. More stuff coming up. Better stuff. Promise. Pleasedon'tleaveme.