e.l.f. brushes

A well-filled make up kit includes brushes. Lots of brushes. But when you're on a budget, it can get hard to get some good ones to play around with. E.L.F. brushes fall in the category 'affordable' with a vast certainty level.


You've got the essential line, which provides brushes for €1 (!) and the studio line with brushes for €4 (still a steal). The biggest difference between these brushes are the bristles. The essentials have more coarse ones and the studio brushes are very soft.

up: essential eye shadow brush - down: essential eye crease brush

The essential eye shadow brush was the first brush I ever bought from the E.L.F. website. It's a simple brush, but a must have in my opinion. Its flat side is perfect for packing on colour onto your eyelid and the small tip of it can be used to add some shadow on your lower lashline - without too much precision. I love it and use it almost daily. I'm happily surprised it's still going strong after almost a year! Definitely a recommendation!

More recent I added the essential eye crease brush to my collection, but I find it a bit too coarse for using in my crease. In this area, I prefer a fluffy, yet small brush to apply colour and then a bigger one to blend it out. This one has found its purpose in adding eyeshadow on my lower lashline with more precision than the essential eye shadow brush. It also packs on more colour in that area compared to the other one.

up: studio small stipple brush - down: studio small tapered brush

One brush of E.L.F. that I've heard of so many times is the studio small stipple brush. This brush is perfect to apply cream products like cream blush, cream highlighter... It's too small to apply foundation, but you can definitely use it for concealer if you want a lighter application (unlike me). It can even be used for powder blushes or highlighters for an even lighter, more diffused finish! Yes, it does shed a little bit, but for this price, it's a great allrounder!
Talking about allrounders, did I mention the studio small tapered brush yet? It's got the softest bristles of them all and can be used for an array of products. It's got the perfect size to set your undereye area with, apply (powder) highlighter or to contour with. The latter one was the main reason I first bought it, but it has proven itself so versatile I don't think I'll ever part with it. It also doesn't shed on me, which makes it even more perfect.

have you tried E.L.F. brushes before? Any I should try out?