Bareminerals Bargain Brushes

Although I have accumulated quite a collection of Japanese artisan "fude". When it comes to wearing daily makeup, I often go with small handy tools that I can grab and toss in a jiffy. The sponge tips and mini brush from Japanese palettes are perfectly practical and sometime I find perfectly smooth and grabby brushes just for a few bucks. 

Some example are the $1 Elf and Wet n Wild eyeshadow brushes back in the days (when they used natural hair) and Marshalls and TJmaxx offers some wonderful tools for cheap. Last fall while browsing at TJmaxx, I saw a few Bare Minerals brushes at 4-5 bucks a piece, the construction look quite solid and I have a greater trust in the brand, as it's owned by Shiseido.

The Seamless Buffing Brush is a dense synthetic brush for mineral makeup. I tried using it for powder sunscreen and foundation and it seems suitable for foundation, grabbing a generous amount then buffing into an even finish. 

Each hair is fine and smooth that it's quite comfortable on the face. The metal handle might be a fingerprint magnet but for five bucks, who cares?

The Bareminerals Mini Full Flawless Face brush is a small one meant for powder. To me it's perfect size for blushes as the natural hair (seems like horse) is smooth enough to the touch yet can dig into a firmly pressed blush pan. While I wasn't expecting a western line have excellent, near artisan craftsmanship, I noticed something special about this horse haired cutie...

Looking at the hair closely, each strand is naturally tapered/not cut at all! I haven't tried many powder brushes by American brands but this is definitely not a common occurrence. From a google search, the close up picture of a full sized Full Flawless Face does indeed have laser cut hair. 

Anyway, this particular brush picks up a little less than other horse brushes and gives a more even finish. It's good for Japanese powder blush (that generally have a natural, lighter pigmentation) and also suitable for concentrated one like Tarte. Actually, this little one is more comfortable than the mini goat hair brushes I have (while being less than 1/6 the price).

The Full Tapered Cheek brush is a slim one with smaller head and slightly less hair bundled without being flabby. Like mini Full Flawless, this also features natural uncut tips so it's rather comfortable on the face. This is handy for blushes with a smaller pan (one in a multi palette or small one from a makeup set).  I am happy with all three brushes as they are functional, affordable and the perfect size for travel. If I see more of these brushes at TJMaxx again, I will be sure to pick some up.